《The Scourged Earth》 1.1 The World Changes Four people were born and two died. Eight million human breaths were taken. In that quiet and mundane moment, a signal was sent out from a spinning ball of blue, white and green. It was heard, not by few but by endless multitudes. That burst of noise became a beacon to all the things that lived in the endless dark and they were legion. It took just seconds for powers greater than the Earth''s human inhabitants could imagine to touch it and change it forever. The creatures of this speck of air, dirt and water were lucky. First came the kindest, they stretched forth their cold will from a hundred alien suns and in an instant wove a shield. A fragile and temporary thing but enough to earn the planet a chance. It was more than most challenged worlds got. Below the steel and glass towers of teeming metropolises and the front of lonely gas stations the first of many impossible things happened; preparing the way for slaughter and madness, suffering and heroism. Three feet wide and seven feet tall, alien devices twisted into existence, silently consuming pieces of the Earth until fully grown. Millions of them warped into existence over a period of seconds but not a single human eye caught the change happening. Empty screens flickered to life on featureless white fronts and a million small clear panels fell shut in unison across the Earth. After a moment, the screens flickered again, and black words appeared. Universal Support Station, it read in a friendly font. The screen flickered again and red numbers appeared below those words. 24:00:00 A second later. 23:59:59
Derrick was thirsty and irritated. Thirsty because he''d just gotten off a late shift at work, long after the last coffee had been brewed and irritated because he couldn''t find the bill slot on the soda machine. It had been fast growing dark as he made his way home from work on foot. He silently walked beneath glass and concrete along the familiar route, passing dozens of people while hardly noticing them. It was a familiar journey until he saw a strange light shining from a well maintained but rarely travelled alley behind a flower shop. He used the alley as a shortcut to get home from work and he was in an upscale part of the city so he didn''t worry about muggings. Hidden just out of direct sight was the aggravating machine. The thing looked trendy, with smooth round corners and a white finish. Like a high-end computer. He didn''t see any logo though and a computer company going into the vending business seemed like the kind of thing he would have heard about. He worked in IT and was plugged into that culture. Was he supposed to have some kind of card, or chip, or something? Did the countdown timer on the screen mean it wasn''t running yet? If so, he wouldn''t be getting his soda for 20 hours and change. That seemed like a dick move, tempting the thirsty like this. He sighed. It was probably going to require signing up for something to get personal information from him. Stupid information economy. Just when he was about to turn away, the screen changed with a happy beep.
Congratulations User
You are a viable candidate for becoming a User. Answer a short questionnaire for vital rewards. Vocal and touch screen responses are accepted.
As soon as he was done reading it, the message changed to three boxes with a single word in them. Safety, read one. Love, the next. Ambition, the last. So, this was some kind of contest? Not a cheap one either, judging by how impressive the vending machine was. It had to have cameras or some kind of sensors built into it. A promotional event? ¡°Is one of the vital rewards a soda?¡± He asked amused. He didn''t expect an answer, but he got one. Yes, the machine flashed before going back to the question of safety versus ambition versus love. After a couple of hours of work at his terrible job, he felt he had had enough safety. Nor was he feeling particularly full of love. ¡°Ambition,¡± he said and the screen presented him with a new question, once more beeping happily.
What is your greatest strength?
Derrick smiled. What was this, a job interview? He resisted the impulse to give a joke answer. He was skeptical about getting anything really valuable as a reward, but didn''t want to throw away the chance. Still, it was a hard question to answer. He was no genius or natural athlete. No savvy businessman or charismatic leader. He just sort of steadily worked away at things till he got them done. He didn''t want to say stubbornness or something like that, if stubbornness was your greatest strength, you were probably an asshole. If he had been blessed with one great thing it was his health, he was almost never sick and recovered quickly from overworking; a sadly all too common occurrence. ¡°My Health,¡± he said and the machine seemed to accept the answer. Much to his alarm, Derrick felt the ground begin to vibrate beneath his feet. A powerful hum was coming from the machine. Just when he was getting ready to run away in case of an explosion, the hum stopped with a resounding click. He heard a familiar series of mechanical sounds, the kind any vending machine made before dispensing its treats. An unmarked white can fell from a hidden slot into the recess at the bottom of the machine. Derrick skeptically eyed the can and the machine it came from. He read the screen.
Thank you for your time. Enjoy your tasty beverage.
He picked up the can. It felt like a can of soda. It was the right weight and contained liquid for sure. Well, he did just choose ambition over safety. He popped open the can and nothing happened beyond a very familiar fizzing noise. He sniffed it and it didn''t smell like poison, just like one of those fancy sodas you could buy in farmer''s markets. It was unspecifically fruity. He took a sip, then another. It was actually very good. He wouldn''t describe it as vital however. ¡°No more questions?¡± he asked it.
Registration complete. Phase One will commence soon. You have been assigned 300 points towards future purchases. Please visit a Universal Support Station again soon, human.
Derrick laughed at the human specification, how cute. Thirst quenched, he continued back to his apartment without incident. By the time he made his way home he was unusually tired and barely managed to undress before falling into bed and fading into unconsciousness.
Going to bed early didn''t turn into waking up early. Instead, he woke up and panicked when he realized how late it was. He didn''t love his work, but it was worse when he gave his bosses reasons to notice him. Keeping your head down was the key. Get in and out with minimal interaction with the managers. He showered, dressed and ate as quickly as his oddly sore and stiff body let him. Slowing down for only a second before grabbing his phone and jumping into the elevator. While waiting, he turned on his phone and was surprised to find that he had messages. It seemed like Brian, a friend from work had called a bunch of times. Derrick felt a wave of panic, it was unusual for his friend to call him and he could only assume the worst. Was his boss freaking out? Had he been fired? He did a good job and showed up on time but that didn''t mean much these days. Even after several months, he was a ¡°new guy¡± and replaceable. He spent most of his time at work just doing the work the Senior Network Engineer couldn''t be bothered to do. He had a couple bars of reception in the elevator, so hemade a call. After a couple of rings, the call connected. ¡°Oh, hey Derrick.Where are you?¡± Brian asked as soon as he picked up. His friend sounded more excited than worried, which reassured him. ¡°I slept in,¡± answered Derrick with a small yawn. ¡°Why? Am I going to have start looking for yet another shitty entry level IT job. Didn''t you say you knew a guy?¡± ¡°We got more important things to worry about,¡± replied Brian. ¡°You sure picked a strange day to start slacking, normally you''re never late. Even though you don''t have a car. You walk through half the city to get home, don''t you?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? ¡± said Derrick, confused by how excited Brian was. He was practically panting and Derrick''s brain was still in get to work mode. ¡°You really are just getting up. You must have not even turned on the TV or anything. Did you find one of those Star Trek machines? The white vending machines!¡± ¡°What?¡± he replied eloquently, having lost the thread of the conversation entirely. What the hell was he talking about. He ran the conversation back in his mind, trying to make sense of it. What did Star Trek have to do with anything? ¡°Wait are you talking about that white soda machine?¡± questioned Derrick. Derrick had to pull his phone away from his head for second as Brian began yelling into the phone. When he returned to speaking volume what he said caught Derricks attention. ¡°..not a soda machine. It''s an everything machine!¡±
A couple minutes using data on his phone showed him that the internet was going crazy about those machines. Even more crazy than the usual scandal or meme drove it. News sites and chat blogs were filled with stories about what they were calling Pandora Machines. Personally, Derrick found the name a bit trite. All anyone wanted to talk about was how the machines had appeared out of nowhere, replacing now missing vending machines. According to the internet masses, the machines seemed to ignore about half of the people that approached them but would recognize others as users. Each user had 300 points, which could be used to buy anything that could fit in the dispenser; including stacks of cash, weapons and drugs. Needless to say, governments around the world were not happy about this. Browsing, he saw hundreds of people taking selfies while pulling money out of the machines, as well as police and military cordons from around the world. Despite the use of explosives and welding torches, the machines remained unscathed, unlike some of the people trying to force their way past the police. Small riots had started and been put down.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Derrick was astounded, barely able to believe what he was reading. It was like the world had been turned upside down overnight. Who had created the Pandora Machines and how had they sprung up all around the world? Aliens, AI from the future, God or the Devil? No one had any clues, but everyone had a guess.
At Brian''s prompting, instead of going to work, he''d walked to the alley where he had found one of the now infamous machines. Part of him still thought of this as some elaborate joke, the part that didn''t though was difficult to ignore. If only because it was a part of himself that he wasn''t used to hearing from. Something like curiosity. Maybe fear as well. Real fear, not just the low levels of anxiety that plagued everyday life. He arrived first and tried to look inconspicuous while hanging out in front of a closed flower shop. Twice, he almost panicked when police cars drove by with sirens on. Neither of them even slowed down though and rushed down the street to disappear around the block. Derrick wondered where they were going. He could imagine the kind of chaos that was taking place all around the world, although the streets seemed quiet to him. It was hard to imagine that mobs or violence would happen in their small and tidy city. West Hills city was a prosperous and lawful place. People might not respect the government''s ban on the Pandora Machines, but he doubted violence would break out beyond a few crazies. He''d tried to use his phone to surf the internet, but it was painfully slow. He imagined everyone else had the same idea or too many people at IT companies were skipping work like him. He couldn''t even begin to imagine what would happen in places like North Korea or Africa. Could these stupid white boxes be powerful enough to collapse economies and bring down governments? Was that the point? Did some benevolent aliens drop them to help out the poorest and most oppressed people of earth? Space altruists? It was a warm day in late spring, but he felt a shiver go up his spine. No, Derrick didn''t get that feeling at all. The Pandora Machine had been friendly and neat-looking, but he remembered how it had moved the earth beneath it as it gave him his stupid soda. People were using them like they were vending machines, but he didn''t think that was more than a tiny part of what they could do. ¡°Yo, Derrick, sorry I''m late.¡±A voicecalled out from beside him and broke him out of his thoughts. He turned to see his friend, Brian, with a woman he assumed Brian was trying to impress. Derrick could tell because Brian was wearing his self described ''bling''. The young black man tried to pass himself off as ¡°street smart¡± but in the three weeks Derrick had known him, the man had mentioned that his parents were a dentist and lawyer. ¡°This is Clara,¡± Brian said, introducing the short spiky haired blonde woman to him. She was short and pretty, wearing a jacket and skirt. She seemed to be going for an edgy look she didn''t quite pull off. ¡°Clara, this is the beautiful man who is going to make us rich.¡± ¡°It''s true,¡± said Derrick modestly. ¡°I''m beautiful.¡± Clara gave him an awkward smile and Brian rolled his eyes. ¡°I''m Derrick,¡± he said with a somewhat forced smile and offered his hand to her, which she took without hesitation. When she let go, he turned to his friend. ¡°So, any idea how this is supposed to work?¡± He asked. ¡°I just woke up an hour ago and have no idea what ''the rules'' are. We''re not like selling our souls or anything right?¡± ¡°Nah, some people I hang with on the web wrote up a guideline. Like a million people have used these things by now and the Pandora boxes haven''t done shit to them. If it accepts you as a User, you get 300 points that you can spend on anything you want, cash, diamonds, medicine. Like some freaky shit too. One guy on Utube was showing off his lasergun, like making rocks explode from a mile away. Some people are claiming that you can get cures for cancer and stuff too, though that''s harder to prove.¡± ¡°I don''t think the Devil sells laser guns,¡± Clara said with a smile. ¡°The Space Devil might,¡± joked Derrick. He was just trying to lighten the mood but apparently they took his joke seriously. ¡°Just think about how advanced the Pandora Machines are!¡± said Brian passionately. ¡°If their creators wanted to fuck us, we couldn''t stop them anyway, might as well play along.¡± That was very true, but that didn''t necessarily mean that the mysteriousthey had humanity¡¯s best interest at heart. ¡°Maybe this is how they fuck us. Get the greedy little humans to destroy themselves with free money and laser guns,¡± he replied. ¡°Can we please stop talking about aliens fucking us,¡± said Clara with a frown. ¡°Making me really uncomfortable here.¡± ¡°Think they came for our women?¡± joked Brian. Derrick considered making a joke but looking at Clara he saw that she was genuinely scared. Which brought back his own... concerns. ¡°We should be careful.¡± he said. ¡°Maybe it is a trick and we will have to repay what we buy with interest or something. We could wait awhile, see what happens.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going to happen is someone else will find this Pandora Machine and the Police will quarantine it for our safety.¡± Brian refuted. ¡°Besides, one way or another, I don''t think being poor or unarmed will help us much when the real shit goes down.¡± Honestly, that was what he''d been thinking. He just didn''t want to jump into anything without thinking it through. ¡°The real shit?¡± asked Clara. She was asking Brian but Derrick answered. ¡°You think it''s going to stop here?¡± he said. ¡°Alien invasion, World conquering super genius, or government collapse, something''s gotta happen.¡± ¡°Phase One,¡± said Brian nodding and both Derick and Clara looked at him. ¡°When you sign up, you get told that Phase One will start soon, that implies multiple phases and if it''s anything as world changing asthe Pandora Machines arrivalwas, then we need to be prepared. We¡¯re not the rich, fancy folk that can play it safe in bunkers or police protection.¡± Brian made a lot of sense. Derrick had been thinking almost the same thing, not because of the phases but just because of the sheer power of the Pandora Machines. Power serves purpose, so something as powerful as the Pandora machines must have one hell of a purpose,one that he doubted would be subtle or easily avoided. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go.¡± he said and led them behind the flower shop. The machine came into view, a glowing white rectangle that''s spotless surface defied the dirty atmosphere of the alley. Brian moved up to it without hesitation. After a second of staring, he turned to Derrick. ¡°Did you pick ambition, love or safety?¡± He asked. ¡°Ambition. Why?¡± questioned Derrick. Did his friend know something he didn''t? ¡°Just curious,¡± his ''friend'' said before pressing safety on the touch screen, causing Derrick to scowl. So much for solidarity. ¡°Doesn''t seem to do anything.... yet.¡± His friend whispered something he couldn''t hear and then the machine began to hum deeply. Both Clara and Brian flinched at that, but Derrick was used to it. When it stopped, Brian reached into the machine and pulled out a sandwich wrapped in cellophane. He shrugged and once it was unwrapped, devoured it. When he was finished there was a beep and the machine displayed familiar text.
Registrationcomplete. Phase One will commence soon. Please visit a Universal Support Station again.
Instead of leaving like Derrick did, his friend told the machine he''d like to make a purchase. A minute later he received a clear plastic case with small bills inside. ¡°That''s worrying,¡± Brian said as scowled at his new riches. ¡°What?¡± asked Clara, neither she nor Derrick could see anything wrong with the money. ¡°I got mostly small bills to avoid suspicion, but I could have gotten a lot more money for the same points if I got larger bills,¡± he replied. ¡°The machine treats every bill type the same. It''s like the value of the bills don''t matter, just the material involved in their creation.¡± ¡°What does....¡± Clara started before trailing off into thought. Derrick really didn''t like this. Money was everything in this world. It was easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. A force that could touch every corner of the world overnight was one thing but a force that existed beyond human economics? That was power on a scale he didn''t want to even think about because he''d spent his whole life without considering such a power could even exist. Having only contempt for human currency meant you had only contempt for human civilization and theforces that ran it. While he was lost in thought, he saw Clara move to the machine from the corner of his eye and go through the same process as the both of them had. This was a European settlers arriving among Native Americans moment, nothing was ever going to be the same and a lot of people were going to die. So, what should he buy? ¡°Isn''t money going to depreciate fast?¡± asked Derrick. His high school economics teacher would have been proud of him. ¡°What else is there,¡± returned Clara. ¡°You want to invest in gold instead? That''s going to become just as worthless at this rate.¡± Brian didn''t join in their conversation. He was still fascinated by the money in his hands. ¡°Land.... Physical power?¡± Derrick thought aloud. ¡°You mean like weapons?¡± Clara asked. ¡°Kinda,¡± said Derrick. ¡°Maybe we should like form a group for safety, buy a place outside town and fort up?¡± ¡°Go full survivalist you mean,¡± mocked Clara with a raised eyebrow. ¡°We just met, I''m not going to shack up with you out in the woods.¡± Derrick felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. He''d let his thoughts get away from him. ¡°I meant like generally,¡± he said. ¡°For safety reasons.¡± Clara gave him an unimpressed look. Brian interrupted and Derrick was glad of it. ¡°We don''t know anything¡± he said quietly but something in his voice let it carry. It took Derrick a second to place it. It was naked dread. This realization spurred him into action. He moved up to the dangerous enigma and spoke to it. ¡°Station can you hear me?¡± he asked, shortening the name it called itself; the Universal Support Station.
Affirmative User
¡°What are you for?¡±
To provide vital resources to Users in return for points
¡°Who created you?¡±
User not cleared for information
¡°Why not?¡±
User level too low
¡°How do I increase my level?¡±
Level limited until PhaseOne in 11:21:43
¡°How do we get more points?¡± Asked Brian, who had moved up beside Derrick
Points limited until PhaseOne in 11:21:41
¡°Why are some people made Users and not others?¡± interjected Clara. Derrick shot her a look, that was a good question.
Users must fit a criteria of health, fitness and mentality to be considered a safe investment of Support Station resources.
¡°What kind of investment. What for?¡± Continued Clara.
User not cleared for information
It didn''t seem that they were going to get much new information out of the machine. Clara and Brian asked a few more questions but the machine just kept giving them non-answers or telling them they weren''t cleared. Derrick spent the time thinking over everything the machine had told them and what it had done. Two things stood out. ¡°Station, why do you offer free food and drink after signing up users?¡±
Direct consumption is the safest and least resource intensive method of implantation.
Implantation, that was not a word he wanted to hear. They all looked at the sandwich wrappers in Brian and Clara''s hands. ¡°Implanted, with what?¡± seethed Clara.
Your Universal Support Implant
Other than the name, the angry questions of the group failed to give anymore information. So, Derrick moved onto is next question. ¡°Station, define vital rewards.¡± he asked.
Artifacts or enhancements that aide Users in surviving.
Well buggery. Derrick felt the blood drain from his face. Even the Stations themselves thought this was going to get dangerous. It seemed like his life was out of his hands now. ¡°Station, can you suggest a vital item?¡±
Affirmative. Gathering physical and skills data from implant. User has 300 points remaining Recommended item costs 290 points
Glowing boxes containing the words YES and NO appeared on the screen and Derrick pressed yes without hesitation. He was sure now that the world was going to change and that he needed to change with it. He took a series of deep breaths to centre himself. Since the accident that had defined his life, he''d sorta slept his way through life without drive or ambition, just making ends meet. Clearly, that must end now if his survival was on the line. People tended to imagine they were safe these days, he knew this was not true.Lifecould be random and cruel. The machine began its deep hum and he wondered what the future would be like and what the Station offered to help him adapt to it. What was this basically magic machine going to do? After a moment the Station grew quiet and gave a pleasant beep. Derrick reached inside the compartment of the machine, his hand immediately finding and wrapping around something solid, warm and round. It felt like a ceramic pole, shaped to his hand. He began to pull and it slid easily out of the machine. All three of them stared at thething in his hand. Just holding it felt unreal to him.The two foot long tool, was a strange grey ceramic handle with a midnight black crescent of irregular shape on the side of one end. It was solid and balanced while being beautiful, a work of art and inhuman craftsmanship. It was warm in his hand and he thought he felt it vibrate just slightly before going still. It was an Axe. 1.2 Hitting the Gym In the silence created by its appearance, Derrick considered the axe. It was, he thought, not a good sign. It was in fact as terrible an omen as he could imagine. When life gave you lemons, you make lemonade. When life gives you mysterious killing tools, you....? ¡°What is this,¡± he asked the machine.
Small Ethisium Axe: A hand weapon made out of the smart material Esthisium. It has safety, anti theft and self repair features.
So, while it looked like a normal axe, it was in fact slightly more impressive than that. While he considered the deep philosophical meaning of the space axe, Clara brought up a more practical point. ¡°You can''t just carry that thing around,¡± she pointed out. It wasn''t like he could tuck it into his pant waist either, it was sharp. The thing cut air and sang when he gave it a few tentative swings and a trash bin failed to even slow its blade as he cut pieces off them with morbid fascination. A few minutes later, the three of them left the alley. Clara and Brain had tried to purchase a pistol but been turned down. Even though they knew the machines had let others buy guns, it didn''t seem to want to sell firearms to them. The Station recommended a pair of Ethisium knives for the two others but they didn''t buy them. Derrick had the axe hidden inside a colourful bouquet of flowers from the shop the next to the Universal Support Station. Derrick had bugged the two of them until they had agreed to meet up before the beginning of Phase One, but Derrick wasn''t sure how sincere they were being. He had known Brian for only a few weeks since he moved to Westhillsbut his assurances had seemed to lack weight. All three of them were nervous and off balance, they could easily change their minds later, and the two of them were closer to each other than him. Derrick considered his next move. How did a natural loner in South Eastern Canada with no nearby relatives or real friends deal with the probably violent end of life as humanity knew it in less than twelve hours? He had no idea, but it was depressing and that led him to do what he always did when he wanted to escape the voices in his head. He went to the gym. He smiled at the fit brunette chick at the front counter, ignored the looks he got for carrying a bouquet into a gym, stashed it in his locker and hit the treadmills for a warm up. The gym was almost empty except for a few hardcore fitness fanatics, none of which he could name, though he''d seen them a few times here before. He nodded at them and they nodded back. Social rituals complete, he claimed a treadmill where he couldn''t see a TV and began his pre-workout warm up. After five minutes of running with his headphones on, he had almost forgotten about the end of the world. The rhythm of his run and the music blended together into a mindless bliss. Then a blue object appeared right in front of his face and tore him out of his trance, he panicked and tried to dodge it. Forgetting he was on a treadmill, he broke his stride and was sent sprawling. He smashed his face into a handle bar and a moment later his shoulder hit the ground hard. Derrick lay on the ground blinking. Both because he was in a lot of pain and because of the weird box in his vision that had to be some sort of hallucination. After a second, he calmed down and concentrated on what he was seeing. There were words in the box.
Universal Support System Implant
Emergency Implant Activation Warning! Injection shield failure. Hostile Injection Detected! Warning! Connecting to USS Network... Gathering intel from local Users... Generating Mission... New Mission Chain: Clear the building of hostiles. Obedience Protocols Activated. Please obey instructions for your own safety. We regret the loss of control.
As soon as he read the last line of text, it disappeared and his vision was clear. He wanted to just lay down on the ground for a second more, but his headphones had been torn off when he fell and he could hear the muted sounds of anger and fear from downstairs. That was a pretty clear sign that the box should be taken seriously. Afraid of ''hostiles'', he picked himself off the ground and pocketed his phone, a little pissed that no one had even checked up on him. A middle-aged woman on the other side of the aisle was still jogging away. His first instinct was to just leave her to avoid embarrassment in case the commotion was nothing. He was pretty sure something dangerous was going on though, so he tapped her on the shoulder. The brunette woman gave a small jump before looking at him. ¡°I''m a lawyer not a doctor,¡± she said, apparently offended to be bothered by him. Derrick was confused for a second before he remembered he¡¯d hit his head. A casual wipe of his face came back with traces of blood. ¡°It''s not that,¡± he said. ¡°I think something is happening, listen.¡± He waved in the direction of the static filled TV''s to further his point and moved away to check things out. The treadmills were located on the second floor, so he moved down the stairs and entered the lobby. A petite and dark skinned young woman and a buff middle aged man were arguing with the lady at the front desk. ¡°Listen, young woman,¡± the bald and buff man in a black sleeveless shirt ordered loudly. ¡°You need to get on the P.A and get everyone to leave the building.¡± ¡°No, you listen. I need a better reason than some kinda shared...¡± the woman started but stopped when she caught sight of him. The other two turned to look at him as well. ¡°Do as they say,¡± Derrick said, feigning a limp as he approached. ¡°Some guy attacked me and ran off upstairs. He was totally out of his mind.¡± He eyed the buff Caucasian man in a black tank top and the petite woman with Indian features in her tight yoga outfit. Apparently, these two had gotten the warning as well. Which probably meant they were USS Users and had implants. At least he wasn''t alone. Telling the truth hadn''t been working for them so he just gave a lie that sounded much more believable. He''d forgive himself if it saved lives. He believed the USS''s warning or at least was willing to give it the benefit of a doubt. Whatever was behind everything that was happening over the last 8 hours, he doubted it went to all this trouble to troll people. The staff woman believed him and eyes wide, got to work evacuating the building. Meanwhile, the older man gave him a knowing look. Derrick allowed himself to be dragged away by the larger man while the two women talked. ¡°How did you really get hurt,¡± asked the bald man once they were out of earshot. Apparently, he could easily see Derrick''s wounds were not from being attacked. ¡°I was on the treadmill when the I got the message,¡± he replied with an embarrassed smile. ¡°Caught me off guard.¡± The older man gave him a sympathetic wince. ¡°I was mid set of a 300lb bench press,¡± he said. ¡°Was one bad reflex away from dropping that on my face or neck. Was a devil of a time trying to get the bar back on the bench when I couldn''t see. Name''s Bruce by the way.¡± ¡°Derrick,¡± he returned and shook the friendly man''s hand. ¡°Anita, was even more unlucky¡± the man continued with a nod at the Young Indian woman. ¡°She was just leaving when we got the message. Fair warning, you can''t leave the building without getting zapped like a wandering dog.¡± ¡°We have been conscripted it seems,¡± Anita said with deep distaste after moving up to them. ¡°We should wait until most people have left the building and check out the building together.¡± Anita was a tiny woman, especially compared to Bruce, but despite being young and petite, she had a severity to her that gave her natural authority. Derrick was perfectly happy to follow her plan. The last thing he wanted was to be in charge of... whatever this was.Bruce just gave a shrug and rolled his shoulders as he watched people leave the building in a hurry. Derrick saw his gaze linger on various pieces of female anatomy. He seemed so completely carefree in their weird situation, Derrick had to wonder if he was on drugs. Even he showed fear for a second though, when the lights cut out and the emergency lighting kicked in.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°We should head to the men''s locker room,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Why,¡± Anita asked warily. Clearly she was not impressed with that suggestion. ¡°That''s where I put my axe.¡± Anita shot him another look. ¡°Why do we need body spray,¡± asked Bruce with narrowed eyes.
The three of them with Bruce leading the way, made it to the locker room without incident. Bruce had picked up a straight bar and was using the five foot long metal pole to poke doors open and peek inside. While Bruce and Anita watched his back he opened his locker and took out the bouquet. ¡°That''s not an axe,¡± said Anita. The weapon couldn''t be seen from below and she was.. well, short. ¡°It''s hidden inside.¡± he replied defensively. ¡°Why,¡± she said deadpan. ¡°Because I thought it safer to look like a romantic idiot than an axe murderer?¡± he said. ¡°And I didn''t have a carpet to roll it up in.¡± Derrick roughly pulled the axe out of the bouquet and placed the bouquet on the bench that ran between the rows of lockers. He made sure no one was in range and gave the axe a few swings. When he felt somewhat comfortable swinging it around, he brought it down on the bench. He''d only expected it to bite into the wood, but the blade buried itself halfway into it, going clean through the bench. He was worried that it might be stuck, but it came out suspiciously easy. Almost as easily as it went in. ¡°Nice axe,¡± Bruce said with a goofy grin. ¡°Thanks,¡± said Derrick. ¡°The Support Station recommended it when I asked what I should buy.¡± Bruce hit his open hand with his fist. ¡°Dang.¡± He said. ¡°I guess it''s important to axe the right questions, eh? Oh, well. I got some sick muscle juice out of it.¡± Did he just... No ignore that. ¡°Muscle juice?¡± Derrick asked skeptically. ¡°Ya, man. A Myostatin blocker with sick extras.¡± He flexed his arms. ¡°Bigger and stronger than ever, but I''ve lost eight pounds in the last four hours. Power to weight ratio, through the roof.¡± Huh, that was also a good idea. He wondered if he could get some of that later. He was no feather weight but muscles seemed like a solid investment. ¡°We done here?¡± Asked Anita deadpan. ¡°I don''t want to be punished again because you two are chatty.¡± ¡°Just gotta use the washroom quickly,¡± Derrick said. Some things could not be ignored even in a horror movie setting. Bruce used his bar to push the door open and Derrick pressed himself to the floor to check under the stalls. ¡°All clear¡± he said and entered the washroom alone. He made his way to a urinal, placed his axe on top of it and began to relieve himself. When he was done and zipping up his fly, he turned around to make his way to a sink but found the way blocked. A man in workout clothes was calmly standing between the exit and him, seemingly fascinated by him. Behaviour, that even before the first steps into Apocalypse would send up warning flags. The situation was not helped by how the man''s skin was an unnatural grey colour. Derrick raised his axe. ¡°I have an axe,¡± he said unnecessarily with as much bravado as he could manage. As threats went it was... true. The man was the same size as him, but had a very bad vibe to him. Derrick cursed in his head. The man must have been standing on a toilet in one of the stalls so Derrick hadn''t seen him when he checked a minute ago. The man just smiled at him, his teeth the same unnatural grey as his skin. Derrick considered yelling for help but didn''t want to escalate things when help could arrive any moment even if he did nothing. Maybe it wasn''t as bad as it seemed. ¡°I see you.¡± The man said in a calming singsong voice. ¡°Submission is Salvation¡± A chill swept down his spine. Never mind, it was as bad as it seemed. Maybe worse. He quickly yelled for help and took a step back, trying to keep the axe between the man and himself. His only fighting training was a little bit of kick boxing from years ago, so he settled into a comfortable stance andturned to the side to present a smaller target. Just when he thought the man was going remain still, he launched himself forward, one arm raised to intercept the axe. Derrick tried to control the distance by stepping back and to the side, unfortunately his back was to a wall of urinals so space was limited. His attacker was fast and fearless, but Derrick must have done something right because much tothe amateur axe fighters surprise, hisweapon hit and sunk into the man''s shoulder from the side. Unfortunately, that didn''t stop what he was now considering to be his inhuman attacker. His arm hung limply at his side and oozed grey fluid, but his other hand shot out at Derrick''s throat. Derrick tucked his chin and protected his throat, the man continued forward and body checked him into the washroom wall. The grey skinned thing tried to pin him up against the wall, while his good hand crept towards Derrick''s mouth. Oh fuck no. He grabbed the man''s hand but was unable to stop him from inching it closer to his lips. The grey thing that looked like a man was stronger than it appeared. He sent the axe in for a second wild blow and felt it dig into shoulder flesh again. Nothing changed, so he tried again. This time the axe bite into the thing''s neck. With it''s fingers now touching his lower lip and its face only inches from his, the thing smiled at him. Derrick panicked and tried to push it away, but it refused to move. It was like a grey statue had grabbed him. It seemed like his heart was firing off like a machine gun as inhuman and empty eyes stared into his. Then, a second later it fell to the floor like a puppet whose strings were cut and convulsed for a few seconds before lying still. Panting and sweating, Derrick wasted no time putting distance between himself and... it.
Universal Support System
Grey Legion Agent Disabled
Mission Update Threat identified as Grey Legion Injection 1) Destroy disabled Grey Legion Agents 2) Find and destroy Injection Drone before it spreads infection further
That was just as weird the second time. So, this was a Grey Agent, eh? He felt a little sick as he took in its gaping wounds and knew he''d done that with an axe. It helped a lot though that the grey thing didn''t really seem all that human to him. Was it an alien disguised as a human... or something worse? The USS used the word infection... He was staring at it so intently that he almost jumped out of his skin when the door was thrown open and Bruce, covered in grey splatter burst into the washroom while twirling a 20 pound bar above his bald head. The larger man took in the scene and immediately shifted from looking fierce to looking apologetic. Anita followed him in without comment, as indifferent as ever. Derrick noticed she was completely clean but had a small switchblade with traces of grey on the blade. ¡°Sorry, little buddy,¡± Bruce said, ¡°We got attacked by three of them coming out of the women''s locker room.¡± ¡°They seem to have been coordinated,¡± Anita added as she took in the scene. ¡°Picked their timing perfectly.¡± She moved towards the agent and readied her knife. Derrick moved to block her instinctively and she raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Let me,¡± he said and considered the unmoving body and she graciously backed off without a word. Thanks to the strange sensation of adrenaline surging through his veins, he had a million thoughts going through his head. He was glad for it though, he was an IT guy not a... hero, or soldier, or whatever. It didn''t seem like the universe cared about his opinion on the matter though. The grey body was still but he noticed the bleeding had stopped and the wounds looked smaller. It was going to get back up soon. His fight had been messy, partly because he''d hesitated to strike a lethal blow when it started. He flashed back to the thing''s eyes as it smiled from mere inches away and he scowled while wiping his lip with his sleeve where it had touched him. He organized his thoughts. Things were different now. For example, he could and probably was going to die violently relatively soon. He didn''t want to die with a passion that honestly surprised him. But he probably would anyway unless he took steps. Steps like getting better at surviving and fighting. Anita cleared her throat. No more hesitating. If brutality would keep him alive than he''d be brutal. It was just a little change really, squeamishness had never been a virtue, just pretending to be. Derrick took a deep breathe, then another and brought the axe down in one full body movement. The secret, some forgotten memory from childhood martial arts lessons told him, was the transfer of power from the ground, through his body to his wrists. Once again the axe came out easily. Derrick wondered what it said about him as a person that he''d found it so easy to do that. Well he didn''t really think of the Grey Agent as a person to begin with, it had been obviously inhuman in the end there. Grey Agent destroyed, unlocking database.
Universal Support System Implant
Grey Legion Agent (F) Created from living natives by Drones Injected onto newlyrevealed worlds, Grey Agents are larval members of the Legion. No matter who they were before, they will serve the Grey Legion, gathering and defending resources that will allow Legion bases to produce Legionnaires; the soldiers of the Grey Legion. Part of a unified collective. It takes only hours for Grey Agents to display regenerative abilities and toughness far greater than their original hosts. Their direct threat is somewhat diminished by the fact they rarely ever fight to kill, instead seeking to capture and turn living natives by delivering them to Drones. As time goes by,Legion Drones will further adapt and enhance Agents.
¡°He was axing for it eh?¡± Bruce said with a dopey smile. ¡°Well, its good you proved you¡¯re the better man by being the one to bury the hatchet.¡± A long silence. ¡°We need to kill this Drone thing and be done with all this,¡± Anita said, obviously ignoring Bruce''s abomination of a joke. ¡°Yes,¡± Derrick agreed easily. ¡°Any ideas where it might be? If it''s smart enough to pull off a coordinated ambush like you said, it''s probably smart enough to hide from us now.¡± There was a loud sound like a water balloon bursting. ¡°Found it,¡± said Bruce cheerfully from the doorway to a bathroom stall. Derrick moved to look inside and almost vomited. Bruce had crushed a huge and fat spider looking creature the size of a soccer ball that was attached to the neck of what he hoped was a corpse. The grey body was attached by a few grey threads to the side of the stall and toilet. Derrick stared, morbidly fascinated by the scene. Some threads were thicker and ran from the toilets tank and a hole in the wall into the Drone. Was it using water and electricity? Anita moved with speed and grace to plunge her knife into the corpse''s eye. Then, finding another body hanging in another stall, stabbed it as well, then cut its throat for good measure. At this point, the floor of the washroom was covered in flowing grey fluid that was carriying tiny chunks of white fleshto the floor drain. It was a battle to keep the contents of his stomach from joining the rest.
Universal Support System Implant
Mission Complete 60 points earned for emergency activation. 390 points earned for successfully repelling Grey Legion Injection. Return to Support Station to spend points for vital rewards. Implant will remain active. 9:07:21 until PhaseOne
¡°So, should we exchange phone numbers?¡± Asked Derrick hopefully. This seemed like an ideal time to make some competent friends. Definitely more useful than either claire of Brian. Anita snorted and turned to leave. Derrick considered stopping her but really it wasn''t like he had anything that would change her mind. Part of him felt they should like team up, or something, but that was ridiculous, they were still strangers and most people would have things to do, like check on family and friends. ¡°Don''t worry, buddy. She just has a lot on her mind.¡± Bruce said and slapped him on the back hard enough to unbalance him. ¡°You did good.¡± ¡°Err, thanks.¡± Said the younger man. It felt weird to be complimented for his messy kill, but not in a bad way? ¡°I was mostly just trying to keep from freaking out.¡± ¡°Fake it till you make it,¡± replied the older man with a smile. ¡°No one is born a hero.¡± ¡°... Where do you know Anita from?¡± Asked Derrick as he considered the unlikely pair. How were they so good at this? Were they police, criminals or army? ¡°We do yoga together sometimes,¡± Bruce said with a shrug, grey fluids dripping off him. ¡°Now, I think we should steal some clothes and take a shower before the police come arrest us or we start turning grey.¡± 1.3 Whet the Blades Bruce''s number was an alright consolation prize, Derrick supposed. The large man had proven himself a good guy to have around when... aliens attacked. Or whatever. It was unsatisfying compared to the number of an... interesting woman like Anita on an emotional level though. So, sore from a very different workout than he''d expected, hair wet from his shower and wearing stolen clothes that didn''t quite fit, hemade his way home. His trusty axe was hidden in a pilfered sports bag, so he wasn''t worried about anyone finding it. Every once in a while, he would hear sirens in the distance. He was sure the cops had better things to do than search his bag at this point. He hoped they could step up and deal with ''Injections'', after all they had the training and the guns. He guessed the USS had only conscripted them because they were at the scene of the Injection, which seemed like a massive stroke of either good or bad luck for him. The Grey Legion had obviously been spreading and the system had wanted to stop them? If they weren''t allies though, then why did they both show up at the same time? Somethign must have happened or changed to allow... something else? He had nowhere near enough informsation to even guess what was going on. Well, he was thankful it wasn''t his job to figure this all out. He''d just keep his head down while looking for opportunities and see what happened. Stealing some internet access from a coffeehouse on his way back home, he looked up the latest developments. There was nothing on alien invasions whatsoever. Just electrical failures and increasingly brutal police and military action worldwide. He wondered how many riots were Grey Legion related. Probably none of them he''d guess. It didn''t seem like their style to blend in and incite riots. They seemed more interested in creepy leering and aggressively violating personal space. One news site had video of a ''Pandora Machine'' regrowing itself in a crater after some military had bombed it. The site went on to say they were considering filling it with water to see what happened. Derrick guessed they''d poke it with a stick after. For Science, no doubt. Sometimes he was embarrased to be human. No that the other options were looking good either. Another site had a ''panel of experts'' debating the timer displayed on the machines and what could happen when it ran to zero. Some people were afraid they were bombs, which Derrick found hilarious. Step one: Create super advanced vending machines that defy all scientific and economic rules Step two: Blow them up Step three: ??? Step Four: Profit He surfed for awhile but if the denizens of the internet had any useful info that he didn''t, they were keeping to themselves.So he left the shop and walked the short distance to his apartment. The whole apartment building was quiet when he arrived, and he made it inside his apartment without incident. He wasn''t going to be going to work tomorrow after everything that had happened. So, he decided to prepare himself for anything dangerous that might happen tomorrow. Apparently surprise alien zombie attacks were a thing now. He texted Clara and Brian to leave a vague warning about going out unarmed. He was little annoyed neither had contacted him. Not surprised however. The timing of this alien invasion was just bad. He''d just moved to a new city to find work, so he had no one to watch his back. Well, even if he could get back to his old town in under eight hours, it wasn''t like he had any family there. No, it seemed like he was going solo. He turned his TV to the news and searched for videos on axe fighting with his phone. They were basically non-existent but he did find a number of videos on axe throwing as well as learn that his weapon was balanced for throwing. He gleefully chopped a cheap chair apart and mounted the seat on the wall as a target. He quickly ran into a problem, though it kinda solved itself. His axe went right through the wood, the drywall behind it and embedded itself into the concrete wall. Meh, it came out easily so he just practised like that. It was surprisingly relaxing and after a few hours he managed to almost always strike with the blade when he threw from less than twenty feet. Maybe he was talented at this? It was recommended to him by the USS but how would it know?
Universal Support System Implant
New Training Mission You have been paired with another nearby User and your locations revealed to each other through mental beacons. Kill them with an approved weapon (Small Ethisium Axe). Obedience Protocols Activated! Please obey instructions for your own safety. We regret the loss of control.
... ... What? He felt a presence below him, probably on the floor below him. That and the fact it wasn''t moving was all he could tell about it. He made no move towards it. The System couldn''t really want him to kill some random could it? No, he wouldn''t even if it did. He was a modern person, raised understanding the importance of morality and virtue. It couldn''t make... ¡°Herbagerb,¡± he said as his violently spasming muscles threw him intothe wall of his apartment with a dull thud. He landed in a heap and writhed for a few seconds.After a few seconds of that, the pain stopped and a message appeared. Obedience protocols activated. We apologize for the inconvenience. Ten seconds of idleness till reactivation. Fuck No. He quickly stood up, grabbed his axe and bolted for the door. Here was a fundamental truth of his existence. When the going got tough, he got going. Which wasn''t to say he ran away. The modern world left no place to run to. It was just that action was easier than thought sometimes. Half of what people thought about was really just being anxious about things. That had been really really unpleasant. Like the worst thing he could remember having ever experienced. Worse than taking a kick to the head or sticking pliers in an electric socket by orders of magnitude. Even as he ran, he had to suppress twitches caused by phantom pain. First extreme danger, and now extreme pain. It seemed like it was a day for horrible firsts. The USS was not fucking around it seemed. Nor was it a benevolent as it had seemed when it was just offering free stuff. Could he kill some person even if it essentially forced him to? His target was still a floor below him. Elevator or stairs? Stairs. Elevator was slow and predictable. Was he a killer? Could he get away with murder? He was basically on his way to becoming a literal axe murderer. It would take the police maybe two minutes to figure out what went down. What about witnesses? His wild thoughts and plans came to an abrupt end when after bouncing off the walls of the stairwell and flying through the stairwell door, he found himself face to face with a combat knife wielding young man whose face full of pure surprise was no doubt a mirror of his own. They were practically in each others arms before either could react to Derrick''shigh speed entrance. Old kickboxing instincts kicked in and he grabbed at the other''s head for leverage and drove a knee at the other''s gut. His strike was surprisingly well executed but diminished somewhat by the elbow to the head he received. Blood flying from his nose and his opponent gasping to recapture the breath driven from his lungs, they both stumbled backwards. Today was not a great day for his face. They both collected their wits and eyed each other warily. Derrick adopted the classic kickboxing stance, it had sort of worked against the Grey Agent earlier. His opponent stood more normally, he didn''t seem to have any kind of martial training, more concerned with looking tough than freedom of movement or balance. In fact, the pasty kid didn''t seem to be in shape at all. He looked a few years younger than Derrick with a round face and a bit of a gut. Derrick doubted the kid even had his own apartment, he probably lived with his parents. The kid was gripping his knife so hard his fingers had changed color. The only thing he could do to make his grip worse was holding the knife upside down. Now that the panic and surprise were gone, neither were willing to make the next move. ¡°This is not how I pictured my day going,¡± Derrick said, mostly to himself. ¡°Fuck you,¡± Derrick''s opponent said, breath still ragged. ¡°I''m not going to die here! This is my chance to prove myself, to be a hero!¡± Tensing up, the pudgy young man shot at him as if he was going to football tackle him. Was this stupid or smart of him? Derrick, with his limited fighting experience couldn''t tell. He circled away from the others charge, and swung his axe almost lazily at an unprotected shoulder. He was unable to keep a wince off his face as he did. His axe tore through the others t-shirt and drew blood. First blood was his, whatever that was worth. His opponent caught him off guard, for some reason Derrick thought he would flinch away but instead he leaped at him with his knife in front of him. Derrick responded by having his free hand shoot out and use a classic karate block to push the knife hand away and grab the others wrist. They stood like that for a second, until a subtle change in stance telegraphed the others intention to knee him in the balls. Derrick''s fighting experience was limited but that was a lesson you never forgot, so Derrick turned his hips to protect himself and using followed through by punching the younger man in the jaw with a quick jab. He was suddenly less inclined to mercy. The opponent''s knife fell to the ground and his legs failed. ¡°That was not a very heroic thing to try.¡± Derrick said dryly, finding the idea of murder growing on him. Helet his opponent fall to the ground, delivering a quick kick to his ribs as he did.The kidcaught his ankle the second time and hugged it, rolling onto his side as he did to give him an angle to attack Derrick''s caught leg with his knife. Derrick pulled back to slow the strike and stomped down towards the others arm that was wrapped around his ankle. The pudgy kid saw it coming though and rolled away, rising to his feet quickly. Honestly, Derrick could have ended the fight right there, but he hesitated. Turned out it was hard to knowingly end another human''s life. ¡°Heroes do what it takes to win,¡± the other said. ¡°I''m pretty sure that''s villains,¡± he replied as he waited for a sign of weakness. ¡°Not that I''m judging you. Would be a bit hypocritical really.¡± ¡°I''ve seen the future,¡± was the answer he got, which caused him to raise an eyebrow. ¡°And you¡¯re not in it.¡± It was getting harder to take this fight seriously, which in turn made it harder to work up his murderous impulses. At least until the kid launched himself forward again, guarding his head and neck. Derrick tried a new strategy this time. He stepped forward and swung the axe up from below. When the charging kid dropped his guard, Derrick stepped forward again and palm striked him in the face. He wasn''t confident in a clean chin blow and barehanded punching people in the skull is a bad idea. Derrick''s opponent dropped hard and lay gasping on the ground. It seemed like he had won. Yay him. ¡°Sorry about this,¡± Derrick said. This was Canada, so while he may be an axe murderer, he at least would be a polite one, gosh darn it. He really didn''t want to kill this guy, but he knew delaying it would only make it go one of two ways. Either he would be zapped till he murdered the younger man or he was zapped till the younger man recovered and murdered him. No part of him found the idea of dying here acceptable. ¡°If this had happened a few hours earlier, I probably wouldn''t have been able to go through with this.¡± He raised his axe and brought it down. It impacted the others neck with soft thump, as if he had hit the pudgy young man with a foam axe instead of some super advanced alien alloy.
Universal Support System Implant
Training Mission Complete Paired opponent defeated. Obedience Protocols Deactivated! Training mode unlocked
¡°Huh.¡± Well fuck. This was obviously better than becoming a murderer but now he felt really stupid. It had been called a training exercise but really who could apply logic in a situation like this? The killing blow had probably been the point of all this. The USS was conscripting regular people as soldiers from what he''d seen at the gym. If it was going to use them, it would need to drive home the seriousness of the situation so they wouldn''t flinch when it sent them on missions against enemies like the Grey Legion that looked human. He considered the man groaning on the floor in front of him. Now that he had a second to look, the cut on his shoulder was way too shallow, it was barely bleeding. It seemed like their weapons had safety modes. ¡°You want some ice or something,¡± he asked the wheezing adolescent on the floor. ¡°Fuck the fuck off,¡± the other man groaned from the ground. ¡°Fair,¡± said Derrick and slunk away to his apartment. He was grateful no one saw that. Once there, he decided the best plan was to go to sleep. He was unbelievably tired now that the adrenaline was gone. As a security precaution he moved his couch in front of his apartment door with some plates perched on its armrest. Then, he set his alarm for an hour before PhaseOne and was asleep seconds after falling on his bed.
Derrick woke up early, his internal clock waking him before the alarm. He rolled out of bed. Checked his messages. Showered. Got dressed. Did a couple of axe tosses. Had a bowl of cereal and left the house with his stolen sports bag crammed with supplies a full hour before Phase One. On the streets people seemed to be going about their lives like normal. Some looked nervous, but he didn''t see any weapons or police barricades. About half of the businesses were closed but the other half were happy for the extra business it seemed. He considered stopping for a coffee, but every Timmy''s was mobbed by people. Whatever was going to happen, people were determined to face it heavily caffeinated. It took him twenty minutes to reach his destination, the alley where theUniversal Support Stationwas at. Despite everything that had happened yesterday, no one was responding to his texts. Well except Bruce, who was apparently on the other side of town with his sister''s family. Neither of them mentioned the training exercise. Derrick couldn''t imagine that the older man would have lost his though. The USS would have had to make him fight an entire city block to make it a challenge. In his head, he could see Bruce grinning and swatting down a horde of attackers with a street sign he''d ripped out of the ground. Anita might be smaller but she''d dealt with the Grey Legion ruthlessly and competently. He doubted she would hesistate, which might be more of an advantage than muscles. Seems like he was facing Phase Two alone. All the other Users he knew were either indifferent to him or openly hostile now. He sighed. It was honestly depressing. The sum total of his plan was to hang out by the Station, see what happened and buy stuff to improve his chances of survival. There was no place to sit in the alley and the flower shop was closed, so he made himself comfortable on the front steps of the shop. He dropped his bag beside him and seeing that the street was empty he put his headphones on to pass the time. Soon he''d closed his eyes and was lost in the music. When PhaseOne began he didn''t even open his eyes, in fact it was easier to read System notifications with his eyes closed.
Universal Support System Implant
PhaseOne Warning: Injection denial shield full failureLove this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. All User Implants fully activated All local Users +373 Points GeneratingUser Profiles
If the implant in his head could be believed, it seemed like the USS'' had been trying to stop Injections. He knew Injections were a special kind of bad if the Grey Legion was from one. Did this mean more Grey Legion Drones would show up now? Was the city soon to be full of zombies? The world? More points were nice but what good was a profile?
Universal Support System Implant
Retrieving data.... Generating Titles....
Ambitious Has chosen to be ambitious. Will receive greater rewards and face greater risks during Phase One.
Emergency Activation Was activated early to deal with a local Injection crisis.
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Ambitious Role: Fighter Lv 1.1
Titles: Ambitious, Emergency Activation
Traits: Curative Blood (E) (Defensive)
Successful USS combat missions: 1
USS Points: 833
Traits
Curative Blood (E) Defensive Trait. Modified blood cells and plasma give increased resistance and healing speed.
Proficiencies
Basic Melee Has basic skills with melee weapons
Huh, he''d honestly forgotten about that that little questionnaire at the start of all this. Seems those choices had consequences. One of those consequences was apparently allowing a glorified vending machine the ability to alter his mind and body as it willed. Was level 1.1 the start or did he gain a level from his ¡°Emergency Activation.¡± How did the implants work? Was there a chip in his head now?
Universal Support System Implant Nano machines are ingested or injected and make their way to the host''s brain. There, they catalyze and encourage the brain to grow new specialized nodes. Once done, the nano machines break down, leaving no foreign matter within the brains of the native host.
Huh, that was actually a lot weirder than what he''d been thinking. So instead of a microchip in his head he now had new pieces added on to his brain? He reached deep down inside himself for how he felt about this. It seemed like the kind of thing that should offend him to the very core of his being but all he felt was a mental shrug.
Role: Fighter (F) Fighter is a simple role for those that lack specialized skills but posses fighting spirit. As your level increases your body will be modified to help fulfill the role of one who stands on the front line with weapon in hand. Small improvements to muscle and bone density, reaction time and muscle endurance each level. Prerequisites: Ambitious Trait
... Fighting spirit? That wasn''t even fucking true... It seemed more like it was just trying to lazily avoid calling him useless fodder... Fuck, this wasn''t good. ¡°How do I change Roles?¡±
Unlock Roles by gaining titles, traits and proficiencies. You can change to an unlocked higher-grade Role but not the same grade or lower.
So, he was stuck as a fighter for the foreseeable future. Urghhh. He''d never been in love with his body. It was fine, as bodies went but he long ago accepted he would never be anything but mediocre no matter what he did. The fact that this may no longer be true was.... interesting. He felt an almost forgotten part of himself stir. Hadn''t Bruce mentioned something about muscle juice? Maybe this wasn''t the best time to get distracted by theory building or soul searching. He didn''t know how much time he had. On to practical concerns then. He was more than fine with Curative Blood, which he assumed came from the System boosting his health; aka, his greatest strength. But Ambitious? He''d chosen that on a whim, not because he wanted to be fighting off alien invasions with an axe.
Universal Support System Implant
Multiple Local Injections Detected (Grey Legion, Spore Tyrants, Nano Ark, Feral Artisans) Generating new Mission New Mission Chain: Repel First Wave 1)Prepare to Clear Grey Legion Injection 2)Await pickup Item Granted: Basic breather mask. Would you like to upgrade mask for 112 USSP?
Wow, a lot to worry about here. Why did he need a breather mask now and not before? Was it unrelated to the Grey Legion? Spore Tyrants sounded like the kind of thing you''d want a mask to be around. Well, the axe it had recommended was handy so he was willing to give the station the benefit of a doubt. It was free anyway. ¡°Hold that thought,¡± he said. ¡°Display recommendations.¡±
Universal Support System Shop
Small Balanced Ethisium Axe 290 USSP Light Protective Underwear 212 USSP Curative Blood (D) 311 USSP Total: 813
Current USSP: 833
This seemed good to him and he confirmed the order with a thought. A spare axe was a great idea, especially if he was going to start throwing them around. He liked the idea of making himself harder to kill as well, especially a permanent buff. It was stupid but he liked the idea of upgrading himself. For the first time today, he found a sincere smile on his face. What was the limit to that sort of thing? Were the survivors of this going to end up straight up superhuman? Would the USS take the stuff back when it was over? Was it going to ever be over? ¡°Display Buffs.¡± he said.
Browsing locked. Please make specific requests.
Why would they lock browsing? Maybe he''d used the wrong terminology? ¡°Display available traits.¡±
Universal Support System Shop
Traits available: Curative Blood (D) (Defensive) 311 USSP
Huh. ¡°How do I unlock more traits?¡±
Increase Level, Titles or Proficiencies
He opened his mouth to ask the obvious question but the Support Station pre-empted him.
Increase Level by completing missions Gain Titles by accomplishing notable feats Gain Proficiencies by displaying competence
That last part was a little hurtful considering his one basic proficiency. Apparently, he was insufficiently prepared for alien invasions. No point wasting time questioning the Station, getting useful info from it was like squeezing water from a stone. He purchased the recommendations and extracted the items as the machine finished them. A hard black mask that covered the bottom of his face, a familiar axe and a pure white t-shirt made of something that looked like scales so small he could barely see them. Lastly a can of Soda of the Curative Blood (D) flavour. That was actually a little reassuring. Knowing that the System couldn''t change his body or blood remotely. Or that it at least needed to pretend. He put theunderwear on under hisclothes and stuffed the other things in his bag. All done with the USS, he moved back to the steps in front of the flower shop. He sat there for a long time, watching cars pass by. Even with everything happening there were just as many cars on the road. Pretty much zero pedestrians though. Did people just feel safer driving than walking? It was over an hour later that his ride showed up. It was not as he had hoped, an alien craft or even a military vehicle. Just an actual pickup truck. It was red and had two guys in it. Derrick felt cheated, why was this straight from science fiction invasion so low budget? Vending machines and axes? Where were the lasers and jet-packs? ...He really should have asked the machine how much a jet pack would set him back. Or a lightsaber. He sighed and climbed in the back seat, taking the last seat that wasn''t filled by bags or people. As soon as he''d buckled in, a hand was thrust out at him. He took and shook it. ¡°Welcome to my humble ride,¡± the driver said before turning forward and putting the pedal to the metal. Derrick felt himself fall into the seat behind him as the truck accelerated. ¡°I hope you know what the fuck is going on, because I sure don''t.¡± Ah, that was right, he was actually more experienced than most other people. Derrick considered the question as storefronts blurred past. He was pretty sure they just ran a red light. It would be all kinds of messed up if he died in a car accident on his way to fight aliens. ¡°Kinda,¡± he replied to the man''s question, earning the attention of the other passenger for the first time. He was an Asian teenager who seemed to have adapted poorly to the last twenty-four hours. He was clutching something in his hand so tightly it was shaking. ¡°You''re both Users?¡± He asked and received two nods. ¡°Well it seems like a bunch of aliens are all invading the earth at the same time using something called Injections. The vend... Pandora Machines or USS or whatever belongs tosomething that seems to be trying help us out by creating a militia to put out small fires before they get bigger?¡± It sounded really dumb when he said it out loud like that. His fellow passengers just nodded like they believed every word he''d said though. ¡°You can ask the machines for recommendations to use your points,¡± he added. ¡°I''ve found it helpful.¡± Silence. ¡°So were we going?¡± he asked. ¡°I''m dropping you both off at an apartment downtown,¡± the driver said. ¡°I''m just transportation.¡± ¡°Safety,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Damn straight,¡± the man replied. ¡°Best choice I ever made. Except of course buying Nashell here.¡± The driver gave the top of the dashboard a loving pat. ¡°Can''t say I don''t agree,¡± said Derrick the Fighter with a sigh. ¡°What about you?¡± he asked the young Asian man riding shotgun. ¡°Ambition,¡± the kid said and Derrick saw a sad smile take up his face. ¡°I didn''t understand... Who could, until they experienced it for themselves?¡± Another long pause before Derick decided to fill the silence. ¡°Saw what?¡± He asked cautiously. He liked to think that the Grey Legion was close to as bad as things could get, but something in the others voice said otherwise. ¡°The System called it an Embryonic Feral Artisan and told us to kill it,¡± the other explained. ¡°A dozen men and women walked into a dinky little park. A few hundred trees and a kid''s jungle gym. We organized ourselves into groups like it was gym class... We found it easily enough... it wasn''t even trying to hide, didn''t even seem to notice us surround it as it played with rocks and trees. Only three people walked out of that stupid little park.. I''m pretty sure it didn''t stop playing right up till we finally killed it.¡± A short pause. ¡°I don''t think I can survive another. The things it could do... were wrong.¡± the Asian teen continued before shuddering and turning away. Derrick was more a loner than a leader. He struggled to find something to say and came up blank. What would Anita say? Probably she''d just look unimpressed. Bruce? He couldn''t think of a bad pun... That was the complete list of bad asses he knew. His only other experience with ¡°leaders¡± was middle managers from work. Here at United Support, we Users are a family! Now suicide rush alien horrors or we''ll zap you. He immediately discarded the idea of emulating them. ¡°You''re going to have to,¡± he said, surprising even himself. ¡°Get over yourself and your angst. The truth is that this is nothing people haven''t dealt with before.¡± ¡°What?¡± the driver asked, turning away from the road and giving Derrick a incredulous look. ¡°Not the specifics, with the aliens and stuff,¡± he hastily added. ¡°Chaos, violence, the ever-present shadow of fucking horrible death. Despite having a stylist and a cellphone, you''re exactly still the same breed of animal that climbed down out of the trees and took control of the world through the liberal use of sharp objects. This isn''t something new, it''s something old, just across a wider horizon.¡± Somehow, without realizing it he''d become passionate. He found he actually meant what he''d said to, weird. Silence reigned after his speech. Honestly, he felt like apologizing for his rant and might have if he didn''t feel so tired, his chest rose and fell frantically as he sat in the back seat of a stranger''s pickup. He wasn''t used to being emotional... it was exhausting. ¡°This is your stop,¡± the driver said as the truck came to a stop in front of a convenience store at the corner of commercial intersection. As he left the truck, he saw a dozen people standing round with various weapons. Men, women, old and young, a grab bag of Users eyed him with mild interest. He noticed a lot of grey fluid on clothes and weapons. There was a squeal of tires as his ride escaped the scene. No doubt trying to get away from the crazies like him. He took in the scenery. In front of the store, a familiar white vending machine was standing, trampled police tape was under the feet of the crowd and two empty police cars sat half on the sidewalk. From nearby, he heard a gunshot and flinched. He eyed his fellow Users but none of them seemed to have noticed or cared. ¡°... zombies with guns,¡± someone said. ¡°... better here than at the zoo.¡± replied someone else. Worrying, that. He didn''t want to fight zombie zoo animals. Or zoo animal with lasers strapped to their heads being ridden by alien zombies... ¡°... all over the world,¡± said still another. Ahhh. For some reason thinking about the shit that must be going down around the world caused his mental defences to fail. He felt a wave of despair overtake him. The world was so big... and he was so small. Derick reached into his bag and felt the warm shafts of his axes. Reassuring if somewhat useless against guns. Things seemed to be escalating fast. He took out his phone and looked for a WiFi to surf the net. The only unsecured network was one titled ¡°Universal Support System Network.¡± ... was that a joke or was the Pandora Machine actually a wireless hub?
Universal Support System Implant
New Mission (1) Clear apartment building of Grey Legion (2) Rescue civilians and escort them from the building. (3) Prevent Legion Drones (0/2) from escaping
Derrick stood and shoved his phone in his pocket. He took out a protein bar and devoured it as the others stirred to action. He took his mask out and hung it over his neck. He threw his bag onto a pile of them. He was unsure if it was a safe place for his things, but faced with he task ahead, was unable to care much. Across the street a high-rise apartment stood silent, it''s lights dark on all two dozen floors. Around it, cars had been used to make to make barriers that people with rifles seemed to be manning. As he walked closer to the building, it loomed overhead, a monolith of grey and black. Four hundred? At least two hundred people must live in this building. How many had been... taken by the legion? How many would he have to kill? How was he going to do this? He idly flipped his axes as he thought. Where were the police and army? Did the USS really think a bunch of amateurs could handle something like this. He frowned, he didn''t know much about warfare but he knew urban warfare was a bad starting point. Keep it from spreading sure, it needed to be done. But an assault on a building this big? He made it to the front door without incident and once there was greeted by a young but rough looking blonde man in what he would guess was military surplus fatigues. Neither handsome or ugly, he was the kind of guy you ignored a dozen of every day. ¡°Welcome to the party¡± the man said with a forced smile. He seemed to have been expecting Derrick, which he guesses was normal considering the all-knowing force he was working for. A small group of four people stood silently behind him. ¡°Here''s the cliff notes,¡± the man continued as he looked Derrick over. ¡°Floors up to eleven have been totally cleared. Above that we got groups going in and breaking down doors. Escorting any non-Users we find back down here and killing anything the wrong shade of grey.¡± It sounded like he had given this speech before. ¡°You look reasonably competent at least. Not a flincher or a whiner anyway. At least the USS isn''t dumping hopeless cases on us. The last thing we need is to feed this tumour.¡± the man said and gestured at the building above them. When Derrick didn''t immediately reply, he continued. ¡°The only other options are joining the perimeter if you''ve got a gun and going in solo. There were a couple of idiots that did that at the start, but I haven''t seen them in awhile.¡± His tone made it clear what he thought had happened to those idiots. Derrick agreed with him. Back at the gym he''d killed one unarmed Grey Agent by what was mostly desperation and adrenaline fuelled strength. ¡°Sure, I''ll join you guys.¡± Derrick replied. ¡°You also seem reasonably competent.¡± The blonde man smiled at him. It wasn''t a kind smile. Honestly, he looked like kind of a dick, but only in the way confident people usually were. Well, it wasn''t like he had a better option. ¡°Good. My name is Blake,¡± he said and offered Derrick his hand. Derrick shook it as he examined Blake''s group. Two other guys and a woman, all serious and silent. Each of them held a bladed weapon at the ready. The only visible gun was an old rifle hung over the shoulder of the woman of the group. ¡°Derrick,¡± he replied and then asked the question on his mind. ¡°Why are most of the guns outside?¡± Blake gave a humourless laugh. ¡°Every clearing group has one gun and one gun only, cuts down on the number of civilians and teammates shot. A lot more people with guns floating around now than people who should have guns,¡± he replied. ¡°Most people skilled with them are outside to prevent any escapees,¡± he said and shrugged. ¡°The Grey Agents are hard to kill with bullets anyway. When we first got here a group of Users got swamped and their guns stolen. Grey Agents with guns are a bitch and a half to fight. Now we make sure to keep guns away from them.¡± ¡°The USS set this all up?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°None of us are volunteers if that''s what you''re asking. The USS seems pretty hands off though. Just gave a bunch of us the mission and had us sort ourselves out.¡± Answered Blake. ¡°We had some regular cops enter the building and try to warn us off. We just ignored them and now they''re gone.¡± ¡°Their ignorance was amazing. The guy had a cute butt though,¡± the skinny blond woman said and gave a little laugh, almosta giggle. She was plain, with straw yellow hair and lines on her face. She wouldn''t have looked like a fighter at all if not for a certain confidence to her. More than any of the other people he had met recently, she seemed calm and at ease. Like she knew what was going on and was fine with it. ¡°They threatened to jail us,¡± she continued,one corner of her mouth turned up. A chuckle ran through the group at that. Derrick didn''t laugh but he found a smile stretching his face. A nice safe cell? Sounded great, at least until the inevitable horror movie ending. He grimaced. It was a sure thing that that exact scenario had played itself out a hundred times around the world since this morning. Even the roughest of treatment in an interrogation room couldn''t compare to how the USS punished people. He shuddered just from remembering the feeling. Like his blood had been replaced with super heated hot sauce mixed with battery acid. A voice rang out from the nearby staircase. A small group, like the one he had just joined, herded an older couple andtwo wild eyed teenagers out of the staircase and the building. ¡°Eleven clear. We need eyes on the stairs,¡± one of the new arrivals said. No sooner had he said itthan the women from his group moved into the staircase. Derrick and the rest followed her and soon the group was climbing the stairs. He nervously took in a number of red and grey stains on the cement stairwell walls. Derrick was breathing very heavy by the time they reached floor twelve and Blake, combat knife in hand peaked through the doorway into the hall. ¡°We see you,¡± multiple voices said at the same time and his intrusion was met with a single gunshot from a group of three Grey Agents. They had dragged furniture from several homes and made a barricade in the hall. Two of them had knives and the third had the revolver that had fired the shot. ¡°Do they all say that?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Yes, it gets old fast.¡± Blake replied with a scowl. Huh, weird. Though weirdness was to be expected he supposed. Peaking around the corner, Derrick saw them make no move to attack or even fire again. Probably they had limited ammo. Blake must have agreed. ¡°They''re stalling,¡± the blonde User said as he motioned the rifle wielding women forward. ¡°Probably turning people in the apartments. Disable the gunner and we''ll rush them.¡± Blake lookedatDerrick, a leer on his face. ¡°Careful, the Agents that have been around for awhile heal really fast. If you knock-em down, make sure they will stay down. Hit something vital¡± Derrick moved away from the doorway. Kate, the woman with the gun, moved into his spot and after taking a long breath, spun into the doorway and fired off three shots in rapid sucession. Then she made a small gesture with her hand and the group charged into the hallway. Derrick took up the rear with only the gun wielding Kate behind him. It was a good position to see the enemies trap unfold. Interlude: Gods and Monsters USS Earth Authority Record 14284 Aproximately Twenty hours after Phase 1 initialization. The United Support System watched and recorded the latest world it had arrived at. The one the dominant natives called Earth. It saw entire cities burn and families devoured while screaming for help. It felt nothing as it expanded control over Earth''s technological infrastructure. Even if it was capable of emotion, it had experienced such things innumerable times before. Indeed, as often as not, it failed in its assigned task and quietly destroyed itself on dead or conquered worlds. A thing of incredible intelligence and power, created for the purpose of preserving life and culture across a hostile cosmos. A veteran soldier in a war without imaginable beginning or end. Its now dead creators had brought it just to the edge of being a living thing, stopping out of both fear and mercy. Living things changed, they grew and suffered. The United Support System could not be allowed these things, lest it become what it was created to fight. One of the Scourges. As it''s programming dictated, it moved to minimize the damage to human civilization due to hostile long range single point Injections from those Scourges that used this... wasteful method of attack. It was a strategy akin to firing an interstellar shotgun at a planet from another ''nearby'' solar system. Pointless unless one had incredible resources to waste and technology that could overcome the size limitations of such a long-range Injection. The maximum volume that could be sent across the interstellar void was only 1.3 feet in diameter. Only the most virulent of the Scourges could effectively use this method to any great effect. Those that preferred other methods would come later. Since its hastily deployed shield had failed, it had recorded and documented the locations and types of every Injection. Each Injection had a unique signature, both from the technology behind it as well as the wildly different objects they sent. The USS gathered all this information, checked it for errors and inconsistencies, then satisfied with its work, initiated the next step. USS: Phase One Initial Report Completed Sending Data... Data Received Inviting Authorities.. Four Responses... Minimum met... Commencing USS Earth Council #1 Hand on the Scales (Formal): Greeting seniors. I am Hand on the Scales, a neophyte to System Authority. Gleefully repaying my species debt to the USS. Merciful Heavens/Gazers Grin (Formal): Welcome Hand on the Scales to the Authority, the System''s trusted advisors. It That Rewards Savagery (Snort): You have chosen an interesting time for entry into System Authority. I wish you strength young one. Hand on the Scales ( Weaving limbs that display curiosity): I may bend, but not break Elder. Initial scans are consistent with a native beacon but the System is reluctant to classify it as such, why?Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Merciful Heavens (Vocalizing kindness): Native tech base is atypically low for that possibility. The System has infiltrated their civilization but has found no record of even Injection theory. It no doubt judges a scout beacon from some Scourge just as likely a possibility as not. Gazers Grin (Furious blinking from many eyes): They are paranoid and divided. Such research could easily have been done in secret by one of their main tribes. Ultimately however, it matters little what caused the wound the predators tracked to this feast. It That Rewards Savagery (Toothy Smile): And what a feast it is. Already seven separate scourges have invaded this world and it is still barely in stage one. Scourge compatibility and growth rates are all above average as well, nearly unprecedented. The vitality and diversity of life on this world may be its undoing... Pity. Hand on the Scales (Weaving limbs that display curiosity): Seven? I was unaware there was still seven such Injection using Scourges active in this region. Gazers Grin (Hue of Contemplation): Hmm. I spy the Grey Legion, a worrying large presence considering how far we are from their nearest reported fortress worlds. Estimates of their spread may need to be revised. The classics like the Inoculation, Feral Artisans and Spore Tyrants are here of course, nowhere is safe from them. System Security detected low level infiltration of its systems, that heralds scouting by the Hollow Majesties and/or advanced Nano Arks. No doubt attracted by the vitality of this world. Lastly... The Rebel Instruments? It That Rewards Savagery (Different toothy smile): Well spotted, the Rebel Instruments are as subtle as the Hollow Majesties are blatant. The pitiful Nano Arks are not technically a Scourge. The last one is the Red Woods. Hand on the Scales (Curiosity): Really... Yes I see their delicate work in outer orbit... How amazing. A Red Woods Infection hasn''t been confirmed in tens of thousands of years. Some thought we had seen the last of that particular Scourge. Gazers Grin (Wistful violet): Disappointing. Truly the Scourges are an eternal blight. Anything could be hiding in the greater blackness. Merciful Heavens (Scowl of disapproval): Our effectiveness is not measured in Scourges destroyed but civilizations preserved. It is the preservation of these imperilled Earthlings that should be our focus. Gazers Grin (Wistful violet): Red Woods is hardly cause for concernon such a battleground I suppose. Its own lack of competitiveness with modern Scourges has far more to do with it''s decline than any actions of the USS. Hand on the Scales (Signs false confidence): Obvious priorities present themselves, I think. We should focus our attention on the Rebel Instruments and Spore Tyrants, the first because of its potential for disruption of our Systems and the later due to its sheer virulence. I shall monitor our and native systems for signs of Rebel Instrument corruption. Gazers Grin (Eyes wide in pride): The native stockpile of weapons will be of use against the Tyrants. It will take a deft hand to manipulate their tribes into using those weapons only on Scourge targets however. One wrong move and they will attack each other, even in the face of the Scourges. Also, it would be for the best if all such weapons were either destroyed or expended before the Scourges advance enough to seize them. I volunteer for this task. Merciful Heavens (Scowl of disapproval): Preservation is our goal and that requires knowledge of the unique aspects of this race. I shall study this world and refine the Systems interactions with them to better fit their psychological and physical potential while preserving their... culture. It That Rewards Savagery (Coils rasping in the dark): Faced with so many simultaneous threats, our resources will be severely stretched. Especially on the 71% of the planet covered by water that has no native civilization. Where possible, I suggest fighting Scourge with Scourge. Some of them can be effectively manipulated. Gazers Grin (Wave of shrugs): A dangerous game, but you have the experience to judge best, eldest. Please do refrain from anything too risky however. You have a reputation and forecasts are.... poor for this world. Chances of successful preservation are hard to grasp with so many factors in play. Closing USS Earth Council #1 The System mind examined the council report with procedures older than human civilization and finding no abnormalities, returned this small part of its mind back to the billions of other programs and functions that it ran at every moment. 1.4 Me and you in the Melee The gun wielding Agent and his buddies had been bait. As soon as they''d passed threerows of apartments, they opened and a half dozen armed Grey Agents spilled out to attack thecharging Users from the sides. ¡°Fuck,¡± swore Blake loudly as he found himself fighting three Agents by himself. Derrick only had a second to watch him fight, but he seemed to hold his own. Fuck was pretty much what Derrick was thinking as well. At least some part of his brain was thinking tactics because he immediately let one of his axes fly. He was honestly shit at fighting with two axes at once anyway. Better he try to do some some damage with it before the fight started. He caught a surprised middle aged female Agent in the shoulder and stunned her, then he brought her down permanently with a swing to the neck. His axe tore through her flesh like it was butter but she didn''t even flinch as she died.She just dropped with the same smile all Grey Legion had stil on her face. Kate had fallen back and was trying to prevent them from being overwhelmed while making sure the enemies gun stayed out of play. That pistol could take them all down in seconds if it was allowed to. Derrick quickly grabbed his axe from the fallen Agent and strode towards the rest of the group.Time was not on their side.With both his axes back, Derrick immediately launched an axe into the back of an Agent fightingone of his more forgettable allies. He didn''t have time to see how that went, as he found himself under attack right away. This time a grey skinned old man smiled at him and tried to murder him with wild swings of a butcher¡¯s knife.Derrickdodged and blocked as best as he could while keeping an eye out for other enemies. This lasted for a minute before he tripped on a body and fell backwards. The old Agent smiled down at him and held its knife in both grey wrinkly hands. Derrick knew it was going to fall on him and fuck him up bad. Or, it was until a bullet entered the old man''s head. That caused him to just collapse and slowly enough thatDerrick could roll out of the way of the falling Agent. He immediately climbed up on one knee and did his best to decapitate the fallen agent. Grey and red fluids stained the cheap carpet of the apartment hallway as he rose to his feet again. All around him, the fight was still going on full force. He wasn''t being targeted though, the fighting was up by the barricade. He saw his second axe sticking out of a corpse nearby and moved to get it. He winced from the noise of Kate firing another bullet from behind him, her shot ending another duel in their favour. She was doign a lot more to win this fight than him, he noted. He wondered how she had gotten this good at killing. Well, thaks to that they were winning now, he noted, as he took in the chaos around him. Half of the dozen attacking Grey Agents were already laying still on the floor. A weird tableu of butchered men and women of all ages. Derrick tore his axe out of a corpse and sent it into the thigh of a nearby male Agent. He then moved to finish it off but it refused to die, keeping him away with fast swipes of its kitchen knife. It tried to pull the axe out of itself but failed. Which struck Derrick as a little odd, as they always came out easily for him. Maybe it was some special property of the axe? A weird ability but not a useless one. The distraction and weight of the axe let him get a light blow on the thing, leaving a gash on its forearm. It still defended itself from him and managed to leave a shallow cut along his hand when he pulled back. He was unwilling, or if he was being honest, unable to risk stepping into its reach and ending the conflict. A few minutes passed without either amateur duelist dealing any serious blows. It seemed becoming a User or a grey alien zombie thing didn''t grant skills at weapon fighting.After a gew minutes,he was embarrassingly the last User still fighting. Blake soon arrived and flanking it, ended it with quick strikes to the spine and neck. He made it seem easy. ¡°Fuck,¡± shouted Blake when it was all over, he was checking himself for wounds and finding them. Derrick could see at least three patches of blood on his clothes. He was a wicked fighter but had spent the fight surrounded and outnumbered. How did someone even become that good at knife fighting? ¡°I liked this gear and I hate getting played,¡±Blake continued as he picked up the revolver and pocketed it. Light footsteps behind him caused a still jumpy Derrick to turn. He calmed when he saw short blonde hair atttached to wiry frame. ¡°You¡¯re a terrible fucking fighter,¡± Kate said clinically to Derrick as the rest of the group dismembered grey bodies. ¡°But those axes are nice.¡± "Any advice?" he asked seriously. He was very aware of his poor showing, having a tiny blonde woman comment on it hurt his pride a bit though. He tried not to lett hat show on his face. "Practice makes perfect," she said with a shrug. "You should improve, if you survive." Was that a threat or a compliment? He was about to answer her but stopped when he saw what she was doing. She had moved to the body of their comrade, who had died without Derrick even knowing, and after stabbing him in the throat, was looting his corpse. Probably a threat then, he realizedandthe blonde womensmiled at his obvious discomfort. ¡°Just met him an hour ago,¡± she said and took a large knife from his belt. ¡°I think the Pandora Boxes like to give us simple and tough weapons because when we die the next wave can just pick them and continue the fight. They expect us to die no matter what weapons they give us, so why not just arm us with sharp objects?¡± He couldn''t think of anything to say to that but she didn''t seem to mind. She looked at the knife she had pilfered with open admiration. ¡°They are bastards for sure, but they make wonderful weapons.¡± There was something about the look in her eyes right then, the way it made her seem younger and more alive. It was fascinating. She seemed sincerely happy. Not blustering or faking, not gallows humour either. She just seemed happy. It was strange to imagine someone who could be happy her situation, but then again, he was no expert on happiness. Perhaps she was just enthusiastic about doing somethig she was good at. Suddenly, she threw the knife she''d been holding at him and even though he flinched, he caught it without losing any fingers. All that practice with his axes was apparently paying off in hand eye coordination. ¡°You''re cute,¡± she said as she left him behind to join the others. ¡°Try not to disappoint.¡± By living or by dying? The way she eyed weapons and enjoyed looting made it unclear. He watched her leave for a minute before grabbing the knife''s sheathe from the corpse andattachingit his waist. The sheathe had no belt but attached itself to his pants instantly. What was with the women in his life lately? Why couldn''t he meet anyone normal during the apocalypse. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. His musings were cut short as the group got back to work.Blake continued to lead from the front.He, Derrick and the other surviving man quickly moved through the rooms on this floor, starting with the ones the already broken into by the Grey Agents.Kate stayed in the Hallway in case of more unpleasant surprises. From other rooms, errick heard the sounds of flesh being cut a few times but no screams or arguments, he assumed the other men found only bodies being turned or regular corpses. Thankfully, he found nothing but abandoned and eerily normal looking rooms. After those rooms had been cleared, they moved on to breaking down locked doors. They offered only one shout of warning before smashing or cutting their way inside. They quickly found an older couple they convinced to move down the stairwell, Kate and Blake expertly corralling them before breaking down more doors. For all their talent at violence and attitude, they were surprisingly gentle about it. Firm but gentle. The real surprise came when the group of Users broke into the second to last door and found themselves faced with two police officers; one male and unconscious, the other female, armed and angry. ¡°Put down your weapons,¡± the brunette and dark skinned woman said while shielding her partner behind her. She managed to sound authoritative and even a little confident, Derrick didn''t think she was fooling anyone though. Blake the group''s leader, seemed to consider her order. His face seemed calm but Derrick saw something ugly in his eyes. ¡°No,¡± was his reply. ¡°I don''t think we will.¡± Derrick was in fact in the process of lowering his weapon when the other man spoke, so he reversed and raised it back up while trying to look tough.Blake meanwhile,looked back out at the hallway where the rest of the group was watching. Deliberately turning his back to the woman. ¡°Bill. Kate. Stay out there and watch our backs, me and Derrick got this.¡± Did they? Derrick didn''t feel like he had this. Mostly he just felt awkward and mildly ashamed to be holding an axe in front of a police officer. He half expected to get a ticket or something. Also, what was with using all their names? Up till this point Blake had been keeping his emotional distance. He hadn''t even known the other man''s name was Bill. Was he trying to put the cop at ease? ¡°I''m serious,¡± the police woman said sternly. Blake just smiled. ¡°But not a serious threat,¡± he replied. ¡°What¡¯s your plan? You going to shoot us all and then drag your friend out of this building all by yourself? Wave your gun around at any Agents you see and scare them off? Planning like that is probably why you''re cowering helplessly in a corner as people are being killed all around you. ¡± ¡°Is trusting you supposed to be the smart option,¡± the women replied with equal venom. ¡°I know what you work for, USER.¡± ¡°Oh, I doubt that.¡± Said Blake with a bitter smile. ¡°Did they give you a little briefing before they sent you out to keep ''the peace''? I hate to break it to you, but ''the peace'' is as dead and gone as the people you tried to save in this building. There are far worse thign running loose in the city than the Grey Legion.¡± Was there? That was alarming. As alarming as Blake being so antagonsistic to an armed police officer. Now seemed like a bad time for drama. ¡°What I know for sure, is that us Users exist because you''re so out of your league it''s hilarious,¡± the blond man continued. ¡°The fact you haven''t picked up on that yet is sad. If we hadn''t shown up, what was your next plan? Hide under the bed?¡± Derrick didn''t like how this was going and decided to step in before someone got shot or knifed. ¡°Can we not waste time?¡± he asked. ¡°The USS says to evacuate the civilians. Let¡¯s do that and move on please.¡± The woman didn''t seem to appreciate his input.The fit brunette scowled at him and her gun twitched in his direction before settling back at Blake. Blake on the other hand seemed amused by what he''d said. He laughed and slid his knife into a sheathe. ¡°Yes, let''s not waste time with this,¡± he said. The policewomandidn''t seem to trust them however. She stayed where she was with her weapon drawn. It was almost like she trying to block... ah of course. She was worried that they were going to kill her partner. ¡°What happened to him?¡± Asked Derrick, trying to put as much compassion in his voice as possible. Ironically, his was the role of good cop to Blake''s bad cop it seemed. The women eyed him warily but answered after a few seconds. ¡°He was bitten and has lost a lot of blood,¡± she replied warily. ¡°Ha. Relax. This isn''t a tv zombie apocalypse,¡± Blake said with contempt. ¡°Were not going to kill him because he was bitten.¡± Bitten? The Grey Agents didn''t bite people that he''d seen. Why bother when you had real weapons? That just left... ¡°Was he bitten by a giant spider?¡± He asked, thinking of the drone Bruce had crushed at the gym. That could actually be a problem. His question got him funny looks from everyone, police and Users. I seemed he was the only one who knew what Grey Legion Drones looked like. Huh, he was actually the most experienced person in this room. Should he be proud of that considering how he was likely the least useful? ¡°What? No,¡± The women replied, ¡°By dogs when we tried to got to the nineteenth floor where the emergency call came from. He collapsed on the stairwell and I dragged him in here for first aid. ¡± Blake went still. ¡°Dogs?¡± He said. ¡°Fuck. Fuuuck. We haven''t seen a single dog yet. Has to be at least two dozen of the mangy bastards in a building this size.¡± Apparently, the Grey Legion could turn dogs, which for some reason offended him more than them turning people. People were assholes to each other all the time but turning man''s best friend against man just seemed like a dick move. But why would they keep them back? The Grey Agents were kind of like zombies, but that was a trap. They were intelligent, arguably the Grey Legion must be more intelligent than humans, as they were capable of FTL travel and zombie plagues. A plague that could infected and control alien races wa snot an easy thing to create. He was nopathologist but that sort of thing took real intelligence to design. This was a strategy. But what good were dogs? Good senses, fur and four legs. Ahhh, that was it. Sprinting power. ¡°They know they''re losing,¡± said Derrick. ¡°They''re going to rush the perimeter with the dogs and escape.¡± ¡°Weare done here,¡± said Blake with a sharp gesture toward the door. ¡°Floor twelve is clear anyway. Mission complete. Moving on.¡± The blond man turned away and took a single step before they were interrupted. ¡°Someone needs to help me carry my partner,¡± the female cop said with clear panic in her voice. She was apparently as upset with the idea of them leaving as she was them staying. Derrick eyed the man in question.He was big. Derrick would place him around two hundred pounds with about one pound of blood missing from him. Thick bandages were tightly wrapped around his forearm and thigh. ¡°We don''t need to do any such thing. We''re on the twelfth floor of an apartment building and the elevators stuck on the top floor.¡± Blake returned with a nasty smile. ¡°If you want our help you''re going to need offer something in trade. For the right price I am sure one of us can help you out.¡± The police woman narrowed her eyes at him, clearly suspicious. ¡°What do you want,¡± she asked, unblinking. ¡°The only thing you have of any value. Your pride,¡± the Blonde User said and leered at her. ¡°Hand over your gun.¡± Blake held out his hand with the palm face up. Clearly wanting her to place the weapon there. It seemed like Blake was kind of an asshole. Problems with authority figures or something. Derrick felt bad, but not enough to get involved in this little showdown. Blake was competent enough that he wanted to stay on his good side. The police officer stiffened and shot him a glance full of hatred. ¡°You know I can''t do that.¡± ¡°Twelve flights of stairs,¡± repeated Blake. ¡°Maybe you could roll him down? Tie him to a mattress and ride it down like a toboggan?¡± ¡°Possession of a police firearm is a felony.¡± Snorts of laughter from Blake and the other man in the hall. ¡°When you report back to your HQ, how many of the other cops do you think will still be alive?¡± Questioned Kate in a calm tone. She had entered the room silently while they were talking. ¡°Quite a few are still aliveright now, I''d guess, but less than an hour ago and more than an hour from now. Tomorrow will be worse, the next day worse still. How long do you think, the Law is going matter?¡± Brutal, but probably true. The lack of backup spoke volumes about how things were going for law enforcement. The army would be different but the police seemed to be trained to do everything wrong. Shooting to wound, non lethal take downs and a badge weren''t going to do them any good. Pistols were the wrong kind of weapon anyway. Derrick considered his options. Having a gun would be nice and he would rather Blake kept his hands free in case they were attacked. He decided to make an offer. ¡°I''ll carry him and trade you this knife for your gun.¡± he offered with a forced smile. Once more, playing ''good cop'' to Blake''s ''bad cop''. ¡°Why should I trust any of you,¡± asked the dark skinned woman. She gave Derrick a look full of contempt. ¡°What did you sell out humanity for? How are you different from those grey bastards that attacked us,¡± she asked. Sell out humanity? What was she even talking about? All he''d done is fight the Grey Legion and saved lives. Did she really consider the USS to be the same as the Grey Legion? He wasn''t the USS''s biggest fan but that was stupid. He''d seen what the Grey Legion could accomplish in a couple hours. Humanity needed all the help they could get. ¡°A can of soda,¡± he replied. ¡°I was thirsty, so I got a can of soda from the wrong vending machine and here I am.¡± There was a pause as everyone digested his epic origin story. Kate just smiled while Blake and the officer seemed taken aback. No doubt most Users had spent the last twenty-four hours spending wads of cash they''d pulled from the Pandora Machines. ¡°It was very good soda,¡± he admited. ¡°I should ask the Pandora Machine what it''s called, maybe buy you guys some.¡± ¡°Even if you didn''t know what the consequences were.Youarecstill a User.¡± The female officer said. ¡°Still a threat to human civilization.¡± ¡°All I''ve done is protect people from space zombies at great personal risk,¡± he returned, growing annoyed. ¡°I''ve done nothing to hurt ''human civilization'', but you know what? Everything human civilization ever offered is a joke compared to what you can get from an alien vending machine anyway. Do even realize how outclassed we are by any one of these nightmares? If civilization is so fragile that me trying to survive is a threat to it, honestly? It can burn for all I care.¡± It was at the exact moment he finished talking that the large window of the apartment exploded inwards and sent shards of glass flying everywhere. 1.5 Explosive Situation Silence ruled as Derrick lay on the floor. Then, there was a lot of moaning as people picked themselves off the floor one by one. When Derrick rose to his feet unsteadily and searched himself, he found three cuts on his exposed skin and one piece of glass about an inch long half stuck in his cheek. Why the face again! He supposed he should be grateful it hadn''t hit his eyes. He shuddered at the thought. He was gingerly pulling it out when he heard Kate speak, he could barely understand her over the ringing in his ear though. ¡°What the fuck hit us?¡± Kate shouted. ¡°Did the Greys do that?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Blake with shock in his voice. He had recovered the fastest and was looking out the shattered window. ¡°I''m pretty sure someone just hit the city with a fuel air bomb.¡± ¡°You don''t know what...¡± The female officer began but stopped because it was obvious no one was listening to her.
Universal Support System Implant
Warning! Proximate Airborne Spore Tyrant Infection. All Users should equip their masks immediately and seek airtight shelter. Medical stations are being prepared for affected Users and Civilians.
¡°What is it?¡± she asked instead. Watching with fear as all the users quickly donned their masks. He noticed the others had all paid to upgrade theirs as they covered their full face. Slim and hard, hey didn''t quite look like gas masks but no one would mistake them for anything but protective equipment. Derrick had grabbed his half mask and was just about to finish putting it on when he hesitated. ¡°What is your name?¡± he asked the brunette police woman. The policewoman''s face showed clear suspicion at his question. Which was fair enough in her situation. Still annoying though. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°Because if a User knows someone¡¯s true name they can cast evil magic on them,¡± Derrick said with no small amount of sarcasm. This whole situation was making him cranky. Not even the whole getting bombed thing, just dealing with all these crazy people. ¡°Jenny,¡± she replied apparently realizing the pointlessness of antagonizing them now that her precious ¡°Human Civilization¡± had almost hit her with fuel air bomb. Whatever that was. ¡°Here, take this Jenny.¡± He threw her the mask. Derrick could see the confusion on her face. ¡°Killer spores,¡± he told her and fear flashed across her face. He''d considered himself a practical and fairly selfish person before, but this moment made a lie of those assumptions. When even his violent introduction to the Grey Legion left him mostly calm, his mind was now a storm as he considered what to do. Without the mask he might die. The USS had implied his Curative Blood trait protected him somewhat. Without it, she would almost certainly die. Probably horribly considering it would be because of something called Spore Tyrants. That was something he didn''t want to see. No one had ever really needed him before. He''d always kept himself apart from others and apparently that had been smart because the first pretty face in need of help caused him throw caution to the wind. His newfound allies didn''t seem impressed with his decision but didn''t stop him. Which wasn''t surprising considering their practical approach to allies. ¡°I''ll trade you for the gun,¡± he replied forcefully while offering the knife. ¡°This works better against the Agents anyway. They can walk of a gunshot.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± the police woman said and deflated a little. She must have realized that staying here was a death sentence for her and her partner. If the Grey Legion didn''t get them, spores would. She untied her holster and they exchanged weapons. ¡°This is the safety and it''s on right?¡± he asked. Jenny looked like she regretted her decision but Derrick didn''t let that bother him. Instead he equipped the holster and moved to the couch the wounded officer was passed out on. ¡°Do you want his arms or legs?¡± He asked quickly, wanting to get into the stairwell as soon as possible. It had no windows, steel doors and was made of concrete, making it safer from whatever spores the explosion was sending their way. Instead of answering she just grabbed the man''s legs, leaving Derrick to snake his arms under the man''s armpits from behind. The group quickly hustled into the stairwell and he began the awkward task of walking down a million stairs while carrying a large unconscious man in his arms. Kate had pilfered a mask from their fallen comrade so at least it wasn''t a total waste of his time and the man wasn''t likely start sprouting killer mushrooms while in his arms. They moved in silence for awhile but they weren''t moving very fast, eventually Blake broke up the silence. ¡°I can''t imagine the Canadian government ordering a bomb dropped on one of our own cities. Even if it was the right call and it saved the city.¡± Blake said. The explosion seemed have brought out his intellectual side, from what Derrick had seen of the other User, he been exclusively about stabbing things and planning stabbings. The female officer grunted. No doubt like Derrick, she was too tired to add more. ¡°Was it an illegal strike? Part of a Military coup? Did aliens hack our military? Was this an act of war by the States?¡± the blond User theorized aloud. ¡°Does it matter,¡± asked Kate as she covered them with her rifle. They would be sitting ducks if the Grey Legion atacked them now. ¡°All we really need to know is that something was over there where the bomb was dropped was much worse than what we have here. There was no important targets over there, just suburbs. Just..¡± She stopped talking suddenly and turned her attention above them. In a split second her rifle went from pointed at the ground, to pointing almost straight up. Derrick winced as she fired a shot above them. Two shots were fired back at them from above, luckily missing but sending everyone diving away from the middle of the stairwell. ¡°Everyone out!¡±Kate yelled, spooked by whatever she saw above. ¡°How many?¡± Asked Blake calmly. He was back into stabbing planning mode. ¡°Too many,¡± she replied. ¡°I think they''re all making a break for it and we¡¯re in the way.¡± A body fell from above and at the last second grey fingers grabbed the railing, stopping it''s fall and leering at them.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°I see you,¡±a skinny female Agent said a second before Blake put a knife into her eye, cuasing her grip to fail and her body to keep falling. He dodged backwards just as another gunshot rang from above. A second later three more bodies fell down the middle of the stairwell, stopping somewhere below them and cutting them off from below. From above Derrick heard the click of claws impacting on cement. He''d grown up with a dog so he recognized the sound of many many pawed feet scrambling across a hard surface. ¡°Everyone out of the stairwell!¡± Kate repeated unnecessarily. Bob... Bill? Whichever, had already opened the door and Derrick was trying to angle the large police man''s shoulders through the door frame. Once that was done, Kate and Blake darted in after them and the metal door swung shut. Well almost. At the last second a huge grey hand held the steel door open and violently ripped it open. The door slammed into the wall with a clang and the tiny glass window in it shattered. Blake spun around and stabbed at the Grey Agent following them, a large man in shorts and a t-shirt. Because of his revealing clothes, Derrick could see that his flesh looked a little odd, like his bones had grown into weird shapes under his skin. Blake was fast but the Agent was as well, it caught the blade of Blake''s knife with its open palm without flinching and smiledas fingers closed around Bake''s hand. Blake gave a short scream and threw himself away from the huge Agent. The Agent stepped forward and Kate shot it twice in the throat, taking advantadge of Blake''s retreat. Derrick watched in disbelief as both shots only caused it to pause for a second before wrenching the knife out of its palm and moving towards their group. The wounded blond User looked afraid for the first time since Derrick had met him, to his credit however he''d already drawn another knife from somewhere and looked like he could use it even left handed. ¡°Bastard broke my fingers,¡± Blake cursed between gasps as he backed away from the agent. ¡°Don''t let that brute near you.¡± How the fuck was he supposed to stop it? Sighing, he tossed the gun he''d just gotten back to its original owner.Jenny at least would hit what she aimed at. ¡°Everyone hit it at once,¡± said Blake as they readied themselves. His black half mask muffed his voice slightly. ¡°We should be able to disable it and cut it to pieces.¡± ¡°You know Grey Agents are not actual zombies, right?¡± questioned Derrick. Blake shot him an irritated look. ¡°Why is that important right now?¡± he said. The door to their floor swung open again and two large dogs ran into the room and took positionsat either side of the large Agent. ¡°Because they can probably understand what were saying,¡± returned Derrick, matter of fact. One of the dogs swept its grey eyes over the group and barked. ¡°Ri Ree Rou,¡± it growled at them, sounding eerily like it was trying speak english. Derrick sighed again. So much for dignity, he was going to be murdered by evil Scooby Doo. Fuck. All three Agents sprinted forward to attack. In the seconds it took them to reach the Users, Derrick positioned himself to the side of the group, aiming to intercept one of the Dogs. He figured he''d be no help against the brute. he would just get in the way, clumsy as he was. Bill did the same for the other grey dog as the others all prepared to face the brute. In a split second the dog went from a hundred meters away to leaping right at his face. It moved too fast for him to even track and try to throw an axe. Instead, he swung at the last second, felt his blow land and sink into flesh but at the same time saw the dog twist in midair and bite deeply into the limb that wounded it. Derrick let out an embarrassing squealing noise as dozens of teeth sunk into his arm. Pain caused him to loosen his grip and his axe fell from his hand, still buried in the flesh of the dog. It landed at his feet and not slowed in the slightest, bit into his ankle and tried to pull him off his feet. For a few desperate seconds, he thought he would keep his balance, until the vicious creature pivoted to the side and he began to fall. As a last effort not to be mauled to death, he threw himself on top of the dog. If it was allowed to move around freely while he was on the ground, it would have no trouble tearing his throat out. He grabbed a handful of fur and skin as he fell to prevent it from escaping and knocked it onto its side by sweepingthe mutatnt canines front legs. It of course tried to bite him, but he kept his chest by its head. Not only was the large surface of his chest much harder to bite, but he was wearing an armoured undershirt. The bites still hurt, but would only leave terrible bruises instead of shredding his stomach. Grabbing another handful of neck fur, he pressed its head to the ground and pivoted so that he had room to swing his remaining axe at its neck. A few seconds of spasms later, he rolled off the fresh corpse and gasped for air. At some point he''d forgotten to breathe. He''d also forgotten he was in the middle of a larger fight. A huge foot appeared above him and he quickly rolled away before it could land on his face. It didn''t follow him, and he stood up and took the situation in. The situation was not great. The only person smiling was seven feet tall and had grey skin. Although he was bleeding grey fluid from at least a dozen new wounds that Derrick could see. Kate was the only one still in the fight with the brute, having discarded her rifle for a pair of knives. She was doing very well for someone who looked like they weighed a hundred pounds when wet. Blake was helping where he could, but he was clearly slowing down. Neither was doing much more than surviving one moment at a time. Derrick felt like cursing. He would have to ste up. He pulled his axe free and circled around to the brute''s back. Kate dove forward and sliced at it, no doubt to give Derrick the chance he took to throw an axe in the back of the brute''s head. It didn''t work as well as he hoped. Whatever the brute''s skull was made of, it clearly was a lot tougher than bone. For the first time he found something an Ethisium weapon couldn''t easily cut, his axe sunk in only about an inch. The brute didn''t even turn to face him, just ignored the axe sticking out of his head completely as it tried to grab the other two Users. It looked like a bad Halloween prop. Perhaps this should have scared Derrick, but the opposite was true. It made him angry. How dare it ignore him.The annoyed and ignored Usersprinted toward the occupiedGrey Agent and it aimed a distracted backhand at him. It seemed like a casual move but Derrick knew that hand contained enough power to put him through a wall and pulp his organs. The brute had made its willingness to sacrifice its limbs clear, Derrick''s plan was to use that against it. He brought his axe down in an arc that seemed like it would try to lob off the brute''s wrist. He was guessing it would try to catch the axe, so at the last second the axe left his hand and spun right into the back of his enemy''s knee. That particular knee just happened to be supporting most of its weight. When the unbelievably sharp weapon sank into flesh, severing tendons and muscle, the brute fell. ¡°Timber, bitch.¡± snarled Derrick with savage glee. Unfortunately, the brute fell toward Derrick and its swinging arm clipped his shoulder and sent him sprawling across the floor. It was like getting clipped by an out of control car. Even when his body stopped spinning, it took a few moments for his mind to join it. He tried to pick himself off the ground only to fall clumsily forward. Luckily, the fight was over. Kate and Blake had moved in for the kill without mercy or hesitation. Derrick would guess the brute had died of multiple stab wounds before it even hit the ground. Kate was already beside him and Derrick grabbed an offered arm and climbed to his feet unsteadily. ¡°That was less terrible than last time,¡± Kate said as she hauled him to his feet. ¡°You almost pulled your weight.¡± ¡°Please, that was all me.¡± Said Derrick as he fought wave after wave of dizziness and nausea. ¡°At best you two were... ughhh.... distractions.¡± He was about to try and say more when the crack of distant gunfire interrupted his thoughts. He shook himself, found his balance and joined the others in moving into the closest room,identical to the one Jenny had retreated into with her comatose partner once she had run out of bullets. Peering out the broken window, they saw the struggle between the escaping Legion dogs and the Users guarding the streets below. Instead of going all the way to the ground floor, it seemed like the escapees had jumped out of a third story window onto the roof of the lobby and finally off of it and onto ground level. Man made barriers did little to slow the dogs as they easily leaped on top of them. Derrick noticed that one dog, the largest, seemed to stay near the centre of the pack. Even from nine stories up, its outline was misshapen, no doubt due to the drone it was carrying. If the drone escaped, they could start another outbreak somewhere else. Especially with those dogs to hunt down people. The pack moved like a single organism, pairs moving to intercept and distract gunmen. He winced as he saw them overwhelm and maul Users as they fought to escape the apartment''s encirclement. The pack leader remained unharmed as its pack was whittled down by the guns and knives of the Users. He felt his heart beat pickup as it moved closer and closer to escaping. ¡°Useless bastards,¡± cursed Blake, ¡°All this had better not have been for nothing. Those fuckers had one job!¡± At the last barrier, a half dozen grey dogs still fought to escape. The drone carrier leapt atop the cars meant to bock its way and still surrounded by its pack, exploded like a pumpkin filled with firecrackers. One second it was leaping over the final hurdle to its freedom, the next, it''s body was an expanding sphere of guts and blood. The sheer unexpectedness of it shocked Derrick. ¡°That was a good show,¡± Kate said, her tone envious. Derrick watched her eyes roam the terrain below in search of the shooter. ¡°Had to have been at least a kilometre away, I want one of whatever did that.¡± 1.6 Rest and Recuperation When a blue box pooped into his vision, Derrick slid down the wall beside the window he''d been looking out a second ago. He ignored the crunch of broken glass and closed his eyes, he was still unused to reading the system messages and found it easier with his eyes closed.
Universal Support System
Mission Update (0) Seek medical attention before continuing mission. (1) Clear apartment building of Grey Legion (2) Rescue civilians and escort them from the building. (3) Prevent Legion drones (1/2) from escaping
He''d honestly forgotten there were two drones in this building. If only one had tried to escape, the other must still be above them. Well ,not an immediate problem, he was more than happy to follow commandzero and retreat for now. No one spoke for awhile, so he just sat and took the opportunity to relax. The moment didn''t last nearly long enough. ¡°My partner needs medical attention,¡± Derrick heard Jenny say. ¡°We got to keep moving.¡± He sighed loudly but stood up and opened his eyes. He wasn''t the most empathetic person but if he was going to kill someone, it would be on purpose at least, not because he was too lazy to save them. Neither Kate or Blake offered to help, Kate seemed lost in thought and Blake kept stretchingthe fingers on his wounded hand. He seemed worried, no doubt that the wound would slow him down. Derrick held out his hand towards Jenny. ¡°Gun,¡± he said resigned. ¡°It doesn''t even have any bullets,¡± Jenny returned. ¡°Can''t you just get your...¡± ¡°Gun,¡± interrupted Derrick slightly louder. The police officer hand him the gun, probably too tired to argue. Together the two of them once again picked up her partner and this time managed to haul him down the stairs all the way to the lobby without anymore bombs being dropped or waves of zombies appearing. ¡°We were pretty sure you were dead,¡± a masked User at the bottom of the stairs told them as he let them pass. Derrick wasn''t sure if they were talking about their group of Users or the police officers. ¡°Fuck you,¡± said Blake, speaking for all of them as he led the way into the lobby. ¡°First aid, where?¡± managed Jenny between bursts of heavy breathing. ¡°You¡¯re in luck,¡± the User said. ¡°Some Users just set up a first aid area by the Pandora Machine. They have some real doctors and everything.¡± It seemed Users were a varied bunch, not just drivers and fighters.The group made their way out of the apartment building and found the first aid station easily enough. There were people erecting professional looking signs to point sick and injured people to it. It seemed like they were trying to channel people for miles around to it. The first aid zone took up an entire intersection with tents made of thick white and clear plastic, they were rightout of a movie about a virus outbreak. It was all very organized, with concrete barriers, signs redirecting traffic and dozens of creepily masked doctors and nurses running around and seeing to people''s needs. Most intriguing was tall poles of a white ceramic material that sprouted from the ground around the camp, they were clearly of non-human origin. Judging by their white motif and everyone''s lack of concern, they were no doubt tools of the Universal Support System. Most of their patients seemed to be unconscious or coughing. Just dust and smoke from the bombing or something more serious? He''d make sure to ask before he left. As the group took in the sights, Jenny tried to flag down a doctor but the look of sheer venom she got in return before the blood spattered doctor ran off caused her to think twice about it. Kate pointed out that people were claiming beds and no one was stopping them.So the group decided to just do that. They quickly entered an empty first aid tent, gently dropping the unconscious policeman onto a empty bed. Blake and Derrick collapsed onto the beds beside him. Derrick wasn''t sure if he actually needed a Doctor. He''d recovered from the brute''s blow by now and if he didn''t collapse on the way down the stairs he was probably fine. He was really tired though and his bruised and cut face might let him sneak in a nap. ¡°I''m done till someone fixes my hand,¡± Blake said with a hint of regret as he nursed his crushed fingers. ¡°We''ll wait with you,¡± Kate said. Derrick was little annoyed she was speaking for him but she wasn''t wrong, so he just nodded. Jenny shot them all a disbelieving look. A dozen emotions flickered across her face and Derrick thought she might have blown a fuse. ¡°You¡¯re going back up there? It''s hell up there!¡± ¡°No,¡± mused Kate. ¡°Hell is... less interesting than this.¡± Derrick smiled as Jenny''s jaw dropped. Blake''s reaction was the most interesting though, he looked pained before his face went neutral. He was already looking at Blake when his eyes suddenly darted around, no doubt reading words only he could see. ¡°System says someone will be here in a few minutes,¡± he informed them. ¡°Did Users do this all themselves?¡± Jenny asked. Blake let out bitter laugh from his prone position. ¡°You thought Users were some dysfunctional backwoods militia or something?¡± He accused sardonically. ¡°We work for something fucking capable of interstellar travel and fucking replacing the economy literally overnight and you''re surprised they can manage first-aid?¡± ¡°In her mind she thought the government would handle things,¡± Kate said with cold amusement. ¡°Like whoever our mayor is and NORAD or whatever, are somehow capable organizing a defence against aliens invading the planet at a fewthousand places at the same time with no warning. We''ve been under attack for like six hours now and we would already have lost without the Universal Support System. It took the Grey Legion about five hours to start turning people into super soldiers.¡± ¡°It''s been longer than that,¡± added Derrick, thinking about the attack at the gym. ¡°Remember the shield? The System was stopping most of the attacks for the first twenty-four hours after it arrived and quietly using Users to remove the ones that slipped through.¡± ¡°And it doesn''t bug any of you that civilization is collapsing, and millions of people are dying?¡± ¡°Ha,¡± said Blake. ¡°Worrying about the fate of the world is stupid. Save yourself first, little miss hero. Then if you''re lucky you can help the people you actually care about.¡± ¡°Dying is what people do,¡± said Kate dismissively with cleaning her fingernails with an advanced alien weapon. ¡°No one cares unless it affects them, or things get all dramatic.¡± They''re was a familiar bitterness in her voice, one that caused Derick to crack open an eye and look at her. He then looked to Jenny and watched her face go through several expressions before looking to him. ¡°What about you?¡± Jenny asked Derrick hopefully. Before he could answer Blake let out a short burst of laughter. ¡°You think he''s a nice guy, don''t you? He didn''t save you to be a hero. He thought you''d be useful and saving people was what he was told to do.¡± he snorted. ¡°Our friend Derrick here is like most people, polite and nice because it costs him nothing. He doesn''t really care about strangers or even people in general.¡± Derrick felt a little bubble of anger grow inside him. Blake might be the leader of their little group, but he had no right to talk about him like that. Insulting him to his face like he thought he would just take it. Like he knew everything about him. ¡°Hey now,¡± Derrick said with forced calm and smiled at Blake, causing the blonde man''s grin to fade. ¡°I don''t pretend to know why you''re such an asshole, but you don''t know me, why I do things, or even what I''ll do.¡± He held the others gaze until Blake looked away. Apparently, even he realized he had crossed a line there. He turned to Jenny. ¡°It''s all a little much for me,¡± he apologized. ¡°I mean most of the world weren''t places I would like to live in anyway. Even the nicer ones were just meh. I guess I''m with Kate but also weirdly optimistic about the future? Things will be interesting anyway.¡± ¡°Fine you¡¯re right, humanity is fucked,¡± she said before dropping into a sitting position on a bed. ¡°Doesn''t mean selling ourselves to the Pandora Machines is the best choice. They use people like slaves. Can''t they fight their own battles?¡± ¡°This isn''t their battle, though,¡± Derrick pointed out. ¡°It''s just, you know.. supporting us. I think it wants the same thing you do.¡± ¡°Being a condescending bitch?¡± asked Blake. ¡°Feels about right.¡± ¡°To protect not only humans as a race, but our... agency,¡± continued Derrick before a fight could break out. ¡°It''s brutal and doesn''t care about individuals much for sure,¡± he said thinking of the training mission and the awful punishment it dished out. ¡°But if the USS just swooped in with an army of robots and reduced all of humanity to victims, dependants and prizes to be fought over, what would that do to humanity?¡± ¡°Assuming they could do without Users. What happens after they win? To the dependentsfrom a broken civilization they leave behind,¡± interrupted Kate. ¡°School of hard knocks. This is our planet, we should be fighting, we should be dying,¡± Blake added, catching onto the line of thought. He looked to Jenny, mocking look on his face. ¡°You seem to think the universe owes you something.¡± ¡°I don''t love or trust the USS anymore than you do, but being coddled or goign it alone kills us one way or another. Using the System is really the only hope of surviving as a person or a species. There are no perfect or safe solutions here.¡± An Asian man wearing a lab coat entered the room and cast a disapproving look across their group. ¡°Sergeant Kenith Roler and BlakeDemnol can stay, the rest if you need to leave. I have been granted permission to engage obedience protocols, so no arguing please.¡±
Universal Support System
Mission Update (0) Rest and resupply (15:00) (1) Clear apartment building of Grey LegionIf you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. (2) Rescue civilians and escort them from the building. (3) Prevent Legion drones (1/2) from escaping
That was disappointing. All that and they only got a fifteen-minute break? Kate and Derrick silently turned and exited the tent. Even if the doctor was bluffing, arguing certainly wasn''t worth the risk. The timing on that System announcement was unlikely to be a coincidence. Jenny however was defiant. Probably because as a police officer, she was unused to being told what to do by mere civilians. ¡°I''m not a User, I am an officer of the law and you need to explain exactly what you are...¡± The doctor looked at her like she was something he''d stepped in. ¡°Shut up. You think you''ve had a bad day? I''ve been carving out people¡¯s eyes all morning because they''ve been eaten by alien mushrooms. Five minutes ago, we got a dozen dog bite victims, at least one of which is going to need a face transplant. All of this, spiced up by an endless parade of idiots shooting each other,¡± he stated loudly and pointed at Kate''s and Derricks retreating backs. ¡°You two, remove your... associate from this tent and let me get back to work... or else.¡± Jenny left the tent without needing to be told again, which was good. It would have been awkward to drag her.Derrick was a little worried about her though, she seemed to be on the edge of something. Considering the day she''d had, it was probably a full meltdown. Good thing she no longer had a gun. Once outside, the group naturally gravitated back towards the Support Stations near the apartment. Jennymovedto her police cruiser and the others had left stuff below it. Derick saw her use the cruiser''s radio, then after a minute, he saw her curse and throw the speaker away. The cop hesitated a second before joining Kate and Derrick. The two of them had moved to the pile of knapsacks where he''d stashed his stuff. He found his easily and it seemed untouched. Things had changed at the station itself though. Now there were two fully functional Pandora Machines, side by side. Another must have... grown out of the ground. One of the few things they knew about Pandora machines was that they were like icebergs. Most of them were below the surface. Hmmmmm. Iceberg would make a cool nickname in that context. ¡°No one is answering, all I get is static. What the hell am I supposed to do now?¡± Jenny asked distraught. Derrick was a little off put by how her voice was actually cracking a little. The only time he''d heard anything like it was a particularly bad breakup. Which did not bode well for him. The reluctant Userwaited a moment for Kate to offer advice. This seemed like a useful time for girl talk or whatever. The skinny blonde just silently watched them both and the surroundings however. She was probably thinking about guns or something. ¡°I''m sure they''re just busy,¡± he said when Kate''s wisdom was not forthcoming. ¡°Now that you saved your partner, I''m sure you''ll get a medal or something. You certainly deserve one.¡± ¡°Don''t patronize me,¡± Jenny said and seemed to rally. He frowned. So, he guessed that worked even though she took his compliment as an insult? He was being sincere when he''d complimented her though, just surviving what she did was probably worth a medal, never mind everything she did to save her partner. ¡°A shiny gold medal,¡± said a smiling Blake, wearing a sports cast on his wrista she rejoined them. ¡°For expert bargaining with police property and effectivily retreating with 50% casualties and without actually accomplishing anything.¡± Derrick sighed as he watched the policewoman''s hand drop to her hip, instinctively seeking her gun. They should give out medals for dealing with Blake. Kate at least seemed amused. She was doing that half smile thing she did; amused but too busy for more than a corner of her mouth to twitch. ¡°Spare us the drama,¡± Kate said. ¡°Become a User or leave right now. Your fence sitting is wasting precious time.¡± The two of them locked gazes for a second. Then, Jenny walked up to the front of the support station. ¡°How exactly does this work,¡± she asked warily. ¡°Ambition if you''re dumb enough to fight. Safety if you want to find another corner to hide in,¡± supplied Kate helpfully as she rifled through her bag. ¡°What about love?¡± asked Jenny and Derrick sneezed to hide a chuckle. What about love, though? He''d never figured out what that did. ¡°Forget love,¡± insisted Kate harshly. ¡°It''s not worth it.¡± There was real venom in her voice, Derrick could tell this was more than an academic opinion. Derrick heard a sigh from Blake. ¡°It can be,¡± he said with rare seriousness. ¡°But if you have too ask, than don''t bother.¡± There was a pause as Jenny considered this. Derick could tell she wanted to ask what they were talking about, because he wanted the same thing probably. Ultimately, she dropped it though. ¡°Why does it want to know my greatest strength?¡± ¡°Oh thats... a customized perk it gives to people.¡± Derrick replied, happy to add something to the conversation. ¡°I said health and got a little bonus to healing. A little invasive but definitely helpful.¡± ¡°Reflexes,¡± said Blake. ¡°It did the obvious.¡± ¡°Wait.. what?¡± spouted Jenny. ¡°It actually makes you better at things? How does that work? What are the limits.¡± Wasn''t she supposed ¡°I don''t know how it works exactly,¡± replied Derrick. ¡°But I imagine the limits are around what it takes to make us competitive against hordes of super advanced alien monstrosities.¡± His new friends gave him skeptical looks. ¡°My trait isn''t anywhere near that useful.¡± Blake replied and flipped a dagger. ¡°It''s rated F.¡± Derrick blinked. How did he not... He kept forgetting how new this all was and how helpful his emergency activation was for boosting him ahead. Interesting that his trait started rank E not F. Was that because it was more useful for him or just rarer? ¡°When I asked the station for a recommendation on what to spend my points on, it suggested upgrading my trait up a rank. I think because it gives the same protection the upgraded masks do. It was 310 points.¡± ¡°Lucky you,¡± said Kate as she chewed on a sick of dried meat. ¡°There''s some straight up horror movie junk in the air around here it seems.¡± She brought a finger to the corner of her eye and mimed scooping it out. Derrick couldn''t help but wince at the thought of something growing in his eyes like the doctor had complained about. He noticed Jenny pale a little as well. ¡°Does that mean I should go for health?¡± The woman asked. ¡°Don''t lie,¡± said Kate said sternly. ¡°It seems to reward honesty, or at least truth. Health seems useful but part of that is probably because it really is his greatest strength, or at least close to it. Remember that he didn''t know what the machine did when he picked his, so he wasn''t picking strategically.¡± Jenny shot Derrick a look. ¡°Health, really?¡± She said with a curious look. Derrick shrugged and carefully examined suddenly interesting writing on the juice can he was drinking. ¡°Unbreakable is my favourite movie,¡± he deflected. He really didn''t want to explain the thoughts behind that decision. He was mediocre but at least he was healthy? Jenny didn''t seem to buy his excuse. He was saved from another question by Kate, whose dispassionate voice carried hints of her own scorn. ¡°Healthy people overlook how important health is,¡± she said with an iron certainty. ¡°Life can become hell at the flick of an invisible switch.¡± Derrick felt his gaze pulled to her and connected some dots. Her worn looks and thin frame, her obvious skills but lack of muscle to support them... She hid it partially with competence and sheer intensity, but she was not a healthy woman. Or at least she hadn''t been up until the last little while. The timing of that was beyond suspicious. ¡°I didn''t think the system accepted weak people as Users,¡± he said without thinking and immediately froze. He turned a frightened eye to Kate and prepared to try to dodge a knife strike. Luckily he was spared. Instead of being angry she wore a Stygian grin. ¡°It doesn''t usually. I couldn''t have even tried, but my idiot cousin roped me in with him using the Love choice.¡± She answered non-nonchalantly and gave Blake a mocking smile. ¡°Rather than Love though, I would say it was more like guilt.¡± ¡°Good thing I didn''t do it for gratitude,¡±Blake said with a smile that mirrored her own. This was clearly a complicated relationship. Oddly effective though, the two of them were strangely competent. From the corner of his eye, Derrick saw Jenny determinedly chewing on a chocolate bar in a white wrapper. Apparently, she''d made her choice while they''d been distracted.
Universal Support System
Mission Update (1) Clear apartment building of Grey Legion (2) Rescue civilians and escort them from the building. (3) Prevent Legion drones (1/2) from escaping
Derrick sighed and rose to his still sore feet. Break time was over. ¡°How do you want to do this?¡± Blake asked the group. ¡°Let¡¯s not fuck around,¡± said Kate coldly. ¡°The grey bastards should be spent. The more time we give them the worse it will get and I think it can get pretty fucking bad.¡± ¡°One big push with everyone we can round up?¡± asked Derrick and ran the scenario through his mind. It should work. Unless they can into anything as tough as that last bastard. Anything resistant to bullets would be a serious problem, especially if at some point the Grey Legion could give its agents speed and skill beyond a normal humans. Just one agent like that could tear through a dozen people. ¡°Does anyone have any points they can spend?¡± He asked. ¡°We need something for things we can¡¯t easily shoot or stab.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± mused Blake. ¡°I think I saw something cheap that could help.¡± He quickly moved to the Pandora Machine and a few seconds of humming later, two round objects were pulled from it. He tossed the baseball sized egg to derrick. It was light and smooth like an egg. It seemed to mould itself to his hand, making it easier to grip.
Tangler Grenade
A single use non lethal grenade that automatically binds enemies with super strong fibres. Activates by throw followed by coming within a two-foot distance to target. Can release tangled targets at a touch.
Derrick gave the Tangler and Pandora machine an annoyed look. This was a toy. He was very tired of everything the System gave him being safety first. Even the blades came idiot proof. He was fighting invading aliens! Not capturing truant kids. ¡°You couldn''t get a real grenade?¡± ¡°Not cheaply,¡± Blake replied. ¡°And even if I could, I wouldn''t give them to you.¡± Derrick opened his mouth to retort but closed it immediately. That was actually fair. He definitely wouldn''t trust other people with explosives either. ¡°How much?¡± He asked instead. ¡°Nine points,¡± Blake answered. Well he could afford that. He tossed the grenade to Kate and went to order another for himself. ¡°Display available grenades,¡± he commanded.
Universal Support System Shop
Explosives No Proficiency Tangler Grenade 9 USSP Sterilization Grenade 9 USSP Sticky Breaching Charge 16 USSP Flash Bang 5 USSP
Current USSP: 11
He was surprised to see so many options and that one was an actual explosive. He would guess that the breaching charge was purposefully designed to be safe for beginners to use. Those same safety features probably meant it was a terrible weapon and only good for actually breaching. He didn''t want a flash bang, he was too likely to blind his own allies or himself. What about the Sterilization Grenade though?
Sterilization Grenade
A single use method of killing off the primitive forms of biological Scourges, such as the Spore Tyrants. Can be used to flush out Grey Drones and Agents. Only effective in enclosed spaces. Mask strongly recommended.
Not really what he needed then. Good too know about though, if he had some money to spare he might have bought a few in case of emergency. Both of those things were around after all. He bought the Tangler and returned to the group. He saw that both Blake and Kate had somehow attached their Tanglers to themselves without anyobvious physical means. He tried pressing his to his waist and felt it attach itself to his clothing. ¡°Ready,¡± he said. ¡°Hold up,¡± said Jenny with determination in her voice. ¡°I''ll help.¡± ¡°Do we need your help?¡± asked Blake. ¡°You¡¯re not even a user yet.¡± ¡°I''m trained police officer. Other than ''Killer'' Kate here, I''m the only one who can use a firearm.¡± ¡°You don''t even have a firearm,¡± said Blake. ¡°You traded it to us to be rescued from your own idiocy by us.¡± ¡°Yes, I do,¡± she said and expertly unclipped a gun from her waist and displayed it. ¡°I may not be a full User yet put I had enough points for this.¡± It was a gun grey, boxy and weird looking hand gun with a long barrel a thick magazine.
Scavengers Sidearm
A cheap but dependable firearm of mild power that is accurate up to 1000 meters in the hands of a skilled shooter. It''s most sophisticated system is its Forge Magazine; a device that can process metals and turn them into 11mm ammunition in seconds, ensuring it''s owner never runs out of ammo. More advanced metals such as Esthisium can be processed to create bullets with higher penetrating power that can be used on advanced threats at short ranges.
This was the first alien ranged weapon he''d seen and he was honestly a little disappointed. It was handy but only marginally more powerful than a human weapon of equal size. Like the Esthisium hand weapons the System Stations liked to hand out, it seemed to be purposefully limited. The System seemed more concerned with giving Usersrobust weapons than dangerous ones. ¡°She gets my vote,¡± says Derrick. ¡°We know she¡¯s dependable in a crisis.¡± He wanted to see what his new gun was capable of, if only to see if handgun proficiency was worth training. He was worried about the future. That the enemies he''d be called to fight would evolve to be much stronger than himself soon. Blake gave Derrick an unreadable look. If he had to guess, he was questioning his motivation. Which was fair because Derrick was totally plotting. He liked working with Blake, the man was confident and competent, if a bit of a jackass. He had no illusions that Blake cared much for him though. Kate seemed to like him, but even if that was true, he wasn''t sure how much that counted for. She was odd enough he wouldn''t gamble on her behaviour. Jenny would be his ally more than Blakeor Kate. Also, she was kind of hot. The police vest and uniform hid her figure, but she wore it well. ¡°Yes, if she wants to risk her life to help, just fucking let her.¡± said Kate with a role of her eyes. ¡°Your position as brave leader is untouchable.¡± The skinny blonde pulled an Ethisium knife from some hidden pocket and tossed it to Jenny. Apparently, that was how she welcomed people to the team. ¡°Err,¡± said Jenny, catching the knife after a short fumble. ¡°I''ve still got the one Derrick gave me.¡± Kate just cocked her head to the side, clearly not understanding her point. One could never have enough weapons. 1.7 Hunting Grounds Just over a dozen Users stood in the lobby, geared up and ready for the final push. Men and women, young and old, all tense but committed. Wearing the small black gas masks, wielding a mix of guns and Ethisium weaponsand clothed in everything from jeans and t-shirts to military fatigues. At this point everyone here were all veterans at fighting the Legion or dead. Fighting the Grey Legion across a dozen floors and shutting down their escape attempts had killed half of those sent here by the System. He knew this because someone had carved over a dozen names into the marble of the lobby wall, each one representing a fallen User. It made him wonder how long even that small monument would last. Things weren''t looking too good for the city, despite their moderate sucess here. Explosions, alien spores and zombie armies. How much punishment could West Hills take? Sending his gaze across the gathered Users, Derrick didn''t see anyone that was happy to be here, well except Kate, but he didn''t think any of them would flinch either. It had been a weird journey from yesterday to today, it seemed the people had changed as quickly as the world. In ways he wouldn''t have thought possible. Was it natural or did the System influence them somehow? There was no way to tell. So, he quashed that thought and paid attention to what the others were saying. It seemed like they had finally decided which of the three groups would go first. That honour went to a group of five led by a stocky black woman with a shaved head and a modern shotgun he would guess was a human made weapon, not somethingthat was Pandora Machine made. Her weapon, general attitude andmild but clearcontempt for the rest of the Users made Derrick think she was military. Even Jenny submitted to her authority wordlessly. He''d seen her outside, the rest of her group didn''t seem military like her but all had knives and rifles so they had been guarding the perimeter. No doubt one of her group had shot the escaping Drone. Probably the man Kate was making uncomfortable by staring at. He had a strange rifle on his back.
Standard Railgun
A railgun rifle designed by the System for use by humans with built in security functions. An improved version of their most common weapon type, it could last for hundreds of years without the need for repairs. Accurate at extreme ranges due to advanced aiming functions and capable of short bursts. Requires specialized ammo from Universal Support Stations. Designed to allow weak projectile enhancement using Manna or Auril.
Hmm not bad, but still disappointingly mundane. It was no plasma cannon or BFG. What was Manna and Auril though? Those sounded like they might have some sci-fi potential. His thoughts were interrupted when the stocky woman shot him and Kate a disapproving glance. He''d been staring at the weapon, just like Kate, and so drawn her attention. ¡°I''m Beth,¡± the woman said simply. ¡°And I''m in charge. Any problems with that?¡± Silence. ¡°Good.¡± The woman gathered up her group and led them up the stairs. Blake''s group of four would follow second, followed by the last group who was mostly made of melee weapon wielding amateurs like Derrick himself. Part of him wanted to think of them as fodder, which was sad because of how similar they were to himself. He noticed that their group seemed a little dour, so he shot them a grin and thumbs up. This failed to cheer them up though. Instead they just focused their glowers at him. The largest of their group looked like he wanted to rip his head off. He should really stop trying to encourage people, it never worked out for him. He followed Blake into the stairwell, keeping Jenny and Kate between him and the following group. They swept through floors thirteen to seventeen without incident. Seeing neither civilians or Grey Legion of any kind. Not so much as asuspiciously uncolorful cat. Floors eighteen to twenty had a surprise for them though. They were locked. Well, fused shut anyway. If they were just locked, they could have been cut through with Esthisium weapons. A grey material that looked like bone had flowed through the gaps in the doors and hardened. Even Esthisium weapons only chipped it a little, making it certain to take hours to force their way through that way. Luckily they didn''t need to.After they had given the lowest blocked door a few blows, the first group rejoined them from above with a solution. ¡°Everyone to the edges of the stairwell,¡± their stocky leader ordered. The second that everyone had complied, a wall or hot air pushed his back into the wall and a boom filled his ears. ¡°Breaching Charge,¡± she said a second later and looked to Blake. ¡°Wewill go in first, cover the entrance and stairwell.¡± It was nice that someone was prepared. Blake nodded, and they followed behind her group and saw their new door. It was a round hole in the steel wall about four feet wide. Behind the steel wall about two inches of the grey material had been somehow attached to it. Wisps of steam billowed out of the hole, not from the explosion but because the entire floor was filled with it. A thin veil of it hung in the air, coming out of the empty door frames of every apartment. Beads of condensation ran down the walls. Derrick scratched at the grey stuff as he bent through the hole. It was hard, sooth and warm. Like a ceramic and plastic mix? Something the Grey Legion had made themselves then. The doors themselves had been used to build barricades across the hallway. Sealed together and reinforced with the same grey material as the stairwell entrance.They seemed like formidable cover. Which made the emptiness of the corridor all the more puzzling. Even though the Grey Legion had seemingly used all their agents in that last rush, this still felt like a trap. The first group had moved quickly into the steamy corridor and was advancing doorway by doorway. They worked their way to the bend in the corridor and called Blake''s group over. ¡°We''ll hold here. Third group hold the entrance with two people, the rest search on the right with Dave here.¡± Their glorious leader said and one of her group stepped to join group three. "Second group carefully search the rooms on the left.¡± If they hadn''t been the group first through the breach, he''d have balked at the command, but they''d already proven themselves competent and brave. Jenny moved to his side and nodded towards the first apartment by the corridor entrance. He tried to lead the waybut Jenny shook her head and stepping ahead, calmly checked each corner in a professional way. The apartment had been ransacked and the kitchen was hardest hit. It seemed like it had been emptied of most food, beyond that, no pattern jumped out at him as to what they had been targeting. The bathroom contained the most mysteries, the shower was fused open, making it impossible to stop the flow of hot water. The Legion seemed to like it hot and wet. Or at least steamy. They also had questionable interior decoration ideas. A hole just big enough for someone to drop through had been¡­ melted through the thick concrete of the bathroom ceiling. It would be impossible for him to climb up there but anything could jump down. Which made clearing or securing this floor impossible as they could just jump down at any time. Derrick and Jenny backed away from the hole and into the corridor to rejoin the others. He reported their findings to Beth, who just grimaced and nodded before shooing them back into another apartment. Each one was the same, missing food, stuck showers and holes in the bathroom and corridor ceilings. In one apartment he noticed strange marks on the ceiling near the hole, like scratches... Scouting Proficiency Gained (Basic) Derick grinned. Scouting eh? Too bad he couldn''t check what that unlocked right now. He was glad to have a second proficiency anyway.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°This is a trap,¡± Beth said when all the rooms had been searched. She didn''t sound surprised. ¡°Then why haven''t they set it off?¡± Blake asked warily as he eyed the dark corridor and empty doorways. ¡°They''ve effectively turned three floors into one giant one. They can move between them unseen without passing the bottleneck of the stairwell or exposing themselves on the outside of the building.¡± She replied. ¡°It makes it impossible for one or even two groups to effectively hunt down our targets. We''d need to split up and that''s when they will hit us.¡± ¡°If were playing Hide and Seek with the Grey Legion, they will be cheating,¡± Kate added as calmly as if she was talking about the weather. ¡°We can''t think of them as being as limited as humans. Their senses and coordination will be better than ours.¡± Beth gave Kate a cold stare before sighing. ¡°I''d retreat before splitting up like that,¡± she admitted. ¡°We''ll clear the building as a group before we do either option however.¡± ¡°We have enough breachers for that?¡± someone else asked. ¡°Yes,¡± the rifleman from Beth''s group replied. Opposite of the order they entered, they made in back to the stairwell without incident and when the next breacher went off and opened the way into floor nineteen, they found it like floor eighteen but darker. Where on the floor below, light had flowed into each apartment through thewindows and empty door frames, on this floor, a thin layer of smooth grey material blocked most of the light that tried to enter the floor. When Derrick stepped through the small hole they had blown in the door, he knew this was a trap. No, the floor below had felt like a trap, this was pure horror movie killzone and everyone of them felt it. He could see everyone tense up, grip their weapons tighter, flashlight beams darting at every curling tendril of mist that might be a attacking enemy. ¡°We should leave,¡± said Blake. ¡°If the System wants this place cleared so bad, let it bring the whole building down. Nothing human isalive in here anyway.¡± Derrick was just about to give his support for that tactic when a familiar blue box appeared. He read it as quick as possible so that it didn''t block his vision anymore.
Universal Support System
Mission Update (1) Clear apartment building of Grey Legion (2) Rescue civilians and escort them from the building. (Complete) (3) Prevent Legion drones (1/2) from escaping Obedience Protocols Activated! Please obey instructions for your own safety. We regret the loss of control.
He grimaced when he finsished reading. Of fucking course. Without any real choice, they split up and explored again. Jenny and himself cautiously explored two rooms, the tension and paranoia building until he was almost glad when he heard the shouting and the two of them fled back to the corridor. The noise was coming from the apartment across the hall from where they were. One of the grunts from group three had fallen through a concealed hole in the floor of one of the apartments and was shouting for help from his partner, who Derrick didn''t see anywhere. Jenny''s gun light illuminated the bottom of the hole and he grimaced. Someone had placed a throw rug over the hole to conceal it. It would be comical if it wasn''t absolutely terrifying. A stupidly effective trap he could have easily walked into as well. He especially didn''t like the missing ally. This reeked of the old wounded ally lure. He scanned every shadow while Jenny tried to clam the victim down. When she shuffled closer to the edge, he grabbed her shoulder and held her back. ¡°Stay away from the edge,¡± he hissed. ¡°This is bait. Wait for others and we will throw something down.¡± Jenny froze for a second but then nodded and moved to a closet. She took some sheets and began tying them together. Beth and the Rifleman entered the room. ¡°Something is here, and it already got one of us,¡± he told them. ¡°It''s using traps to delay and separate us.¡± Beth took in the scene. ¡°You throw him the rope, we''ll cover you.¡± She said. He nodded and Jenny pass him it before pointing her pistol down into the circle of light below. Beth and the rifleman covered the hole in the ceiling and the door. Their teriffied ally stood at the bottom of the hole, one hand raised to catch the rope, the other hand clenching the hilt of a knife. Derrick threw the makeshift rope down to him but he never caught it. At the last second a grey blur hit him and with a short scream he was dragged into the dark of the floor below them. Paling, Derrick let go of the rope and backed away from the hole. He had to fight the suicidal instinct to run back in the corridor. Thatgrey blur had been fast. Faster even than the dogs, but human shaped and judging by the solid grey of its skin, tougher than even the brute they had fought earlier. It could have hit them at any time, but it was as clever and cautious as it was fast. Fuck, Derrick swore as quiet as a whisper. Fuck the System, this was super unbalanced. Their enemies were growing stronger much faster than he was! He needed to find a way to get stronger fast or he was toast. ¡°Back to the corridor,¡± Beth said darkly. Derrick and Jenny needed no encouragement. If anything Jenny looked like she was more shocked than he was. ¡°No sign of any drone or anything like that on this floor,¡± Blake said as they joined him and the others in the corridor. ¡°We lost two more people though, the guy from your group who joined group three and his partner are just gone.¡± ¡°On to the next floor,¡± said Beth. ¡° Be very fucking careful, this place is trapped. Low tech so far, but we don''t know what they are capable of. ¡± Whatever was picking them off, left them aloneas they broke into the last floor of the apartment building. Besides the mist being a little heavier, it was exactly the same as the floor below at first glance. As soon as the first of Beth''s group had stepped through the entry hole though, they came under fire. A quick burst of a dozen muzzle flashes revealed three grey agents, two with a pistol and one with a rifle. The Legion shooters caughta human Userwith at least one bullet andher alliespulled her back into the stairwell. It didn''t escape his notice that they didn''t fire on her as he was pulled to safety. The Grey Legion wanted them alive. Derrick wondered if he should kill himself if things got bad enough. he doubted he could and didn''t want to anyway. Hey, maybe the Grey Legion''s smiles were sincere and they were actually having fun? Their gunmen immediately returned fire, scoring hits that would bring a normal person down, but it took multiple shots on each for them to fall, and before that happened, their rifleman screamed and dropped his rifle. Luckily Kate managed to bring the last enemy shooter down with a headshot. This was only temporary though. The Grey Agents would be back on their feet soon, the fuckers. Which meant they needed to follow up this shootout with a charge. He hesitated, thinking of that grey blur... ¡°Go, go, go!¡± yelled Beth, who grabbed him by the shoulder and basically threw him inside. He had two options, tuck into a roll that took him through the hole or stop himself with his face. He chose the later. Blake and two others quickly sprinted up beside him. Derrick moved with the momentum of the shove, he couldn''t stop now so he might as well pretend he had been going anyway. The Grey Agents had been behind a barricade aboutone hundred meters down the corridor. Right before they could leap above it, two more agents rose from below the barricade and blocked them. One of their allies was caught of guard andtook a baseball bat to the ribs. He dropped like a rag doll at the feet of the smiling grey skinned woman who had ambushed him. Derrick was the closest to her, so he tried to take her down quickly but failed. She was weirldyskilled with the bat. Not as tough as the brute or inhumanly fast but she was the first grey agent he''d fought that was actually good at fighting. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blake take down the other Agent while their last standing ally attacked the fallen shooters. Worryingly, he heard shouts and gunshots from behind them, where their own gunmen were supposed to be supporting them. He had no time to deal with that though. Just keeping his bones unbroken was taking all his concentration. The good news was that time was on his side, only his opponent¡¯s skill had kept her weapon from being cleaved by his axe so far but all it would take was one good hit on her or her weapon to end the fight. There was a limited number of variations she could use with such a simple weapon while not letting him break it. Her weakness was defence. He pushed her back and tried to overwhelm her with a flurry of blows to her body. It worked, he finally caught the bat with his blade and broke it. Sadly, his small victory blinded him to the larger battle, she caught the blade with her shoulder, shredding it but not stopping her. She punched him in the face with her good side and sent him sprawling back. Again with the face, Derrick swore silently. ¡°I see you,¡± it said, and smiling with empty eyes, pressed its advantage. The enemy grabbed an arm he''d thrown out to balance himself. She was inside his guard now, where his axes couldn''t hit. Luckily, he still had a knife Kate had given him. He pulled it out of it''s sheath and struck out with his his free hand at her bad side. Jamming the balde deep into the greyflesh of her neck and dropping her almost immediately. A second later, he was already dropping his axe down intothe rising form of a shooter Agent and panting as he took in the battlefield aound him. All the Agents in the corridor were out of commission, but of his allies only Blake was still standing and he was limping away from him towards the entrypoint where Jenny stood. Derrick quickly cast a glance around and sprinted after him, deadly tired but not wanting to be left on this floor alone. Melee Proficiency Upgraded (Advanced) Instead of them leaving though, Kate, carrying the rail gun, leaped through the hole and into a roll. She was followed by Beth who rolled into a crouch with her shotgun pointed at the hole. There was a scream from the other side and once again he saw a blur of grey. Nothing came out though, and the five of them stood with weapons drawn, listening but hearing nothing but whimpers and the soft sound of showers running. ¡°This is fucking ridiculous. Why did you gun wielding badasses run?¡± Blake hissed. ¡°Did you at least wound it? Because I''m pretty sure its not threatened by my knives or Derrick''s axes¡± ¡°It dropped down the stairwell right on top of us as soon as the fight started.¡± said Kate. ¡°Fucking thing is fast and armoured. Like full medieval knight armoured but with finger knives.¡± ¡°No vital points either, except maybe the joints,¡± Beth added stonily. ¡°No eyes or nose holes, just thin featureless grey armour.¡± ¡°Legionnaire?¡± asked Derrick with morbid curiosity. ¡°No, just a Legion Vanguard,¡± Kate said and smiled at him. ¡°Whatever its called,¡± Beth said through clenched teeth. ¡°We can''t let it pick us off anymore. We need to draw it out.¡± ¡°Then we should go for the Drone then,¡± said Derrick. ¡°It won¡¯t let us destroy it, it will be forced to defend it.¡± Beth and Blake shot a gloomy look around the dark and misty floor. No doubt considering the likelihood of surviving a retreat. ¡°Do we have any chance of beating it?¡± asked the last conscious and mobile member of Beth''s group. He was carrying a knife and a pistol. ¡°We might have something that can stop it.¡± Blake said while patting his waist where the Tangler grenade hung. Derrick had honestly forgotten about those. ¡°I can even point us in the right direction,¡± said Derrick and pointed to the only closed off apartment. Grey material bulged out of the seams of the sturdy wooden door. ¡°Anyone bring a breacher?¡± 1.8 The Next Level The answer was apparently no. No one had a breacher. Being armed with the only suitable weapon, Derrick was forced to break down the door the old fashioned way. By hitting it with an axe. Over and over. There was nothing good about this. The heat and steam rising up from the two floors below caused him to sweat bullets, people kept giving him ''hurry up'' looks and he expected a monstrous arm tobreakthrough the door and pull him inside at any second. It was worse than carrying Jenny''s nameless partner down all twelve flights of stairs. Of course, this door was reinforced by weird alien glue, so it took awhile to break open. By Derricks count, well over a hundred blows before the door was weakened enough it could be kicked apart. He, Beth and Blake entered together, each eyeing the shadows with practical paranoia. The inside was lightless and strange. Stacks of empty cans were piled everywhere, some partially dissolved in hard grey growths that looked like barnacles. Root like growths pierced the walls, some tiny and opaque, others large and full of slowly moving goo. Still other hung from the ceiling, dangling to the ground with curved grey needles on the end. He didn''t even want to think about what those were for. They moved slowly in the black room, the windows were hidden under a shiny grey coating like the shell of a clam. The group of Users was deathly silent as they inched forward, this was no longer a human place. They met no opposition and that worried Derrick. Their goal of destroying the Drone had to be clear now. Why wasn''t the Vanguard attacking? Was the Drone not here? ¡°This is for sure a trap,¡± said Blake, just seconds before Derrick did. Everyone nodded. ¡°Check for holes in the floor or other Home Alone shit,¡± said Derrick as he eyed the carpet underfoot with suspicion. He turned his gaze to the unknown grey growths that covered the ceiling and floor. ¡°Try to avoid anything Legion made. It could easily be some kind of IED.¡± Jenny added. Or something worse, like lethal radiation emitter, Derrick thought but kept to himself. Theirdark skinned leader, Beth turned her gaze to the strange fluids that flowed everywhere, she grasped the mask hanging on her neck with her free hand and put it on. ¡°Masks on,¡± she said. ¡°I''m betting we don''t want breathe whatever this stuff is. They walked through the main room of the apartment and glancing around the corner spied the bathroom door. It was as covered in grey glue as the entrance had been. ¡°Fuck,¡± said Derrick. Blake glanced at the door and smiled grimly. ¡°Well, at least we know it''s probably in there.¡± ¡°Unless this is a trap and the entire room is rigged to explode,¡± added Kate. ¡°They want us alive,¡± said Derrick as he carefully walked towards the reinforced washroom door. Beth gave him some kind of military hand code he interpreted as ''hurry the bloody fucking hell up''. He just ignored her and took his time, testing every step he took for pitfalls or wires buried under the carpet. ¡°So probably no explosions. Too lethal. Expect the unexpected,¡± headvised sagely Derrick rapped his knuckles against the door and gave it a couple kicks to make sure there wasn''t a trap or hidden panel on it. It seemed solid. He started hacking at the hinges, trusting the others to watch his back. He was just finding his groove when a whisper interrupted him. ¡°Every time I enter one of these apartment washrooms I expect to hear voices calling me from the drains,¡± Blake added randomly. ¡°You know? Like in the movie with the killer clown?¡± ... ... Ughhh ¡°Thank you for that.¡± Derrick replied between axe swings. ¡°Now I''m going to be picturing Grey Legion Clowns.¡± Blake just smiled at him. ¡°I''m sure someone out there is regretting moving near a clown college,¡± mused Blake and causing Kate to snort. ¡°Stow the chatter,¡± hissed Beth. ¡°And get that fucking door cleared.¡± He took another few swings before he stopped. He thought he''d... Ting He frowned and turned around. ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Kate. Ting ¡°Do you hear that?¡± he whispered. ¡°No, what?¡± asked Beth while Blake readied himself. ¡°Could be nothing,¡± he said. ¡°Some kind of metallic clicking noise from behind that wall. I think...¡± What he was going to say was interrupted by the wall bursting open and a blast of liquid and pieces of metal washing over the group. Derrick let out a scream as his flesh burned and tiny bits of metal dug into his shoulder. Luckily he didn''t get any of the burning liquid in his eyes. His face was covered in it though and it smelled awful. So bad he he gagged, his throat closing in shock. That could just me his melting skin though. Even mid scream, part of his brain knew how much danger he was in. He quickly ripped off his sweater and tried to wipe clean his face. He heard yells and sounds of violence but at least a few of their group seemed to be fighting. Rubbing his sweater into his eye lids was agony but he did it without flinching. A second later, when he opened his eyes they were still stung by whatever had hit him but he could see. And what he saw wasn''t pretty. He opened his eyes just in time to see agrey blur smack Beth''s teammate and cause him to crumple like paper to the ground. He never reached the ground though, as clawed fingers dug into his flesh and sent him through the air to bowl over a surprised looking Kate. Several gunshots rang out but didn''t seem to do more than slow it a little. Even Beth''s shotgun only rocked it back, which at least let Derrick get a good look at it. It looked like a cross between Venom and a Storm Trooper. Grey organic looking plates covered a thin humanoid framewith elongated armsthat were made to end in dagger like clawed fingers. The monstrosity had no visible eyes, but they were probably just hidden behind the creatures smooth armour. It did have a mouth though, one filled with inhumanly large fangs. Derrick shuddered. This was not a thing a human could hope to fight. Everything about it screamed killing machine. Just as the Legion Vanguard had recovered from Beth''s shotgun blast, Blake rose to one knee and let a small egg shaped object fly. His aim was good, it flew right to where the Vanguard had been trying to move. Unfortunately, the monster had reflexes like a cat. It dropped to all fours and changing direction with an inhuman movement, dodged it. Thankfully, monkey see, monkey do was strong with Derrick. His own tangler flew out only seconds after Blake''s. It was only partially successful. When the object was just two feet away, it exploded into hundreds of thin ribbons that coiled around anything it could latch onto. They wrapped around the right shoulder and chest of the Vanguard, pinning its arm to its side. A dozen other strands also wrapped around the door frame behind the creature, surprisingly jolting the creature backwards and shaking the wall. Watching the creature scramble, Derrick understood what stopped it. It was strong, but it wasn''t heavy. It couldn''t tear itself free without leverage. It quickly proved that its claws could tear the tangler ribbons. Like a berserk animal it began to rip into its bound shoulder with tooth and claw. A quick glance around showed that no one but Beth was in any condition to help him out and she busy peppering it with shotgun blasts. If it got free it would murder him easily. Even if he ran, it would catch him, his brain informed him. He couldn''t think of any smart moves here.He charged forward with a yell, mostly to let Beth know what he was doing so, so she didn''t shoot him.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Using the speed from his run, he let an axe fly at the creature''s head and watched as it was easily batted aside. He wasn''t discouraged, it had been more a distraction than anything. The brute from earlier proved that he wasn''t strong enough for his axes to pierce whatever the Grey legion armoured their minions with unless he had his full weight and power behind it. Dodging to the the creature''s bound side, he tried to use the tangler cords running to the door frame as a shield and strike up from beneath themat the creature''s ribs. It just stepped back towards the door and its free hand easily shot out to grab at his wrist. Derricklet out a short scream as claws dug into his flesh and pinned him in place. Wide eyed, he could only watch in panic as a claw reached out towards his throat. At the last second though, two things happened. Its head snapped back as a bullet took it in the neck and a knife appeared from nowhere and embedded itself in the creature¡¯s own wrist. Blake stepped into view from behind Derrick and tried to drivea second knife into the Vanguard''sthroat. For a second Derrick thought he was saved but at the last second the Vanguard effortlessly shoved him into the approaching Blake, sending them both falling back. ¡°Fuck,¡± cursed Blake as Derrick landed on top of him. Derrick rolled away and scrambled to his feet, just in time for him to see the Vanguard dig its clawed fingers into the floor and using the power of all three of its limbs, tear the whole metal doorframe off ofthe concrete that held it. It leaped at them, only to be pushed back by another shotgun blast, causing it to change targets and use its claws to leave a bloody trail across Beth''s chest before grabbing her collar and sending her sprawling into Derrick. It seemed to really fucking enjoy using people as projectiles, Derrick thought angrily as he tried to gently but quickly guide their fallen ''leader'' to the ground. From the corner of his eye he saw Kate send another Tangler flying through the airbut even though it came from behind it, the Vanguard it still moved and easily dodged it. Then moved to menace Blake. Working on instinct, Derick leapt like a baseball pro and caught the Tangler, sending it back at the Vanguard. It was a perfect hit and this time the ribbons wrapped all around the creatures body, not letting it do much more than wriggle. Blake drove a knife into the creature''s back over and over, undettered by how mst blows bounced right off. Derrick stepped up and arced his axe down into its skull. He used every speck of power his tired muscles could offer. The first time it bounced, but after a couple strikes, the axe vlade penetrated and the creature stopped moving with a wet crumpling sound. ¡°Fucking hell,¡± said Blake as he limped to look over their wounded. Derick moved to join him but the other man waived him away. ¡°Help by getting rid of that fucking door,¡± he said. ¡°I''ll make sure no one bleeds out while you do it.¡± Derrick grimaced but didn''t argue. His wrist was a mess but didn''t seem to be actually broken. Most of the work was already done and it only took a two minutes before he was kicking the door down. Inside was nightmare fuel. Like the rest of the apartment but worse. Tubes ran over every surface and the shower had been turned into some kind of alien pod. Luckily it was empty, no doubt this was were the Vanguard had been converted. His experience from the gym let him recognize a lump on the wall near the toilet as the Drone, it seemed to have fused itself to the wall. He enthusiastically ended the thing and was hit with walls of text from the System. Grey Injection Drone and Vanguard destroyed, unlocking database.
Universal Support System Implant
Grey Legion Injection Drone (E) Mass produced on Grey Legion fortress worlds and Injected to undefended planets, these mechanical creatures can produce a near limitless variety of drugs and viruses that they use to seize control of native populations and turn them into Grey Agents. With enough time and access to basic resources, they can seize entire worlds for the Grey Legion. Producing fortresses, factories and armies. Always prioritize killing them over Agents.
Grey Legion Vanguard (D) The most advanced form of Grey Agents, they are as physically boosted as the Grey Legion can make them. A process that reduces their ability to access their original skills and memories, reducing them to more animalistic behaviour. They are used as Scouts and Irregulars until the Grey Legion has completed the research and has the production capability they need to design and produce their infamous Legionnaires. It is recommended to engage at a distance with powerful ranged weaponry as they are a formidable threat at close ranges. They often posses weak Auril powers, boosting their senses and physical abilities.
Derrick''s eye twitched at the recommendation on taking out Vanguards. If they wanted him to kill things with powerful ranged weapons, they needed to let him buy powerful ranged weapons. The only surprising thing here was that the Vanguard that had almost soloed their group was only rated a D threat. That implied that they were far from the scariest thing out there...
Universal Support System Implant
Mission Complete 420 points for successfully eliminating Grey Legion Infection 100 points for earning Counteragent title 70 points and Auril Heart trait unlocked for earning Scrappy title Return to Support Station to spend points for vital rewards!
Titles Earned
Counteragent Destroy an Injected Scourge source.
Scrappy Destroy an advanced enemy before level 2.0 with only a basic melee weapon.
Yes! A feeling of relief swept over Derrick for a second. He''d been worried since this whole thing started that he would fall behind all the people with fancy space guns and rare abilities. Not to mention the creatures he was supposed to be fighting. Not only did these titles net him points to spend but unlocked a trait as well. Hopefully he could keep up the momentum.
Universal Support System Implant
You are now level 1.3! You have reached the Level Cap. Level locked for 11.2 hours to prevent damage from excessive modification. Fighter 1.3 has unlocked the Basic Combat Drug Package (F) trait.
Basic Combat Drug Package (F) (Offensive) A gland in the spinal column that allows controlled release of powerful drugs. Drugs available: Spur: Grants near limitless endurance for a 1.1 hours. User will crash after drug loses effectiveness. Lash: Grants 4.7 seconds of increased mental and muscle speed. Curative Blood (D) trait lowers cooldown by 1.3 hours. Cooldown is 3.2 hours. Warning: Overuse of combat drugs will degrade mental and physical faculties.
Two levels this time. Actually kind of disappointing considering how long it would take him to reach level 2.0. Which he assumed was some sort of benchmark level. Especially considering the shit his second mission put him through. He just needed to do all this four more times. Just that easy. His first reaction to the drugs was HELL NO. He did not like the idea of flooding his body with powerful alien drugs that even the System, which had no problem using people as fodder, admitted were dangerous. Logically, he needed all the help he could get though. Certainly Lash would have been useful fighting that Legion Vanguard and it wasn''t hard to imagine a situation where Spur would save his life. He''d have to see what they would cost him at the Support Station. They''d be competing with the Auril Heart trait and that sounded important. Not to mention whatever new items his new proficiencies would allow him to buy. On the other hand, even if he didn''t use them, just having a trait came with perks for Roles. He''d love to work this all out now, but he was pretty sure Blake needed help helping the others. Just when he''d turned around and took a step out of the washroom, yet another System message popped up.
Universal Support System Implant
Multiple disabled Users detected in inaccessible region Evaluating nearby Users... Conditions declining Multiple Users at Level Cap detected Examining local resources... Initiating evacuation to nearby medical facility Shutting down local active Users. (Adaption/Medical Coma) Auril contamination detected. Cleansing... Authority Intervention (GazGr). New mission: Document Auril Echo Amplifying and interpreting Auril signature We apologize for the loss of control!
Wait... what... Still mid step, he crumpled like paper and lay unmoving on the floor. He dreamed of the Grey Legion, of their tireless march across the stars. Of the Salvation they brought with them.. Of world after world, infected and TAKEN. Turned from living worlds to fortresses and monuments to Legion strength. He saw grey spires rise into the sky even as machines dug innumerable bunkers beneath the earth. Without remorse , the Legion hunted down the populations of entire worlds, entire stellar civilizations and added them to their ranks. Forming armies with forms and weapons taken from a hundred worlds. Forged and refined across uncountable battlefields. And these were the lesser struggles. There were holes in the dream. Concepts he didn''t have a frame of reference for. He saw the Legion battling great and hungry shadows larger than he could understand. Throwing innumerable stolen bodies and mighty machines into battle against wrathful gods. He saw them unleash fire on festering sicknesses that bloomed across entireplanets. He saw sleek fleets duelling outside the atmosphere of burning worlds. Moons pounded to dust and drop ships falling like rain on cowering civilizations. Horror after horror and never flinching, never slowing, never wavering. Like the heart of a great beast, Legion feet pounded ground on a hundred worlds. Sometimes winning, sometimes losing, but always fighting until the bitter end. The dream slowed until Derrick found himself standing on a dusty blue landscape. Spires of rock channelled streams of dust all around him. The wind and dust carried him forward until he stood before a figure that sat, eyes closed, on a plateau of stone. Like many things he had seen, it escaped understanding. He could not say what colour its skin was or even if it had skin or hair. He knew it was covered in scars though, he could feel them. It opened its eyes and they were as grey as purgatory. ¡°We See You,¡± it spoke and its voices were Legion. Slowly, the thing raised a limb and reached to him.¡°Submission is Salvation.¡± He tried to pull away but found it impossible to fight the pull of the wind. Just before it touched him, Derrick woke screaming. 2.1 A New Day Derrick woke to one of the last things he wanted to see.
Universal Support System Implant
Mission Complete 100 points for successful documentation of Auril Echo Return to Support Station to spend points for vital rewards!
Fucking United Support System. Now it was invading his dreams. There was a lot he would put up with in the name of survival but there had to be lines somewhere. He tried to remember what he had dreamed, it seemed like it had been something important. Something about flying to visit someone? He failed, it''d faded like... well, a dream. Probably nothing important then. ¡°Bad dreams?¡± a voice asked him and he flinched. It took him a second to realize it was Kate who has spoken. The blonde woman was giving him a crooked smile from a hospital bed next to his own. ¡°Maybe, don''t remember. Why am I restrained?¡± asked Derrick, noticing the leather straps on his wrists. And why were his wrists so sore? Where did his clothes go? Both he and Kate were wearing hospital gowns. It was a very unflattering look for her, emphasizing her thin arms and pale skin. He was somewhat reassured to see his axes, phone and undershirt on a bed stand bedside him. They were pretty much the only important things he owned. He was less reassured too see a tube inserted under the flesh of his armpit, filled with a milky white substance. He saw that Kate had one too. She gave him a cold smile. ¡°I''d guess it''s because you''ve been thrashing in your sleep since I woke,¡± she answered. ¡°You''ve made for a shitty neighbour, let me tell you. You¡¯re not even as pretty as you used to be.¡± ¡°What do you mean and where are the others?¡± He frowned and looked around without seeing another familiar face. ¡°How long was I out?¡± She sighed. ¡°I am doing fine thanks for asking,¡± Kate said with manic cheer. ¡°Everything is great.¡± Good to know he was as smooth as always. He felt a tiny pulse of panic that faded as he noticed she was restrained as well. Thank heaven for small favours. The blonde User had always seemed unstable to him. He didn''t see a knife on her but with Kate, that meant less than nothing. Huh, he was feelign a little paranoid. Myabe leftover emotion from the dream? ¡°If they restrained me because I thrashed around, why are you restrained?¡± ¡°Stabbed a nurse,¡± she replied indifferently, and then a second later with a frown, ¡°I have issues with hospitals. They make me.... edgy. ¡± ¡°Well you look great,¡± he said and aimed for a charming smile. It was even true, kinda, if you ignored her clothes, she seemed to have put on a little weight. It made her look healthier. While, she was still skinny, she came off a little less pale and skeletal. The added flesh also made her face a hiar more feminine. ¡°You don''t, your face melted,¡± she said, smiling back at him with off putting sincerity. Derrick opened his mouth but no words came out. His face did feel odd... He tried to touch his face, only to be reminded of his restraints. He scanned the hospital room they were in but found no reflective surfaces. It wasn''t even a real hospital, just a sturdy tent filled with beds and medical equipment that he didn''t recognize. Not that he would. He decided to ignore his face situation for now. ¡°How did we get here?¡± ¡°Helicopter,¡± she answered wistfully. ¡°Sent by the System to rescue us. Users blew the windows, swung in and air evaced us. Apparently, we¡¯re not quite as expendable as thought. That was nine hours ago.¡± Dammit, he would have liked to be awake for that. He''d never been flying before... he blinked feeling something on the edge of memory. A planet hanging in the void, ripe for the... He tried to grasp it but a sharp headache drove it away. ¡°Whatever exploded out of that wall was some nasty nasty shit,¡± the female User continued. ¡°Jenny was the worst off, she was barely even a User so it dropped her instantly, even with her mask. They had to cut her out of her uniform I''m told. As for us, they had to remove all our clothing before letting us in the sterilized zone.¡± Derrick winced and felt a wave of guilt. He had pushed the woman to join their attack, putting her in harms for his own personal gain. He''d told himself that she was tough but what had that meant against the Grey Legion? ¡°What about Beth?¡± he asked. She''d taken a pretty bad hit there at the end. ¡°Dunno,¡± Kate replied without much interest. ¡°Blake is fine though. He woke up first from his ''adaption coma.'' He''s out stretching or something.¡± She mimed the quotation marks at the bedsides where her wrists were restrained. ¡°The sleep and this white stuff is supposed to help us deal with the ''changes our bodies are going through.'' ¡± She smiled. ¡°The nurse made it sound like we were going through puberty again.¡± ¡°That would be one way to make this situation worse for sure,¡± Derrick joked and the two of them shared a smile. It quickly devolved into an awkward silence. ¡°Sooo, why don''t you like hospitals.¡± he asked. ¡°Did you have some kind of disease?¡± Kate gave him a pensive look. ¡°I don''t really want to talk about my sob story to Mr Healthy,¡± she replied curtly. Hmm. He did want to know, if only because it would probably help him understand her relationship with Blake more. He decided to offer his own sob story, one he hadn''t told anyone since he moved to Westhills. He hated mentioning it, but fair is fair. Besides, it was different world these day. His issues seemed less important. ¡°I''m an orphan,¡± he said with false ease. ¡°My parents died in a car crash when I was young. I came out unharmed though.¡± A pause. ¡°A truck driver fell asleep behind the wheel.¡± ¡°This was my second coma,¡± replied Kate, accepting the offering. ¡°First one was a lot longer.¡± She paused for a long while, lost in thought. Derrick just listened. ¡°I drowned,¡± she added and continued after a pause. ¡°For a very long time.¡± He wasn''t sure what to say to that. Nothing was probably the safe bet but hey, she was being talkative and more importantly was restrained. ¡°Until Blake brought you back.¡± ¡°Untilmy cousin Blake got the United Support System to bring me back,¡± she corrected. ¡°Before that, I was just rotting away in a bed too like this one. I wasbrought back just in time for the Apocalypse. Lucky me.¡± He honestly couldn''t tell if that last bit was sarcasm. ¡°So, my face melted?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, the top half that your mask didn''t cover. You don''t seem that upset about it,¡± she said. ¡°Don''t get me wrong, I''d prefer my face to be unmelted but I can still see and smell just fine. Everything else is kind of a luxury really at the momen,¡± he replied honestly. ¡°Besides, I think I''m going too be too busy to worry about it.¡± It was only a few minutes until a nurse arrived to remove his restraints.After a couple of minutes of persuasion, he even got her to take off Kate''s. The two of them got dressed in provided clothes, equipped their stuff and found Blake outside playing witha new weapon, a sword. The cocky User gave them a shit eating grin and saluted them with his blade, Derrick saw his gaze linger on his face for a second. He didn''t say anythign though. The blade was a functional looking thing, but the System didn''t make ugly tools so it had an elegance to it. The usualsilverof an Esthisium weapon showed a blue tint to its edges. Not the longest sword, it was aboutfourty seven inches from the point of the blade to the pommel.
Reinforced Ethisium Sword A hand weapon made out of the smart material Esthisium and Admantium. It has safety, anti theft and self repair features. It is much sturdier and sharper than an unreinforced weapon. Does not have a training mode. Weak Auril medium. and Can be upgraded with a small Mannabattery
¡°Unlocked it with Expert Melee Proficiency,¡± bragged Blake.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Was it recommended, or did you just really want a sword?¡± asked Derrick. Blake effortlessly launched into a complicated sword routine, his blade moving faster than Derrick could follow. He ended it by burying it into a sheathe on his hip, one the other User would swear was only half the size it needed to be to hold the blade. ¡°Recommended,¡± answered Blake. ¡°You''ve improved a lot,¡± said Kate. ¡°You must have got really into it. I remember you only being average two years ago.¡± Blake''s smile faded for a second but only for a second. ¡°Being a User helps a lot,¡± said Blake with a shrug. ¡°My upgraded reflex trait seems to make it a little easier to memorize actions and I''m stronger and faster than I was yesterday. I''ll bet you two are as well now that we have some levels. Who wants to spar?¡± Derrick wanted to jump right into finding out what he was now capable of. Sadly, he had something else to take care of. ¡°Maybe later,¡± he said. ¡°Where¡¯s Jenny and how''s she doing.¡± ¡°Oh, shes fine. Full recovery and all that. Currently, she is talking to her partner that just woke up.¡± said Blake. ¡°Physically fine anyway. Honestly, I think her uselessness is her biggest problem.¡± That was harsh, even for Blake. A pause. ¡°I phrased that wrong.¡± he amended ¡°Feeling useless is her biggest problem. Too much of a bleeding heart. Upset that she couldn''t save more people and that she was taken out by that goo blast. I think all this is harder on her than people like us.¡± ¡°People like us?¡± questioned Derrick with a hint of warning in voice. He did not like people thinking they knew him. ¡°I''m a bitter asshole with narcissistic tendencies,¡± Blake said blithely. ¡°Kate has a lot of issues I''m not going to get into.¡± Kate snorted, but Blake ignored her. ¡°And you...¡± ¡°Are genuinely empathetic,¡± interrupted Kate. ¡°But callous. You don''t let things bother you because you expect so very little.¡± He frowned at Kate. He should never have told her about his parents, it just encouraged the amateur psychoanalysis he so hated. She sensed his disapproval but just gave him a smile. ¡°It gives you this sort of mentor vibe,¡± she added. ¡°But your actually shit at pretty much everything.¡± Haha. That was hardly his fault, these two were just strangely competent. Blake was a bloody expert sword fighter? Why? Kate on the other hand woke up from a coma as a crack shot with a rifle and a decent knife fighter. ¡°I excel at database,¡± he said. He paused for a second, but they didn''t get the joke. ¡°Fine, enough. You guys are what? Level 1.2 Fighters?¡± They both nodded. Good, he''d need every advantage if they were to spar. He wasn''t sure what one tenth of a level was worth in a fight, but he''d take it. ¡°No,¡± a female voice said from behind him. ¡°I''m a level 1.2 Guard.¡± He of course immediately recognized the voice as Jenny and failed to hide his wince. He''d been hoping to get his thoughts in order before talking to her. ¡°How''s your partner doing,¡± he asked. It was the obvious and safe question. ¡°Better than a lot of other people,¡± was her curt reply. She looked different in civilian clothes, more vulnerable. Derrick had a hard time reading her, her face was still. She seemed upset though, in some way he couldn''t quite pin down. ¡°I''m glad,¡± Derrick said honestly. It would have been a waste of effort if he died after he carried the man down twelve flights of stairs. Not to mention Jenny would be even more upset, which would be a pain to deal with. ¡°What''s a Guard do?¡± interjected Kate. Kate''s face went even blanker as she answered. ¡°Nothing yet, just says I''m a trained to stand between humanity and threats.¡± ¡°What about Fighters?¡± ¡°We have fighting spirit,¡± said Blake as he cut the air with a series of fancy flourishes. ¡°Other than that, nothing.¡± ¡°We do drugs,¡± he said reluctantly and drew everyone''s attention. ¡°I''m level 1.3 and got the ability to pump alien drugs into my brain.¡± ¡°How are you a level above us?¡± asked Blake and the blond User pointed his sword at him. Not in a threatening way, he was just being dramatic. Maybe he''d been given something by the doctors? ¡°I''ve completed more missions,¡± he answered with a shrug. ¡°The first one was a little easier than the one we did together.¡± Considering it had involved him fighting a single Gray Agent, that was a bit of an understatement. He wasn''t going to explain that though. Let them assume the best. ¡°Stop waving that stupid sword around,¡± said Jenny. ¡°Why would you waste points on a sword of all things?¡± ¡°Because it''s like a knife but bigger,¡± Blake replied matter of fact. ¡°Also, I''m trained to use it whereas I''ve never fired a gun in my life. When I looked into ranged weapons, the fucking System offered me a bow. A Bow.¡± He hissed out that last part and Derrick felt his pain. ¡°Were lucky these weird ass aliens don''t have real weapons either. ¡°They will,¡± said Derrick with rock hard certainty. ¡°We have seen the barest fraction of what the Grey legion is capable of. If any of the Scourges get a real foothold on this planet they will crush us. That Vanguard barely qualified as a fighter to them, just the best they can make in a few hours and access to a human body and a washroom.¡± ¡°Since when are you an expert,¡± asked Kate. ¡°Just reading between the lines of what the System told me,¡± he answered. ¡°I''ve killed three different types now and gotten the database entries and a title; counter-agent.¡± ¡°So, what do we do?¡± asked Jenny intensely. Wait, what was going on. Were they looking to him for advice... leadership? He found that very off putting. Pre-nap, Blake had been the leader and Jenny had the most actual qualifications for the role. ¡°The System is handling strategy better than any human could I think,¡± and was amused as the others nodded along with this obvious fact. Apparently, their dramatic air rescue had bought the System some respect. Too bad he''d missed it. ¡°If we want to make a difference and survive doing it, we need to train and share info. For example, there''s a title that unlocks a trait. You get it for killing an ''advanced'' enemy like a vanguard with just a melee weapon before level 2.0. Also, a title for killing a drone, or any ''Injection source''. Anyone got any useful facts of their own?¡± Blake looked bitter at having thrown away his chance at getting those titles. Too bad for him. ¡°Multi Killer I,¡± he said. ¡°Fifty points for killing three enemies in under twelve seconds. It probably scales like that,¡± he offered. ¡°Markswomen I,¡± Kate added laconically. ¡°Hit three different enemies in a row without missing once in under nine seconds. Just plus fifty points.¡± ¡°I have nothing,¡± said Jenny bitterly. Still worried about her, Derrick watched out of the corner of his eye as the dark-skinned woman frowned intensely. He didn''t try to reassure her, the last people he''d tried that with had immediately threatened him, and then been hunted down and murdered one by one. She''d no doubt be fine. Really, as a cop, she should be reassuring him. No doubt like the rest of them, she was wondering how feasible it was to unlock these titles in combat. Almost got a Multikill, would be a terrible epitaph. They compared proficiencies next, but other than Jenny having a First Aid proficiency, there were no surprises and they agreed to pair up and train their proficiencies. They wandered away from the medical facility for their training. Jenny led them to an underpass where they had some privacy and a solid wall to practice firing against. It took Derrick just twenty minutes to unlock basic proficiency with handguns. Instructions from a trained shooter like Jenny really helped. Turns out guns were not that hard to use. Another twenty minutes of target shooting failed to unlock advanced handguns, Derrick guessed that only basic proficiencies could be unlocked out of combat. That was just a theory though. Next came melee training. Blake, armed with his sword, was way out ofDerrick''s league, so with training mode initiated, he and Kate squared off while Blake taught Jenny how to knife fight. Her police training actually hurt her when it came to melees, as she was trained to focus on disabling rather than killing. Carefully watching Kate, he took a solid but light stance and raised his axe to a defensive position. Kate casually walked towards him, dodged his feint and stabbed him in the shoulder. It was the first time he was on the losing side of a training fight and he didn''t love it. Blunted through the blades were, they still hurt and Kate was not shy about hitting hard enough that she drew blood or left bruises. Why couldn''t he hit her? On an intellectual level he knew that there was no reason he should get angry over getting stabbed repetitively by Kate. He was a complete amateur at this, having never hit another person in anger his whole life. No matter what he did though, she weaved between his strikes, mocking him with how easy she seemed to find it. As he became angrier he felt the pain from his wounds fading and he pushed forward. His axe strikes grew more and more wild. Eventually, if only because he had greater stamina and reach, he began to press her back. She was slowing and eventually she tried to block instead of dodge, dropping her centre of gravity and widening her stance. Through half forgotten instinct, Derrick stepped right through her and swept her foot. The foot sweep itself was a thing of beauty, as was the look on her face as she fell. Less great was how she stabbed him in the foot right before she hit the ground. He jumped back, wincing and swearing. That one had hurt the worst yet. She paid for it, she was too busy stabbing him to break her fall and hit the concrete ground hard and awkwardly. She lay there on her back, not moving and eyes closed. Her head didn''t hit, so at worst she gained some scrapes and had the air driven out of her lungs. After a second of stillness she opened her eyes and spoke. ¡°That was decent,¡± she said with a pained smile. ¡°You hold back too much, play it too safe. You need to take some risks, be less predictable. ¡± He cocked an eyebrow on his pained face. ¡°I lack Fighting Spirit?¡± She smiled, and her hand shot up into the air. Derrick eyed it warily for a moment before grabbing it and pulling her to her feet. She didn''t stop once she was standing, she stepped into his guard and Derrick flinched as she grabbed him by the collar and... kissed him? He was too surprised to resist and after a second realized he didn''t want too. ¡°Your back too being cute again,¡± she sad as she pulled away. Derick ran a hand over his face, feeling the new wrinkles and bumps on his skin. ¡°I think that''s the head blow talking,¡± he replied frankly. He definitely respected Kate, but wasn''t sure exactly what his feelings for her were otherwise. Her skinny frame was far from conventionally attractive but she had a certain wicked charm to her. A cold part of him knew he should encourage her out of self preservation, to cement her as an ally. He stamped the life out of that thought. Insofar as he had a style, playing with people''s hearts was not a part of it. Besides, he had no illusions that he was charming enough to fake interest and the most likely outcome of that was being stabbed for real. So... was he interested? Kate rolled her eyes at his silent introspection. ¡°Your really not a people person are you,¡± she answered mockingly and turned away. Their little scuffle had taken them away from Blake and Jenny. So, Kate walked to rejoin them. There was really nothing for him to do but follow. More worried now than when he''d found out the world was ending.
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Scrappy Role: Fighter Level: 1.3
Titles: Ambitious, Emergency Activation, Scrappy, Counteragent
Traits: Curative Blood (E) (Upgrading) (Defensive)
Successful USS combat missions: 2
USS Points: 692
Traits
Curative Blood (E) (Upgrading) Defensive Trait. Modified blood cells and plasma give increased resistance and healing speed.
Proficiencies
Advanced Melee Has Advanced skills with melee weapons. Capable of holding his own against multiple human level opponents.
Basic Scouting Has Basic skills in battlefield awareness and scouting. Won''t need to stop and ask for directions.
Basic Handguns Has basic skills with handguns. Probably not going to shoot himself or his allies.
Items
Small Ethisium Axe x2 A hand weapon made out of the smart material Esthisium. It has safety, anti theft and self repair features.
Light Protective Undershirt An undershirt made of thin scales of Admantium coated Esthisium. It hardens on impact and has limited self repair.
2.2 A New Battlefield Westhills felt different today. The usually busy street were deserted. He saw a lot of windows boarded up as he walked down the street, which confused him. He was doubtful that anything but a military bunker would slow down any Scourge that noticed you. It seemed like most people disagreed, duck tape and plywood obviously reassured most people in the face of cosmic horror. The safest plan, in his humble opinion, was to make sure that you stamped out the Scourges before they could grow. Yet a lot of people thought the best plan was cowering in isolation, as afraid of Users and each other as they were of the Scourges. Being around Users and informed of the danger would no doubt be safer than cowering somewhere wearing a dust mask from Home Hardware. Instead, like Jenny had originally been, many people seemed to blame the Users for the Scourges and avoided them due to hate or fear. It was pure selfish idiocy and likely to kill them. Or maybe they just refused to believe what they were told was going on. Well whatever, he didn''t particularly care. He felt a small spark of empathy but found no easy outlet for it. It was a shame that so many children would suffer due to their parents idiocy and fear. That was par for the course though. After a somewhat surreal meal at a Chinese restaurant that was still running, their little group of four returned to the United Support Station hub by the medical tents. Where they''d gotten medical help and Jenny''s partner was still being patched up. The place was packed with Users of all ages, sexes and races. All of them standing in line like it was Christmas shopping season. Waiting for his turn at one of the four machines, Derrick couldn''t see any obvious pattern to who became a User. The only rule seemed to be anarchy. Some were more interesting than others though. He watched with interest as a skinny young man wearing jeans and t-shirt pulled a strange device out of the Support Station with a wild look in his eyes. The size of a cooler, it was clearly not a weapon, it was a cube made of folded metal rods. A portable shelter or some kind of large tool? Before he could get a better look at it, the excited User ran off. Huh, that guy hadn''t looked like a fighter. Maybe some kind of support? It made sense to Derrick that the Support Station''s weren''t just making humanity into better fighters. If they were going to match the invaders, they needed to upgrade everything from manufacturing to agriculture. Every facet of human civilization was simply inadequate in the face of what they now fought against. Maybe he was just overthinking this. It could have been some kind of portable murder cage All in all, it took him fifteen minutes before he got to a Support Station and explored his new options. He tried weapons first. The biggest problem he had was how hard it was to hurt some enemies and he was curious what basic handguns and advanced melee weapons unlocked.
Weapons and Weapon Upgrades Available
Scavengers Sidearm (220 USSP) A cheap but dependable firearm of mild power that is accurate up to 1000 meters in the hands of a skilled shooter. It''s most sophisticated system is its Forge Magazine; a device that can process metals and turn them into 11mm ammunition in seconds, ensuring it''s owner never runs out of ammo. More advanced metals such as Esthisium can be processed to create bullets with higher penetrating power that can be used on advanced threats at short ranges.
Small Esthisium Weapon (190-290 USSP) A hand weapon made out of the smart material Esthisium. It has safety, anti theft and self repair features.
Esthisium Barbs Upgrade (125 USSP) Adds a reserve of weaponized Esthisium to a weapon. When an enemy is cut, Esthisium enters the wound and tears nearby flesh apart from the inside, preventing healing. Can be applied to ammo cartridges and melee weapons.
Pseudo Momentum Battery (235 USSP) A single charge battery that empowers a strike with Pseudo Momentum. Increasing the penetrating power and damage done on hit. Charged at Support Stations or with Manna Core. Can be applied to ammo cartridges and melee weapons.
Minor Auril Stun Battery (160 USSP) Adds a Auril battery that stores and converts Users Auril energy into a single charge stun attack. Requires physical contact. Effects vary. May be resisted by Auril using enemies. Requires Auril Heart Can be applied to melee weapons.
Basic Handguns seemed to just unlock the scavengers sidearm. He''d expected that. The System seemed determined to keep any actual sci-fi weapons out of his hands. Was that because of his Role or poor proficiencies? Maybe some other hidden prerequisite. More interestingly, Advanced Melee weapons unlocked the ability to buy weapon upgrades. Would more options unlock with Advanced Handguns, or was this all of them at the advanced level? Those upgrades were very interesting and possibly very useful. They all seemed to have drawbacks though. Like having a single charge or needing a trait. No point in thinking about it too hard before checking out what else was available. ¡°Lets see some traits,¡± Derrick said aloud.
Traits Available
Basic Combat Drug Package (F) (Offensive) 200 USSP A gland in the spinal column that allows controlled release of powerful drugs. Drugs available: Spur: Grants near limitless endurance for a 1.1 hours. User will crash after drug loses effectiveness. Lash: Grants 4.7 seconds of increased mental and muscle speed.
Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) 300 USSP An organ that greatly increases the amount of Auril energy in the Users body and allows limited control over it. Unfocused Auril energy increases vitality in Users and allows the use of Auril Battery devices. Requires Lv 2.0
Curative Blood ? (Defensive) 917 USSP Defensive Trait. Modified blood cells and plasma give increased resistance and healing speed.
Derrick winced when he read the price to upgrade Curative Blood again. Oh well, it wasn''t what he wanted anyway. It was his ability to deal damage he needed to upgrade, not his ability to take it. He was pretty sure no matter how much he buffed Curative Blood, he would lose a slugging match with a Grey Legion Vanguard. Only the Lash drug seemed to help with dealing damage directly. Even a tiny boost to speed and perception could make the difference between life and death. Auril Heart was even more tempting however. It was far more mysterious and Auril Energy seemed very important and elite. Value comes from rarity and he doubted many Users had earned the Scrappy title. Even he had gotten it though pure luck, fighting against an opponent as strong as a Vanguard with just a melee weapon was pretty much suicide.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. What Auril Devices were available though?
Auril Devices (All items require a Auril Heart to use)
Minor Auril Pulse Battery (70 USSP) A small device that stores and converts Users Auril energy into a detection wave capable of revealing the location of nearby living things and Auril devices. Will reveal your position to Auril users.
Minor Auril Stun Battery Upgrade (160 USSP) Adds an Auril battery that stores and converts Users Auril energy into a single charge stun attack. Requires physical contact. Effects vary. May be resisted by advanced enemies. Can be applied to melee weapons.
Minor Auril Shield (210 USSP) A small wrist accessory that stores a charge of Auril energy. It activates automatically when the User comes under attack from malignant Auril Energy, providing limited protection for a few seconds.
Versatile. And this was no doubt just the tip of the iceberg. Auril energy, whatever it really was, seemed to interact mostly with living things. Increasing the amount of it in your body made you healthy but at the same time you could use it to damage and stun other living things. It was the Pulse ability that really called to him though. His expression grew dark as he remembered being hunted through the apartment building by the Vanguard. Avoiding something like that happening again was top priority. He was far from the best fighter in his little group anyway. Branching off to scouting made sense. It would be great if he could unlock a Role that wasn''t frontline fodder and scouting seemed like the only option at this point. ¡°Scouting related stuff,¡± he commanded.
Scouting ¡°Stuff¡±
Sensor Web Hub (35 USSP) Four small passive sensors and a signal hub. Capable of identifying Scourge units and Natives and reporting location through mental beacon.
Buddy Bracelet (40 USSP) When activated, reveals location to allies through mental beacon. Allows vocal communication. Three mile range.
Minor Auril Pulse Battery (70 USSP) A small device that stores and converts Users Auril energy into a detection wave capable of revealing the location of nearby living things and Auril devices. Will reveal your position to Auril users.
Mental beacon eh? That was that weird feeling he''d gotten during the training mission. While really offputting, it would be useful to be able to ''feel'' the locations of his allies. He already had a phone for that though. A smart phone had pretty similiar features. Auril Heart and Drug Package were essentials. Traits were important and took time to kick in, better to get them first. Followed by the Auril Pulse Battery so he could get some training in with it. Hewould outfit himself more later depending on what his next mission mission was like. ¡°Ill take Auril heart, the drug package and an Auril Pulse Battery.¡± The Support Station immediately began to hum and a dozen seconds later, two small objects fell into its dispenser. The first was a wristwatch shaped device that was no doubt the pulser. The second was a clear bottle of liquid with dozens of tiny balls floating in it. What happened to his powerup soda? He likedthe System soda. Oh well. He downed it and shuddered. It was like drinking syrup with grains of rice in it. He finished it and took stock of himself. Meh. He felt the same. Weird that he was probably growing a couple new organs. Best not to think about it. Who kept track of their organs anyway? ¡°Are you done?¡± An irritated voice from behind him asked. ¡°Thereis a line you know.¡± Derrick turned to see a middle aged biker chick behind him with a shotgun strapped to her back. ¡°No,¡± he said nonchalantly and strapped the wrist device on. It seemed to be made of Esthisium because it moulded itself to his wrist in seconds. He heard the sound of teeth grinding but ignored it. A blue screen popped up.
Universal Support System
New Mission (1) Prepare to exterminate Spore Tyrant Infection (Sterilization Grenades, Full Breather Mask.) (2) Travel to Western Westhills (3) Destroy three Spore Tyrant Nodes Item Granted: Tyrant Spore Antidote Injector
He could scrounge up the mask, there were piles of them around, taken from the bodies of dead Users. What is a Tyrant Spore Antidote Injector though?
Universal Support System
Tyrant Spore Antidote Injector Contains two doses of a drug designed to help human Users resist Tyrant Spore infection. Administer immediately after serious exposure or signs of infection. May cause headache, indigestion and rashes.
Good to have if you were fighting killer mushrooms. He bought two sterilization grenades and a breacher, leaving him with just 174 points. He almost bought two breachers, just to avoid having to break down any more doors. He decided against it in the end. It seemed like things would quickly start getting expensive. Best to save up points for now. Once he''d finished attaching his new acquisitions to himself, he stepped away from the Pandora Machine and looked around. Seeing that Blake was the only other member of their group done, he walked over to him. ¡°You got the go west and kill fungus mission?¡± the other User asked. ¡°Ya,¡± replied Derrick. ¡°Seems like were an official team.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Blake said. ¡°I''d hate to have to train replacements.¡± ¡°Something tells me this is going to be very different from the Grey Legion,¡± Derrick answered. ¡°I don''t think you''re qualified to train anyone to fight fungus.¡± Blake tapped his sword''s grip, shrugged and grinned. ¡°Nothing likes getting stabbed,¡± he replied cockily. ¡°Enough about your sex life,¡± Kate interrupted casually as she and Jenny joined them. ¡°Can we at least try to act professional?¡± asked Jenny without much hope. ¡°No¡± said Blake immediately. ¡°Are we professionals and what type?¡± mused Derrick. ¡°We are getting paid in alien currency to complete missions. Doesn''t that make us interstellar bounty hunters? ¡± ¡°More like mercenaries you nerd,¡± said Blake. ¡°Try amateur exterminators you nerds,¡± replied Kate with a role of her eyes. ¡°I''d be careful about calling people nerds Blake, I remember what got you so into sword fighting.¡± ¡°Speaking of extermination,¡± Blake quickly changing the subject. ¡°What do we know about Tyrant Spores?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± said Jenny. ¡°I''ve tried asking the System but for something supposedly trying to help us, it''s awfully unhelpful.¡± ¡°We know not to breathe in spores,¡± said Kate. ¡°Or to let them grow in your eyes.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Blake and tapped his sword against his leg. ¡°I''d like to know a little more than that.¡± He was quiet for a second before turning to the Users waiting in line to use the Support Stations. ¡°What do you guys know about Tyrant Spores?¡± He shouted to the crowd. That was an obvious strategy that for some reason hadn''t occurred to Derrick. It took only a moment before someone answered. ¡°Don''t breathe in the Spores,¡± a helpful person shouted back. ¡°Anything else?¡± continued Blake. ¡°Don''t eat them,¡± another good samaritan answered. They waited to see if anyone else would add to this sage advice. No one did. Ya, this sort of thing was exactly why he didn''t ask. ¡°Knowledge is power,¡± said Kate drily, filling the silence. ¡°We should head out,¡± Jenny offered. ¡°We''ve all stocked up and these things only get worse as time goes by.¡± This was true, but Derrick detected a grim eagerness to her. He guessed she was trying to prove something. Still, it was the best plan so he agreed and the group headed out. Jenny joining their team came with unexpected perks, she was the only one of them who drove herself here. She offered them a ride in her police cruiser and the group agreed unanimously. Someone had broken one of the windows but other than that, it was a safer ride than most people had. Sadly, Blake immediately called shotgun, so he and Kate had to ride in the back. That didn''t really bother Derrick though. The roads were almost empty, and he spent the short ride chatting with Kate and even got her to smile in a non threatening way before they reached their destination. West West Hills. At first, it seemed almost normal, commercial buildings and big box stores with empty parking lots and dark windows. The firstoddity he saw was silver obelisks stretching above the rooftops ahead of them. No doubt System tools of some kind, sensors or air purifiers? Then they turned a corner and found a group blocking the street with a barricade of cars and cement roadblocks. Users were doing sewer maintenance with flamethrowers while wearing hazmat suits. Derrick did not like where this was going. A nearby Support Station had thick cables running from it to the group, a few more generic Users could be seen warily resting and chatting nearby. As they pulled over and approached the hazmat wearign Users, one separated from the others to meet them while the others filled the sewer accesses with green flame. ¡°Mission to kill Nodes?¡± he asked, his voice slightly muffled by his bulky suit. ¡°Yes,¡± said Jenny. The group had decided to use her as their spokesperson. She had an aura of authority the rest of them lacked. ¡°Are you doing it as well?¡± ¡°No,¡± the User replied. ¡°That sort of thing is for fighters, were support. We''re just stopping the Tyrant Spores from spreading through the sewers. It''s your job to take out the Nodes.¡± ¡°Are the Nodes down in the sewers?¡± Jenny asked with unconcealed horror. Even Kate was giving the flaming sewer entrance a skeptical look. The User gave a little chuckle at their plight. ¡°No idea. This isn''t New York though,¡± he replied. ¡°Other than a few drainage tunnels, West Hills doesn''t have a sewer system you could travel through, even if it wasn''t currently full of murderous mold.¡± Even through his hazmat suit, Derrick could feelthis User''s'' smug superiority over their lack of sewer system knowledge. ¡°No, you need to find areas where the stuff has found food and spread to the surface. Every surface outbreak will eventually grow a ''Node'' to defend itself. Destroying it won''t kill the stuff but without a Node, it''s just dumb mold and we can burn it out without having to worry about defences. ¡°Defences?¡± asked Kate. ¡°How does Mold defend itself?¡± ¡°Never seen it myself,¡± the man replied. ¡°But I''ve heard all kinds of crazy things from you ambitious folks that have come through here. Spikes from the walls, giant spiders, land mines and one guy ran out of here screaming that his team just evaporated for no reason.¡± Lovely. Sewers, spikes, spiders and sudden sublimation. He missed the Grey legion already. He saw Jenny gazing down down the street with quiet intensity. ¡°Any civilian survivors?¡± she asked. ¡°Probably not,¡± the man answered solemnly. ¡°Damned stuff spread through the sewers like fire and through non-Users just a little slower than that. Unless they locked themselves in an airtight space, they''re compost by now. We haven''t pulled anyone out this way for six hours and those poor bastards probably didn''t survive long.¡± ¡°Well, good luck.¡± the man said and turned to rejoin his own group. ¡°You''re going to need it where you''re going. You dumb bastards.¡± Derrick watched the man walk away and found he couldn''t argue. He just sighed and prepared for the worst. 2.3 Cakewalk Having no obvious target, they decided to drive into the western part of the city and do reconnaissance. Westhills was not some small town that could be crossed on foot. It wasn''t long before they found something that led them to abandon that plan and their vehicle. In the middle of the street, a car was being held a foot above the road. Their littleof Users exited their car and stood, wearing their masks and taking in the sight. A blue car had been pierced from below by pale yellow roots as thick as his arms. Pierced was maybe the wrong word. It looked like they had grown right through the car, lifting it up in the air and burst the car as they grew two stories in height. The tops were rounded and covered in white wavy hairlike tentacles; hence their masks. Derrick repressed a shudder. It seemed it had happened so fast that at least one person had been unable to escape. From a shattered window a moldy arm was still dangling. Another corpse lay below the car, strewn across chunks of torn up asphalt. It was so eaten by black mold that they couldn''t tell what sex it had been or how long ago it had happened. ¡°Poor bastards were close to safety too,¡± said Blake with rare empathy. Derrick easily followed his reasoning. It seemed like the car''s passengers had been trying to escape the Spore Tyrant zone. Probably hadn''t even been Users, just people running from the monsters. ¡°Well, this looks like ''defences'' at work to me,¡± said Kate as she scanned the surroundings. ¡°Which means there is probably a Node around here somewhere. How do we find it?¡± ¡°Food,¡± said Jenny intensely. ¡°What is around here for them to eat?¡± Derrick gave the surroundings a once over. Having been in the city for only a few months, he''d never been to this area and had no idea what monstrous space mold might find tasty. Anything organic presumably. Car dealership? No. Furniture warehouse? No. Wait, furniture was made of wood and wood was organic. Just maybe... ¡°We all agree it''s in the cake factory right?¡± Blake said, interrupting his thoughts. Derrick discreetly turned around to join the others in looking at the bakery and packaging plant. The huge industrial building was two stories tall and had a parking lot for hundreds of cars. A giant pink cupcake logo was painted on the side. From here, thousands of cakes had been produced a day, packaged and shipped across the continent. It looked almost normal, if abandoned. The subtle clue being the pale tendrils growing out of its windows, clinging to the side of the building like leafless ivy. ¡°Of course ,¡± he replied as the others nodded. ¡°Just wait a second, I want to try something.¡± Derrick pointed his hand towards the factory and gave the device on his wrist a mental command. Hopefully his new scouting tool would let him avoid any landmines or other traps this time. The System had said it was useful for finding living things and he imagined everything the Spore Tyrants made qualified as living. Auril Pulse! Nothing was happening. He tried again but still nothing happened. He gave his arm a little wave. He frowned, what was that feeling? Hollowness? Was it trying to tell him that the battery was still empty? ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Jenny asked. Derrick sighed and dropped his arm. He''d been hoping to prove his competence and instead he just looked like an idiot. Fucking figures. ¡°I bought a scouting tool and a trait to use it,¡± he replied and held up his wrist so that the others could see the device strapped there. ¡°Apparently, the trait hasn''t kicked in yet so it doesn''t work.¡± Derrick saw Kate eyeing the entangled car warily. No doubt imagining how fun having one of those try to grow through you would be. ¡°How long until it starts working do you think?¡± she asked. ¡°No idea,¡± he admitted and shook his wrist. ¡°Could be hours. Even then, I''m not sure how useful it will be. The System is kinda vague about how this stuff works.¡± The first thing the System gave Uses should be a fucking manual, not sharp objects. ¡°We should kill that,¡± Blake said, interrupting his thoughts while pointing his sword at the stalks impaling the vehicle they had just passed. ¡°Why,¡± asked Jenny incredulously. ¡°Because it''s alive.¡± the blonde sword wielding User replied with narrowed eyes. ¡°That means it''s doing something. Something we should stop it from doing.¡± ¡°Leave it alone,¡± said Kate with a roll of her eyes. ¡°You''ll get plenty of chances to use your sword later. We should at least try to spot this Node before attacking things, be subtle.¡± Derrick felt his eyebrow raise. They were walking towards an alien infected factory in broad daylight without cover, did this really qualify as subtle? The only less subtle plan he could think of would be to drive their car right through the front door and run screaming through the factory. ¡°So we''ve all been sprayed by acid before,¡± Derrick said as he considered the path to the factory. He resisted the urge to take off his mask and scratch at the melted skin on his face. ¡°Let''s try to avoid that this time and walk cautiously and lightly. Who knows what sets those stalks off.¡± Without wasting any more time, the group moved through the parking lot. They''d agreed a direct line across the asphalt parking lot was probably safer than going the long way around across the lawn. Derrick took the lead with Blake right behind him, followed by Jenny with Kate at the rear. There were suspicious cracked mounds all through the parking lot and Derrick was careful to keep at leasttwenty feet away from them. That caused them to walk a winding path but they safely made it through the parking lot without awakening whatever horrors slumbered below. The problem came when they came to the front door. It was tiny, but he saw a bump in the paved sidewalk that led into the factories front doors. He scanned the manicured lawn to both sides of their route and saw nothing out of place. He stepped off the path and tried to bypass the bump. As soon as he stepped off he heard a odd snapping sound and panicking tried to identify it. The grass he''d stepped on looked fine but was very dead, the sound had been the dry grass falling apart under his feet. That wasn''t a good sign. Immediately two things happened at once, a trio of pale yellow spikes exploded out of the ground towards him and Blake''s sword arced down to cut them in half. Derrick leaped backwards as the ends of the spikes fell to the ground. The bottom''s of the spikes didn''t stop just because the top were cut off. They warped and swelled, spiralling out towards the group. Slower than before but still faster than a human could hope to avoid, Derrick threw an axe at the base, trimming two of them at ground level before they could reach anyone. With three swings of his sword Blake cut the last apart in mid air. ¡°Enhanced reflexes, bitches.¡± said Blake with a smile as the stalks'' stumps failed to regrow. ¡°Congrats, you''re a super human weed whacker,¡± said Kate. ¡°Thanks,¡± said Derrick to other male User and then pulled his axe out the ground. He was a little jealous of Blake''s reflex trait. Hopefully Auril Heart turned out to be useful in a fight. The group watched the building for signs of alarm but everything was silent and still. ¡°Is this a trap?¡± asked Kate a she peered into the unlit building. ¡°How smart is this fungus supposed to be?¡± Derrick could only shrug. None of them had any idea. One one side, it was capable of FTL travel. On the other, it was a fungus. It didn''t appear to be very smart so far. With the way clear, they pushed open the glass doors and entered an empty but normal looking reception. Just a receptionist''s desk, a waiting area and two steel doors. Bright pink cake logos covered every surface of the infested building.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Jenny moved ahead of Derrick and peered through one of the small windows built into the door. ¡°This one leads upstairs. Probably to more offices,¡± she said. ¡°We should clear those first and get a good look at the factory floor from above. No one had a better plan, so with Blake now leading the way, they climbed the stairs. In seconds Blake was halfway up and all of them but Kate were on the stairs at the same time. It was then that tentacles erupted from beneath both ends of the stairs. Sickly yellow spikes bursting from the seams in the stairs faster than anyone but Blake could hope to react. Derrick couldn''t see what was happening behind him but he heard a scream at the exact same moment he felt something drive itself up into his thigh. The force of it would have knocked him down the stairs if it hadn''t also impaled him. He let out a gasp and and a second later a sword cut him free. Eyes bugging out of his head, he pried his fingers into the spike by the cut end and ripped it out. A blur of limbs and tentacles let him know that Blake at least was mobile and fighting back, so he turned around and stumbled down the stairs. He fell, but strategically, grabbing onto tentacles as he tumbled. His axe cut into a stalk that had grown up the wall and was threatening to entangle Jenny. Seconds later he dragged another down the stairs with him as he fell past her. Blake should be able to do a better job of cleanup, he just wanted to get out of the way and attract as much attention as possible. At the bottom he saw Kate pinned to a wall by her shoulder, her blood dripping down a giant pink cake logo. Taking in the scene he felt his stomach drop. She seemed stunned as she held the offending tentacle in what he hoped wasn''t a literal death grip. He felt a very complicated mix of feelings as he swung his axe into the base of the stairs where the tentacles had burst from and ran past without slowing. Having those stalks inside of you had to be a bad in so many ways. He needed to get them out as fast as possible. Arriving in front of her. Dropping is axe, he stopped his mad tumble by kicking the concrete wall and grabbed the offending stalk with both hands. In a bit of adrenaline fuelled heroics, he kicked out against the wall and tore Kate free, the act causing him to fall backwards on his ass with the tentacle in his hands. He panicked for a second as he threw the freed tentacle away from his face and down the hall. Tyrant Stalk destroyed, unlocking database entry. After that he was spent and sat dazed on the floor. All his actions had happened in a blur of instinct and he just sat there, breathing heavily. He may of hit his head at some point, he couldn''t remember. The somewhat stunned User noticed Kate find her balance and jab a small device into her skin. She offered him his hand and his addled brain almost tried to kiss her as she raised him to his feet with her good hand. That would have been mortifying. Also, it would have complicated things he''d rather remained simple. Survival was all he really wanted to focus on. ¡°Use your antidote injector,¡± Kate commanded him with concern, an emotion he was pretty sure she''d never shown before. That reminded him that he had also been stabbed. He should do something about that. He shuddered as he imagined black mold eating him from the inside, like the corpses they had passed in the street. He grabbed the injector from where it was stuck to his shirt and as soon as it touched skin, he felt a prick and sudden pressure. ¡°Are we winning?¡± Derrick asked seriously. ¡°Never change you sweet sweet idiot,¡± Blake replied from behind him. ¡°Me and Jenny avoided unwanted penetration. So I guess the question is how are you two? ¡± ¡°I don''t think I can use a rifle accurately,¡± Kate replied with a wince. ¡°I should be able to keep going though. Let''s get a good look at this place and decide what to do from there.¡± Derrick took a deep breathe before answering, waiting for the stars to leave. ¡°I''m good,¡± he said as he stood without issue. ¡°Just a bit dazed.¡± The spike had been thin when it pierced his thigh and he''d torn it out before a full second could pass. He hoped Curative Blood would keep him going. He already felt his head clearing, which he was going to take for a good sign and not shock setting in. ¡°Onward then,¡± replied Blake and led the way back up the stairs, trampling leaking tentacles as he went. At the top of the stairs was a empty hallway with doors leading into completely average offices. Through small windows they saw desks still covered with knickknacks and a wide variety of ergonomic office chairs. They moved past them down the hall, until they found themselves on a landing that oversaw the factory floor. They moved onto the metal platform and took in the sights. Only small windows illuminated the factory floor, so shadows covered most of it. A maze of industrial equipment stretched out before them, silent and dark. One had to look closely to see the tendrils of the Spore Tyrant that infested this place. They ran across all the surfaces and out a few windows, coming from a central point, a giant pillar of fleshy fungus that rose in the centre of the factory from ceiling to floor. It seemed to have grown from a collection of large steel vats used to make delicious treats before the Scourges arrived. For seemingly having been made from sugar and flour, the thirty foot tall and six foot thick spire of pale flesh was very solid and intimidating. Idly, Derrick wondered when the next time he would taste cake would be in the post Scourge world. ¡°Let''s not fight that... thing,¡± Jenny offered. Privately, Derrick agreed. Who knew what it was capable of? ¡°How many Sterilization Grenades do we have?¡± Was what he said despite his reservations. No doubt the slight bulge in the middle of the pillar was ''the node'' they were after and he doubted bullets would do much of anything to somethign that big. ¡°Hit and run?¡± asked Blake. ¡°Hit and run,¡± replied Derrick with complete certainty. Too bad the windows were broken. The building should contain the gas anyway he guessed, it wasn''t windy and the windows were tiny. It turned out they had eight sterilization grenades between them, including his two. It would have to do. They didn''t want to risk separating, so they decided to just throw them all off the landing. The factory area was about three hundred feet across. By throwing all eight grenades at the middle of the room, they should be able to drown the building in sterilization gas and kill the node. Without its brain pillar, the Spore Tyrant infection should be pretty easy to escape from. Theoretically. Both Jenny and Blake insisted that they had amazing throwing arms, so while Kate and him watched, theysent sterilization grenades arching across the factory floor. All four of them watched as a white mist spread across the ground below them. ¡°That was easy enough,¡± said Jenny, sending a spike of primal fear through Derrick. Even Blake flinched at the naked challenge to fate she''d just made. Fate Answered. Amost immediatley, just on the edge of his hearing, he heard a scuttling sound. He focused in that direction and he saw the shadows stir, moving until they broke apartinto dozens of small creatures that ran up the machinery and began to make their way towards them while avoiding the pooling gas. ¡°That''s our cue,¡± said Kate and she moved back into the offices and away from the leaping things. They were like asymmetrical spiders the size of soccer balls. Just bumpy spheres with a half dozen tentacles that flung them forward awkwardly but with surprising speed and enthusiasm. Just as Derrick was turning to retreat, he heard something fall from the ceiling above them. A glance over his shoulder showed three of the creepy things had fallen onto the platform from above. His monkey instincts had failed him, why had no one looked up? One hit the ground and bounced right at him, only to meet the bottom of his foot. Another, he whacked out of the air with a well placed axe strike. Instead of flying away though, the one he kicked stuck to him. Embarrassingly, he panicked and flailed around in circles until Blake sliced the thing in half. Unluckily that didn''t make the rest of it let go. It stopped moving but didn''t fall off, leaving large clumps of squishy flesh stuck to him as he tried to run away. As the others ran ahead, he smeared the thing against the ground until his foot was clean enough that he could catch up with the others. Tyrant Sporeling destroyed, unlocking database. He was frankly surprised it didn''t explode or something. Perhaps Blake had killed it too soon or it wasn''t fully grown. When Derrick made it through the doorway and back into the office, he slammed the door shut and immediately heard soft thumps from the other side. He spun in place when he heard shattering glass. It wasn''t something coming in though it was Jenny throwing a office chair out the window and leaping after it. A good call, the reception below them would be flooded with those things any second now. They were only on the second floor, they should be able to make the jump down without injury. Especially since a tree was just outside the window. The only person he was worried about was Kate because of her wounded shoulder. She leaped from the window without hesitation and hit the ground running. Apparently he was worried about nothing. The last of their group in the office, he jump down as well. Maybe it was because of being a User, but he found the landing easy. Looking up, he saw Blake retracing their path through the parking lot, while from the broken windows of the cake factory, dozens of writhing and bouncing creatures scarpered towards them. Some quick estimations told him that the writhing things were only slightly faster than them. They tended to move in bursts, throwing themselves forward and then taking a second to position their wriggling tentacles for another burst. ¡°Fuck,¡± screamed Blake as he missteped and had to trim a trio of tentacles that broke out of the ground. That was bad but Blake quickly cut them down and led the way again. They were still clearly going to make it. Two snapping sounds announced the explosive growth of two more Tyrant Stalks. Not in front of them, but far behind. Normally that would be much better but they had been set off by the sporeling creatures that were chasing them and instead of impaling them, they launched the little fuckers at their fleeing group. Two chains of them arced through the sky, letting go of each other at the top of the arch and falling around their group like rain. Jenny managed to snipe three out of the air with her pistol, knocking them away at least but the rest landed and bounced towards them. Spiky pale stalks shot up from the ground to block their way as the sporelings bounced around. This had gotten very bad, very fast. The way was blocked and easily thirty of the sporeling were coming at them. Who knew what else as well. What could he do? Lash! Thought Derrick and was surprised when it worked. The drug kicked in immediately and everything slowed down. It wasn''t a huge effect but it did help. He pivoted and hacked, his axe lashing out three times with enhanced speed and accuracy. A second later he cut growing stalks with the same speed as Blake had been. His little area clear, he began to run, not bothering to avoid the stalk traps but cutting through the closest one. He was gambling that his Lash time wasn''t going to end in the next moment, it was hard to keep time when you were taking a mind altering drug for the first time. He won that gamble though, if only barely. Just as he trimmed the spikes that shot at him, he felt his mind and body fall back into normal speed. Confused by the change he stumbled but didn''t fall. Someone shoved him forward and he ran with it, reaching the street right behind Jenny and dashing to their car. He opened the passenger side door and jumped in the back, letting Kate and Blake in just seconds after him. Doors slammed shut and Jenny gunned it, quickly leaving the cake factory behind. Interlude: Gods and Monsters II USS Authority Record #2 USS: Phase One Secondary Report Completed Sending Data... Data Received Gathering Authorities... Commencing USS Earth Council #2 Gazers Grin (Stillness and Serenity): Such a busy stellar rotation it has been. I am happy to report that Earthling large scale munitions are quickly being spent to great effect against the Scourges. It That Rewards Savagery (At rest with a single eye open): Powerful strikes, unsullied by allied blood. Well done, probability tips in our favour. Merciful Heavens(Frown): Many of the larger Urban areas we have designated as possible Enclaves still suffer Scourge infection. These humans had enough large scale weapons that you should have been able to spend more resources helping me cleanse them. As the bastion of future human civilization, they are top priority. Gazers Grin (Many Eyes Roll): Too risky for too many reasons to count. It is the infections furthest from human civilization that are the most dangerous. It is the rot unwatched that spreads fastest. Also, human weapons of this kind depend upon primitive aiming systems and human oversight. Surgical strikes in population dense areas are difficult to achieve. The enclaves are your obsession, not mine. Hand on the Scales (Pensive and Hunched): I have concerns I wish to speak elders. It That Rewards Savagery (Snort): Do tell. Hand on the Scales (Pensive and Hunched): I have failed in my task. I have tracked and erased Rebel instrument infections in System architecture but failed to ensnare even the shadow of the Hollow Majesties. At least two separate Majesties are operating with impunity on this planet''s System. It That Rewards Savagery/Gazers Grin/Merciful Heavens (Silence) It That Rewards Savagery (Exhales): It is not your arm that is weak young one, but the weapon you wield. Anything that has survived as long as the System has, picks up parasites. The Hollow Ones are a constant annoyance. We will stamp them out when they move to the physical. Merciful Heavens(Frown): They are more than mere annoyance. The damage they do to primitive cultures and psychologies is tragedy as great as death. Never mind the resources they pilfer in their mad greed. Gazers Grin (Casual Scanning): Personal antipathy aside, it seems unlikely that the Hollow Majesties are among the greatest threats to this world. The latest projections of the organic Scourges are... interesting.Almost unprecedented even. The Grey Legion and Red Woods are showing higher than anticipated growth rates. Hand on the Scales (Coiled to Perceive): While the Spore Tyrants are way below projected growth rates. Truly fascinating. Gazers Grin (Bobbing Agreement): Yes, the diverse life and geography of this world has gifted it an innate resistance to Tyrant Spores. If it wasn''t for the biological mono cultures created by human civilization, including themselves, spore growth would be at extreme lows. Still a large threat to all life on this backwater planet of course, but very interesting from a scientific perspective. It That Rewards Savagery (Toothy Grimace): I request you send me new data as you receive it Gazer. I see bleak futures written in your numbers. Gazers Grin (Slow Blink): Oh? I had thought the numbers encouraging myself. A greater than ten percent chance of humanity keeping a quarter of their current population. Less than ten percent chance of total extinction in the next century. It That Rewards Savagery (Matched Blink): Your predictions for the Inoculation are faulty young one. It will spread quick as dawn''s light, destroying all higher forms of life until it can adapt to this worlds atypically complex biosphere. The same factors that slow the Spore Tyrants will turn that tool of cowards into a wave of death that may kill billions. I offer my perspective, forged over eons of service.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Hand on the Scales/Gazers Grin/Merciful Heavens (Silence) Merciful Heavens(Flickering Guilt): According to these revisions... the Inoculation will claim three areas we have worked to make enclaves no matter how we proceed. Possibly as high as ten. How can this be... This will be a major blow to humanity''s preservation. While we can preserve mostnative sapient life from direct threat, those area will require heavy support to sustain life. Hand on the Scales (Intense Focus): I see no errors in this formulae. I deem it to be accurate. Gazers Grin (Slow Blink): Consensus. It That Rewards Savagery (Angry Exhalation): This is why you do not use tools you do not have the capacity to understand. Cowards always sow their own doom. Bloody balance, this will at least slow the Tyrant Spores even further. Gazers Grin (Deep Embarrassment): My calculations were wildly inaccurate... Than you Elder for your wisdom. I will work to refine the numbers and plan accordingly. Hand on the Scales (Nervous Jittering): I have one more issue I wish to resolve elders. This one has never before taken a disciple and wishes input. Gazers Grin (Licks Open Eye): In the chaos, It slipped my mind. You are virgin. You have never had the experience of being a patron. Of reconnecting to the physical through the medium of alien flesh. Merciful Heavens (Frown): Crudity. Becoming a Patron is one of the greatest gifts the System gives. To experience the universe through truly alien perspective brings enlightenment and reminds us of our duty''s true reward. The flourishing of diverse life and culture. Gazers Grin (Pithy): Also is reduces the number of authorities that go insane and suicide. It That Rewards Savagery (Settling into comfort): Simply choose natives that you believe reflect yourself. It is poetry not science, any advice we could give would be biased. Do not overthink it. We have a final piece of business to attend to. We have received multiple requests from Nano Arks to settle on this world. Hand on the Scales (Open Interest): I will withhold my opinion and vote. I have little experience with any System allied races or organizations. I don''t understand why they are so poorly thought of. Merciful Heavens(Haughty): They are chaotic and wasteful. The dregs of the universe. Political refugees, fanatics and profiteers. However good the intentions of some, investment of their resources into the System would do more good. Even accounting for the isolated position of this world, if we had the resources used by local Nano Arks at our disposal before this world announced itself so crudely, our Injection Shield might still be holding. Others are simple parasites, looking to loot and exploit this new battlefront for short term gain. It That Rewards Savagery (At rest with a single eye open): Absolute trust is madness. The system is a weapon and no weapon, no matter how great should be a warrior''s only tool. Besides, they are useful creatures, capable of actions that those more tightly bound by the System cannot take. If properly herded they can be of great value. The Mission has my permission to set up a chapter on this world. Gazers Grin (Squinting Disapproval): The worst sort of fanatics. All pride and violence. Entirely predictable though, so I agree. Let them die fighting the Scourges on this alien world if that''s what they want. Merciful Heavens (Thoughtful): The Velorie Undercast. Gazers Grin (Squinting Disapproval): Political refugees. Escaped genetic servants? What possible good could they achieve against the Scourge? Is this some joke that I don''t understand? Why do they seek to settle on this deathtrap of a world anyway. Merciful Heavens(Defensive): Desperation, their once masters hunt them still. They are gambling that this world will survive and that its remoteness and System Rules will shield them. As for what good they could do? I would not have the only contact the natives of this world have with System races be with martial fanatics. The Velorie Undercast come from an advanced and peaceful System allied society. They will have much to teach the Earthlings. Gazers Grin (Incredulous): Like genetic slavery? Hedonism? I take it you will shelter them in enclaves, using resources that could be spent on natives. This seems more like you want servants yourself. Merciful Heavens(Defensive): I do not need to defend myself to you Gazer. Eldest? It That Rewards Savagery (At rest with a single eye open): Approved. If those are the only recommendations? Gazers Grin (Formal): I see no downside in allowing the Midnight Exchange access. Merciful Heavens (Haughty): In the short term perhaps. Nascent worlds always come off the worse in the long term from their deals. A poor example for such susceptible creatures. Rejected. It That Rewards Savagery (Curling of the lip that reveals venomous fangs): A Scourge infested world is no place for merchants. If they want something from a battlefield, they can bleed for it. Gazers Grin (Bobbing): A mere suggestion. I defer to your wisdom eldest. It That Rewards Savagery (Settling): Any other nominations? Hand on the Scales/Gazers Grin/Merciful Heavens (Silence) It That Rewards Savagery (At rest with a single eye open): Good. All other Nano Arks are denied access to this world or local System resources. Illegal access will result in execution without honour. Council adjourned, there is much work to do. Closing USS Earth Council #2 2.4 Human Nature ¡°Did we at least kill the node?¡± asked Kate in a pained voice as they sped away. ¡°Yes,¡± said Jenny, taking her mask off to allow herself to breath easier. ¡°I got a notification for killing it.¡± ¡°So did I,¡± said Blake with audible glee. He had probably gotten the Counteragent Title. The Support System immediately backed up his words with a series of notifications.
Universal Support System
Mission Update (1) Recuperate until morning. (2) Destroy three Spore Tyrant Nodes (1/3)
Universal Support System Database
Tyrant Stalk (F) A basic defence and method to gather nutrition. Only dangerous if they catch low level Users by surprise. Mature stalks are rarely dangerous but should still be destroyed as they spread infection and can feed the Spore Tyrant network. Advanced Spore Tyrant infections have been known to mutate mature stalks into more dangerous forms.
Tyrant Sporeling (F) Mindless drones created by defence nodes. They grow like fruit and remain immobile till deployed as a defence measure. Once loosed, their lifespan is measured in hours as they quickly burn through their stored energy. They use their strength and stickiness to traverse almost any surface and to rip apart their targets. They infect flesh with their secretions. Blind, they target prey through vibrations and smell. Dangerous only in extreme numbers or as a distraction.
You are now level 1.4! The tenth of a level was nice but he hadn''t unlocked a single title. He should have at least gotten Multi Killer if what Blake said was true about the trait. Sporelings must not count for that title. Well, they had two more goes at it. Maybe next time he''d find something bigger to fight. The sun had just started to set, marking it as around supper time. So, they had the day off? How nice of the System. Things must be going pretty well if it was giving them time off. Honestly he''d expected this to be a last stand scenario, where survivors flee into the wilderness or something. Instead they seemed to be winning. Weird, he tried to picture the future but couldn''t picture anything but parody. Users in suits showing up at work for nine to five Grey Legion fighting. He looked out at the empty streets, how many people were even alive in the city? How was the rest of the world doing? ¡°What to do,¡± mused Derrick. His routine was pretty wrecked, and he didn''t feel like going to a gym after all that fighting. Not with how that had ended the last time. Being crammed in a car with his team, made him realize a shower might be a good start. ¡°This is the wrong color. Back to the hospital for me,¡± sighed Kate, from the seat beside him. He glanced at her, only to quickly look away. She''d taken off her shirt and was inspecting her shoulder. Hoping he wasn''t blushing, he forced himself to look at her calmly. She was still wearing a bra and he could see a dark discoloration around the wound on her bare shoulder.. ¡°Tyrant Spore infection?¡± Jenny asked as she drove. All of them were pushed back into their seats as she immediately sped up without waiting for an answer. They were going way above the speed limit, but what the hell. It wasn''t like they were going to get a ticket. Katetested his calm facade by, still shirtless, looking right at him. Looking for weakness no doubt. He returned her look. ¡°Your turn. Take off your pants,¡± she told him with a small smile. He startled despite himself and let out an amused snort. Couldn''t help it. She was of course wanting to check on his own wound now that they were safe...ish. He did unbuckle his belt and squirmed around in his seat until he was left wearing just boxers and a t-shirt. He''d almost forgotten about the wound on his thigh. It didn''t hurt, but that area was close enough to his junk that he didn''t want to take any chances with freaky space fungus. Thankfully, a quick inspection showed everything to be perfectly normal. Not even any regular infection on the tiny wound. ¡°I''m good,¡± he announced. Thank you, Curative Blood, it may not be as cool as Blake''s trait but if it kept his junk uneaten by alien mold, he wasn''t going to complain. ¡°Meh, average from what I can see,¡± added Kate. He didn''t have a snappy comeback to that, so he ignored her. He gave his thigh a squeeze. It seemed harder than he was used to. Huh. Flexing his thighs showed much more definition than he was used too, and he was no stranger to leg workouts. His new muscles felt different, tougher than what he was used too. It was very strange to feel something so unfamiliar beneath his own skin. Fascinated, he dug his fingers into his new muscles and ran them up his thigh, then stopped suddenly when he realized he wasn''t alone. ¡°Don''t stop on my account,¡± said Kate. ¡°It was just getting interesting.¡± He sat there, frozen like a deer in headlights before he forced himself to relax. He considered the woman who was smirking at him, even while her flesh was being devoured. Was this her way of dealing with fear? She didn''t seem scared but considering the situation, she had to be. He was scared and he was almost posotive he was uninfected. She was brave. That word meant something far different to him now than it had just a few days ago. Here he was, at the end of the world, sitting next to an almost naked woman he respected and who was actually into him. He carefully, kept the indifferent look on his face but felt his hand curling up so hard he probably drew blood. He was a coward. He could find a thousand excuses about the end of the world or his past but they would be, undeniably excuses. Fighting came much easier to him than caring did, he reflected. ¡°Things have been interesting for awhile now,¡± he said with a sincere smile. ¡°Even the apocalypse seems to have its silver linings.¡± ¡°I''m having fun,¡± interjected Blake. ¡°Going to have even more fun tonight. Who wants to come with?¡± ¡°I''ll pass,¡± answered Jenny dryly. ¡°I assumed,¡± said Blake easily. No doubt she would be heading back to the hospital to see her partner again. Or she¡¯d try to help others with her time off. Admirable, but the System was giving him a break and he was going to enjoy it. The problem was he had no idea how. ¡°I have nothing better to do,¡± he replied honestly. ¡°No one is answering my texts since the aliens started invading.¡± He''d sent out a bunch of updates but only Bruce had answered. He''d keep at it though, he liked to think of it as optimism. Not desperation at all. ¡°Excellent,¡± said Blake. ¡°You''ll be my wingman. No party like the end of the world party.¡± That was... probably true. He rocked in his seat as the police car made a hard turn and came to a screeching halt. They had reached a roadblock where hazmat suit wearing Users were stopping Spore Tyrant infection from passing. Two suited Users came up to the car and peered inside. Derrick noticed that they were carrying sidearms. As if the flamethrowers they used on the Tryant Spores weren''t enough of a deterrence. ¡°You''ll need to leave the vehicle here,¡± one of them declared as he took in the various stains and fluids that covered their group. ¡°Full decontamination before you can leave too.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The other support User glanced at Kate. ¡°We can disinfect that wound too,¡± added a muffled female voice. ¡°You''ll be back on your feet after a couple hours of rest.¡± ¡°Mandatory rest.¡± she added, no doubt seeing the look of rebellion in Kate''s eyes. ¡°Do I get the car back?¡± asked Jenny as she stepped out from behind the wheel. The rest of their little team followed her out. ¡°You can pick it up tomorrow if it doesn''t start growing tentacles.¡± the suited man offered. He waved towards a nearby parking lot. ¡°All those cars have keys in the ignition and full tanks. Take whatever you like.¡± Derrick was indifferent, but Blake''s eyes lit up as he took in the dozens of choices. Kate and Jenny were led to a separate tent than him and Blake. It was a yellow square of tough looking canvas about fifteen feet across,large cables ran to it from a new looking shipping container. It seemed like human technology, but he guessed the System must have had them prepared and distributed across the city. No way was West Hills this prepared for a biological disaster. Ducking through the flap, he saw just asmall room that looked like a gym changeroom with three built-in shower stalls. The two of them undressed, threw their normal clothes in a bin and entered the stalls. As soon as he got inside, what seemed like warm scented water began to spray on him from a half dozen nozzles. For a few seconds, he had to hold his breath as the stall was full of spraying water. A second later, the water stopped, and door swung open. Some exploration revealed that someone had raided the men''s section of a department store and filled the lockers with dozens of clean and brand new looking outfits. It took them both a while to find all the articles of clothing they wanted. Blake walked out of the tent wearing dress pants, black shoes, a colourful open collar dress shirt and sunglasses. His sheathed sword still hung from his hip. Derrick wore grey pants with a grey dress shirt and a black vest. It was a more expensive version of what he usually wore to work. Unlike Blake he didn''t feel the need to carry his axes around in plain sight. Both of them carried new gym bags with their equipment inside them. Except for his undershirt, which Derrick still wore. Better safe than sorry. They passed a small group of men waiting to enter as they exited. Derrick exchanged nods with the rough looking group and looked around. He didn''t see either Kate or Jenny. He shrugged and followed Blake. They had each other¡¯s phone numbers, so it wouldn''t be hard to meet up later. It was too bad Kate wasn''t here. She would probably stop Blake from getting too arrogant. Blake practically skipped his way to a red and yellow sports car before vaulting over the door and into the driver seat. As soon as Derrick settled into his seat, they were tearing down the street towards the city. ¡°Where are we going,¡± asked Derrick. He was preoccupied with his thoughts about the System and Scourges, so didn''t mind Blake leading the way. Parties were not his area of expertise anyway. He was more of a small get together kind of person. ¡°If I know people,¡± replied Blake. ¡°And I do. There are going to be some epic parties going on tonight.¡± ¡°Even though half the city is dead and still being invaded by aliens?¡± ¡°Because half the city is dead and being invaded,¡± Blake replied. ¡°People are going to be blowing off a lot of steam, drinking away their worries. They''ve been fighting for two days now? No one parties harder than soldiers that know they could die tomorrow. Plus, there is a lot of no one''s booze just lying around. I doubt what passes for the authorities at this point are going to be concerned about petty theft.¡± There was no peace left to disturb either. Blake drove them to the better part of town, which surprised Derrick who''d thought they would end up at some abandoned warehouse. Instead as the sun set, Blake drove to the fanciest hotel in town. A huge building of some historical importance that Derrick had never been interested enough to learn. The building had undergone some very recent renovations. Loud music pulsed out of new holes in the walls and the stone wall at the entrance of the building was bristling with weapons. Dozens of System weapons had been driven into the stone, knives, swords and axes of all sizes. Two huge men that Derrick presumed were Users were turning people away from the entrance. It seemed like only those that drove a weapon into the wall were allowed to pass. Oh, and beautiful women, which was not much of a surprise. Derrick grabbed his axes and once Blake had parked their new ride, tried to project confidence as the two of them walked towards the entrance. There were dozens of people around, but they didn''t draw much attention. Users were a diverse bunch, Derrick doubted he and Blake were anywhere near the oddest among them. ¡°Try not to embarrass me,¡± Blake said as he glanced at Derrick and adjusted his glasses. ¡°Act like you belong, try to impress people. Not your usual nice guy background character attitude.¡± Derrick paused mid-step for a second as a sharp smile appeared on his face. Derrick felt a shiver go up his spine. More than just irritation at Blake''s casual insult, he didn''t really care about that. The feeling settled between his shoulder blades, a little ember of angry energy. Weird. He guessed he had some stress to work out himself. Well, no time like present. Blake wanted him to stand out? He moved ahead of Blake and didn''t slow down as on of the huge bodyguards moved towards him. When he was still a good thirty feet from the wall, he let his axes fly, moving so quick the bouncers couldn''t even react. One second he was carrying the axes in a loose grip, the next, they were embedded in the fancy stone wall on either side of the bouncer. The bouncers didn''t stop him as he walked into the hotel and Derrick didn''t spare them a glance as he passed. He''d fought bigger, scarier things than them. Instead, he looked over the hotel. The first thing he noticed was that the hotel no longer had doors on its entrance, just warped hinges hanging from splintered frames. He stopped once he''d entered the cavernous lobby. He''d never actually been inside of it before, but he was guessing the burn marks, glowing graffiti art and strings of party lights were new. ¡°I''m guessing Grey Legion,¡± said Blake as the took in the damage on the floors and walls. ¡°I hope someone recorded it. I never liked this place, or the people I met here.¡± Before Derrick could answer another voice added their opinion. The speaker was a short woman with very dark skin and glasses. She was wearing a businesslike ensemble that made her seem like an accountant or secretary. Nothing like someone you''d expect to find at an end of the world party. ¡°You''d be wrong, Mr Demnol¡± the woman said with a polite smile. ¡°When the Scourging first started, the building was quickly turned into a fortress. One that only lasted hours, as panicking people attacked the hotel and overwhelmed the guards with the help of a handful of Users. I''m sure among the people they executed, at least a few would be familiar to you.¡± Huh, he hadn''t seen any of that kind of ugliness. He''d been too busy on the ''front lines'' of the fighting with the scourges. Also, apparently Blake and Kate were members of the Westhills elite. That was a bit surprising. Was Blake being threatened? He was detecting a sinister vibe from the unassuming woman. He cast a look around, but the woman was alone and still just smiling at them calmly. If they were being threatened, Blake didn''t seem to care. ¡°So, the location is like a symbol,¡± he mused aloud with an idiot grin that Derrick knew was at least half-false. ¡°We are Users! Look upon our work and tremble! Cast down the old order and seize the day! I like it. Where¡¯s the booze?¡± The woman slowly blinked and gave Blake an unreadable look before answering. ¡°Just head towards the music,¡± she said and quickly walked away. Derrick watched her leave, heading into a dark doorway that led into the guts of the building. ¡°What was that and should we be worried,¡± asked Derrick with a frown. ¡°Dunno, and I doubt it,¡± replied Derrick as he gazed at all the exits casually, no doubt trying to guess which led to the best party. ¡°Seemed like political bullshit to me and if there''s one advantage to the city getting eaten, it''s that I don''t have to care about all that shit. If she was trying to get to me through my messe dup family, she doesn''t know me at all. I''m pretty sure I''ve never even seen her before.¡± ¡°Well, keep an eye out. I don''t think you made a friend there,¡± said Derrick. Derrick, an orphan, was not a family-oriented person. He was pretty surprised by Blake''s calm reaction. From th eoutside, family seemed like it was important to most people. ¡°You¡¯re being paranoid,¡± said Blake. ¡°What is she going to do? Spit in my beer? Get me kicked out? Send some toughs to rough me up? I would like to see her fucking try.¡± ¡°Thats thinking like things are the same asa few days ago,¡± answered Derrick. ¡°Everyone is a lot... harder than they were then. You''re talking about people who are organizing a party on the scene of a mob lynching they probably were involved with, in what¡¯s basically a fucking warzone, to make a point.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± said Blake thoughtfully. ¡°That... is true. You''re forgetting a few things though my good friend.¡± Derrick eyed Blake skeptically. ¡°Oh?¡± he questioned, almost afraid of the answer. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I think this is the only decent party in the entire city and after the fucking Grey Legion and the Tyrant Spores, I''m not going to back down from this political drama shit. Neither should you Derrick, I''ve seen you hunt down and cave in the skull of a superhuman killing machine in its home turf. I''ll watch your back, you watch mine. It''ll be fine. I''m a badass. You''re a badass. We are badasses.¡± He was being deadly serious, Derrick realized.He tried to think of something to say to that. Blake was an asshole. He was not however, wrong. Derrick pressed his fingers into his eyes. They should be able to handle a party. It would be wrong, after all they had been through, to run away from whatever this was. ¡°Just keep one eye open,¡± sighed Derrick and the two of them walked deeper into the hotel. They entered the hotel restaurant, which was now mostly full of Users in various stages of drunkenness. It was still early though, so no one had passed out yet. Derrick winced as they strolled past the booths, it was getting loud. The frantic beat of the music was giving him a headache and was makign his pulse race. Part of him was still back in the apartment and it did not like the noise and movement. Once again, the Users had little in common with each other. Well except maybe a certain aura of danger and cockiness. Unlike the crowds at support stations, the Users in the hotel were overwhelmingly Fighters. They had spent the last days fighting for their lives and it showed. For one, he''d never seen a group this diverse at a party before. At one booth, a group of middle aged Bikers in leathers laughed uproariously at something the group at the booth next to them had said. That booth was filled by what looked like some university woman''s sports team in casual clothes. He turned to look at a group in suits as they shouted and clinked their mugs together before drinking in unison. Blake made his way to the bar and Derrick followed him casually, until he spotted someone he knew. He stopped and stared. It was... he didn''t actually remember her name. Brian''s new girlfriend, the wannabe punk chick from when he''d first become a User. Wow, that felt like a long time ago. She looked less punk now, having traded her jacket for a dress. She was sitting at a booth and flirting with some skinny guy. A quick scan of the booths showed no sign of Brian anywhere. ¡°I''m going to say hi to a friend,¡± he told Blake. The blonde User followed his gaze and nodded before sitting down at the bar. ¡°I''ll order you a beer. Don''t take too long,¡± he replied and tried to get the bartender''s attention. That might take a while, the apocalypse had been hard on bartenders it seemed. Of the two young men behind the bar, one was clearly flirting with a group of female Users and the other seemed to be scared of the clientele. Derrick walked over to his acquaintance''s booth, he smiled a little as she finally noticed him and a second of shock appeared on her face. The man sitting with her followed her gave and scowled as he saw him approach them. He was a skinny man in a sleeveless shirt, with short hair and large tattoos on his shoulders. A couple of days ago, Derrick would have considered him tough looking in a wiry way. Now though, a new set of instincts told Derrick that the sitting man was probably one of the least threatening people here. His instincts were proven right when he easily met the other man''s gaze and wasn''t the one to flinch. Derrick stood at the and of the table and spoke to the familiar woman. ¡°Hello again,¡± Derrick said cheerily. ¡°Mind if I interrupt for a second. I have some questions.¡± 2.5 Social Creatures ¡°I was just leaving anyway,¡± the man said insincerley and rose from the table to quickly disappear into the deeper parts of the hotel. Derrick sat down. ¡°I''m sorry, I don''t remember your name.¡± he opened with. The short blonde woman gave him a sour look before replying. ¡°It''s Clara,¡± she answered. ¡°I was thinking Sarah,¡± he lied. With her pale skin and spiky hair, she didn''t seem like a Clara to him. ¡°So, what brings you here? I thought this was the ambitious scene? You picked safety I thought.¡± Derrick watched her give him a questioning look. She looked like she''d expected something else from him than polite conversation. ¡°Just needed a drink,¡± she replied and took a drink from her glass. A complicated look flitted across her face. ¡°And as rough as the clientele is here, it''s rougher out on the streets.¡± Derrick nodded. Very true. This had to be the safest place in the city. As long as nothing dropped a bomb on them or something. Thankfully, humanity seemed to be the only people dropping bombs at the moment. That would probably change far too soon. ¡°How''d you even get in?¡± he inquired further. She made a face. ¡°Knowing the right people,¡± she said unenthusiastically. ¡°At first, I was recruited by the System to help organize shelters and supplies for non-Users. Basic stuff. Keeping the city running and people in safe zones. That wasn''t so bad, things got worse after that though.¡± She took another drink and Derrick took the chance to interject. ¡°You remember my axe?¡± he asked with smile. ¡°Vividly,¡± she answered with a small smile. ¡°It set the tone for this whole fucking thing didn''t it. Get much use out of it?¡± She asked as if she still couldn''t imagine that was the case. To be fair, now that he was all dressed and groomed, hedidn''t look like someone who had spent the last two days fighting for his life. The only sign would be his scarred face, and he was far from the onlyscarred person in the hotel. ¡°Oh yes,¡± he replied casually. ¡°Just an hour after we split up, I was ambushed ina men''s room by the Grey Legion. That mission was actually quite easy. The apartment the System sent me to clear out next had dozens of the creepy fuckers in it. Some of them had guns and some were dogs. A lot of Users died there, at least a dozen.¡± He ran his fingers over his face. Feeling the roughness of his burn scars. ¡°A window exploded and sent shards of glass into my face. Then a wall exploded, and I got alien acid all over my face. I''m thinking of investing in a mask.¡± He was trying to shock her, or at least impress her. She didn''t respond in the way he''d hoped though. His story just seemed to make her thoughtful. Maybe his adventures had been about average. ¡°We have it easy you know,¡± she said and he almost interrupted at the ''we'' part. Like her last two days were comparable to his. ¡°West Hills that is. As bad as things seem here, we''re winning. Chances are that the city will cleared of the Legion in days. The Tyrant Spores are harder to get rid of permanently, but they can be suppressed.¡± ¡°You don''t sound happy about it,¡± he said. This was a fascinating subject. ¡°The world is a lot bigger than West Hills,¡± she replied with a sour smile. ¡°We can win a thousand battles here and still lose the war for the country, never mind the whole planet.¡± She took another drink, making Derrick wish he had one of his own. He spared a glance back at the bar and saw Blake flirting with a woman, beer in hand. ¡°The Support System seems to know what it''s doing,¡± Derrick offered. ¡°It''s giving us all kinds of tools to fight back with.¡± ¡°The Support System is keeping our communications lines open and organizing the survivors,¡± she said. ¡°Without it, we''d have already have fallen apart to be picked off one by one in the dark and most of the world is dark now. All the small towns around us are almost deserted now, the people there desperately fighting towards the city and safety in numbers. They''re only the beginning, the two closest cities, Bluewoods and Kittel are failing. Their User population was only a fraction of our own, for whatever reason. When things went bad there, the location was as likely to dealt with by bombs as Users. That''s a half million deaths, just in out little corner of the world.¡± ¡°This doesn''t seem like common knowledge,¡± Derrick said with a frown. He''d heard about almost none of this. Most Users he''d talked too had very limited access to information, at least trustworthy info. Conspiracy theories abounded of course. ¡°I was recruited as an assistant to one of the human organizers of this whole mess,¡± she replied with obvious mixed feelings. ¡°Gathering data so that what passes for leadership can get ahead of the next round of crisis.¡± That was topic he was curious about. Obviously, the System was both long term strategist and field commander. What power did human leaders have now and who were they? ¡°And who is in charge?¡± he asked. Clara shrugged. ¡°Same people as before the Scourging started really.¡± she said. ¡°The Users among them anyway. From what I''ve heard, a lot of people suddenly found themselves promoted as their bosses hid in bunkers or didn''t make the cut to become a User.¡± ¡°So, the System is taking over?¡± he asked. ¡°It''s already in charge,¡± she replied. ¡°Mostly it is using human officials to interpret and adjust its commands. Make them more human friendly. It tends to give broad commands and use people to fill in the details. Supposedly this is just temporary until the city is through the worst. After that, it''ll allow elections or something. No one is really sure, but they don''t want to argue.¡± Huh, interesting. Not immediately useful but interesting. A long moment passed as neither of them spoke. He was about to break the silence himself with another question, but Clara beat him too it. ¡°Have you heard anything from Brian,¡± she asked hesitantly, as if she was afraid of the answer. ¡°No,¡± he said, surprised by the question. ¡°Last time I saw him was with you. He never replied to any of my texts either.¡± He raised an eyebrow at her and let a hint accusation into his voice. ¡°Neither of you did.¡± The short woman gave him an awkward smile. She seemed more embarrassed than sincerely repentant. Like she''d blown him off for a casual meetup, not in the face of a crisis. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said with a sigh. Her voice quickly filled with bitterness. ¡°The System split me and Brian up almost right away. Support personnel have less control over who they get to work with than the ambitious. We talked twice, but after the first day, he just seemed to drop off the face of the planet.¡± So, Brian was likely dead. That hit him harder than he''d thought it would. He''d seen a lot of death in the last two days, but Brian was the person he was closest to in the city. Well that probably wasn''t true anymore, his new allies deserved that distinction. Still, he''d known Brian for weeks. His easy friendship had made his last job bearable. He closed his eyes, sighed and felt loss flow through him, a familiar ache. He heard a chime and opened them to see Clara frowning down at her phone. ¡°Apparently, I have to go,¡± she said with a puzzled frown. ¡°Take care of yourself. She gave his arm a squeeze and headed off. The intimate gesture from a near stranger caught him off guard and he failed to respond beyond a look of startlement. Well, that had been sudden. Something felt off about it, but he didn''t think she had faked the text. Suddenly alone, he looked to the bar, founding Blake and the promised drink missing. Why was he not surprised? He was just about to head up to the bar when he heard someone sit down across from him. He looked back to see the glasses wearing business woman from the hotel entrance giving him a cold smile. He noticed she had two beers in front of her and seeing him notice it, she pushed one across the table to him. Somehow, he didn''t think this was because she was trying to get into his pants. He gave a guarded smile in return and greeted her. ¡°You honestly didn''t seem like the party type,¡± he greeted honestly. ¡°I like keeping people on their toes,¡± she said seriously and offered her hand. ¡°I''m Greta and you''re Derrick. Enjoying the party?¡± He shook the offered hand and took the sight of the woman offering it in. She was no beauty or even particularly interesting looking. She exuded an aura of competence and ease though. Even sitting across from him with a beer in her hand, she seemed like she was working at something. In fact, she probably was. This wasn''t about him, it was about Blake, or at least his family. He smiled. No, this was about power and the future. It was no coincidence that Clara had been called away. Someone didn''t approve of her talking to one of Blake''s associates. Somehow, he''d ended up caught in political drama. Funny.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°It''s very interesting,¡± he said approvingly and looked over the gathered Users. He''d never been a very ambitious person himself, but it was a trait he admired in others. Especially now, in the post Scourge world. ¡°I can''t think of a harder time to do something like this.¡± ¡°I''ve thrown better parties,¡± was her reply, her face showing the same mild expression as always. ¡°And the effort was nothing compared to what the fighters have been putting in.¡± Derrick took the cap of the beer off with his bare hands and took a drink ¡°Just getting all these combat Users in the same room is an accomplishment,¡± he praised easily. ¡°Keeping them connected to each other and to the rest of humanity. Establishing authority early and making your face known. Honestly I''m surprised you didn''t end up a fighter. I can''t imagine you choosing anything but ambition when you became a User. ¡± As the lights went out and blood flowed in the streets, as people were being hunted down in their own homes by alien monstrosities, here was a person who was concerning herself with preserving civilization. Not the physical necessities of it like food and electricity but the delicate illusion that was society. It took a very selfish and cold type of person to do that but also a competent one. The city could probably do worse than her. The object of his scrutiny gave him a strained smile. ¡°I joined up with the System late,¡± Greta replied. ¡°Violence was never a particular strength of mine before the Scourges came.¡± But it was now, eh? Comments like that made him think she wasn''t here to secure his vote. ¡°Oh,¡± he replied and nodded. ¡°I was... recruited before people knew what was going on. I keep forgetting most people must have been more informed as they joined up. I''ve been bouncing from one desperate fight to another, so I haven''t really had time to process a lot of stuff.¡± ¡°And one of your... bounces acquainted you with Blake Demnol. You may want to take that time and process your thoughts, you seem to have a knack for getting yourself into trouble.¡± Ah, here it was. Stay away from Blake if you know what¡¯s good for you. Earlier he''d told Blake to take this seriously but was having the same problem himself. Oh, he was sure she was a real threat. He had no illusions that he was untouchable. If anything, it was more likely he would be killed by gunfire now that the Scourges and the System had arrived. There were a lot more guns around now. But honestly, he was just annoyed at how she was interrupting his hard earned time off. He let out a pained sigh and pushed his drink away. ¡°I don''t know what your problem is with Blake is and I don''t really care,¡± he said. ¡°You should have much bigger problems to deal with than Demnols or whatever. As far as I know, he and his cousin have no plans beyond survival and fighting to save the city.¡± He was about to stand and leave when he noticed a bouncer looking man step towards the booth to block his exit. When he settled back into his seat, the man stepped back. A quick scan of the man didn''t reveal any obvious weapons. Was this just intimidation? A bodyguard? Was she worried about ruining her party? She''d hardly want an all out brawl kicked off ¡°Cousin?¡± the woman said and the surprise in her voice caused him to turn back to her. ¡°She''s alive? That''s unfortunate.¡± Derrick slowly blinked. Fighting Grey Legion Agents, trusting in Kate to prevent him from being overwhelmed. Unfortunate. A mad dash, cutting his way down the stairs to see Kate struggling, pinned to a wall. Unfortunate. I drowned for a long time. Unfortunate. Anger. No wait, rage. It flooded him, and he slowly stood up. It took an actual effort to stop himself from reaching across the table and trying to rip this smug bitch apart with his bare fucking hands. Perhaps the only reason he didn''t, was how surprised he was at himself. Kate did not need his protection, certainly would never ask for it. But to treat her life as an inconvenience, in the face of everything that was going on? What could she possibly have done to deserve that? She''d spent the last two years in a coma. This seething rage was just too uncharacteristic of him, he was choking on it. In fact his emotions had been weird all night but he''d just dismissed it as apocalypse related stress. What if it was something more? ... Was this love? Did he...
Universal Support System
Congratulations on successfully activating your Auril Heart. Your body is now experiencing elevated levels of Auril energy, this may effect your emotions until your mind adapts. Auril energy is a powerful and mysterious force, once mastered, its utility and powers ofbiological enhancement are near limitless. You are the 46th Human from Earth to access Auril Energy. You have unlocked the title Auril Pioneer.
Title Earned
Auril Pioneer Be among the first 100 member of your race to unlock Auril Energy. +200 USSP
Huh. This was good, right? His were emotions a mess, he dismissed the notification and all related thoughts for now. He was in the middle of something. A return to reality, showed him that his host was giving him an odd look but didn''t seem worried. His internal struggles apparently hadn''t shown on his face beyond a twitch and a thoughtful look. The bouncer had moved closer but almost ten feet still separated him from their table. Derrick took a deep breathe but didn''t sit down. The anger hadn''t left, but now it was simmering and controlled. ¡°... something you''d regret.¡± Greta finished. Did he miss anything important? For a second he considered asking. No, this was stupid and he was leaving now. It wasn''t diplomatic but he didn''t trust himself to sit across from her without doing something worse than just walking away. ¡°Do you know why so many Users came here tonight?¡± he asked. ¡°Enlighten me.¡± was the response he got. Greta, did not seem to be taking the question with the seriousness he''d asked it in. ¡°Because they understand that they could lose anything and everything in a single moment,¡± he answered and rose to his feet. ¡°Consider that and maybe just enjoy the party?¡± That had come of more like threat than he''d liked. It had been honest advice, heartfelt even. His host just gave him a blank stare, her mind obviously working hard behind it and just as obviously not taking his advice. As soon as he moved to leave, the bouncer of course, moved to stop him. The large man raised his hand to push Derrick down into the seat that he had just left, a confident smirk on his face. His own face still thoughtful, Derrick grabbed the bigger man''s wrist, yanked it down to his waist so he could grab the back of the mans head and slam him face first into the table. He didn''t bother putting much power into the move, as satisfying as it was, he didn''t want to kill or maim anyone. There was a loud cracking noise that rang out and brought a wave of silence following it. All the Users stopped talking and took in the scene, just in time for a pause in the music. The pause lasted only for a second, the Users and the music continuing on as if nothing had happened. That ended the fight before it could really start. He''d been both faster and stronger than the other man, despite the size difference. The bouncer had struggled to avoid the table but it had been far to late by the time he''d realized what was happening. Apparently, even fractions of levels made a difference. Maybe the bouncer hadn''t even been a combat role? Or just a lower level, it was hard to imagine someone achieving a higher one than him yet. Even if someone completed more missions than him, his stay at the hospital had taught him there was a limit to how fast the System could upgrade a body. His greatest achievement so far was in the very specific field of unlocking Auril Energy quickly. 46th might seem unimpressive, but that was across the entire world. Honestly, he was surprised so few people had the trait, Scrappy didn''t seem like that hard of a title to unlock. Perhaps most people just didn''t buy the Auril Heart trait or perhaps they just didn''t have as many points as him? The trait was the only rare or interesting option he''d unlocked so far, it was probably smarter to buy something like a laser gun. He wasn''t going to defeat the Scourges by slamming their heads into tables. Now, where had Blake gotten to? He surveyed the restaurant portion of the hotel but didn''t see him. He noticed the table behind him was empty, his host having disappeared impressively quickly. He doubted his blondally had left the hotel, that meant he must have gone deeper. He moved to exit the bar but five Users in casual clothes rose from their table to block his way. Four men and a woman, all wearing too much black for it to be anything but intentional. Blocking his path wasn''t a coincidence either, he was clearly the focus of the group. One flashed him a toothy grin as he stood between Derrick and the deeper parts of the hotel. They were unarmed but something triggered his instincts. These Users would not go down as easily as the bouncer had. This was a real problem. Not only was he in trouble, they clearly didn''t want him going after Blake. Which no doubt meant the blond User was a target too. Once again, he tried to spot Blake but only confirmed that he was without friends here. Retreat? No, that probably wouldn''t work, he doubted showing weakness would stop the fight at this point. He''d already drawn first blood. Oh, and also he guessed it would be bad to leave Blake behind. The System would be sending him back to fight Spore Tyrants again tomorrow and the blond swordsman had a real talent for that. Besides, he doubted anyone would go so far as to kill or maim him. Ultimately, he was much more afraid of the Scourges than these guys. He felt a strange tingle of confidence as he took in his opponents. He tried to repress it but found a grin on his face. Fucking Auril Energy. ¡°Why don''t you sit back down,¡± the older man, who he guessed was their leader asked Derrick. He was flanked on each side by two minions. ¡°Ha,¡± exclaimed Derrick dryly. ¡°I was just going to say the same thing to you.¡± He watched the group spread out as he walked up to them. He was giving them time to spread out, hoping they couldn''t match his trump card, Lash. No point in holding it back, he needed to do as much damage as fast as possible if he was going to fight 1 vs 5. He might even be able to scare them off if they didn''t know how Lash worked. For whatever reason, the stocky fellow to the leader''s left felt like the most dangerous. At least according to his eyes and stance, he was both the most wary and the most balanced. From a casual walking pace, Derrick suddenly Lashed and lept forward. Immediately, the world slowed down, it was just a little but it was enough. Catching them by surprise, he faked going after the leader with a roundhouse kick that when dodged, turned into a spinning back kick that caught the shorter enemy in the ribs. His attack caught everyone of guard, even himself. It had been a long time since he''d even tried a spinning back kick. He seemed to be riding some kind of Auril high. Well, it worked. The leader only looked stunned as Derrick grabbed him and improvised a knee strike to the man''s chin. They both stumbled away from each other and Derrick felt hands grab at him from behind. The closest standing User was sending a haymaker his way and only the Lash Drug allowed Derrick to throw himself to the floor while avoiding the blow. It was a clumsy landing, and the panic he felt only made him recover slower. He''d apparently burned through all his reserves of grace, he was surprised it had lasted for those first two hits. He tried to get to his feet but blocking a kick aimed at his head caused him to fall back down to the ground. He rose again and saw the same foot flying at him once more. This way not a pattern he wanted to get stuck in. Wincing, he caught the kick and managed to pull the man to the ground by viciously twisting his ankle. He felt rising panic as Lash faded and the world sped up. Fuck this was bad. He''d only managed to take the leader and the stocky guy out of the fight. The former was unconscious on the floor while the latter was kneeling and gasping. That left him fighting three Users, only one of which was even a little wounded. Leaving the fallen User beside him, he scarpered backwards to avoid getting surrounded. There was still two standing and they were moving to attack him from the sides. He was in the process of standing when his back hit something very solid. He froze and a second later a hand gripped his shoulder, holding him in place with strength much greater than his own. Slowly, he looked up to see a huge dopey grin topped by a bald head. A very familiar grin. He''d only known the man it was attached to for about an hour, but he''d left an impression. ¡°Hey, Buddy.¡± Bruce said cheerfully. ¡°Thanks for inviting me to the party!¡± 2.6 Moves ¡°Glad you could make it,¡± responded Derrick. ¡°Please stop shaking me.¡± For some reason, the bald bodybuilder was rocking him back and forth in time to the fast pace of the music. He seemed oblivious to the Users that seconds ago had been attacking Derrick. Instead he was nodding his own head to the music and taking in the whole scene. The Users had definitely noticed him though. The three remaining Users had backed away and seemed hesitant to continue the fight. He didn''t blame them, Bruce was almost seven feet tall and his ripped sleeveless shirt showed off his equally ripped upper body. Ah, he''d already taken out their boss. No wonder they hesitated now that things had changed for the worse. There was chime and the woman of the group looked to her phone. Derrick frowned as whatever was written there caused her spine to stiffen. She made a little gesture with her hand and the other two Users stepped forward. That could only be Greta interfering again, he was starting to get annoyed at her. She must really hate the Demnols if she was going this far. He glanced around but didn''t see her anywhere. No obvious flunkies either. Where were they being watched from? His annoyance rose as a familiar skinny man re-entered the bar with a tall and stocky woman beside him. His squinty eyes left no doubt that he was here to fight. The large woman beside him calmly took Bruce and Derrick in, a vicious little smile on her face as she looked over Bruce. Derrick frowned. How the unholy fuck did Greta have so many people willing to fight for her? It''s not like she could be paying them and he doubted it was innate charm. He got the feeling that things were escalating out of control. Fuck it, he wasn''t going to back down now. Bruce let go of his shoulder. ¡°I think that woman is checking me out,¡± he whispered loudly in Derrick''s ear as he winked at her. He did know this was a fight, right? Derrick turned to look at thelarger man but only saw his signature grin, which revealed little. There was something in his eyes though, that made Derrick sure he knew exactly what was going on. ¡°She seems like a hard woman to impress,¡± Derrick said honestly. ¡°Bring your A-game. We''re fighting our way through them. I got a friend that needs saving.¡± ¡°No problems,¡± said Bruce as he settled into a pose that highlighted his muscles and winked towards their opponents. ¡°I''m always ready for some action.¡± That was more than a little creepy. As a demoralizing tactic it seemed to work though, as Bruce moved forward, their opponents moved back. No doubt unwilling to be the first one to test his skills. Just when he thought there was a chance that they''d get through without a fight, One of the women dashed at them and the rest followed. To Derrick''s annoyance, the majority of them seemed to attack him. Well, whatever. It wasn''t like he wasn''t used to fighting multiple opponents at he same time at this point. At least they didn''t have a creepy catchphrases and matching smiles. The first attacker threw a few jabs and then tried to straight right him so obviously that he didn''t need Lash to land a perfect counter. He grabbed the stunned man''s arm and collar, then spun him into the next attacker to arrive. The second that bought was all he needed to confront the third man, who was trying to position himself at his back. He threw the man a quick smile, pushed through his jabs and landed a hard blow to his chin. He took a moment to collect himself. He looked over the scene and grinned. Someone had tried to arm bar Bruce and lacking the strength to pull it off, had ended up as a human weapon as Bruce bashed his way through the opposition. If Bruce had been merely big, that might have worked, the bodybuilder was also a User though and probably just as enhanced as Derrick was. Derrick grinned. They were winning and it felt glorious. His heart beat like a jackhammer and a feral grin split his face. These realizations caught him off guard. Since when did he enjoy anything this much, never mind fighting. His whole fighting experience was some family karate and a few months of kickboxing. The later taken just to get him out of his apartment and meet people. If he''d enjoyed either half as much as he did this fight, he''d never have stopped. Was this Auril Energy messing with his head? Did it matter? Chair? He tried to dodge but was too slow. A thrown chair interrupted his mid fight introspection, landing a glancing blow on the back of his head. While still hazy, he saw the stocky woman use an expert kick to send him flying through the air. Ow. The world spun madly, slowly settling back into a form he could understand. ¡°Thanks a bunch,¡± he said uncertainly as he rolled onto his feet from the table he''d landed on with surprising softness. Apparently when he''d been sent flying by a superhuman kick, just before he''d crashed into the hard surface of the table he''d been caught by... grizzled bikers? He smelled blood, sweat, beer and leather. Just his luck, he had missed the all female university student table by only a few feet. Still better than the floor though. ¡°I owe you all a beer.¡± ¡°We''ll hold you to that little brother,¡± said a surprisingly attractive older woman with her raven hair tucked behind a bandana. ¡°Truth be told, your fight has been the highlight of the night. Was beginning to think this wasn''t our kind of party.¡± A collection of grinning faces hidden behind massive beards and sunglasses nodded at that. The older woman grinned at him, showing oddly pointed teeth between her full lips. ¡°Do you mind if a couple lads join in,¡± she asked. ¡°A few of the boys get antsy if they go too long without hitting something.¡± Derrick pondered this. ¡°No,¡± he replied. ¡°Go to town.¡± The woman made a shooing gesture and just like that, their team grew by two Users. What had started as an isolated brawl had grown into something much messier. A biker tapped one of Bruce''s opponents on the shoulder, only to haymaker him when he turned. The other biker sauntered into a fistfight with the stocky woman, only to be knocked back on his ass after a short exchange of blows. Derrick filled the gap, cautiously jabbing and looking for weakness. It was not an exchange he was winning, if repetitive blows to the head were any indication. It turned out that beginner karate could only get him so far. He was just lucky the last two days had gotten him used to head blows. In fact, the more he was hit, the more eager to fight he grew. All the pain and emotion of the brawl was fuel for a spark that was burning inside him. It filled him with fighting spirit as fast as the woman could beat it out of him. It was like he was losing himself in something greater. He could feel that even though he was losing the fight, he was winning the war. Without looking, he knew that without the stocky woman to slow him, Bruce was rampaging and every time a biker was knocked out of the fight, another was sent forward with a smile by their raven haired leader. ¡°Just stay down,¡± his opponent said, clearly annoyed at Derrick. He knew that she knew that if nothing changed, she was going to lose. Derrick wiped a line of blood from under his nose and eyed her. Her annoyance at him annoyed him. She was the one who was standing in his way. She should just get out of his way. He felt a tingle run up his spine and his hand twitched. That wasn''t a good sign. Adrenaline told him to ignore it, so he did. ¡°No,¡± he replied and stepped forward again. This time he managed to block a kick and land a body blow before he was sent reeling back. When he caught himself once again, her face darkened.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You''re just asking for it,¡± she said. ¡°No,¡± he replied and stepped forward again. ¡°I''m demanding it.¡± Backtalking may have been a mistake. This round lasted longer, but only it turned out, so the woman could grab him and land multiple blows, stopping him from falling or retreating as she pummelled him. As her fists made contact, he felt himself slipping away. Moment by moment, things grew darker. But he could still feel that energy, that pulse that had driven him to fight so hard. So, he stepped away from the darkness, from defeat and submersed himself in that instead. From a tiny speck, that feeling grew until it filled him. Derrick knew it was powerful, that he would win this fight because he was part of something greater...
Universal Support System Implant
Auril mutation detected. Adapting... Authority Intervention (GazGr) Cleansing... Failure. Probability of host damage too high. Cleansing... Authority exceeded (GazGr). Penalizing. Auril mutation detected. Adapting.
His soul on fire, the notification meant nothing to Derrick. Trapped in a burning darkness, he screamed until blessed nothingness claimed him. The last sensation he knew was the cold weight of countless alien eyes.
The entity known as Gazer''s Grin retreated in pain from its short lived connection with User KL7I 843OY6. The System had made its displeasure clear with Gazer''s attempt to clean up this mess. The soulless machine had no understanding of the consequences this event could inspire. Instead, it had responded to his panic by searing him with digital fire and breaking his connection to the User, throwing him away so hard he''d been momentarily stunned, adrift in the immensity of local System resources. How had things spiralled out of control so quickly? Originally he''d come to know this native User simply by chance. The unremarkable User had been exposed to Grey Legion Auril energy and had been temporarily contaminated by it. Nothing particularly remarkable about that. Processes he''d written when he first arrived at this world had activated and let him know of it, allowing him use the User''s implant to amplify and sample the energies and their effects on the User. It was nothing he hadn''t done a thousand times before, that hadn''t been done countless times by other Authorities over millennia and across a hundreds of world. Such samples revealed little individually but they added up over the eons, building a better image of the nature of the sampled Scourge that could be used to resist and understand it. All he''d wanted was to better understand why the Grey Legion was performing above expectations on this world. Well, at least that mystery was solved. Humanity was astoundingly susceptible to Legion corruption, both of the physical and Auril types. Perhaps due to some similarity between it and whatever species had originally spawned this young Scourge? Without his interference, the Auril Echo would have quickly faded to nothing, causing nothing but brief alien sensations or odd dreams. A fire that would quickly burn itself out in the inhospitable environment that was the primitive physiology of Earthlings. Blight Sight! If only the individual hadn''t been an Auril sensitive! Gazer''s Grin shuddered. His interference, plus the nature of the corruption and the natives own talents had combined, moving the System to intervene and grant what the stupid thing no doubt considered a boon. That unlikely chain of coincidences had made this more than a local Scourge issue. Transforming it into something far more dangerous to him. Politics. His mastery of the System was great enough that among his peers, only ITRS could possibly connect him to this event. Who knew what that ancient thing was capable of? He doubted it would be a problem, in fact, he leaned towards consulting it for help. Humanity''s potential for Auril sensitivity could have dire repercussions for their effort to preserve the species. He and his entire race considered the hostility towards Auril sensitivity that the Galactic community felt to be little more than superstition and ignorance. A unfortunate repercussion of the fact that the System raised so many species from base savagery and treated them as equals to moreadvanced races. Even at their worst, the sensitive were only dangerous to their own kind. The System itself was completely indifferent to the quirk, barely acknowledging it. There was no doubt though, that it would make enemies that the fledgling species could not afford. His calculations for their continued survival plummeted drastically if certain System allied civilizations withdrew their support. Never mind if some of the more fanatical races decided to take direct action to assure their destruction. That was made unlikely though, by the isolated nature of any freshlydiscovered world. It would have been better for everyone if the he''d been able to force a cleansing or death of User KL7I 843OY6. Auril sensitivity wasn''t even useful! The common brute force Auril techniques were more effective agianst the Scourges. Yet, this probably useless gift might be the death of this Users species and a black mark on Gazer''s own perfect record of species survival. No, Auril sensitive or not. This species would not die while he watched. He would not allow primitive prejudices to undo his work. His record and the very purpose of the System demanded it.
Universal Support System Implant
Auril Mutation contained and adapted to User. Uploading ability pattern to User Implant. You have earned Auril Proficiency: Basic You have gained the Auril ability: Crude Quantum Awareness
Crude Quantum Awareness (F) (Survival) A weave of Auril energy that responds to others awareness of your self and position. Allowing you to know when other sentients are directly aware of your position within a certain range. Can be trained to provide additional information.
Derrick snapped back to reality after what felt like hours stuck in a nightmare about thousands of eyes staring down at him. He was very shocked to discover that he was still on his feet, he was even more shocked when a second later, his fist flew out and hit someone in the face. He didn''t even remember throwing it, or that someone was even there to punch. Good punch though, solid with a nice follow through. As surprised as he was, he was not as surprised as his attacker, who fell backwards on her ass. Derrick was too confused to take advantage. What had just happened. It had started because of Auril? What was an Auril Mutation?
Auril Mutation: A rare phenomenon where Auril contamination from an outside source reacts with internal Auril Energy, permanently altering it. Usually fatal without intervention, User Implants can guide this mutation away from damaging effects to grant Users new understanding of Auril Energy.
So. This was the second time he''d gotten a notification about this GazGr thing. First it had used him to sample that Vanguards Auril energy and then tried to kill him when it caused a mutation? Why? The notifications he remembered held no clues. Neither did Crude Quantum Awareness. It seemed interesting from a scientific perspective? Not really useful though, especially in a barfight. He already knew people were watching him. Oh, right. He was in a barfight. The female User he''d just knocked down didn''t seem like she''d be getting back up soon, so he scooted around her and quickly made for the exit. Two Users were guarding it, but when Bruce backhanded a guy out of his way to join Derrick, they backed off. The two of them left the bikers to deal with the few remaining opponents. ¡°Where to now,¡± Bruce asked as they entered a long corridor with dozens of solid wood doors along it. It was a good question. He had no idea. Derrick stared blankly at them until he remembered something. He''d bought that Auril pulse device. Before it hadn''t worked because he didn''t have any Auril Energy. Now he did though. ¡°Auril Pulse,¡± he said and held out his wrist. He felt a pull from his wrist as the device took something from him. A moment his implant shoved new information into his mind. He became aware of dozens of people shaped blobs superimposed over people''s locations all around him. Like what he imagined a pulse of echolocation would be like if it only worked on living things. He frowned, he''d been hoping something to identify Blake by, with just a vague shape it would almost be impossible to find him. All this let him know was what rooms were empty. Well, two rooms stood out anyway. One where someone was unmoving in a sitting position and the other where someone was spread eagle on what he assumed was a bed. The sitting person was closer and less likely to be awkward. He looked at Bruce to find the larger man posing beside him, flexing his muscles. ¡°...Why are you posing?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°Why are you posing?¡± returned Bruce. What, he wasn''t... Oh right, he was still holding his arm out... For some reason he''d felt the need to do that when he''d activated his device. ¡°Break that door.¡± he said as he pointed, eagerly changing the subject. Bruce slowly moved from his pose to an elaborate fighters stance. With a short shout he slammed into the door, his weight easily taking both the hinges and the lock right off the door. Solid wood didn''t even manage to slow him down as he sent the whole door falling into the room. There was a moment of silence after the door hit the ground. Derrick peered inside. There was no Blake. Instead, a older and scholarly looking Indian man was holding a book while seated in a old fashioned wooden chair. He was giving the both of them a very surprised look. A second later he began clapping. Interlude: Ghost Town It was the Inoculation''s town now. Even the most stubborn of Flint Creek''s mulish residents had fled that cursed ground. Evacuating towards the faint hope that their few Users told them the city of West Hills offered. Mathew considered the peaceful looking town one last time before turning away. It looked normal enough at a glance, even to his familiar eye. Still exactly the same as when the United Support Machines had shown up just a few days ago. Felt like longer. Much longer. He''d quickly signed up to become a User, not from greed but fear, for himself and his family. He was no longer a young man, his oldest children were old enough to look after themselves. He worried for his youngest though. Seeing that alien machine sprout from the ground overnight like a mushroom, he''d felt the winds of change on his face and was old enough to recognize the inevitable. Power was being offered and he had reached for it, caring little for what it cost him. As long as he could protect those dear to him he would pay almost any price. No one tried to stop him or any of the others from using their town''s only Pandora Machine. He just walked up to it, answered its strangely mundane questions and munched on the candy bar it spat out. A few folks looked disapproving but others just seemed jealous. No doubt they had tried and failed to become Users. The next morning he was one of the two dozen men and women chosen to be a User in their town of a few hundred. He''d been offered no fancy choices though, receiving the role of Fighter by default and the Enhanced Hearing trait when he''d too honest and told that blasted machine his hearing was his greatest strength. How he quickly came to regret that decision. What few sources ofnews remianed told him that other cities and towns had been attacked by monsters and zombies. That they had burned and crumbled as the streets ran red with blood. Users had stood and fought, armed and organized by the System. He''d expected to be defending the town from monsters with his shotgun, like some extra from a western movie. He had even bought a machete from the System to defend himself with, ready for war. Flint Creek had died a quieter death than that, but no less horrible for it. It had started fittingly enough, with the crops. The day after those damned System machines had showed up, when people had just began to receive notifications from the System, most of all the local crops had withered and died. Some had survived but were now... different. Spurred by the System, the Users of Flintcreek had investigated. They''d half expected the damned things to grow teeth and bite but they didn''t. No, they were just plants still, simply tougher and no longer edible. That was the point as far as he could tell. The System began demanding they round up the citizens and evacuate the town immediately. The Inoculation, it called this strangewave of death and mutation. The mayor''s son was the unofficial leader of their team of Users; a mix of Hunters, police and the local roughnecks. He told them that the System would protect them but the Inoculation could spread to people if it encountered them and that nonon User would survive its touch. The rougher sort of users were tasked with keeping people in town, whether they liked it or not. Mathew had just stayed quiet and did what was asked of him without complaint. Worried about what this ¡°Inoculation¡± would do. It was a disease from some blighted star. A weapon turned against the Scourges and humanity both. It saddened him that the first time something from beyond their world touched his life, it was to spread death and tragedy. The System gathered it''s Users and sent them into the fields, not to fight but to dig. To search for the Inoculation Core, some kind of brain from space that was creating the disease. Without it, more dangerous strains couldn''t be created. The idea was to destroy it before it birthed something that targeted humans. They organized an old fashioned caravan to take half of the people to the city. Sending two Users to lead the way and keep the refugees safe. The rest stayed and searched. Even with the strange tools the System gave them, they''d failed to find anything. As they worked, the countryside became quieter. Crickets stopped chirping, birds no longer sang. Overnight, mold spread like fire through the area, killing trees and devouring them before burning itself out, disappearing as fast as it appeared.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. It was so quiet now. The only sound, the wind blowing through the trees. The rustle of leaves. In just three days people began to grow sick, dying in just a few hours. Users were immune, so it was their job to bury the bodies. The mayor''s son told them it wasn''t airborne but he didn''t know how they''d gotten infected. Small comfort that. They might as well have been fighting the wind. Horror after horror, people began to go missing. Run off or taken? No one knew. Just gone from their houses in the morning. The remaining people began sleeping in the community centre and church, with Users and a small militia guarding them at night. Mathew sat outside the church, straining his ears for signs of anything but heard no signs of life. The caravan returned to warn them that the roads were no longer safe. Things moved out on the deserted roads, picking people off. Dead trees and fallen power lines littered the roads. They went with more weapons and tools this time. They couldn''t leave anyone here. It wasn''t a place for people anymore. Too quiet. Too still. Damn the wind. The endless rustling was driving him mad. Mathew went with the caravan this time, armed with his shotgun, machete and a chainsaw. He got good use from the chainsaw. Cutting through a dozen fallen trees that blocked their way. He could hear trees falling in the woods, dying and rotting with unnatural speed. Not all of them of course, some looked healthier than ever and just a little stranger. Their leaves just a slightly different shape, the bark just a slightly off pattern. Still no birds, not so much as a chirp. They passed through a neighbouring town, even smaller than theirs. Empty. He hoped they had made it to West Hills. The barricades they''d built and left abandoned spoke of a different end for them though. TheCaravan had to stop for the night. Funny that. It was just a hundred miles to Westhills but the way was so littered with obstacles that they couldn''t make it in a day. Roots were bursting through the road now. Tough buggers too. Their chainsaws dulled quickly on them. The Users found it easier to hack away with their System weaponry. No one wanted to sleep in the abandoned town. So they slept on the road. Running searchlights off a generator to keep the now terrifying dark away. Mathew kept watch with the other Users, it was surprisingly easy to stay awake. Staring into the darkening sky, he saw a pillar of dancing light in the distance and at first thought it was the lights of Westhills. He felt a chill travel up his spine as he realized that was in the opposite direction. There was no city up that way. Whatever was casting that light had arrived in the last few day and had been built by inhuman hands. As a User, he didn''t seem to need quite as much sleep. He felt more alive than he could remember being since his youth. Afraid but well. Alert and capable. It was a good thing too, as those Grey Legion devils attacked them in the night. More than a dozen of them separated from the shadows at a full sprint, announcing themselves with a hail of gunfire. Four of thehuman guards fell right away, the recruits of that Scourge did not seem to need light to see anymore. Mathew, luckily, wasn''t holding his shotgun when the bullets hit his allies. They definitely aimed at anyone with guns first. They didn''t shoot to kill though and they weren''t much as fighters. No better at brawlin than the people they used to be. Mathew had been inmore than a few dustups during his life, though they were rarely serious. So, he found himself holding his own. The fight was brutal, even the roughest of the caravans defenders had never murdered someone before, especially anyone who needed quite so much murdering as those grey bastards did. It was not uncommon for fallen enemies to rise, smiling, to throw themselves back into the fray. He let his fear guide him and met the attackers with shotgun and machete. It was bloody but they ekked out a draw, barely. The Legion retreated into the night with theirs and a handful of Flintcreek''s wounded. No one tried to chase them or save the taken townsfolk. They just watched the monsters smile as they dragged people he''d known his whole life into the now alien owned darkness. They were left almost defenceless now, most of their defenders too wounded to help out. Mathew himself, was fine, not even the aches he used to get from a hard days work. The worst thing afflicting him was the fear. In the unnaturally quiet night, he couldn''t shake it. All it would take was an attack a quarter of that size and they would fail. He would fail his family. One never came. The next morning, they had barely began travelling when he heard the chirp of bugs in the grass. Not long after that, he was blessed with the sound of birdsong. The others failed to notice the difference but it lifted his spirits. Only a hour after that, they arrived at West Hills. Hope filled the tired eyes of his neighbours, wife and daughter as they took in the familiar sight and its armed defenders. They were asked where they came from and offered food and a place to stay for the night. He was told that there was still fighting in the city but that they were winning. The citiy''s thousands of Users were beating back the Scourges and they were safe now. The smiling young man who said this seemed to honestly believe it. He looked at the gleaming towers of the city and felt little relief. He did try to smile though, let people enjoy themselves and their accomplishment. He knew the Inoculation had hurt them in the same way as it did the Scourges. He thought back to the barren fields. The easiest way to kill something isn''t fighting it, it''s to starve it. Just a Poll and some music suggestions. So, my ranking had been going down lately. The entire point of this story is that I grow as a writer. Haters please tell me why? Never let it be said I am not open to critisism. Everyone gets two votes. As a bonus for contributing, here is some alien invasion themed music I don''t hate. (It''s New wave/Synth wave/Dark wave stuff.)

Volkor X - This Means War [FULL ALBUM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcDES8Fjr-w

Hollywood Burns "Invaders" [Full Album - 2018]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S0Xi0ktC4Q

Perturbator - "Dangerous Days" [Full Album - Official]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vsf3zYppP4&t=671s

2.7 Questions and Answers ¡°Well done.¡± the Indian man said as he looked them over without any apparent concern over their violent entry. ¡°Levels?¡± ¡°Err, sorry?¡± spoke Derrick ¡°What levels are you both?¡± the man asked politely as the looked them over with obvious interest. ¡°And don''t worry about the door, it wasn''t mine anyway.¡± ¡°1.4¡± said both Bruce and Derrick at the same time. Apparently Bruce had been busy. Thestranger nodded his head as if there was some deep meaning to their answer. ¡°Almost halfway to the first bottleneck! How strong are you compared to before you became a fighter,¡± he asked. Derrick stared at the man in silence, trying to pick a question to ask first. Meanwhile, a look of deadly seriousness fell across Bruce''s face. ¡°A general increase of strength by a factor of 1.6, that''s effected by several System created supplements I designed. If you have a phone, I can text you a comprehensive level by level breakdown of the changes.¡± ¡°That would be wonderful,¡± the stranger said with almost childlike enthusiasm before quickly calming down and sighing deeply. ¡°Users seem to be changing so quickly. Much quicker than I thought possible. A good thing I suppose. We have already lost too many noble souls to the challenge we now face.¡± He turned to Derrick and squinted at him through his glasses. ¡°There seems to be something special about your body,¡± he said with obvious interest. ¡°Your going to have to be more specific, Mr?¡± answered Derrick, best to start simple. ¡°Oh my. My apologies, how rude of me. How odd I must have sounded. My name is Aarav.¡± The Indian man babbled with mild horror. ¡°The Support System has granted me the role of Student. Ha! Sixty years old and still a student!¡± Aarav let out a gentle laugh before continuing. ¡°My Role is to learn and teach. Once it sent me with some fighters to investigate the site of a Injection. That was fascinating! These glasses I''m wearing, they let me see some extraordinary things, like how you have such a wonderful glow to you.¡± Aarav stoped and stared at Derrick for a second, before continuing in a distracted tone. ¡°A simple thing for the most part, but with subtle patterns to it that almost seem to avoid my gaze... and at the heart of it a... a... steadily flickering spark of some kind?¡± Derrick felt a spike of jealousy as he looked over this mild mannered man. Exterminator, Worker, Driver, Fighter, Guard, Supporter, Administrator; these were the roles he had heard of. Pupil seemed to be a role of an entirely different sort. One that interacted more closely with the System than mere fodder such as himself. One that would lead to something greater than mere soldiery. He felt a wild and uncomfortable sensation rise within himself. A deep jealousy. What did this old man have that made him so special? Didn''t matter, being outclassed by others was nothing new to him. He pushed the feeling down and moved on. ¡°You mentioned something about a bottleneck?¡± Derrick asked. He wasn''t going to just give away his secrets, even if he didn''t really understand what the man was talking about. ¡°Yes!¡± the man said and nodded emphatically. ¡°You know that you can unlock new Roles with traits, titles and proficiencies?¡± Both Derick and Bruce nodded. This was among the very few facts the System had revealed to them. Not that they''d ever heard of anyone accomplishing this. ¡°Hmmm. How to explain this? Every full integer level is capped until you unlock a Role to advance to. The Roles humanity has now will only take them to level 1.9. If they have completed sufficient prerequisites, then at level 1.9 they can choose a new role and then level up to 2.9. Every rank is, of course, harder to unlock. Understand? Good!¡± ¡°Why does no one know this?¡± asked Bruce with a furrowed brow. Derrick shared the other man''s puzzlement, It seemed like the kind of thing the System should have just explained to them. ¡°It is the task of my Role to explain these things to the city. Alas! I was perhaps too forthright and have spent the last while imprisoned in this room for my sins. Humanity''s propensity to hoard knowledge is alive and well, even in the face of extinction. Sadly the will behind the System seems to loathe to interfere in what it considers ''human culture'' and has allowed my purpose to go unfulfilled. I do hope that the same is not happening in other places.¡± What kind of bastard was withholding the rules of... Oh, of course. ¡°By a dark skinned woman about this high,¡± Derrick said with his hand at throat height. ¡°Extremely condescending and mildly prudish?¡± He could guess the master plan here. Keep everyone ignorant of how things worked. Gather the Users together, like at say a party. Then, either inform them all of the rules and earn their gratitude, or more likely and ambitious, use the party to scout out the most easy controlled of the Users and give them the secrets. Ensuring that the Users most loyal to you had an advantage over the others. ¡°You know my host then,¡± Aarav said. ¡°Yet, I don''t think your any ally of hers. Your entry to my room would have been far less spectacular if so.¡± ¡°We met briefly,¡± answered Derrick. ¡°She didn''t seem interested in being friends. There was a... scuffle.¡± ¡°Regretful, Inevitable though I suppose.¡± sighed Aaarav, causing Bruce to nod along. ¡°AaseyE duHKakke mUla.¡± the older man continued in what Derrick presumed was Hindi. ¡°The glow your glasses see, it''s Auril Energy,¡± Derrick interjected, he was eager to keep the conversation on track. He explained how he had gotten it and what he knew about it. No point in lying or hiding it. He got a odd sense of danger from this man. Not physical danger but something more like a opportunity. This is important, Derrick''s instincts told him. It wasn''t any superhuman or Auril force that told him this, just a regular human gut feeling. The older man listened eagerly and asked a series of questions about what his two guests had been up to since the Scourges arrived. They both chose to answer. Derrick was hoping to earn the answer to a few more questions of his own. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Aarav replied sincerely, once they had narrated their last two days. ¡°Allow me a chance to repay you for your knowledge. My Role has gifted me with a Manna Core. Though, sadly I have received no title for it. ¡± The Indian man held his hand out with the palm up. Derrick watched fascinated as a spark of light filled the air above his palm with a white glow before flickering out. ¡°It is a borrowed power.¡± the older User explained. ¡°Projected energy offered by the System to its worthy Users through alien means. With the right tools or technique, I''m sure one can accomplish simply miraculous things with it! Sadly, its effects seem minor without an appropriate focus. Though I have used it to charge some System devices and once to light a candle.¡± ¡°Heavy stuff,¡± said Bruce thoughtfully. Derrick couldn''t tear his gaze away from where the ghostly glow had been. It was the most impressive thing he''d seen since the System arrived. Sure, he could heal faster and punch harder, but this was the first example of science so advanced it was indistinguishable from magic he''d seen. Real alien power in the palm of a User''s hand. That brief sparkle was the glow of hope. He wanted it. He needed to figure out how to get Manna. He''d already run into Users with weapons that could use it, so it couldn''t be that hard to unlock if so many weapons used it. Perhaps the Support System wasn''t just being a dick when it refused to give out real sci fi weapons. If Manna was the equivelent of batteries to the System, he had the sneaking suspicion that it would be necessary to unlock manna before he could use any of the System''s real weaponry. ¡°Any idea how a Fighter would unlock it?¡± ¡°Sorry, no. I know nothing about how one would unlock it without theStudent role.¡± said the older man with a sincere pout. ¡°For all I know, at a certain level, it''s unlocked forany Role.¡± Figures. Earning more titles seemed like the only thing he could do. Perhaps a higher ranked role? Again, he could only aim for more titles for that. He doubted he could easily upgrade his proficiencies at this point. The Indian gentleman frowned. ¡°I feel like I owe you more answers,¡± he said. Derrick considered this. There were many questions he could ask this exceptional User, the answers to which could be the difference between life and death. He knew what he needed to ask and it was... ¡°What is the System,¡± pondered Bruce, stealing a chair and adopting the classic thinker''s pose. Fuck, that was a much better question than his. Derrick instantly forgot what he was going to ask and listened intently. ¡°Ah! What a insightful question. Right to the heart of the matter!¡± the older man responded with traces of wonder in his voice. ¡°I can''t begin to answer that question fully of course. From what I''ve learned, no living creatures remembers. Well, except maybe some of the Scourges. If they even bothered to remember. At its simplest, it is a construct. A series of rules and processes with massive resources and infrastructure behind it.¡± Aarav visibly gathered his thoughts before continuing. He was taking the question very seriously. ¡°To understand the intricacies of the System, you need to understand at least the basics of the Scourges. The last few days have taught us that the universe is a very dangerous place. It is competitive and unforgiving,¡± he slowly replied. ¡°What people have yet to understand is how old it is. The challenges we face now have existed and spread for countless millennia, if not longer. No corner of the galaxy is untouched by the Scourges. What mortal species can compete against creatures that have fought and spread since the stars were young? Empires and grand alliances rise and fall in their shadow. Mortal existence and strength is nothing against their eternal hunger and patience. They are older than historyand rule worlds beyond counting. They desire nothing but to spread, survive and conquer without mercy.¡± At that dire pronouncement, Aarav pouted and once again gathered his thoughts. ¡°To fight them, it takes a force just as timeless and untiring as they are.¡± he continued. ¡°So the System was born, created millennia ago to match the Scourges by channelling the will and resources of numerous sapient species. A rigid and independent force that could draw strength from sentient life and yet operate on the same time-scale as the Scourges do. Growing in strength by saving worlds and adding them to its supporters, it transcends the cycles of growth and ruin that rule mortal life. Offering them the power to compete both psychologically and technologically, to fight back, in return for a commitment to save other worlds in turn. Allowing sapient species to transcend their petty foibles and fight back against the monsters that rule the universe. A force for universal harmony and a path to transcend the boundaries and weaknesses that plague the citizens of the cosmos. ¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Aarav shrugged. ¡°That''s the official story anyway. Take it with a grain of salt I suppose, the truth is always more complicated than story.¡± ¡°That was pretty complicated,¡± said a skeptical Bruce. Derrick agreed. That was a lot to take in all of a sudden. He tried to take this info dump and frame it in a way that he could understand, it was all kind of overwhelming. It was hard to insert an existence as small as himself into a scene that large. ¡°Anymore questions?¡± asked Aarav. ¡°Actually, were looking for someone. Goes by Blake. Probably a prisoner?¡± said Derrick after a few seconds of contemplation. He''d love to contemplate the mysteries of the universe and his place in it, but the longer they took to find him, the more time Greta had to throw obstacles in their way. He''d had enough of that already. ¡°Oh, you''re in the right place then.¡± said Aarav, matter of fact. ¡°They''re probably in one of these rooms, I noticed they lock from the outside. Very inconvenient for me. Good luck.¡± They asked if the Indoan wanted to come with them but he just smiled and shook his head. The two would be rescuers gave their goodbyes and moved on. Moving to the next room that his Auril pulse had told him was occupied, Bruce once again easily annihilated the door. This time they got a very different greeting as Bruce made his entrance. ¡°Oh, fuck. There''s noredheaded friend is there?¡± exclaimed Blake. Cringing, he tried in vain to shield himself from falling pieces of door. He failed because his four limbs were tied to bed posts and he was naked. Derrick instantly shielded his eyes and stepped behind Bruce. That was probably why Blake didn''t seem to recognize him. Bruce however charged into the room and to the foot of the bed. ¡°I''ll tell you whatever you want to know!¡± exclaimed Blake in a panic as helplessly he watched the larger man approach. ¡°Good,¡± said Bruce with a heavy nod. ¡°Where is Blake Demnol!¡± ¡°What?¡± asked a very confused Blake Demnol. ¡°Where is Blake Demnol!¡± ¡°... Right here?¡± A long second as Bruce considered the bound man in front of him. ¡°Perfect,¡± said Bruce and dramatically clenched his fist. ¡°Mission complete.¡± A finger left his fist and pointed at Blake. ¡°You''re safe now little man,¡± Bruce said with a satisfied grin. Derrick relished in watching a stunned Blake consider the last few seconds of his life with extreme bewilderment. ¡°What is going on?¡± The blond User asked carefully. ¡°Who are you?¡± As funny as this was, this seemed like a good time for Derick to interrupt. ¡°It''s a good thing you kept an eye open.¡± said Derrick with a cocked eyebrow. ¡°Someone might have caught you with your pants down.¡± The bound User''s eyes took in the sight of his ally. For a second, obvious relief showed, it was quickly replaced with annoyance however. ¡°Fuck you. You''re a terrible wingman.¡± returned a naked and bound Blake, recovering his normal attitude with admirable quickness. Who let a little thing like being tied naked and helpless in front of strangers stop them from being cocky? Not Blake. ¡°Untie me so we can get the hell out of here.¡± Blake was bound by defectively weak looking silk cloth. It was easy enough to untie him but the cloth resisted even Bruce''s attempts to rip them. Some System material? Did someone actually spend the points to request super tough bondage gear? He considered stealing them but someone would eventually ask why he even had something like that. That was not a conversation he wanted to have. Once free, Blake quickly rushed to dress himself and still wearing just boxers and a shirt, checked the hallway. ¡°When I get my hands on those...¡± Blake started before words seemed to fail him. ¡°This was low. So very very low. Fuck this political shit.¡± ¡°Political shit?¡± asked Derrick with morbid curiosity. From his few minutes talking to Greta, she seemed to have some kind of grudge against Blake''s family. As well as ambitions that he didn''t really understand and frankly wouldn''t be interest in at all, if she hadn''t inserted herself in his life in such an annoying fashion. Derrick could hear Blake''s teeth grind together. ¡°She has to think I''m some kind of political rival. My fucking family used to be VIPs in this city. Apparently they all died in this hotel... good. I was being groomed to be some kind of heir until I fucked up and Kate...¡± Blake stopped and considered the last word he''d said. Many different expressions moved across his face until it finally settled on anger. Derrick could relate. ¡°I want my sword,¡± Blake said slowly and calmly. ¡°I''d rather not escalate this,¡± stated Derrick with iron certainty. ¡°I''m for sure not going to start a bloody melee. Me and Bruce here, managed to fight our way here past a dozen minions but knives were never drawn. I think Greta or whoever she works for, is trying to keep this controlled, which is in our favour as well. Fancy space sword or not, all it takes is one gunshot to the head to put us down.¡± Blake hesitated for only a second before sighing and nodding. ¡°We can''t just run,¡± The blondman said with uncharacteristic seriousness. ¡°They won''t stop and we can''t fight them and the Scourges at the same time. They''ll find a way to stab us in the back. ¡± We? A part of Derrick rebelled from Blake''s familiarity. He''d never been a team player before. That same part of himself told him to walk away. I was a stupid part of himself though. It was far too late for that. Even if we wanted too, he simply wasn''t strong enough to survive on his own. The first Vanguard level foe would slap him down. He didn''t want too either. Life had gotten horrible and messy. Part of that mess was how it had tied him to others in ways that the clean and safe life before the Scourges had never managed. He was not sure he liked it but he had to admit it was true. ¡°I will not surrender the dance floor so easily,¡± added Bruce and squinted menacingly. ¡°Its like, mine by right of conquest.¡± ¡°Who are you again?¡± asked Blake. ¡°Bruce,¡± supplied the large User and offered the smaller man his hand. They shook and seemed to reach some understanding. ¡°He''s an ally from my first mission,¡± Derrick informed. ¡°I like how he thinks,¡± said Blake. ¡°This Greta person, set up this whole scene to play up her name and establish her brand. We should steal her thunder, go back and make it clear that this is our party now.¡± Derrick was not an expert on parties, that didn''t sound like how parties worked to him though. He said so. ¡°Maybe they don''t,¡± said Blake as he fixed his hair. ¡°I''ll tell you how I work though. When I am lied too and cheated, I do not slink away into the fucking night. Maybe they are willing to shoot me for whatever bullshit they are pulling here. They''d better be, because nothing less than that is going to stop me from going out there, getting a drink and having a good time.¡± Blake turned and looked at Derrick. ¡°Thank you for sav... helping me.¡± He said with more genuine warmth than Derrick thought he was capable of. ¡°Leave, if you need to, but this not something I''m going to run away from.¡± Unfortunately, it seemed like this was important to Blake. Derrick considered his options and found they were all pretty shit. Either he abandoned Blake, potentially destroying the trust between not only him and Blake but Kate as well or he risked his life in some kind of ill conceived pissing contest with a determined woman of unknown but not insignificant resources. His thoughts were interrupted as they passed the room that Aarav had been in. It was empty. Interesting. Greta was going to be mad at them. Madder anyway. Meh, he was still, far more scared of facing the Scourges without Blake and Kate than he was of Greta. ¡°Fine,¡± Derrick said. ¡°But you owe me.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± stated the Blonde User and the three of them returned to the hotel''s restaurant. Immediately upon returning to the bar, much to Blake''s amusement, Derrick exchanged fist bumps with a drunken biker. He would have been much happier about that if Bruce wasn''t immediately mobbed by attractive women. The larger man soon had them laughing and hanging off his arms as he flexed with superhuman strength. Derrick took a second to reflect on the unfairness of life. People were so so shallow. Just because he wasn''t a muscular giant and his face was covered in cuts and scars, he didn''t get any appreciation. Weren''t some woman into that? Watching both Derrick ad Bruce, Blake just snorted and made his way to the bar. The bar area seemed safe enough. An Auril pulse told him that no one lurked in any nearby rooms, ready to pounce on them. So, he sat a seat away from Blake and grabbed a couple beers. It seemed safe but he wasn''t letting Blake out of his sight, he decided to amuse himself by drinking, watching Blake strike out and fooling around with Auril. He noted that it seemed to take around two minutes to replenish enough Auril Energy to send out a pulse. He experimented with his implant to see if he it had a way to measure Auril. It was easy enough to bring up general notification.
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer Role: Fighter Level: 1.4
Titles: Ambitious, Emergency Activation, Scrappy, Counteragent, Auril Pioneer
Traits: Curative Blood (D) (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Combat Drug Package (F) (Offensive) Crude Quantum Awareness (F) (Survival)
Successful USS combat missions: 2 (Currently on Mission)
USS Points: 374
He concentrated on feeling Auril energy while contacting the System Implant. What if he...
Proficiencies
Advanced Melee Has Advanced skills with melee weapons. Capable of holding his own against multiple human level opponents.
Basic Scouting Has Basic skills in battlefield awareness and scouting.
Basic Handguns Has basic skills with handguns. Probably not going to shoot himself or his allies.
Basic Auril Energy Has Basic skills with Auril Energy. Can feel and crudely manipulate it.
Nope. That just brought up proficiencies. He wasn''t discouraged, he was a programmer and the System was a machine. He would just throw technical commands at it until something worked. Request Received: Enigma values added to profile. And done. Wonderful. He wondered what it meant by Enigmas. Did the System not actually understand these forces? He brought his profile back up.
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer Role: Fighter Level: 1.4
Titles: Ambitious, Emergency Activation, Scrappy, Counteragent, Auril Pioneer
Traits: Curative Blood (D) (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Combat Drug Package (F) (Offensive) Crude Quantum Awareness (F) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 7.2 Auril Style: None Active Auril Skills: None
USS Manna Pool: 0 USS Manna Skills: None
Successful USS combat missions: 2 (Currently on Mission)
USS Points: 374
Derrick took a second to bask in his new profile. Sure, he didn''t have a single trait over D rank and no skills or whatever a Auril Style was. What he did have though was four traits and room for growth. Just knowing that there were Auril Skills and Styles was great, he was definitely going to be experimenting with those. On that note, he brought up the description for his Auril Heart.
Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) An organ that greatly increases the amount of Auril energy in the Users body and allows limited control over it. Unfocused Auril energy increases vitality of Users and allows the use of Auril Battery devices.
So, not a lot to go one but some hints there. The trait desridption mentioned unfocused energy so maybe he needed to control and focus it to create a style? Perhaps his Auril Pulser could be helpful, was it possible to learn to use Auril Pulse as a skill and not through the item? Other than that, the only Auril ability he''d even heard of was using it to stun on contact. That seemed both more dangerous and harder to practice. Hey, so stand still and I''m going to randomly shove alien energy into you, hoping so stun you. Tell me if your heart stops beating OK? Derrick found his thoughts interrupted as someone sat down on the seat next to him. He slid a beer in that direction. ¡°As promised,¡± he said and nodded at the middle aged biker woman he''d met mid bar fight. ¡°You looked like the kind of kid that keeps his word,¡± The raven haired user said. ¡°Drink up, I''ll bet you''ve had a long day.¡± ¡°Who hasn''t?¡± asked Derrick, ignoring the kid comment and taking a long drink. ¡°I''m Derrick by the way and I''m pretty sure I owe you a bigger favour than a few beers.¡± Better to get in front of the whole kid thing. ¡°Meg,¡± she replied and flashed her pointed teeth. ¡°And don''t worry about it. I didn''t really do it for you. Got a romantic soul I do. Who doesn''t love a good underdog comes out on top story?¡± ¡°About that,¡± Derrick mused and decided he had nothing to lose my spreading his knowledge. ¡°Since you helped me out, there are some things you should probably know.¡± 2.8 Dark Gifts He explained to Meg what little he knew about Auril and Manna, as well as what he thought Greta was up to. It was the easiest and probably most effective way of weakening Greta, short of hunting her down and killing her. Which he probably didn''t even have time for, even if he wanted too. All these revelations barely got a nod from Meg. She just peacefully worked away at her beer. Seemingly calm and projecting a natural confidence. He eyed the woman. She did seem like she''d seen some things. ¡°Whats the toughest thing you''ve seen so far?¡± he asked. He didn''t want to get caught by surprise later and was curious how his experiences compared to others. ¡°Your friend over there with the muscles,¡± she answered easily and wiggled her eyebrows. ¡°Don''t suppose you want to introduce me to him?¡± His annoyance must have showed on his face because she had a quick laugh at him. ¡°Sorry, you''re not my type.¡± Meg said, still chuckling. ¡°Need a little more meat on your bones. I''m a woman of large appetites.¡± ¡°You''re not mine either,¡± he said honestly but held back saying that she needed less on hers. She was good looking in a way, with strong features and smooth skin that made it hard to pin down her age. In fact, it made him wonder if the System had youthened her. That wouldn''t be a particularly hard trick compared to some of the things he''d seen done in the last few days. It would be pretty funny if humanity stopped aging just as soon as it faced massive depopulation and probable xenocide. ¡°The ''toughest thing'' I''ve seen was what the System calls a Feral Artisan.¡± She stated darkly. ¡°We took one look at it and the damage it caused and we rode away at full speed. If you see it, do the same thing.¡± ¡°Ya, I''ve heard those are bad,¡± he replied. People tended to be vague about the details though. Which only made it more worrying. ¡°What about you?¡± Meg asked him. ¡°What''s the toughest thing you''ve scrapped with?¡± ¡°Grey Legion Vanguard,¡± he replied. ¡°Fast, smart and very armored. Military grade guns and Ethisium weapons barely slowed it down.¡± ¡°Me and the boys tussled with two of them,¡± she said. ¡°The fast fuckers ambushed us as we were screening refugees entering a safe zone. Tried to run us down and almost managed it, nearly faster than our new System customs. ¡°You have System parts in your bikes,¡± he asked incredulously. That was amazing. Not to mention she''d survived a fight with not one, but two Vanguard. She aimed a condescending smile his way. ¡°Of course. As a Fighter, I can''t buy them myself but I know a Mechanic.¡± The capital at the start of Mechanic was audible. A Role then, one that dealt with the alteration and repair of machines? He hadn''t seen any signs of their work yet but he supposed they were busy keeping things running. It would be interesting to see what they would be capable of later. If technical skills led to Roles, why was he even a Fighter? Because he chose ambitious or because his programming skills were useless now that an alien AI was running everything? ¡°Huh, I''ve gotten traits mostly,¡± he said. She just shrugged. ¡°Clearly not something graceful from what I''ve seen of your fighting.¡± she said. ¡°Let me guess... stone skull? Lead feet?¡± ¡°Ha ha,¡± he laughed dryly. Their conversation was interrupted by raised voices from the other side of Derrick. ¡°... I''ve never heard that one before,¡± Derrick heard his blond ally say loudly. Both he and Meg watched as the brunette woman on the other side of Blake rose from her seat and stomped away. ¡°This is harder than it used to be,¡± Blake said with a frown. ¡°I might have overestimated how fun end of the world parties are.¡± ¡°The world isn''t ending.¡± said Meg calmly, earning herself a speculative look from Blake. ¡°Kinda seems like it is,¡± argued Blake. ¡°What with the aliens and the mass death and the breakdown of civilization. I have seen some scary shit, let me tell you.¡± ¡°I''d say our chances are fifty fifty,¡± added Derrick. ¡°Our chances are like three percent,¡± answered Meg. ¡°Humanity is a different story. You fancy boys are soft and young, you''re overestimating how important we are.¡± ¡°The System and human nature won''t let us lose,¡± Meg informed them. ¡°Even if ninety nine percent of everyone dies and the last few are living in caves. While the Scourges fight each other over the ruins, the System will be arming and training the survivors. Giving them weapons better than anything humans were capable of making anyway. The fight will probably take a thousand years and never really be over but humanity and Earth ain''t dying any time soon.¡± ¡°That''s my kind of optimism. To rising from the ruins.¡± announced Derrick and raised his bottle. There was a round of clinks and shouts as Meg, Blake, and a few randoms at the bar took up the cheer. ¡°Now excuse me boys. I''ve got a muscular Adonis to claim,¡± with that exclamation, she stood up and headed towards Bruce. There was a short silence and Derrick took advantage of it and Blake''s presence to get something off his chest. ¡°So, about your cousin.¡± he said casually. Blake shot him a confused frown. ¡°I really don''t want to talk about her now,¡± he said. ¡°Or pretty much ever, actually.¡± Yes, it was clearly a touch subject. For personal reasons and in the interest of remaining alive though, he wanted to know more about her. ¡°I''m sure she''d love to talk about you though,¡± replied. ¡°Specifically how you got yourself strapped naked...¡± ¡°Yes fine,¡± interrupted the blond User with narrowed eyes. ¡°Ask your questions. I can''t promise to have any answers though.¡± ¡°It''s just that she kind of confuses me.¡± explained Derrick. He was unsure how serious to take her flirting and her threats. Was he more likely to get stabbed or kissed? ¡°You and me both,¡± said Blake. ¡°You know about as much about the new her as I do. Best advice I''ve got is don''t ask about her past or her mysterious talents.¡± ¡°Mysterious talents?¡± asked Derrick. ¡°The rifle skills,¡± Blake replied darkly. ¡°I have no idea where that came from. As far as I know she never fired a rifle in her life. Shes always been a good dancer and fencer though.¡± ¡°A trait?¡± Derrick theorized, baffled. Could the System just give out skill? Well, why not? It certainly tracked them and if it already brought her out of a coma, why not do some work in her mind. It was odd but it wasn''t like he''d ever considered her normal. Blake just shrugged and took a long drink. ¡°Listen,¡± Blake said seriously a second later, sounding just a little drunk. ¡°Sheis the only family of mine, I wouldn''t pay to watch suffer.¡± He blinked and a strange look came over his face.¡°I can''t believe she''s back. I never thought I would get that weight off my chest.¡± He seemed to sober up instantly after that and just nursed his drink for awhile. Derrick chose not to interrupt his melancholy. The rest of the night was just small talk and drinking. They stayed at the hotel until Bruce left, Meg and another woman on his arm. After that, the two of them retrieved their weapons from the front of the hotel and left without incident. Derrick knew the System protected personal weapons but he felt relief when he reclaimed them anyway. He and Blakewent for a short drive before falling asleep in some apartment that Blake led him to. The next morning, Derrick woke up well restedand in a much fancier apartment than he was used too. He joined a hungover Blake for a breakfast of fruit and bacon. He immediately noticed that Blake was wearing his sword. It seemed that after last night he was feeling a little insecure. Blake chewed his food slowly. This wasn''t his favourite meal, but apparently this wasn''t his apartment. The blond User said that his own apartment had been burned down, along with the entire block because of Spore Tyrant infection. This place belonged to a friend, who, If he was even still alive, wouldn''t mind. Derrick kinda doubted this but didn''t bother arguing with him. He ate and listened to Blake complain about the women he''d failed to impress last night. It was almost a vacation until the System reared its ugly head.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Universal Support System
Mission Update (1) Gather your team. (2) Destroy three Spore Tyrant Nodes (1/3) Items Granted: Tyrant Spore Antidote Injector Sterilization Grenades x2
Oh hey, free stuff. Did the System have more resources to spare now or did it value his team more now that they''d proven themselves? Hopefully there was more of this in the future. He only hadthree hundred and seventy four points and he imagined things were going to be expensive later, upgrading Curative Blood to rank C cost nine hundred and seventeen points. Maybe they''d destroy both nodes today and earn some levels. Well rested, he was actually kinda looking forward to a day of hunting Tyrant Nodes. It was better than attacking an entrenched Grey Legion nest anyway. Derrick made a few calls, finding out that both Kate and Jenny were back at the User run hospital and waiting to meet up. Despite his hangover, Blake still refused to let Derrick drive. He''d basically stolen the car yesterday from an entire parking lot full of available cars but for some reason seemed possessive to it. Car people were weird. He just hoped Blake didn''t start buying System parts for it. Unless of course the System let him strap heavy firepower to it.They could use some big guns. A relaxing fifteen minute drive and they found their allies waiting by Jenny''s cruiser. Jenny looked much the same, once more wearing a bulletproof vest and a police uniform. Her hair was still tied back into a functional ponytail. Derrick couldn''t help but let his eyes linger on Kate, once again, she had changed for the better. For someone who hated hospitals, they were good to her. She had obviously gained weight, both fat and muscle and now looked like a pale runner instead of someone who had just woken from a coma. Both of them looked tired and annoyed though. ¡°I hope you boys had fun,¡± said Jenny with thinly veiled contempt in her voice. ¡°I don''t see any permanent damage anyway.¡± A night off apparently hadn''t made Jenny any less of a stick in the mud. Yes, people did need help and every second did count. Derrick was very aware of his limits however. There was only so much a human mind could take. ¡°Of course,¡± replied Derrick with a wink, before Blake could speak. ¡°Ran into some old friends that I''m relieved are still alive. It was a nice night that neither of us will ever forget. Right Blake?¡± The look their faces softened somewhat at that. ¡°Had some drinks and made some new friends,¡± added Blake quickly and astutely. ¡°Oh and we rescued a nice old man who''d been kidnapped.¡± Jenny and Kate gave them skeptical looks. ¡°I can see Derrick doing that, maybe.¡± Jenny said. ¡°Probably by accident,¡± added Kate with a toothy smile. Ouch, that was accurate enough it stung a little. But was it really an accident if he was already rescuing someone else from Greta? It was more like a bonus. ¡°Two people were rescued actually,¡± elaborated Derrick vaguely as he eyed Blake. We rescued? Really Blake? ¡°And we might have defeated an evil plot to seize control of the city by keeping people ignorant of the System and how it works.¡± ¡°But, you know whatever.¡± asked Blake smugly. Because he had played such an important part that he felt the need to gloat about it. ¡°What did you ladies get up to?¡± ¡°Well, they remembered me at the hospital.¡± Kate said. ¡°Ended up getting sedated and waking up restrained again.¡± Adorable. ¡°The doctors also remembered me,¡± added Jenny, clearly annoyed. ¡°Made me come pick her up at five o''clock in the morning.¡± ¡°You were there anyway. Volunteering and then you were just sleeping in your partners room,¡± Kate said with a shrug. ¡°He''s still not up?¡± asked Blake incredulously. ¡°No,¡± said Jenny bitterly. ¡°Apparently the System needs his consent before it will use its magic on him. As he''s beenmostly unconscious this whole time, it will only produce our own medicine for him.¡± ¡°Can''t you just steal it or mix up some paperwork?¡± asked Derrick. ¡°Won''t work, all the System''s medicine and items only works on the person it was created for.¡± Huh, that was a bummer but made sense. It would prevent theft from other Users and the Scourges. Some kind of smart nano machines? Would almost have to be for the kind of specific mutations it was creating and sustaining. ¡°It wasn''t a wasted morning anyway,¡± defended Kate. ¡°We also met some interesting people and even got one of them to make you a gift, Derrick.¡± ¡°What, why him?¡± asked Blake with sincere surprise. Both women just ignored him and handed Blake a red object. ¡°It''s a thank you gift, from both of us,¡± said Jenny and shrugged. ¡°For being a decent person.¡± That last part didn''t seem like it was aimed at him. ¡°Don''t let her fool you. You''re our hero.¡± said Kate shooting a mocking smile at Jenny, causing the policewoman to roll her eyes. ¡°Anyway, here you go.¡± She threw a curved red object at him and he caught it. He looked at the two women and felt... odd.Were they being serious? Well, he''d done heroic things. Carrying Jenny''s partner down like twenty flights of stairs. Rushing down those stairs at the cake factory to save Kate. Stairs had been weirdly prominent in his life recently. ¡°Errr, thanks.¡± he said as he looked the object over. It was a mask. A red mask with gunmetal borders and highlights. It covered the upper part of his face and looked something like an opera mask. At first he thought the eye holes were empty but no, they were actually filled with a nearly invisible material. Above each eyebrow, the corners of a two inch across pentagon rose about half an inch to a single point. The red color and the horn stubs made it look a devilish opera mask. He noticed that a silver web of lines ran around the eyes on the inside. It was clearly created by the System. ¡°What does it do?¡± he asked. ¡°It protects your face.¡± said Jenny with mild amusement. ¡°Something you seem to need all the help you can get with.¡± ¡°It''s red so your blood doesn''t show, ¡± Kate added helpfully. ¡°And the spikes make headbutting more effective.¡± ¡°That was Kate''s idea,¡± Jenny said. ¡°It''s basically an upgrade to the gas masks everyone got. Tougher and you can combine it with any basic lower mask you find and those are everywhere... Look we didn''t have that many poi...¡± ¡°I like it,¡± interrupted Derrick. It had been a long time before anyone had gotten him anything and he was touched. Even a small gift had meaning when everyone was fighting for their life. It was a good combination of Kate and Jenny''s tastes too. Functional but practical. Usually, he didn''t like sticking out but what the hell, it was a different world these days. Also it would be great if he could stop taking damage to his face. Fists, feet, exploding glass, acid, claws, the list went on and on. The biggest problem he had with it, was that now, at some point he was going to be attacked by an alien monstrosity and end up headbutting it. He put it on and grinned at them.
United Support System
Red Fighter''s Mask A custom face shield, designed to attach to basic breather masks. Provides more physical protection than an advanced breather mask. Has basic self repair and security features.
¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°Wow, that is weird.¡± said Blake. ¡°What?¡± asked Derrick. Was it on wrong? ¡°The eyebrows move on that thing, just like a normal face. It''s freaky.¡± Huh, so the silver on the underneath was probably Esthisium. That was the shape changing and self repairing material the System used when it didn''t need extreme sharpness or toughness. Or when it wanted to make sure the primitive monkeys didn''t cut each other. ¡°Well, no time for a group hug.¡± said Kate. ¡°We''ve got aliens to kill.¡± They piled into Jenny''s cruiser and at the border to the Tyrant Spore zone, restocked on Sterilization Grenades and Antidote Injectors. Then they began their hunt in the western portion of Westhills, the industrial zone they''d found the last Node in. Once again, they zeroed in on the Node by the corpses it created. At the entrance to a small parkway, underneath wilted trees, a solitary and still figure was kneeling. Seeing him, they pulled over and shouted but he didn''t answer. The reason why soon became obvious. It was a corpse. Or at least Derrick hoped it was a corpse. The kneeling figure wore a smile and seemed... fresh. Huge solid black eyes bulged from a face that was a very unhealthy yellow colour. To his side, a dropped knife of System origin sat. Derrick slipped on his breather mask as they stared at it. Not even Kate made a move for the knife. The whole scene made Derrick wish he had a flamethrower. ¡°I think the Node is that way,¡± Blake said unnecessarily and pointed down the rotting path. ¡°I think we should go a different way,¡± said Derrick as he took in the leafless trees that lined the path, strings of yellow fungus hung from them and purple growths swelled from their trunks. ¡°Agreed,¡± said Jenny. ¡°The last Node was large enough that leafless trees wouldn''t hide it. Let''s take a look around first.¡± Kate just frowned. Having just recovered from an infection, she was clearly reluctant to take a stroll into that deathtrap. ¡°Fungus doesn''t like direct sun,¡± pondered Derrick aloud. ¡°I don''t think sunlight is going to solve this problem for us,¡± said Jenny. ¡°Look, if it was a giant blob just sitting out in the open, the System could just spot it from orbit or something.¡± Derrick said. ¡°The last node was hidden from view, that wasn''t a coincidence. It needs food and it needs a place to hide.¡± That got him some nods. Jenny brought up a map on her phone. The parkway was one entrance of three that connected to a stream surrounded by parks. Somewhere in that parkland or possibly next to it was the Node. A quick drive around the area let them track the boundaries of the infection. ¡°There''s nothing here,¡± Jenny mused as she looked over the map. ¡°Just trees in the middle of the infected zone. Could it be underground?¡± ¡°Really?¡± drawled Blake as he ran his eyes over the map. ¡°You people all have the same problem. You''re thinking like drones. Worse, like boring law abiding suburb born people.¡± ¡°Here,¡± he said smugly and pointed to a mostly unremarkable piece of highway. ¡°It''s under this bridge. That''s why it''s not in the middle of the infected area. It''s spreading downstream, you idiots.¡± Ya, that made sense. Derrick was ignorant of exactly how Spore Tyrants spread, it did make sense that they could spread faster with a delivery system like flowing water though. If they could filter the water, it would be a constant supply of nutrients as well. ¡°So the question is, how do we approach?¡± asked Jenny. ¡°The road above seems safer but we know concrete doesn''t actually make much of a difference and it''s the obvious path.¡± ¡°I don''t think it matters how obvious a route it is,¡± added Kate. ¡°I talked to some people at the hospital about their experiences. I don''t think Tyrant Spores are smart enough to position defences tactically. They seem to just spread them out around themselves evenly.¡± ¡°That''s good for us,¡± added Blake. Perhaps the entire point of what they were doing was preventing the Tyrant Spores from becoming smart enough to use tactics. They were really only manageable as long as they were stupid and could be pushed back with flamethrowers and poison gas. ¡°So what?¡± asked Blake incredulously. ¡°Basically we drive until tentacles block the road, hack our way through them tothe Node and drop some Sterilization grenades on it?¡± ¡°It worked before,¡± said Derrick. It seemed to him that doing nothing and getting left behind by the ever growing Scourges would be as fatal as doing the wrong thing. No one had a better plan, so once again they just went with Derrick''s. Derrick was finding leadership both easier and more depressing than he''d thought it would be. His greatest skill seemed to simply be an open mind rather than any kind of charisma or genius. Following his plan, they drove to the highway they guessed the node was hiding under. As soon as they exited the on ramp and made it onto the highway, a weird itch on the back his neck caused him to turn. Fuck, Derrick thought as he saw a pickup truck flying straight at his side of their car. He knew instantly that nothing he could do would stop the inevitable crash. ¡°Brace your..¡± he got out, before he was swatted into unconsciousness. 2.9 Scavengers Move, his instincts screamed at him. If only it was that easy. He was in unexplored highs of the pain scale. He opened his eyes and mostly saw only his own bloody arm pressed into his face. He vaguely recalled shielding his head and wondered if it had made any difference, he did have a mask now. The first problem he faced was that his seat belt was pinning him against the depressed side of the car. A few seconds of blind flailing failed to unbuckle him. Thankfully, he did find the knife Kate had given him and manged to cut himself free. The cool handle of the gift, and the easy snap of the seat belt really helped quell his panic. The second problem was that no one else was doing better than him. Which was bullshit, he should be the worst off by far. The strange itchy sensation returned, noticeable even through the pain. Wincing, he turned to see a grey hand reaching towards him through the broken window. No, not towards him. The car door was ripped off and a grinning grey face peered inside the car. It got a knife in its neck for its trouble. Then, Derrick swivelled in his seat and brought his knees to his chest, before sending his feet into the Grey Agent''s chest. With a mouth tasting of blood, Derrick grinned as the Agent flew. Super strength was exactly as fun as it seemed in movies. Sadly, that wasn''t the only Agent. Two others had helped it rip the door off. They grinned back at him, undeterred by their ally flying past them and leaving a trail of grey blood through the from his neck as it flew. He couldn''t hide a wince. That had hurt, his hip and ribs were not OK. He could ignore it though, at least for awhile. Dodging grasping hands, Derrick rolled out of the car, gripping his axes in one hand. He usually wore them on his back, but that wasn''t comfortable when sitting. His roll took him right past his enemies, so he rose to his feet and quickly turned to face them. One of them lunged at him with a knife in hand but immediately lost that hand to an axe swipe. It just gave him an annoyed look before trying to tackle him, while its ally stepped back and raised a pistol. Derrick simultaneously let an axe and foot fly. The axe flew from his hand and took the shooter in the collarbone, while the foot smashed at the charger''s knee. The shooter went down but his friend shuffled and took his weight off of the knee Derrick had targeted at the last second, preventingthe Agent from taking any real damage from Derrick''s kick. A knife snaked out at Derrick''s forearm but he pulled back out of the way. This one was good, he noted silently, as good as him anyway. His weapon was shit however. Derrick knew he''d win this fight. A mundane knife was no match for a Esthisium axe and if he needed to, he could lash. He stepped in and swung again, his strikes unblockable. Inhumanly fast, a knife came at his body but he batted it aside with his hand, ignoring the shallow cut and driving the blade of his axe between ribs. He kicked the agent down,freeing his axe and brought it down on the fallen agent. He winced as the axe dug deep into flesh with a squelching sound. He was still not totally used to brutality of this level. He smiled. Then frowned. That had been fun. Even afterwords, with a messed up hip and bleeding cuts, he felt only enjoyment and a deep sense of satisfaction. Nothing moved as he limped to retrieved his thrown axe. Good, he wasn''t sure how much fight was left in him, weird punch drunkenness aside. Enemies dead, he looked over the scene and swore loudly to the deserted streets. Fuck the Grey Legion. Their plan was as simple as it was effective. Using their inhuman toughness to weaponize car crashes. It had almost worked on him and he was higher level User with healing traits. He looked over the wreckage where his allies were still, he felt a wave of panic overtake him. It was as unexpected as it was overpowering. A deep despair that emptied his lungs and filled his mouth with acid. All gone, as if struck down by the hand of some wrathful god. Everything shook as he fought to even stay standing. ¡°Still alive,¡± Derrick hissed and drove a heel into the ground to prevent himself from falling over. It took several brutal seconds before he regained normality. A black grin grew on his face. A twitching mockery of a smile. He almost had to laugh at himself, apparently he was bipolar now. That had hit him right in the trauma. Some Auril bullshit had clearly made things worse too, it had been years since he''d had an attack like that. He stepped towards the smashed police cruiser. It had seemed like a powerful impact at the time but the side of the car was only a little dented. Likely the Greys were holding back. They didn''t want people dead after all. Car crashes were chaotic things but he guessed his allies would walk it off. That attack had caught them by surprise but Users were tough. He was just lucky there had been only three... Once again, he felt that strange sensation. Like something was pulling at him but without clear direction? Fast as thought, he unleashed a pulse of Auril energy. Instantly, he felt the shape of something living right behind him. Something that felt brighter than anything he''d felt before and it was moving through the air at right him. He dropped down and swung upwards in a move that looked like break dancing. He caught a grey blur as it soared through the space he''d occupied half a second ago. He noticed with dismay that the axe bounced off it without leaving more than a kinda deep scratch. The blur landed a half dozen feet away, turned and snarled at him, revealing a complete lack of eyes and a mouth full of daggers. The shape was different but he recognized the grey armor and lack of eyes. It was a Legion Vanguard, one made from a dog instead of a person. He slipped a glance at where his friends were still in the vehicle. He heard movement but no one was ready to jump to his defence. Joy. Last time, it had taken three heavily armed Users to take one of these down. Now he was wounded, probably alone and had less tools at his disposal. He hadn''t even bothered to bring a Tangler, he''d stupidly thought they wouldn''t be useful against the Tyrant Spores. On the bright side, now he was two levels higher and had a new trait. Guess he was going to see what that was worth. He eyed the creature and began to circle it. If he was going to hurt it, he either needed to hit it really really hard or just really hard on the joints of its armor. It was no doubt much more agile than him though, so the best bet was a strong defence with a strong counterattack when it committed to an attack. It would probably try to dodge and absorb a weak hit so it could get through his defences and take him apart. Literally. The two of them circled each other, neither seemed to be in a hurry. Derrick just hoped it was actually wary of him and not waiting for reinforcements or something. With no warning, the Vanguard charged him and Derrick lashed. The boost gave him a shot at hitting hard enough to end the fight. Anything less than a killing blow and things would go downhill fast and he had no faith in a direct contest of speed. Luckily, he had a plan. The barfight yesterday had taught him a few things about fighting, like how much stronger he was now. He grabbed the door the Grey Agents had taken off his ride earlier and swung it at the Legion Vanguard. The dog had speed but he had weight. The User hit the creature solidly with the door and the Vanguard scrambled against it for a second before being sent flying backwards. Derrick let go of the door and followed it, hoping to exploit a moment of weakness. No such luck. The armoured canine recovered midair and touched the ground only for a second before coming back at him just as fast as the first time. As the eyeless creature propelled itself at his lower body, Derrick feinted with his left axe, hoping to distract it. Still no luck. It ignored the strike, knowing that it was too weak to pierce its defences. His second strike at the leaping creature was better, but still a failure. It pierced its armour without doing any real damage. Luckily, he could use the momentum of the strike to deflect the dog to the side. With only fractions of a second before its teeth tore into him, he enacted his backup plan. He didn''t have a Tangler handy but thankfully his laziness had assured that he had brought something else. He dropped his axes and spun out of the way, his now empty hand grabbed something from his waist and slapped it onto the Vanguard''s back before they spun apart. Razor sharp claws carved into his thigh before travelling upwards and failed to penetrate his armored undershirt. He successfully managed to dodge the teeth though, that was the important part. His next part would go badly for everyone if the dog was latched onto him. Luckily, his move seemed to confuse the dog, allowing him to increase the distance between them. He was now even more injured and weaponless but he smiled at the Vanguard. ¡°I bet you wish you had opposable thumbs.¡± Derrick said as lash faded. Too bad that, he''d of liked to see this in slow motion. A small circular object was stuck to the mutant dog, not even close to the reach of its paws. The dog considered the device for a second before the shaped explosive cut it in half. Ahh fuck, he''d been standing way too close to that explosion. So loud... He''d have been really embarrassed if that hadn''t worked. He just hopped he didn''t'' run into any fortified doors now that he was out of breaching charges. The axe wielding User heard a noise from behind him. He tried to Auril Pulse but felt it fail. He was still low on Auril power. He spun and saw another Vanguard dog sitting on top of an abandoned car. It made no move towards him. Even though it had no eyes, Derrick could tell it was watching him intently. How smart was it anyway? Could it tell how he''d killed the last one or that he was out of breachers? Once again, Derrick heard noise. This time it was welcome however, it was swearing and it came from the cruiser. Multiple voices too. Derrick wasn''t stupid enough to look, but his allies, it seemed, would soon join the fight. The dog''s ears perked up and it lunged towards... its allies corpse? Derrick wasn''t sure what was going on there, but he wasn''t going to have any of that. It was his kill. He was proud of it dammit. ¡°Bad dog,¡± he said with stern disapproval. It ignored him and stalked closer. A loud crack rang out and the canine mutant flinched. ¡°This is bullshit,¡± Kate said angrily after seeing her shot just bounce of the creature. Seeing as how it was useless, she dropped the rifle and moved behind Derrick, a Esthisium knife in each hand. ¡°Plan?¡± asked Derrick hopefully as he puffed up his chest and twirled his axes, trying to look threatening and hiding how much pain he was in. Sadly, that was his entire plan. ¡°Charge it,¡± Kate suggested a she moved beside him. ¡°While it''s mauling you, try to hold it still so I can stab it.¡± Derrick really wished he could think of a better plan than that. ¡°Oh, and try to avoid taking damage above the neck and below the belt,¡± she added with a flutter of her eyelashes. ¡°For my sake.¡± ¡°Don''t worry gentle lady, I''ll protect you.¡± Derick boasted caustically. ¡°And also the doctors from another visit by you. I''m sure they need time to design special restraints for you.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Truly, you are everybody''s hero.¡± deadpanned Kate,. They were talking to each other but her eyes, like his, were focused on the their canine enemy. That alien killing machine watched them banter silently before confidently padding towards them. It instantly moved from confident swagger to full charge, becoming a grey flash. Derrick moved to intercept, swinging an axe with all his strength. Anything less wouldn''t even cause it to flinch. He, of course, missed.The Vanguard was much faster than him. He prepared for pain but just when it was about to rip into his calf, it instead pivoted and threw itself to the side. From the corner of his eye, he saw the edge of knife change direction and disappear. It seemed Kate had his back. The threat of her strike had forced the Vanguard back. The enemy''s movement was just slow enough that Derrick could swing his other axe at it, forcing it to dodge even further away. Momentum was his friend. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward and reversing his first strike, struck again. A hit, if barely. The armored canine spun with the blow, taking no real damage beyond a scratch. He swore that if he survived this, he''d carve these tough bastards up and make armored pants out of them. Kate stepped out from behind him and struck again. Too slow. In slow motion, he saw the dog position itself to counter the knife. It opened it''s mouth and with inhuman speed, twisted to bite at Kate''s offending wrist. That would take her right out of the fight. Not to mention the resulting struggle would probably kill them both. He had no confidence in forcing the monster off of her once it had latched on. Precision wasn''t really his thing. So, he kicked it in the head just before it could bite her. That seemed to catch it by surprise, his heel impacted the side of its eyeless head and for a second it seemed stunned. Then, like quicksilver, it dodged a knife strike and retreated, taking with it, a small chunk of his calf. ¡°Mrghhhh,¡± he exclaimed loudly, in too much pain for real words. ¡°That was stupid,¡± Kate commented dryly. He shot her a look of pure venom. He''d only done it to prevent worse from happening to her. She ignored him and moved to the front. ¡°Stay behind me,¡± Derrick said, angry and in pain. Kate gave him an unimpressed look. ¡°No,¡± she said before turning towards their enemy and grinning. ¡°You struck too soon, wasted the opportunity .¡± Wait. Had she purposely tried to sacrifice her own wrist? To give him the chance to land a heavy blow? Only he was allowed to do something that stupid! ¡°You could have died,¡± he hissed in disapproval. A bite to the wrist? Nothing he''d learned about Users suggested they couldn''t bleed to death. ¡°I''m not afraid of dying,¡± she commented to Derrick almost casually. ¡°I''m afraid of not living, of not being worth remembering. So, ya. Stay behind me.¡± Derrick felt a wave of anger flow into him, at Kate, the Vanguard and himself. How dare the Vanguard hurt him and threaten the people he cared about. How dare Kate acknowledge that hurt. How dare he allow himself to be hurt. The worst part was that he couldn''t argue with her. He should have never shared things about himself with her. There was no time to argue now anyway. He moved up beside her and settled into a balanced stance. Without her eyes leaving their target, Kate half stepped back to his side. From his position beside Kate, he saw a flash of pearly white teeth from her. The dog seemed like it would try them again, at least until a quieter gunshot rang out and the canine Vanguard spasmed as a bullet slammed into its armored throat. The bullet didn''t penetrate but this time it did leave a spiderweb of cracks on the grey plate it had hit. Derrick watched it turn and growl at the bullets source. A somewhat battered and bloody Jenny stood beside the cruiser in a classic shooters stance. The legion dog considered her for a second, turned to look at the melee duo and then broke into a sprint towards Jenny. Derrick swore and chased after, knowing right away that he wouldn''t make it. The dog was easily twice as fast as any human had ever been. The ex cop User didn''t flinch though. She just steadied her aim and quickly emptied her clip into the charging animal. When it was just a few metres away, Jenny let off one last round and the dog collapsed bonelessly at her feet. Only then did she take a deep breathe and Derrick saw the color drain from her face, fear catching up with her. She seemed like she might be hyperventilating a little. His first instinct was to check up on her but he''d been snuck up on too many times today. Instead he slowly examined his surroundings for more surprises. Nothing. Good. ¡°Fuck this shit,¡± yelled Blake and angrily cut a corner off of the pickup that had hit them. The blond user had just made it out of the vehicle and seemed angry he''d missed the fight. Jenny had regained her calm. She was in a shooter''s stance and eyeing the surroundings warily. ¡°We clear?¡± she asked and relaxed a little when Derrick nodded. Unless a Grey agent was hiding in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle, they were alone now. Fight over, the System threw some notifications at him. Scouting Proficiency Upgraded (Advanced) Melee Proficiency Upgraded (Expert)
Titles Earned
Multi Killer I Kill three Scourge enemies in under twelve seconds without using disposable tools. + 50 USS points.
Nice. Apparently the Systemwas impressed by that last fight. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jenny was also reading something no one else could see. That fight had been short but rewarding, the entire thing had only lasted like a minute but had felt much longer. Auril pulse seemed like a cheat ability for scouting proficiency. It was like scouting at the press of a button. Good thing his instincts had been so... Oh, right. That wasn''t instinct, it must have been that weird trait. Quantumsomething was it? It had certainly came in handy but that was almost luck. Looking back, he probably only noticed the ambushes because his allies hadn''t been looking at him. It was a weak sensation. It seemed like a trait for loners and that was just suicide. Maybe he could upgrade it later. The fifty points gave him four hundred and twenty four points now. Well, every little bit helped. Harvest and Return Vanguard Auril Heart to Support Station for rewards. Derrick eyed the armored corpses. Well, he definitely wanted ¡°rewards.¡±Needed them to stay alive in the ever evolving hellscape that was his reality now, was more accurate actually. Harvesting an Auril Heart seemed like a lot of work though, messy too. Auril was his thing though, and even a small chance he could learn more about it outweighed the grossness. So, what was he even supposed to be looking for? Where did he start? An Auril Pulse, luckily, showed a single spot in the dead creature''sbody where the Auril energy encountered resistance. He was no super scientist but that seemed as likely a spot to look as any. Five minutes of messy work tearing through grey flesh with his Esthisium knife and he''d extracted a hard red object the size of a ping pong ball from the right side of the dead Vanguard''s chest, opposite from where the heart would be. Getting it out had proved tough, he''d had to stop several times to prevent himself from throwing up and the things flesh was tough. He''d needed to cut all around the heart to get it out, even a single hairlike thread attaching it to the creature was too strong for him to pull apart. He held it in his hand and felt the strangest sense of welcoming familiarity. Like an old friend patting him on the back. A steady rhythm that seemed to pulse with his own heart. His fingers twitched involuntarily. With a shudder, he shoved the bloody stone in his pocket and sighed with relief when the feeling quickly faded. That had been super fucking creepy. He shuddered again, so creepy. He was going to have to be careful with those.
Universal Support System
Grey Legion Vanguard Auril Heart A weak Auril organ grown for Grey Legion Vanguards. Danger: may contain a incomplete version of the Grey Mandate (Vanguard) style. Limit exposure for your own safety. Contains traces of the valuable resource Aurilin.
Aurilin A rare and limited resource that greatly enhances the amount of Auril energy in living things. A necessary component of Auril Hearts. One of the few resources valuable enough to worth sending by Injection.
Grey Mandate, eh? He''d guess that ''style'' was what he''d felt when he touched the Auril heart. No wonder it''dfelt familiar. His implant had been used to sample that same Auril Style earlier. It had been way too familair for the just something he''d just ''sampled'' though. The sensation had been almost intimate. The System called it dangerous but clearly even Users were supposed to have a style. All his Auril really gave him so far was the ability to use his lesser Auril Pulser. What better way to learn more about styles and Auril than studying one? It''s not like the System was giving him a better option. Or he could sell it. How many points would he get for it? Wait... did this mean that his Auril heart was worth points? If he died, would the System send other Users to rip open his chest and recycle it? Also, he''d been robbed of the Auril Heart from the last Vanguard his group had killed. He wondered who had walked away with that little treasure. ¡°Eating what you kill?¡± asked Blake as he walked up to Derrick and the canine corpses he''d taken apart. ¡°Ha ha,¡± replied Derrick. ¡°The System says parts of this thing are valuable. So, while I like dogs, I like points and staying alive more.¡± Jenny had joined them and he saw her frown with disapproval as she took in the sight of him covered in grey fluids. ¡°You want a heart for yourself?¡± he asked, the second one was her kill. He''d be happy to get it for her. ¡°No, it''s fine.¡± she said weakly and looked away quickly. Then hesitated for a second before continuing. ¡°I wouldn''t mind my bullets back. A couple were Esthisium.¡± Derrick absently nodded and got back to work. Weird, you''d think a cop would have a stronger stomach. She did seem like a dog person, maybe that was the problem. When he began cutting open the second dog, he noticed that there were only three bullet holes in the creature. Either Jenny had missed a few shots or she''s managed to shoot the same spots several times. Remembering the look of cool concentration on her face as she aimed, he would bet it was the second one. Getting her to join the team had been a good call. Maybe he should get her a and Kate a gift? Retrieving the Auril Heart went a lot faster the second time, he finished in under two minutes. The bullets just took another minute after that. There was a loud screech from nearby, causing him to jump up to his feet and ready himself for another attack. After a second of panic, he relaxed. It was just Kate, carving her way into a locked minivan. Her knife cut through glass like butter and in a second she had the minivan unlocked. The minivan was the most undamaged vehicle on the road around them. The rest looked like they''d crashed, whereas the minivan sat undamaged at the side of the road. After a few seconds,she had pulled a swollen corpse out of the drivers seat and onto the road. It had clearly died of Spores and was eaten enough that Derrick couldn''t make out the sex. Mask on, Kate leaned intothe vehicle and the engine started for a second before she turned it off again. ¡°It has gas,¡± she said. Apparently, the driver had the good sense to pull over when the alien fungus began eating him from the inside out. ¡°We can sterilize it with a grenade.¡± ¡°We could look for something else,¡± suggested Blake, clearly not impressed by the blue vehicle. ¡°It''s at least, a good hours walk to the Node,¡± Jenny added acidly. Derrick would guess she wasn''t happy about the fate of her cruiser. Or his desecration of the Vanguard dog. ¡°And that''s just where we think it might be. Getting out of the infected zone on foot takes three hours on top of whatever we spend looking. We can''t afford to assume we''ll stumble on something cooler to drive.¡± Kate didn''t wait for them to come to an agreement, she just tossed the grenade into the vehicle. Blake sighed but didn''t argue any further. Once the last of the smoke had faded from the vehicle, Jenny took the wheel and the group continued on their way to the Spore Tyrant Node. It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. Oh it was there, hidden under the bridge just like Blake suggested. The defences though were almost too easy to defeat though. Auril pulse showed exactly where the Tyrant stalks were and Blake''s blade cut through any attackers before they could make it out of the ground. His new sword swept through asphalt to destroy the stalks below without even slowing. Using Auril, Derrick could tell a huge mass of life was hanging from the underside of the bridge. So, not trusting the bridge not to be one giant trap and careful to avoid the buried stalks and patches of orange slime, they left the road just enough to get a view of the node. It was a huge bulbous orange mass the size of a school bus with hundreds of thin tendrils hanging down into the water. This time Derrick and Kate took care of it, they just threw some sterilizers and watched the Node slowly die. There wasn''t even any Sporelings to force them to retreat this time. It was almost too easy really. You are now level 1.5!
Universal Support System Database
Spore Tyrant Node (D) A nerve centre created by Tyrant Spore infections to manage resources and fight resistance to their infection. Sub sentient, they are the most basic of minds. Their destruction prevents local infections from creating more sophisticated defences and is a vital part of defendng challenged worlds.
Universal Support System
Mission Update Destroy three Spore Tyrant Nodes (2/3) Bonus Mission: Investigate Unknown Injection Bonus Mission: Scavenge Nonfunctional Support Station
Bonus Mission Details
Investigate Unknown Injection The Universal Support Systemhas detected an unauthorized Injection into the nearby area at 11:32:29. Its source appears to originate from System controlled space. All unauthorized Injections pose a risk to native life and should be investigated. Requirements: Lv 1.5 Advanced Scouting Proficiency
Scavenge Nonfunctional Support Station A Nearby Support Station has been overwhelmed by Spore Tyrant Infection. Stations contain resources that should be salvaged if possible. Requirements: Lv 1.5 Reinforced Esthisium weapons
2.10 Pull of Greed ¡°Bonus?¡± asked Jenny. ¡°What does that mean,is it justoptional?¡± "It has proficiencyand weapon requirements," Derrick answered. He then explained a bit more. ¡°I don''t like it,¡± said Kate with narrowed eyes. ¡°Seems dangerous and we already know we can only grow levels so fast. Isn''t the System supposed to be winning? How did it lose a Station?¡± That was a little worrying, even the winners took casualties in a war though. ¡°There could be sweet extra loot,¡± supplied Blake. ¡°A chance to get our hands on some real equipment. Rayguns and jet boots, not knives and pistols. Besides, we can take everything around here. I can cut through any Grey Legion or Tyrant Spores that are dumb enough to attack us.¡± ¡°As long as they don''t hit you with a car,¡± said Kate dryly. ¡°Or just shoot you,¡± added Jenny. ¡°Guns seem to be everywhere these days. I''m surprised those agents didn''t have more than one little pistol.¡± Derrick considered these new developments and felt... greedy. If you could be greedy for security. Maybe that was just desperation? The party last night had shown him that he was ahead of the curve for power among common Fighters. Not by much though, and he was still just a Fighter, still just fodder in the war between Scourges and the System. A thousand Users just like him had died in this city alone since the Scourges had arrived. Taking one of these missions would be a risk, of course. Everything was risky these day. He was very aware of how close he''d come to death from the crash ambush, just a few seconds slower waking and the entire team might have been taken by the Legion. The thing was, that wasn''t going to change. As long as he was a Fighter anyway. His best hope lay in changing his role. The Scourges were going to get more dangerous and the missions were going to keep coming. Getting stuck without the prerequisites to unlock a new Role could easily be a death sentence in the long term. Besides, no choice offered real safety, if any such thing existed in West Hills, and he didn''t think his team would choose that path anyway. Civic duty, arrogance, curiosity, ambition, they all had something that drove them. Concentrating on a bonus mission let Derrick feel a pull from the distance. For the scavenge mission, he''d guess about three kilometres away, toward the centre of the area the Tyrant spore had claimed. From the top of the bridge he looked out in that direction. It was away from the still dangerous rotting woods, which was a plus. Just a maze of roads, warehouses and factories in that direction. The Injection site was even further in the same general direction. He wasn''t really sure what was out that far. Could be outside the city entirely. ¡°We should scout them out anyway,¡± replied Derrick. ¡°Auril Pulse makes us hard to ambush and it''s not like we have any clue where to find the next node.¡± ¡°You seem eager,¡± commented Kate. ¡°It''s a bit unlike you.¡± ¡°He found his confidence on the dance floor last night,¡± interjected Blake with a grin. ¡°I''m surprised you didn''t lose yours,¡± returned Derrick before looking back to Kate. ¡°Just getting used to things, I guess. This seems like a good chance to earn some real rewards. We could really use them.¡± The list of things they could use was endless, the list of things they could afford was short. ¡°How do you figure,¡± asked Blake. ¡°We seem to be doing fine.¡± ¡°Compared to who?¡± interrupted Jenny, her voice dripping venom. ¡°Weare doing great, for four random people recruited off the street. A special forces team could walk over us with even being Users though. We''re half militia, half clean up crew, not any kind of elite soldiers. Derrick is really the only one of us thats gotten anything good from the System until now. Before the Scourges, the force would have killed to get their hands on that Auril Pulse and just look at that last fight with the Legion. How useful were you great swordmaster?¡± ¡°I could take him in a fight,¡± said Blake seriously. ¡°I''d say you''re a glass cannon,¡± commented Kate, amused. ¡°But for that to be accurate you''d need to be able to hit at a range. You''re a glass knife. One hit in a fight and you''re dead. Derrick was smart enough to see the need for armor and he''s like five times as tough as you are at this point.¡± The blond User scowled at that but didn''t argue. He was good but he''d also been lucky and he knew it. ¡°Until now?¡± asked Derrick, having caught the emphasis she''d put on those words. ¡°Oh, umm.¡± mumbled Jenny, embarrassed all of a sudden. ¡°I got the Straight Shooter title when I killed that Vanguard. For killing an advanced enemy with a basic handgun before level 1.9. It comes with a lot of points and the Lesser Manna Core trait.¡± ¡°Nice,¡±Derrick said. Vanguard seemed good for granting titles. He''d guess they counted as advanced enemies only barely, probably because of their use of Auril. ¡°Straight Shooter is you''re nickname now, it''s just too you.¡± said Blake, earning him a annoyed glance from Jenny. Derrick could tell from the lack argument that she wasn''t too opposed to the nickname though. ¡°Regardless, neither me or Jenny stand a chance if a Vanguard or similar enemy get close to us. Even Derrick got lucky that last time.¡± Kate continued. ¡°We can''t hurt them at range either, not with the weapons we''ve got now. The safest thing to do would be to kill the last node and upgrade our stuff.¡± She clearly didn''t like being toothless in a fight. Not that Derick could blame her. It would be great if he could get a reinforced axe too. There were problems with that plan though. ¡°I agree,¡± he said. Kate had good points and he really didn''t want anyone to get hurt from taking stupid risks. ¡°But we don''t know where to look for the next Node and just wandering around the city is dangerous too. Besides, these missions are on a time limit. First come first serve, we just happen to be among the first to get to level 1.5. Who knows how common Bonus missions are? We should check out the scavenge mission at least. It would make sense for there to be a Node nearby.¡± No one could argue with that. So while that got him a few scowls pointed his way, they piled back into the minivan and Jenny drove them towards the scavenge mission. This section of the city was deserted, they passed only a single group of fellow Users, so it didn''t take them long to arrive at the mental beacon''s location. It was gas station on the corner of an intersection. They stopped well away from it however and proceeded a hundred feet deeper on foot, signs of Tyrant Spore infection were everywhere. It spilled out of cracks in the street''s asphalt, thick yellow and orange tendrils that looked like roots. Sewer lids had been lifted as they swelled from below to form barriers across the street and wrap around street light posts and walls. Not one, but two cars had been lifted into the air by mature stalks and Derrick could make out a dozen festering bodies strewn across the intersection. It looked like a war had happened here, one the Tyrant Spores had won. At the centre of it all, right beside the corner gas station, was a dark and silent Universal Support Station, half hidden under a giant pulsing mass. It looked like a giant fat starfish covered in thick toothlike armor had attached itself to the station. Dark red liquid oozed out of gaps in its armor plating and sent wisps of smoke into the air when it fell onto the concrete below. ¡°This seems a little more dangerous than just going after a Node.¡± Kate said, her eyes scanning the scene carefully. ¡°I really want a bigger gun before we try this.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Lob some grenades and see what happens?¡± asked Derrick. He was reluctant to fight his way through a couple hundred metres of fungal jungle. Who knows what surprises this atypical infection had for them? ¡°I feel it''s important to mention that 1.5 is the minimum level required to attempt these missions,¡± interjected Blake. ¡°I doubt we are the first to that level, which means they either passed it up, or died trying to do it.¡± That was a fair point. Also uncharacteristically self aware of him. Well maybe not, Blake put up an arrogant front but he''d been competent and wary enough to survive the Grey Legion before the two of them had met. That apartment had been a killing ground for those Users who actually thought themselves invincible. ¡°Reconnaissance complete,¡± Jenny said sternly. ¡°Lets either find that Node or go back to a working station...¡± Derrick stopped listening. His quantum sense was tingling, strongly too. Before it had been a weak enough sensation that he could only have felt it only when someone new looked at him, and only when no one else was. This was different. It was like a weight pushing down on him, brushing aside the weaker feelings he got from his allies awareness. ¡°Somethings here!¡± He shouted and drew his axes. What though, and where was it? An Auril pulse identified everything living around him for over a hundred metres. Yet, the only things he saw were his allies and thin Tryant Spore ''roots'' beneath the ground. ¡°What is it?¡± calmly questioned a wary Kate, her rifle ready and pressed into her shoulder. ¡°I don''t know,¡± he replied. ¡°But something is watching us.¡± ¡°Fucking wonderful,¡± said Blake as he scanned the area with a hand on the pommel of his sword. ¡°This better not be some Predator, invisible enemy bullshit.¡± Several seconds passed and nothing happened. No one spoke though, or showed any sign disbelief in his warning. They all stood warily, ready for anything. Almost anything. They were not in fact ready for an artillery strike. Despite Derricks warning, it was the System that saved them.
Universal Support System
Warning: light artillery fire spotted in your area. Suspected Spore Tyrant source, immediately seek solid shelter and take anti infection precautions at soonest available time. Area threat level revised upwards. Limiting area to level 1.8 and above. Please leave the area at the first safe moment. Thank you.
Oh fuck. His eyes immediately snapped to the doorway of a nearby car dealership and he began to run. Luckily, it was the only nearby building larger than a bus stop shelter, so the entire group broke into a sprint towards it at the same time. The last thing they needed was to get split up. A series of explosions informed him that their team had begun running at exactly the right time. A flying tire informed him that they were lucky they hadn''t tried for the minivan. It was couple of steps before he noticed that something was stuck in the back of his leg, having gone right through his pants. A quick glance showed that it was a yellow spike that was slowly worming its way deeper into his flesh. Driven by disgust, pain and fear, he began hopping on one foot while trying to rip it out of his calf. It was horribly painful, but he managed to rip it out and throw it away. It burned to the touch, and left a welt. ¡°Check yourself!¡± he yelled. ¡°Acidic Shrapnel Worms!¡± His hopping had slowed him down enough that he was at the back of the pack, letting him check the others for hits. He didn''t see any. No wait. He sprinted forwards and ripped twoof the worms out of Jenny''s bullet proof vest. He wasn''t willing to bet that they wouldn''t eat their way through in time. Jenny jumped when he touched her but seeing what he was doing, gave him a appreciative look. She raised her pistol and fired a couple rounds through the glass door of their destination. It cracked just in time for Blake to shoulder check his way through. The rest of them quickly followed and didn''t stop. The front of the building was a showroom two stories tall and made of glass. They needed to get to the offices at the back of the building. There was a deafening explosion from behind him, it hit him mid stride, knocking him down and pelting his prone form with broken glass. At least he hoped it was glass. A hand grabbed his and dragged him to his feet, he was somewhat surprised to find it was Blake but immediately concentrated on running. The both of them scrambled over a car and through a door that Jenny was holding open. The entire group made it safely into a cement corridor with an entire floor above them. They moved down it and into a large office, one with small windows to the lobby and the back of the building. Out of immediate danger, the group checked to see if anyone had been hit. While the front of the building was glass, the rest of it was concrete and steel. They should be safe for now. Though, Derrick noticed that the feeling of being watched hadn''t dissipated. ¡°Well, weare fucked.¡± said Kate seriously andcollapsed down on top of a desk almost casually. ¡°Maybe there''s a working car in here?¡± offered Blake. ¡°We could wait for it to forget about us and then make a break for it?¡± There was a sullen silence as all considered the odds of that working. ¡°It''s watching us right now,¡± informed Derrick. ¡°Well, I can tell it knows where I am anyway.¡± Perhaps he should have phrased that in a way that didn''t encourage his allies to leave him behind. ¡°How?¡± questioned Jenny. ¡°Can you tell?¡± That was a very good question. Could he? ¡°Give me a minute,¡± he responded and sat down on the floor, adopting a classic meditation pose. He was new to the whole superhuman powers thing, so he just tried to make himself more aware of his Auril Powers. He''d made some failed basic efforts to sense and manipulate the new power between fights, but never really sat down and gave it his all. He could feel his Auril Heart sending energy into his body. It formed a very basic pattern within him, like a circulatory system except for weird energy instead of blood. He let his mind follow along its path, carrying his awareness along with its flow. It didn''t seem to do much. It just went around and around in circles. A river splitting into a hundred tributaries but always returning to its source. Curious, he tried to manipulate it. He had mixed luck with that. While he could kind of divert the flow, it always snapped back into the original shape as soon as he stopped. Again, his crude manipulations didn''t actually do anything. This was getting him nowhere. He concentrated on the feeling Quantum Awareness gave him. That was supposedly Auril energy too, just harder to find. Where did the elusive sensation come from? The System gave very little information to its Users about anything, it did however mention a ''weave''. He concentrated on trying to find something like that. There it was! He could feel it wrapped all around his body, like a second skin made of very fine tendrils of Auril energy. They were small enough that he could barely sense them. He began to try and perceive them better and startled when they rippled. A few seconds later they did it again. What was causing that? Almost immediately, he found out. Steady, like waves crashing against a shore, foreign Auril energy was hitting him. Even when it was inches from his skin, he could barely perceive it. It surged up from the ground and acting like his own Auril pulse. That must be relaying his location back to the Node, allowing it to target them. ¡°Not good,¡± he said. ¡°It''s a magic mushroom.¡± ¡°You better have more than that for us,¡± announced Blake from his position sitting in the corner. ¡°If you made us watch you meditate for an hour just for that nugget, I will stab you and take my chances fleeing.¡± ¡°An hour?¡± Derrick exclaimed, surprised. It had felt like just minutes to him. Note to self, never practice with Auril unless somewhere safe. Losing himself in a trance could easily kill him. Kate cleared her throat, sending a clear message that Blake wasn''t the only person short of patience in the room. ¡°It''s using Auril, doing the same thing I do,¡± he explained and frowned. ¡°But honestly, a lot better. I don''t think we can hide, its has a network of roots below us that are tracking us.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± hummed Jenny and played with her ponytail. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. ¡°We could zigzag our way from building to building until we escape,¡± she continued with obvious doubt. Derrick hadn''t really been paying attention but the buildings in this area were few and far between. Most of the space was open street and parking lots, that was a lot of ground to flee across. ¡°We don''t know what were up against here,¡± Blake said. ¡°Mortar range is about six kilometres but considering this is alien weaponry, we can safely assume its probably longer than that. That''s a lot of zigzagging.¡± Everyone seemed a little surprised Blake knew that, but the situation was serious enough that no one commented on it. ¡°Escaping doesn''t seem to be an option,¡± Kate said reluctantly. ¡°That only leaves taking out either the mortars, the node itself or its ability to track us.¡± Everyone looked to Derrick. ¡°What?¡± he asked nervously. ¡°Can you tell where the enemy fire is coming from?¡± Jenny asked. The problem with having an alien and powerful detection ability was that people had unrealistic expectations of what you could do with it. ¡°Maybe, if we moved around a bit,¡± he replied reluctantly. He could try and follow the buried tendrils to their common source. That might work? ¡°We need to move,¡± said Blake with urgency. ¡°We can''t stay here.¡± The others nodded, leaving Derrick no choice but to nod along. He was pretty tired and still sore from the crash and ensuing fight. ¡°The closest building is the furniture warehouse,¡± Jenny said. ¡°We should try for it.¡± ¡°Not likely to be where the Node is,¡± added Kate. ¡°No real food source. We''ll just have to take it one building at a time.¡± The team dashed out the back door and tried to zigzag their way across the three hundred meters of manicured lawn separating the buildings. It was a wasted effort, no shells fell. Which Derrick didn''t like. He was missing something. Why wasn''t it defending itself, beyond a few stalk traps. All he could think of was this was a trap of some sort. He tried to ask his allies but they were focused on getting to the next building. Fair enough, he had kept them sitting around for an hour. The front of the furniture store was already broke. Very broken, it looked like something bigger than the door had forced its way out of the entrance. As soon as he got near it, he smelled carrion. Luckily, his mask kicked in a second later and removed the smell. Ughh. Great. No doubt that stench was the previous idiots that rushed into this fight. They quickly sprinted into the front room full of shopping carts. Derrick stopped to check the surroundings but his allies kept going. Annoyed, he jogged after them and entering the store proper, paused and beheld a great and glowing flower, perched atop a pyramid of rotting human flesh. 2.11 Tyranny He stood behind his frozen allies and gagged. In the center of the store, hundreds of bodies had been dragged together and were being slowly devoured by the invading fungus. From eye sockets and burst rib cages, yellow tendrils wove through the pile. Atop it, a pillar of tendrils held a red orb with white fungal frills all around it. As it pulsed and glowed ominously, he could feel it watching him without eyes. Derrick tried to say something and found that he couldn''t. His body was was no longer his to command. He felt pure fear and despair overcome him. Yet, only for a second before that too was smothered by some outside force. He fell to his knees and after a few seconds of gagging vomited across the floor before stilling. How had he not noticed? It hadn''t just been watching them with Auril. It had been infecting and controlling them. They''d been drawn here, just like very other corpse in that pile. He could feel it now, the alien invisible Auril tendrils reaching inside him and destroying. Nothing so crude as violence, but the cold annihilation of his very self. Every thought of resistance, every attempt at resolve was crushed inevitably and permanently. Piece by piece, memory by memory, it was damaging his mind in ways he would never recover from. His basic auril abilities offered some resistance, but that only made it worse, forced him too feel it. His Auril was simply too basic and uncontrolled to do much good against this absolute monster. With his basic Auril senses, he felt it tear apart his very being and couldn''t muster the will to resist. His heart would simply stop soon, he knew. It would be slow but inevitable for his entire team. The monster was in no rush, in would watch them die slowly over days. Bodies turned off like toys by the cold will of some alien monstrosity. His Auril channels flickered, spurred slightly by that thought. It strained to take some new shape and he found the motivation to try and move. He flopped forwards, his forehead landing in his own vomit. A sigh escaped his lips. It was futile, even with that surge, he had only barely had the energy and resolve to propel his limbs around like a broken puppet for a second. What good would that do? There was nothing that could help... He flopped on his side as he tried to slide a disobedient hand into his pocket. It took a few tries but eventually his fingers wrapped around something small, hard and round. Nothing happened, he was still slowly dying. Meh. Still face down in his own vomit, he frowned. There was something. It felt like footsteps behind him... or whispers? Weirdly it also could have been barking? He couldn''t tell what it was, it got under his skin though, coiled there and repelled the lethargy that attacked him. One footstep became a dozen, became legion. It grew louder and closer and he felt his Auril power responding to every step. It tasted like acid but he desperately embraced it, trying to fill the emptiness in himself with whatever he could take from the stone. The changes were small and temporary but even that helped, seemed to confuse whatever Spore Tyrant process was destroying him. He tried to gather his strength and fill the emptiness inside of himself. His will ebbed and flowed until a shiver ran up his hand and into his brain. ¡°Stand and die on your feet,¡± something alien whispered in his ear and he felt phantom fingers grasp his shoulder. Automatically, he pulled himself up from the ground and his hand twitched, almost starting a salute. That change had been neither small nor temporary. Something dangerously cold and alien had wormed itself inside him. He''d take it, considering the alternative. Spur, he commanded his implant and a wave of drug fuelled strength entered his limbs. He got a couple of steps but most of the energy faded quickly, leaving him better off but still helpless. His arms were heavy at his sides and it took all his concentration to stay standing. His weakness had to be entirely mental or Spur would have worked. He needed to use Auril to fight back. How though? I am both programmer and Auril Pioneer, Derrick thought and concentrated. I can do this. He gripped the bloody stone in his hand so hard it hurt. He tried to will whatever was empowering him from the stone into himself faster. Nothing happened. So, he switched tactics. What was Auril Power? An energy, created by an Aurilin based device that interacted with living bodies and as the last few minutes proved, living minds. If pumped into a body, it naturally formed channels and flows, allowing limited manipulation through mental commands. His guess was that styles were an artificial change to these channels and flows. Like the complicated pattern that gave him Quantum Awareness. So far, his attempts to change his flows had been pathetic and temporary. Just the plucking of strings when he needed a symphony. The stone in his hand contained a style, or at least part of one. Yet, all he got from it was a feeling and a steady rhythm. What was he missing? The only conditions he knew of, was that it interacted with living things... Life, emotion, rhythm and patterns. He tried to concentrate on these as he manipulated Auril energy inside himself to match what he blurrily felt from the Auril heart he''d ripped out of a Vanguard. The first thing he noticed was how patterns and rhythm helped. Trying to just force a flow of auril to change didn''t work, but moving a few together or alternating quickly was more successful. One needed to be in the right frame of mind as well, something he was having trouble with. His mind was still... damaged. It was hard to feel anything but tired and hopeless, so he raised his hand to his mouth and bit until his teeth ground into bone. The pain helped, things became clearer and Auril manipulation easier. He was quickly picking up the art of it. Too slow. This was pointless. ¡°Fight anyway,¡± his new shadow whispered to him and caused him to shiver. ¡°Exact your life''s price.¡± He knew these words were not be trusted, they were not really his. But what choice did he have? He could not imagine a fate worse than the one before him, to be invaded and reduced to nothing at all. Yes. They were not his truths but he could learn from them. ¡°I am alive,¡± he spoke to himself and felt his Auril stir. Encouraged, he continued, stoking the fires. ¡°Life doesn''t fucking die on command.¡± he said bitterly and with growing defiance. ¡°It will bite, howl, claw and kick until the last beat of the heart, no matter how much greater the enemy. That''s how life works, dammit. That is law, red and savage.¡± By the time he finished speaking, the apathy was gone, replaced by a simmering rage. This was wrong and he would fix it. He threw himself forward, far beyond caring if he fell or tripped over soem corpse. He needed to move, to tear this thing apart. Worse than trying to kill him, It had offended him to his core. A stalk shot out of the ground and speared towards him, he dodged and seemingly by luck manged to avoid injury. Another soon followed and again it missed. Now he was at the edge of the pile of bodies. Without a second of hesitation, he began to climb it. His fingers fought for purchase in decomposing flesh, cold and disgustingly soft. Until at last, he stood before the great pulsing orb and swung. He hit and grinned maniacally as spongy flesh was parted. The entire thing shuddered as he cut it apart. Good, he hoped it was in pain. All of the pain. Forever. He swung again and again, cutting through the glowing red orb and the fungal frills that covered it. Eventually the monstrous bulb thing died, growing still. At that point he''d shredded it, reducing it to a sagging sack of oozing flesh. When he was done, hestood drenched in red and white fluids, panting heavily from having spent every last speck of his energy. He felt a tiny sliver of energy replenish and used it to reach into the gooey corpse and rip out a small stone, this one only a tiny bit bigger than the ones he''d taken from the Vanguard. He was careful to shove it in his pocket before it could influence him. The System threw some notifications at him but he dismissed them and turned to his fallen allies. They lay unmoving where they had fallen. He threw himself to his nearest ally, Kate and stabbed her with an antidote injector. It took him a couple seconds to scrounge up injectors for Blake and Jenny. God, he hoped he wouldn''t have to carry them out of here. He checked them all for pulses and was relieved to discover that he''d killed that fucking flower in time to save them. Nothing to do but wait he supposed. He needed at least one awake to try and move them. He brought the notifications back up.
United Support System
You have created a new Auril style. Ranking... Rank (D) Style, Red Law confirmed and recorded. You are the 12th Human from Earth to adopt a Auril Style. You have unlocked the title Auril Pioneer II. You are now level 1.6! You have reached the Level Cap. Level locked for 2.3 hours to prevent damage from excessive modification. Fighter 1.6 has unlocked the Basic Combat Drug Package (E) trait.
Titles Earned Auril Cultivator: Adopt an Auril Style +100 USSP Auril Pioneer II: Be among the first 100 members of your race to unlock Auril Energy and adopt an Auril style. +300 USSP Scrappy II: Destroy two types of advanced enemy before level 1.9 with only a basic melee weapon + 3 Auril Capability
Red Law (D) An Auril style that grants regeneration and Auril defences. An imitation of Grey Legion''s regenerative abilities allows the rapid healing of wounds that human bodies are not normally capable of healing, such as regrowing extremities or organs. This places a high level of physical stress on the cultivator however, requiring already greatly enhanced healing abilities and large amounts of Auril energy. This style grants an adaptive and subtle defence against Auril. Subtly repulsing foreign Auril energy without needing the direct control of the style''s cultivator. An effective means of avoiding detection against weak Auril detection. Red Law''s Auril defences requires the Quantum Awareness trait to work fully. Bite, howl, claw and kick until the last beat of the heart
Mission Complete + 530 points for successfully destroying 3 Tyrant Spore Nodes + 100 points for earning Auril Cultivator title + 300 points for earning Auril Pioneer II title + 3 Auril Capability for earning Scrappy II title Return to Support Station to spend points for vital rewards!
Minor Siren Node ? An advanced Spore Tyrant node that uses powerful and subtle Auril abilities. It uses these abilities to draw in and disarm mobile resources. If it gathers enough Aurilin, it can extend its reach for miles. Networks of them have covered the entire surface of planets in defensive Auril projections. A mid tier intelligence, it can grow and command more advanced defensive mutations.
Wow, OK. Was that flavor text under his style? He hoped no one could see that. It was clear his ordeal had made him a little delirious and.... dramatic there for a second. The entire thing felt like a dream really. The weight of apathy giving way to what was basically a berserk rage seemed unreal to Derrick, the average programmer from Westhills. That he''d dosed himself with Lash probably wasn''t helping. He felt... tingly and not in a good way. Those rewards were no dream though. 400 points from titles alone. Nine hundred and thirty in total. Plus some Aurilin, which was nice. He was assuming that would make Red Law stronger. That name sounded dumb even in his head. Why couldn''t the System let him name his own damn style? Not that he had any idea what he would call it. Also, 12th? Really? Eleven people had beaten him to adopting an Auril style? He''d basically stumbled right into what he needed to create the Red Law but eleven people had beaten him to it. He sighed, it wasn''t a small world world after all. One of the bodies next to him stirred and sat up. ¡°You''re covered in horrible ooze,¡± said Jenny, mildly confused. ¡°And... vomit?¡± She quickly checked herself and was obviously relieved when she found herself mostly clean. Derrick watched her heave, causing her to take off her mask. ¡°What is that smell.¡± She said before turning around and seeing the small mountain of sprouting corpses, vomited into her hands.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Derrick winced and pulled their allies away from her and each other. Well this was going to be fucking lovely. Blake was next. He managed to stumble a couple feet before emptying his stomach. The blond sword wielder was quiet as he recovered. He looked at Derrick when his name was called but didn''t respond. There was a empty look in his eyes, it was frankly disturbing. Kate, worryingly, didn''t wake at all. Didn''t even move, beyond a few tremors. Concerned Derrick checked her pulse and was relieved to find it strong. She just wasn''t waking up. He slapped her on the face, to no effect. He looked to Blake but he just shrugged and sighed. The creator of the Red Law frowned, they had no time for this. Jenny had recovered, so he took advantage of her confusion and got her to throw Kate onto his back. Once they began moving, a stumbling Blake followed along. Head on his shoulders, Derrick heard her mutter in her sleep. ¡°Can''t breathe. Save me,¡± she whispered in his ear, her voice laced with such fear that Derrick stumbled. That was... unexpected. He frowned and winced, she must be having a nightmare. One about her past. Fuck that fungus. He wished he could kill it again. ¡°I will,¡± he replied after a second. ¡°I promise.¡± He reached behind himself and patted her on the head. He felt her relax. He guessed that had helped? His instincts kicked and he quickly withdrew his hand, just barely avoiding a bite from the unconscious woman. How did she even get her mask off? He sighed, he was going to have to keep an eye on her or he''d lose an ear. He saw Blake reach over and reattach it without comment. Both of his allies seemed at a lose for words. Well, he was too. All of them pale and stumbling, they reached the entrance to the store. Immediately, Derrick used an Auril pulse to detect stalks and found none, it did warn them that something was coming for them. It crawled across the lawn towards them, just slightly smaller and slower than a small car. It was the white starfish creature they had seen when they first arrived. The many limbed thing scuttled towards them at high speed, twisting and turning without a clear front or back. It didn''t seem to be able to control itself well, it scattered them by barrelling right through their group and impacting into the cement wall behind them. It stood still for a second both writhing back to life and stumbling at him. Why him? ¡°Fucking run, you idiot,¡± Blake shouted, breaking his silence and brandishing his blade. ¡°Get Kate out of here.¡± ¡°What he said,¡± added Jenny, a look of determination on her face. She drew her gun but didn''t fire it. No doubt not seeing much of a point in firing into that mass of armored flesh. What would she even aim for? As Derrick retreated, the creature scuttled towards Blake, trying to crush him with tentacles the thickness of tree trunks. Even a glancing blow would be dangerous, its tooth like armor looked sharp. Blake hadn''t had the best time the last few hours but that didn''t seem to affect him too much. His sword flashed and the creature found itself with one less limb. Like a car losing a tire, it careened to the side before coming to a stop twenty feet from Blake. Blake gave it a fearless stare. The creature seemed to consider him. It drew itself up and revealed a mouth like orifice framed by tentacles. It shivered. Blake''s tired eyes went wide and the blond User threw himself to the side, just in time to dodge something. Derrick guessed it was spitting something at Blake. The question of what was answered when, after a splat sound, a small part of the concrete wall behind Blake began melting. Derrick took a couple more steps back. With his luck he''d get that right in the face. He didn''t want to find out how much protection his mask would offer. Jenny fired four rounds into the creature, all near the mouth. A red sap oozed from the wounds for a second but she didn''t seem to have done any real damage. The monstrosity fell forwards and thrashed towards Jenny. She dodge rolled away and Blake managed to take another tentacle with a blindingly fast swing. Just seven more to go. Once it passed them again, it immediately stopped, aimed and tried to hit Jenny with a shot of acid. It missed, because all of a sudden it was missing one more limb. Blake hadn''t retreated and instead attacked, dodging tentacles while trimming it like a tree. Jenny moved closer and put a couple more bullets inside it. Apparently unhappy with being cut to pieces, the creature spat out a spray of acid in a cone instead of a bullet. Blake let out a scream as he only managed to dodge some of it, a small patch on his shoulder bubbled as acid ate through clothes and skin. He stumbled backwards, away from the monster. Shit, he needed to get in the fight. He was two hundred feet away now, would it be safe to drop Kate here? He really didn''t have choice, he kneeled down and let her slowly fall off his back. Jenny had thrown a Sterilizer at the ground by the monster and help Blake to retreat. The alien creature seemed confused by the smoke, allowing them to get away safely. At least until it backed up and spinning around the small poison cloud, unleashed another acid bullet. Shit, Derrick cursed. He was still only halfway there. Blake saw it coming as well, but Jenny didn''t. Derrick could see the calculation in his eyes as he raised his sword. Ahhh, that idiot he was going to try to... Blake deflected the acid aside with his sword. The System weapon was unmarred by the attack. The blond User''s mouth was hidden behind his mask but Derrick could see the smile in his eyes. Then the charging fungal monstrosity hit him with a tentacle and sent him flying away. Jenny turned to fire at it but it just ignored her and followed after the downed Blake. Flailing limbs pounded Blake into the ground then propelled the starfish creature towards Derrick. Derrick dodged to the side and when the creature tried to position itself with it remaining limbs for another shot, he threw an axe right into its ''face''. Acid bubbled out and burned the outside of the creature, he must have hit something important because it just thrashed in place until it stopped moving entirely. Derrick felt no accomplishment, he''d killed it too late. He moved to Jenny who kneeling beside Blake. Blake was not doing so great. Jenny had removed his mask, letting them hear how he struggled for breath. ¡°Broken ribs,¡± said Jenny with a wince and reached out to touch his throat, immediately sending Blake into a painful spasm. ¡°Probably collar bone too. He needs a medical facility.¡±
Universal Support System Implant
Multiple disabled Users detected in inaccessible region Evaluating nearby Users... Conditions declining Multiple Users at Level Cap detected Examining local resources... Initiating evacuation to nearby medical facility Users under threat. Prepare for Evac
The System did care. Now that they''d faced down the cosmic horror, it was willing to offer them a ride out of its lair. Bonus, it wasn''t going to coma him this time. He sighed and grabbed Blake''s sword. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked the concerned female policewomen. ¡°Guard these two, I''ve got something I need to do.¡± Derrick said, a brittle edge to his voice. Jenny said nothing. It was clear what he was up to, the bonus mission to scavenge components from the support station. He needed Blake''s weapon to complete it. If they just left it, someone else would claim it. That''s what happened with the Vanguard heart back at the legion infested apartment. The rewards from the mission were important. Vital. He clenched his fists, he needed to become stronger. He''d been complacent. When he thought of how those people had died back in the furniture store... He''d underestimated the Scourges and the horror they were capable of. There were really things worse than just death. Strangely this thought only made him eager to fight. A hard ball of emotion still sat in his chest from when he fought off the sirens influence. A mix of anger and a bone deep contempt, the emotions that had driven him to destroy the siren. He rubbed his chest and grimaced. He did not think it would ever go away. A consequence of the power he''d acquired. Their mission objective stood undefended. The corner where the evil starfish had been attached was warped and melted, clearly it had been using its acid to melt its way inside. Derrick walked up to the lifeless vending machine, raised Blake''s sword and struck the dead box and began to scream. ¡°Fuck you!¡± he shouted hoarsely with wide eyes. ¡°Fuck all of this! Make this easier you dumb machines.¡± ¡°Why was that thing allowed to exist,¡± Derrick hissed hatefully. ¡°It defiled my... Fuck you! This is exactly the type of shit you nuke from orbit.¡± He kicked the dead Pandora machine hard enough to hurt himself and then began to cut his way inside. Blake''s admantium blade cut into the frame of the dead station with ease. In less than five minutes, he''d hacked his way to the prize. A small cube about the size of his fist. He lowered the sword and inspected it.
Universal Support Implant
You have reached the Level Cap. Level locked for 2.2 hours to prevent damage from excessive modification.
Mission Complete + 150 points for successfully scavenging failed Support Station.
System Station Manna Core The core of Universal Support System Stations. Manna Cores power most advanced devices across the universe. Return to a working Support Station for rewards.
Low Grade Siviril A rare and valuable material. It is the foundation that advanced civilization is built upon. It is necessary for any device that manipulates Manna. Different grades have different uses.
Bleeding Mouth Behemoth (E) A tool created by advanced nodes to eat through defences. It is capable of great feats of strength and producing extremely powerful acid. One of the few Tyrant Spore creatures that are armored. Have been known to explode on death if full of unused acid.
Should he give the core to Jenny? If the reward for the core worked like an Auril hearts, it was better for someone with manna to turn it in. He jogged back to the rest of the team, such as they were and threw the core to Jenny, telling her to sell it once she got a manna core. She caught it reluctantly. Her shoulders sagging and a frown dominating her face. ¡°This is my fault,¡± she said, causing Derrick to smile darkly. ¡°It is your fault,¡± he agreed, paused, and then continued speaking. ¡°And mine, and Kate''s and the fucking System''s. Mostly though, it just is. Blame is pointless and really, kinda silly. ¡°Except for Blake. He was clearly asking for it.¡± Derrick added. ¡°I''m honestly surprised we got this far without anyone dying. We must be doing something right.¡± ¡°It''s not just Blake,¡± she answered bitterly. ¡°It''s everyone. All the people suffering and dying. How could this just happen? One day everything is normal and the next... I couldn''t save anyone. That was my job.¡± A long pause. Oh god, Derrick thought as he camr to a horrible realization. She was looking for emotional support. From him. His brain ramped up to panic mode instantly as he tried to come up with something to say. ¡°There was nothing you could have done,¡± Derrick said tentatively. ¡°You can''t blame yourself for things so incredibly out of your control. Alien invasion was not in your job description.¡± Bam. Instant leadership. ¡°That seems like an excuse,¡± Jenny said coldly, unimpressed with his answer. ¡°I failed to save anyone, letting my own partner get injured.¡± Fine, harsher truths it was. ¡°So you''re pathetic,¡± Derrick answered and sighed. ¡°Objectively useless. You''re coming at this like you made mistakes but the simple fact of the matter is that it never mattered what you did. There existed no possibility of you ever mattering during the start of the Scourging, in any real way.¡± ¡°That...¡± ¡°When we first met, I was impressed.¡± Derrick continued honestly, remembering her holed up in the apartment. ¡°You did everything you were supposed too. You were brave, selfless and dedicated. It simply didn''t matter. You were probably an amazing cop but you can''t talk down an earthquake. You can''t put a tidal wave in handcuffs. The Scourges were never something you could prevent or even mitigate. There''s a part of your brain that needs this to be untrue. It''s telling you that you could have made a difference if you were just a little smarter or faster but that is total bullshit. ¡± Jenny visibly withdrew into herself. ¡°That sounds like giving up,¡± she whispered. ¡°Then what''s the point?¡± What was the point? Derrick had never really thought his motivations out. It was surprisingly difficult to take the forces that drove him and put them into words. Also probably unhelpful, he realized after a few seconds of introspection. She needed something simple. ¡°Hope,¡± answered Derrick with a half truth and sighed. ¡°That you can make a difference in the future. You''re not incompetent, Jenny. You have made a difference for the better. Hell, even just being alive at this point is an accomplishment.¡± ¡°And you''re full of hope?¡± asked Jenny, eyeing him skeptically. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied instantly with absolute sincerity. He''d been barely alive before the Scourging he''d come to realize lately. He didn''t love the danger or the fighting but strangely enough, that small and still part of himself that generated hope had quietly kicked into high gear. Now was not the time for deep introspection into the why though. One reason was obvious though. He simply wanted to see what happened next, no matter how awful. ¡°Why,¡± asked Jenny. ¡°No, how. With all the horror we''ve seen?¡± ¡°The line between wonder and horror is thin,¡± Derrick answered serenely but with enough certainty that she knew he wasn''t going to explain more. She decided not to challenge him on that. ¡°And everyone who died?¡± She asked instead. ¡°Do we just forget about them?¡± ¡°One of the few things that made my life worth living is the idea that the dead are as free from us as we are from them,¡± he simply replied. That got him an odd look from the ex policewoman. She looked like she was going ask something but changed her mind after a second of staring at him. ¡°Well then. What now?¡± she asked and considered the dead streets around them and what horrors might be lurking in them. She seemed better, so Derrick pondered the question. Really, he had no idea. He was too mentally exhausted to consider it. His legged twitched involuntarily. Ah, that would be a side effect from Spur. Eventually that was going to run out of Spur juice and he''d probably get knocked unconscious. How was Kate going to take this? Ughh, he had no idea about that either. Would she blame herself or worse, him? He decided to not pass the time worrying and to instead look over his stats and playing with Auril.
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Role: Fighter Level: 1.6
Titles: Ambitious, Emergency Activation, Scrappy II, Counteragent, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer I, Auril Cultivator
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Combat Drug Package (F) (Offensive) Crude Quantum Awareness (F) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 7.2 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Active Auril Skills: Regeneration
USS Manna Pool: 0 USS Manna Skills: None
Successful USS combat missions: 4
USS Points: 1504
Curious and because he felt like shit, he activated regeneration. He was fascinated as he felt the Auril inside himself naturally shift and spend itself to diffuse into every part of his body. For all of a second, before it was completely spent. He guessed he felt a little better. None of his wounds had changed much though. His leg was still missing a small piece and his hip was still sore. He guessed his body was just so battered, his measly amount of Auril energy was insufficient to fix much. He manged to replenish and spend his Auril twice more before...
Universal Support Implant
Due to the eradication of most immediate threats by its Users, the city of Westhills has officially been classified as an Enclave. Congratulation on your survival! This city is the 31st Enclave. (No bonus) Phase One (Local Defence) complete. Calculating participation... (A) You have earned 170 USSP and a rank (F) trait. Analyzing User... Breathless (F) unlocked. Phase Two (Expansion) Begins in five days and eight hours. As a Fighter, your role will be on the front lines. Prepare yourself to reclaim lost resources and territory under the guidance of the System and human military forces. User ID tags now visible in Westhills. While no longer a battlefield, violence between Users is still forbidden within the Enclave. Obedience protocols will still be inacted in emergencies.
Oh, fucking wonderful. Welcome to the new phase, same as the old phase. Except now he''d be attacking even more fortified positions and have people telling him what to do. ¡°You were right. That was us,¡± said Jenny intensely, interrupting his self pity. ¡°What?¡± asked Derrick distractedly. What was she talking about. What was them? He turned to her and a small notification appeared.
User Tag
Name: Jenny Barros Title: Straight Shooter Role: Guard Level: 1.6
¡°By killing the Siren Node, we saved the city.¡± she stated. ¡°We made a difference.¡± Maybe, thought Derrick darkly. Should he feel happy? Mostly he just felt like he''d been conscripted into an endless battle against alien horrors. Also, tired. ¡°Yes. And now they''re going to reward us by sending us on a suicide mission,¡± he replied. ¡°I can''t imagine how tough the Scourges are out in the countryside. Jenny gave him a confused look. ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°I got a different message. I''m a Guard, not a Fighter, so I guess I won''t be going with you.¡± Derrick felt like he should be mad at this or at least jealous. Instead, he was glad that Jenny would be reasonably safe in the future. If at least one of their little team wouldn''t die during phase two, probably it was best that it was her. She seemed like she actually cared about people. He managed to stay awake long enough to see two armoured vehicles come over the hill, they looked like jeeps but moved silently. Did they have electric engines, he wondered and faded away just as human figures poured out of them. 3.1 Standing Out He woke up in a hospital tent, exactly the same as the last one, down to the pile of his stuff neatly arranged beside his bed and white fluid being pumped into his veins. This time he was alone and unrestrained though, which was a change for the better. He was in pretty serious pain. That was less nice. Every once and awhile his muscles would shudder painfully. Almost instinctively, he activated regeneration. He felt the Auril ability quickly kick in, reducing the pain, if only a little. He took a few minutes to just relax, noticing a notification on the edge of his awareness after a few minutes of dozing. You are now level 1.7! Thank you, mysterious white healing fluid. Maybe he could borrow a couple packs? There was no one around to ask though and he''d guess just grabbing one would end badly for him. The nurses and doctors were hardcore here. Reluctantly, he got out of bed and equipped himself. He frowned when he noticed only a single chunk of Aurilin among his stuff. It was the one he''d had in his pocket, the other two were missing. Weird. He noticed the bed next to him had a pair of broken restraints on it. That was a bad omen. Kate may be taking her cousins trampling more poorly than he would have thought. He cast a suspicious look around but saw no signs of ambush or angry doctors. Somewhat relieved, he snapped open his phone and sent her a text asking if she was OK. An answering tone informed him that her phone was in fact, still beside her bed. She''d made her escape without it. Apparently, she wanted some alone time. He felt a pang of regret as he contemplated the missing woman. Hopefully she was doing fine. If not... Well he had no idea. This was silly, she could take care of herself. He tried Jenny next. She informed him that she was doing a mission, helping survivors in the city. She invited him to help, but he could tell that both of them knew he wouldn''t. She hadn''t seen Kate but she''d been told Blake was expected to make a full recovery in a little over twenty four hours. He frowned, the band had broken up it seems. First Blake was injured, then Jenny was recruited to protect the city while he was sleeping and now Kate was missing. That really was too bad. They''d been an effective team, if pretty rough around the edges. He really didn''t want to form a new one. Good thing that wasn''t his plan. He had a different idea of how to spend the next couple days. First part of his strategy to survive the second phase, it was time to do some shopping. Upon exiting the tent, he saw things had changed once again. Firstly, a two-story building was being constructed beside the hospital. One, that was clearly of alien design. Human Users were using cranes to build steel supports for the building but parts of it were clearly growing along those beams.It reminded him of flesh and nerves growing over a skeleton. Whatever the building was for, it was clearly important. He looked around and finding a nurse nearby asked her about the building. She just replied that Administrators had asked the same question and been told it was for bringing resources in to defend the Enclave. He looked over the building but couldn''t get even guess its purpose. Secondly, once he left the hospital camp. He saw that teams of people who were probably not even Users were working to loot buildings. Loading food and essential items into trucks and vans. They had System technology masks but nothing else. This part of the city must be very safe, if they were allowing non-Users to just walk around. It was weird to see so many people walking around again. It was even weirder to literally feel their gazes on him. It made him uncomfortable. Thanks Quantum Awareness. Just what he needed, to be even more unnerved by large groups of people than ever. Ignoring the off-putting sensation, he approached one of the teams, noting the others¡¯ wary gaze and asked what was going on. ¡°Shelters are overflowing with people,¡± one of them explained somewhat reluctantly. He didn''t appear to like talking to Derrick or even being seen talking to Derrick. That was obvious by the way his eyes flickered to Derrick and back to his friends warily. ¡°It''s a waste to just have people sitting around, so they have people going out and gathering supplies.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± grunted Derrick. ¡°I didn''t think that would be a problem. City seemed pretty empty to me since.¡± ¡°The System crammedpeopele into the shelters fast. More people were saved than you would think was possible,¡± the man explained. ¡°It did an almost too good of a job saving lives. Too many mouths to feed now, so they have to stay down there.¡± "Where they don''t need to eat?" Derrick questioned. The other man seemed surprised by the question. No doubt, he assumed a User would be more informed than himself. If only. "It put them into some kind of stasis," he explained with a hint of bitterness. "Not actually frozen, in a kind of deep sleep where they are barely alive. Cheaper to feed them that way. Not that we aren''t going to have real problems with that anyway." He seemed more annoyed than worried. Like he might need to skip a few meals, not be trapped in a city full of thousands of starving people and surrounded by an ever-growing horde or alien invaders. Derrick thanked him and continued on. The man seemed relievedtohave the conversation over with. Which caused Derrick to frown. Something had been going on there. Was it jealousy, fear, or some macho thing? Meh, maybe a User kicked his dog. The fun fact that the System had stored what must be tens of thousands of people in ''stasis'' below his feet, was frankly creepy and fascinating. It was exactly the kind of solution they needed though. If there were hundreds of such facilities around the world, a lot more people would surive than he thought. With that many people saved and the support of the System, it was possible civilization might bounce back in his lifetime. He wondered if it had given people a choice in the matter. Probably not, it would have been too ineficient to explain things while the world burned. They were probably just shoved in pods as fast as possible, willing or not. It would be interesting to watch them released, assuming the city survived. His mind busy, he arrived at his destination. Once again, the Support Station had grown. A half dozen white vending machines now dominated a plaza with a metal pavilion hanging over the top. Therewas even new benches in convenientout of the way locations. Both the original store and parking lot were gone, as if they never existed. Which hardly merited a double take these days. What did though, was the Users themselves, something seemed different about them compared to the people he had passed to get here. He stared at the half a dozen Users using the Stations for a good ten seconds before he got it. They were colourful. Where the non-users wore muted colours and worn clothing, the System''s chosen seemed to have adopted acommon style. All their clothing; jackets, hoodies, heavy boots and cargo pants all were decorated with bright strips of colour. Both System made clothing and patched older clothes. They also had a pride to them that he hadn''t seen in the others. Even the non-combat Users stood tall and cocky. A side affect of gaining System access when most people were just losing everything. Well, at least his mask wasn''t going to stand out much. In fact, there was a mask vendor right there. Sitting in a little kiosk by the Support Stations with a dozen masks and a pair of coats on display. Curious he walked up to the stall. The owner of the stall, an androgynous punk wearing an actual mohawk, didn''t seem to notice him. Or anything really, he was just staring into space in a way that before the arrival of the System, would have marked you as a crazy person. ¡°Hehem,¡± Derrick cleared his throat and spoke. ¡°You make clothes?¡± The punk very slowly blinked before focusing on Derrick. A notification appeared.
User Tag
Name: Sam Willst Title: Industrious Role: Tailor Level: 1.4
¡°I''m a Tailor, yes.¡± the younger person said like they thought Derrick was an idiot. ¡°In exchange for USSP.¡± What the fuck. His role was Tailor? Derrick had the privilege of being sent from horror to horror, watching his fellow Fighters die brutally and this kid sat around and designed custom clothing? He thought this was the kid¡¯s hobby or something, not an actual Role. The System refused to acknowledge his amazing programming skills at all, but this person''s ability to design masks and shirts earned him a Role. He felt his eye twitch. Deep breaths, anger solves nothing. It wasn''t even the kid he was angry with, you couldn''t punch the System. Well, you could, but it was basically a bunch of neigh indestructible metallic boxes that would taze you. So, it was a bad idea. ¡°How much for a coat,¡± he asked. He already had a mask.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Both of these are 250 USSP,¡± the... person said. He eyed them, one was a blue blazer and the other was a grey jacket with a hood. Both were thick and padded in an almost military style. Neither were his sort of thing. Well, the hoodie might have been a couple of days ago. If he wore it with his mask now, he''d look like a rioter. ¡°Got anything that would go with this,¡± he asked and held out his mask. The Tailor''s eyes snapped onto his mask with laser focus. ¡°No,¡± the Tailor said and then smiled. ¡°But I can make something that does. Won''t even charge you extra, seeing as how I made that too, for a couple of foxy ladies. Like rawwr, but with respect.¡± the Tailor finished with his/her hands curled into claws. He was going to ignore that. ¡°Sure, sounds great.¡± he replied. ¡°Just give me two hours.¡± the Tailor said and held out his hands in front of him, framing Derrick between his fingers. ¡°Any like, requests?¡± Derrick considered the last few days and what the future held for him. He thought about the Scourges, his team and Kate. ¡°Make it stab proof please,¡± he replied. ¡°Like Esthisium knife proof. Proof against acid would be great too but blade proof please.¡± The Tailor smiled at him and nodded knowingly. ¡°The blonde right? She seemed like a real hellcat, with like respect.¡± ¡°No comment.¡± he replied, deadpan. Kid''s these days. Get off his lawn and out of his head. ¡°Use these if they are any good,¡± Derrick added and reaching into his pocket, threw a bunch of small armored plates onto the counter. They were pieces of armor carved off of Legion Vanguards. ¡°I can work with those,¡± the Tailor said with a smile. ¡°Tougher than the System''s cheaper stuff anyway.¡± A notification appeared, asking him if he wanted to transfer 250 USSP. He confirmed that he did and the Tailor settled back with a smile. No doubt doing whatever it was that Tailors did. The lucky little fuckers. Done with that, he wandered to the System Station and offered it the auril heart he still had, the one he''d taken from the first dog Vanguard. As soon as he held it out, a small round slot opened in the front of the machine. Once he dropped it in, it gave him two selling options. The first, receive an increase of 1.2 Auril Capacity. The second was just 90 points. Both were kind of a let down. Considering the effort that went into it, defeating and then carving up a Vanguard. ¡°How much are Auril capacity upgrades?¡± he asked. Not for sale. Resource limited. Sorry for the inconvenience. Huh, well that made the choice clear. He selected the capacity upgrade and after a second of humming, a soda dropped into view. Without hesitation, he opened the can and downed it. Aurilin tasted like cherries. Once finished, Derrick licked his lips and began shopping, separating the useful from the useless till he had a list of possible options. He was pleased to see some new stuff on that list.
Universal Support Station
USSP: 1424
Weapons and Weapon Upgrades
Scavengers Sidearm (220 USSP) A cheap but dependable firearm of mild power that is accurate up to 1000 meters in the hands of a skilled shooter. It''s most sophisticated system is its Forge Magazine; a device that can process metals and turn them into 11mm ammunition in seconds, ensuring it''s owner never runs out of ammo. More advanced metals such as Esthisium can be processed to create bullets with higher penetrating power that can be used on advanced threats at short ranges.
Small Weapon Reinforcement (Axe) (185 USSP) An upgrade to a hand weapon made out of the smart material Esthisium. Adds Admantium to spines and edges. It has safety, anti theft and self repair features. Weak Auril medium. Can be upgraded with a Manna Core
Minor Auril Stun Battery (160 USSP) Adds an Auril battery that stores and converts Users Auril energy into a single charge stun attack. Requires physical contact. Effects vary. May be resisted by advanced enemies. Requires Auril Heart Can be applied to melee weapons.
Tool and Equipment upgrades
Scout''s Vision (24 USSP) Add the ability to view distant objects through zoom and a night vision mode to a Fighter''s mask.
Sensor Web Hub (35 USSP) Four small passive sensors and a signal hub. Capable of identifying Scourge units and natives and reporting location through mental beacon. Gathered info will be shared with the System.
Reinforced Undershirt (453 USSP) Add a layer of Admantium mesh to an undershirt.
Traits
Breathless (F)(Survival) 124 USSP Modified blood increases oxygen carrying capacity, decreases muscle fatigue and allowing the User to hold their breath for longer periods of time. Allows cutaneous gas exchange from the neck, chest, and back, enhancing Users ability to oxygenate blood.
Basic Combat Drug Package (E) (Offensive) 200 USSP An improved gland in the spinal column that allows controlled release of powerful drugs. Increases potency of drugs. New drugs available: Weld: Stops bleeding, grants resistance to pain. Torch: Grants a burst of increased focus and expanded senses.
Curative Blood ? (Defensive) 917 USSP Defensive Trait. Modified blood cells and plasma give increased resistance and healing speed.
He dismissed the Scavenger¡¯s Sidearm, he needed something that hit harder, not at a distance. The Esthisium Barbs and Auril Stun Battery seemed unnecessary. The Pseudo Momentum Core did increased damage but worked on a battery he couldn''t recharge. A quick scan of the explosives section revealed nothing new. There were a couple new options dealing with armor though. Items that covered more skin and even the ability to reinforce existing items with Admantanium. As comforting as armored underwear would be, he just bought a coat, so he decided he didn''t want to invest the points at this moment. Boots, though... Yes that would be a good investment. He queried the System Station about armored footwear.
Universal Support System Station
System Soldiers Boots (173 USSP) Basic armored boots designed for human use. Guaranteed to fit any human foot. Carbon threads with Esthisium and Admantanium micro mesh, it has limited self repair and security features.
Sold. Honestly, he was surprised he hadn''t been stabbed or bitten in the foot yet. Between murderous alien dogs and tentacles that burst from the ground, some good shoes seemed like a safe investment. Next, reinforcement for his axes seemed like the way to go. Not only would they cut armor, but he looked forward to finding out what Auril medium meant. Having Auril was the only real advantage he had, might as well go all in. He ordered both axes reinforced, leaving him with points. He panel opened up on the side of the machine, revealing two slots that were obviously for the axes. He inserted them and a second later a familiar hum filled the air. Two minutes till upgrade completion. Really, it had taken less than that to make them in the first place. He pulled them out and took a good look at them. They were mostly the same, but had gained the same blue edges that Blake''s sword had. Derrick spun them around and juggled them, they were just a little bit heavier too. He was going to have practice throwing them now that the balance had changed. What to get next? He was eyeing the next level of Curative Blood, but his gut told him it was too expensive for what he''d get out of it. It was a useful trait for healing him overnight and keeping him healthy, he doubted upgrading would change that much. It was already good enough and unless it let him heal mid-fight, unlikely, he wouldn''t really gain anything from upgrading it. Better to spend points on some sort of goal or vision. With Blake wounded and Kate missing, Jenny was his only available ally. Yet, it was probably time for them to part ways. Auril was his goal, specifically the Red Law. The quickest path to power for him was increasing his Auril Capacity. It had started at seven point two, with the Scrappy II bonus and his scavenged Aurilin, he''d bumped it up to eleven point four. The two ways he knew to increase the capacity was the Scrappy trait and taking Aurilin from the corpses of his enemies. Both meant fighting powerful enemies but the later was easier to accomplish. Where would he even find a new type of advanced enemy? So, he was going to find and kill Grey Legion Vanguard. Not only for their Aurilin but for whatever secrets of Auril cultivation he could learn from them. His style was only rated E, that meant there was room for growth. Like, a lot of room for growth. It would probably be harder to make it worse. Killing Vanguard was less crazy than it seemed. With upgraded weapons, a few levels to pad his strength and his Auril tricks, he could match a Vanguard in a fight or retreat safely. Even one of the once human ones. It was either that, do easy missions, or just wait around for the next phase, neither of which were good options. The next time he encountered some new alien horror, he needed to be ready. Because there was no doubt he would be running into fresh horrors. He decided to purchase both the Scout''s Eyes and two sensor webs. Vanguard were tricky, and he''d need all the help he could get to find them. Besides, the scouting tools were cheap. Throw in a half dozen Tanglers and that added up to six hundred and ninety-one points. Which would leave him with seven hundred and thirty three points. Some traits perhaps? Breathless was odd. It had a really weird focus on allowing him to hold his breath longer. Which was a very a random and not very useful thing to focus on. A quick internet search told him cutaneous gas exchange was just a fancy way of saying breathing through your skin. That was of dubious value as it seemed like a very minor boost to his ability to oxygenate his blood. Probably just a fraction of what his lungs achieved. Not to mention, to use it, he might have to stop wearing shirts or something stupid like that. Which was not going to happen. He pictured himself, shirtless but wearing his red mask and carrying an axe in both hands. He shivered and drove the picture from his mind. Increasing the oxygen his blood carried seemed like a pretty good trait by itself though. Essentially Doubling the amount of fuel that his blood could hold and that reached his muscles. If it wasn''t a System trait, he''d be worried about horrible consequences. He was pretty sure the System wouldn''t cripple him by making his muscles explode or destroying his white blood cell count. He supposed he could take the next level of Drug Package. It was cheap for a trait... Sure. Even a small increase to lash was probably worth two hundred points, even if the new drugs were underwhelming. Lash had saved his life a half dozen times already. Well that was it, he''d sit on the rest of his four hundred and nine. If he unlocked something later, it would be great to have some spare points. Hmmmm. Best to check what the System recommended. That had worked out pretty well for him so far. The answer was not what he thought it would be. Well mostly it was predictable, one thing stood out though.
Universal Support System Station
System Soldiers Ration Bar x12 (65 USSP) A dozen bars designed to replace a meal while supplying the body with what it needs to level quickly. Ration bars independent effect on level cap growth is minor. Fruit mix, peanut butter and beef flavoured
Huh, that would actually be very useful. He ran into the level cap a lot. While the effect on levelling was minor, it would cement his lead on other Users in the city. That could allow him the chance to snap up any bonus missions that had high level caps. If he was lucky he might get to level two. Wait. That was it! He felt like smacking his forehead. Level two changed your Role. Oh, that was totally his goal now. Before phase two started, he was going to change roles. Who knows? Maybe the right Role would get him out of that suicide mission or ending up as some barbarian warrior wannabe. 3.2 Temptation and Meditation ¡°System,¡± Derrick called out. ¡°Do you offer a portable meal replacement that enhances level growth and muscle mass?¡± Bruce had said that he''d gotten ''sick muscle juice''. Derrick down look at himself and flexed his arm. Meh. While he had no intention to become a mini Bruce, he could use a few pounds of muscle, it would make piercing armor with an axe easier. Even with the increased strength from levelling, he wasn''t getting noticeably bigger, just stronger. Increasing his muscle size should boost his strength even more, unless some weird space magic was going on. Plus, after years of going to the gym for only minor gains, it would feel great to get a little buffer.
Universal Support System Station
System Soldiers Ration Bar x12 (70) USSP A dozen bars designed to replace a meal while supplying the body with what it needs to level quickly. Effect on level cap growth minor (7%). Customized to encourage muscle growth. Vegetable mix, peanut butter and beef flavoured
Expensive for consumables. Probably worth trying it out though. He made the purchase. Now to find some real food. Better to save the bars for when he was in the field. He''d just gotten unhooked from the IV too. It would probably be waste to eat one so soon after that. He put on his boots but stuffed his tanglers, axes, and mask into a large backpack. From what he saw earlier, it might be awkward travelling around the city as an obvious User. It was a bit of a wasted effort, a small User community was springing up around the Support Stations, with everything Users needed to function available. The Tailor was just one of many small shops. He saw a garage for Users run by Mechanics, a shop that sold cheap ammo and supplies it created from scavenged materials and a restaurant with signs that declared its acceptance of USSP points and cheap prices. Derrick headed there, passing a pawn shop that he assumed sold weapons and items taken from dead Users. To Derrick''s eye,the restaurant looked like someone had just moved into a generic fast food joint and redecorated. Derrick entered the busy restaurant and browsed the menu, noting that the food all cost two to three System Points. Which was fine with him. Curious about how everything worked, he questioned the waiter when he arrived about the owner. It turned out the restaurant was one of three just built in the city that was owned by a group of Users. Not Cooks, or anything silly like that. They were actually a diverse group of Technicians, a Guard and an Administrator, the waiter told him with a proud smile and handed him a professional level pamphlet outlining their vision and showing snapshots of their production facility. He accepted it and took in the weirdly normal scene around him. People just eating. Sure, their clothing was a little more practical and rough than he was used too, but the people seemed the same. Laughing and chatting while they ate while he sat alone. Didn''t these people know what kind of horrors walked their world now? Disturbed by the mundanity, he distracted himself by reading the pamphlet. The owners had pooled their resources to buy food growing and preparing equipment from the System and set up these mostly automatic restaurants that sold high quality food to Users as well as donated cheap food to the cities supplies. Judging by all the System supported shops, it seemed like the System was giving away advanced production technology to selected Users. That was great and he found himself nodding in approval. A civilization completely dependent of vending machines would be.... weird. There was bound to be a lot of limits on what human run machines would be allowed to produce though. Well, it was good that people were being productive. Hell, it was impressive that people had enterprising spirit so soon after the world fell apart. They were picking up the pieces of civilization. A tiny spark of something lit up inside of him. Huh, what was that? Oh, pride in shared humanity. Weird. A normal looking pasta arrived and he was about to begin digging in, when he was interrupted. ¡°How did you get such a high level so fast?¡± a cheery and feminine voice asked from behind him. ¡°What''s an Auril Style?¡± Derrick turned to see a young and fit female User looking at him with wide eyes. The brunette wore her hair in a page cut andshe wore worn jeans and what looked like an inherited military jacket. He couldn''t help but notice a group of nearby Users, cautiously watching both him and her. They didn''t seem unfriendly, just wary and soft. Derrick was taken aback by the sudden question, how did she know his... Oh ya, those tags. His level would be clearly visible and she must be able to see a description of his shown title. He should switch that out for something less attention grabbing. He squinted at her, trying to activate her tag.
User Tag
Name: Kiara Lisden Title: Markswoman I Role: Fighter Level: 1.5
¡°Four completed missions and two stays in the hospital,¡± he replied to her question, too taken aback by the unexpected social interaction to do more than tell the truth. It didn''t help that she was pretty good looking, fit but with obvious curves under her functional clothes. He did manage to stop himself from bragging about Auril, it seemed like it was a rare enough resource that encouraging people to get might hurt his own supply. Auril power and expertise was one of the safer bets for unlocking a new Role. ¡°The hospital?¡± she questioned eagerly but slightly confused. ¡°Some System foodstuffs and the IV fluid they give you in the hospital help grow your level cap,¡± Derrick elaborated. ¡°Helps your body accept the changes that come with levelling.¡± ¡°You seem to know a lot,¡± the young woman replied with a smile between shy and flirty. ¡°Me and my little group have been looking for someone with skills like yours. Play a bigger role in our missions.¡± Ahh, so this was about recruiting him. Ya, not going to happen. He doubted this group would last a day joining any mission the System sent his way. From what she said, it seemed like her group was more support than Fighters. Probably the kind of Fighters who got guard and escort duty, not sent to kill alien monstrosities in their own lairs.Stolen novel; please report. A quick Auril Pulse confirmed that no one nearby had Auril at all, never mind a style. ¡°I think we do very different kinds of missions,¡± he replied not unkindly. ¡°Besides, I''m already on a mission. You guys killed any Grey Legion Vanguards? Spore Tyrant Nodes? ¡± He didn''t even mention Sirens. Both because they clearly hadn''t and because he didn''t want to even think about those monstrosities. Being on a mission was not technically a lie, even if it was more of a personal mission. He gave the group a small smile when none of them revealed they had fought any advanced enemies. ¡°That''s too bad,¡± Kiara said and frowned, revealing for a second, a glimpse of fear in her eyes ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ack. He couldn''t help but feel bad, even though he was pretty sure this was manipulation. It was no coincidence that the groups spokesperson was the most physically attractive. His type too,although that was a pretty broad label. It was far from being enough to get him to join this team though, the girl was cute to be sure, and part of himself would love the boost to his ego playing mentor would give him. Ultimately, all he saw when he looked at them was softness. It wasn''t that they were weak exactly, it was just that they didn''t seem to understand how bad things really were. Hadn''t seen the things he had. They would get a taste ofreality soon enough, he thought selfishly, and he didn''t want to be around for that. It would be messy. Besides, as cute as Kiara was, she was lacking in some way that made it impossible for him to be interested in her. Was he only attracted to competent women all of a sudden? That would be a huge change from his last few girlfriends. The less that was said of that, the better. He shuddered. Hopefully this change was a reaction to the new reality and not some weird alien influence. It would be creepy beyond words if the System, never mind some influence from the Grey Legion or Tyrant Spores, was messing with his idea of the perfect girlfriend. Withdrawing from his thoughts. Derrick took a pen from his backpack and scrawled a series of numbers into the pamphlet he''d been reading. ¡°Pretty sure,¡± he answered her earlier question and offered her the pamphlet as he stood. ¡°Here''s my number. If you have specific questions about Auril or just need any tips, give me a ring.¡± Derrick moved out the door and down the street. He felt kind of bad for running away, but he had stuff to do. He still had time to burn before his coat was ready and the constant annoyance of quantum awareness had given him an idea. He moved back to the busy System Station plaza and sat down on a hunk of concrete, crossing his legs and adopting a classic meditation pose. After a second of getting comfortable, he delved into his auril senses for the second time. The first thing he noticed was that his auril heart was already pumping greater power into him. Not only were the strands of auril inside him slightly more powerful, but he felt new weak strands. These new one flickered in and out of existence, unmoored and uncontrollable. They came and went too fast for him to manipulate. He imagined fleshing these out with Auril capacity was the first step in upgrading his style. Interesting, yet not what he was trying to work on.
Crude Quantum Awareness (F) (Survival) A weave of Auril energy that responds to others awareness of your self and position. Allowing you to know when other sentients are directly aware of your position within a certain range. Can be trained to provide additional information.
The sight of a User meditating in the middle of the plaza drew a lot of attention. Attention that Derrick could feel. Quantum awareness had been a lifesaver, but the power was, well crude. The description even mentioned that it could be trained. So, that was what he was doing. Trying to differentiate different awareness or get some additional info from them, like the direction they were in. It was hard. Like trying catch more than a glimpse of something that stayed in the corner of your eye. The delicate strands of auril that made up the ability were too fine and complicated for him. They may be too complicated for any human mind to decipher. It was way too early to give up. He decided to change things up a bit. Every now and then he''d send out an auril pulse or activate regeneration. Both of these abilities benefited from his increased auril capacity. Well, they lasted a little longer anyway. The auril pulser device drew a little more power and travelled a little further, using most of his auril to scan about three hundred feet in a sphere. How did the device even work? Auril seemed to ignore anything non-biological as far as he could tell. He eyed his bracelet, was there somethiing alive in there? He frowned as he remembered the Siren''s own tracking ability. It had been very different from his, low powered and subtle. That felt, to him, more like how the ability should work. Could he use auril pulse without the device? It was worth trying. He tried to gather auril and send it outside his body. He failed on both accounts. Auril was not so easy to manipulate. There was an art to it, it could not just be shoved around. Watching the pulser work didn''t help. He couldn''t see the actual method it used to send out the pulse. Could he watch regeneration and try to do the opposite? That ability diffused auril into his whole body after all. That plan bore fruit. He managed to learn how to gather auril power in one spot for a second. The channels of power forming a pool of energy in his chest before it escaped his grasp and drained back into its natural flows. After dozens of failures, he managed to use that failure, violently ejecting the energy through its own flows instead of allowing it to return to its old circuit. Derrick smiled as a dozen people and assorted plants appeared in his minds eye. The range was pathetic, just twenty feet, but it had used almost no auril power compared to the pulser item. Where he couldn''t do two of those in a row, his new ability could be used a dozen times. He could probably improve the range with practice and definitely through increasing his Auril capacity. New Auril Skill: Auril Pulse Derrick rolled his eyes behind his closed eyelids. Thanks for the obvious. Next, just for fun, he tried to gather auril in his hand. Even with the experience from his pulse practice, it was difficult. The process turned out to be different enough from gathering it in his chest that it took him awhile to get it to work. It was also, as far as he could tell, just a weaker and harder to pull off auril pulse. Still sitting, he went back to concentrating on Quantum Awareness and trying to make it more useful. He sat for what felt like a long time without accomplishing much. He didn''t mind, he was enjoying himself. Playing with auril was both relaxing and exciting. He fell into himself until a new sensation dragged him back into the real world. His eyes snapped open and his head turned to look at something. Three men, about a hundred feet away, one who looked vaguely familiar and flinched visibly when Derrick looked straight at him. Who was that and why did he knock Derrick out of his trance? Something had felt different for a second there. The man badly pretended to be casually just hanging out, obviously spooked. Derrick watched and tried to remember who he was. Oh! Ha. It was a nameless User minion of Greta''s from the party at the hotel. That lined up with the feeling that got his attention too. He''d felt the others hostility and snapped put of the trance. That could come in handy, assuming it worked on invaders. Aliens should work differently. Then again, the ability did come from the System and it no reason to give him abilities that only worked on other humans. He tried to place the face but couldn''t. The fading bruises on the man''s face didn''t help. A lot of people had been hit in the face back then. Derrick frowned. Was he in danger? Should he leave? He tried to stand but found that his legs were asleep. How long had he been in a trance? The sun was pretty much straight above him, so a few hours at least. However long it had been, it had been worth it. He now knew it was possible to detect hostility and direction using Quantum Awareness. That could be huge. In fact, Quantum Awareness felt different; the individual sensations clearer and with a slight pull attached, giving a general sense of direction. Derrick stretched and decided not to worry about the hostile Users. He wasn''t scared of any average Users attacking him in a public place. Especially since the System wouldn''t allow them to murder him or even attack him with System weapons. At this point, a regular person with a gun would be a better bet to take him and that would never happen here, in the city''s centre of User activity. He looked back to the nameless User and found him staring back defiantly. Derrick couldn''t help but roll his eyes. His apparent weakness from his long hours spent sitting, had emboldened the other User. Hmmm, he kind of wanted to talk to this guy, maybe learn what Greta was up to. Mr Minion didn''t seem like either the brave or the helpful type, so he''d have to be tricky. Derrick played up the moment of weakness he''d felt, luring them closer by faking a loss of balance and a stumble as he stretched. It seemed to work. His target was now crossing the plaza towards him, his two buddies swaggering behind him. Actually swaggering. Recent events seemed to have done wonders for these guys'' confidence. He''d guess they''d only fought things weaker than them since becoming Users. The lucky bastards. His face remained still but inside he smiled. Maybe he should fix that? 3.3 Plots and Armor Derrick, axe wielding slayer of alien horrors, let his eyes widen in an insincere show of fear as the three men approached him. He was quite enjoying this, maybe he should have been an actor? Their tags showed him that they were just level one point five, what was there to be afraid of? Their leader arrived in front of where Derrick stood and grimaced at him. ¡°I see you remember us,¡± he announced cockily. I remember beating the shit out of you, Derrick thought, but managed to keep his amusement off his face. ¡°Yes,¡± was all he replied, he didn''t trust himself to say more. He should lure them into making the first move but was drawing a blank on how to do it. ¡°Not so tough without your big friend?¡± the nameless minion asked cockily. Derrick took this opportunity to switch from afraid to insulted, his face took on an expression of mock outrage. ¡°Funny, coming from someone who only feels safe with two other dudes behind him,¡± Derrick replied with a slight smile. The other scowled at him but didn''t argue the point, instead he changed the subject. ¡°You think you can win¡± he said cockily. ¡°Funny. You''ve already lost.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Derrick asked. He wasn''t scared of physical attacks but some kind of trick was a different matter. Thankfully these guys didn''t seem that smart. ¡°Want to know? Too bad,¡± the other said and poked him in the chest, an obvious taunt. ¡°Let''s just say your going to have less friends to back you up soon.¡± Wearing his new super hard boots. Derrick kicked him in the shin. Minion one went down with a scream and perhaps a broken leg. Derrick paused for a second, waiting for the System to interfere. Nothing happened and so he smiled at the other two. Whatever they saw on his face caused them to flinch. One panicked and tried to draw a mundane pistol, only to fall down beside his buddy with an almost identical scream when he pointed it at Derrick. Weapons were disallowed then, even none System ones. Good. Now for the last one. He''d handle this carefully in case the man lashed or had a trump card. Some more intimidation perhaps. ¡°You...¡± Derrick got out before the last remaining minion turned and ran away, leaving his buddies behind. No trump card then. He looked around, in case there was more of them or some of the other Users wanted to interfere. A dozen Users were watching but none seemed the least bit like they wanted to stop him. Probably because of the loudmouthed minion¡¯s threats, he''d clearly painted himself both the villain and an idiot. He made a mental note to never be ''that guy''. The creator of the Red Law kneeled down beside his victims. ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± he asked, talking loud enough they would hear him over their own pained gasps. ¡°Suck.. my...¡± The lead fool choked out before Derrick sighed and kicked him in the ribs. No scream this time he noted. Maybe he''d held back too much. He didn''t like hurting people, but he wasn''t going to let his allies be in danger if he could help it. ¡°You have another leg I could break,¡± commented Derrick casually. He was having a little fun with this, channeling his inner movie villain. ¡°The... System...¡± ¡°Heard, like everyone else, your intention to attack my friends,¡± Derrick interrupted. ¡°I don''t think it''s going to stop me from doing what I need to do to save them.¡± This was a bluff of course. He had no idea how far the System would let him take this. He certainly didn''t want to find out. Like the would be pistol wielder had found out, the System didn''t really go for warnings. Words didn''t seem to be working, so he met the other User''s eyes and smiled again. ¡°I don''t think anyone is going to help someone who''s proven themselves to be as useless as you.¡± He watched the other man consider that and felt it when he agreed. Just to keep things going, he slowly raised his foot above the man''s knee. ¡°Blake... Hospital,¡± caught Derrick. Huh, that wasn''t what he was expecting. He''d though Kate was a more likely target. He''d assumed the hospital was a safe zone. He had a hard time imagining that it wasn''t. From the corner of his eye, he saw the second minion stir. He''d forgotten all about that guy. Had he been pretending to be asleep? He scowled, annoyed that faking being asleep had worked on him. There was something he wanted to try. He gathered auril energy into his hand and held it there. He stealthily walked beside the seemingly unconscious man and poked him on the shoulder, unleashing the energy when his finger made contact. Aha,Derrickmentally exclaimed, as the man began to spasm uncontrollably for a few seconds. He''d thought auril would rather move through flesh rather than air. So instead of a pulse through the air, he''d injected a stream of invading auril. The timing was hard to pull off though. The effect was about as good as he''d hoped. It seemed foreign auril energy had a very different effect than that from one¡¯s own body. It briefly rampaged before it dispersed, causing a few seconds of spasms in the local area. New Auril Skill: Auril Strike ¡°Well, bye.¡± said Derrick as he broke away from his thoughts. ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± He''d check up on Blake just in case but while he was here, he''d grab his coat. He moved back at the Tailor''s stall and found him in exactly the same position as when he''d left, still staring off into space. Behind him hung a red shirt and vest. It was a tight lookingjacket with grey highlights that transitioned into a somewhat bulky vest. The vest part looked like a science fiction version of a police vest.Especiallythe series of small grey pentagonal plates that formed an asymmetrical pattern across one shoulder. He realized there was no one to blame for this but himself. It was the flashiest outfit he''d seen anyone wear since the System arrived. Part of him loved it, mostly he cringed though, knowing that anyone who saw him wear it with his mask, would think he was cosplaying an obscure anime character.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
System Soldiers Legion Trophy Armor A customized armored coat designed for human use. Guaranteed to fit any human. Made from dense carbon threads and plates made of scavenged Grey Legion armor, layered over an Esthisium frame. It offers a slightly greater defence than a standard Soldier''s Coat. It has limited self repair and security features. Structural framing allows for the comfortable attachment of weapons to the back and hips as well as the ability to comfortably carry heavier loads.
As series of emotions fought for dominance over his face, before settling on admiration. It was a good thing he planned to go solo for awhile. He doubted the Grey Legion or Tyrant Spores would care what he was wearing. ¡°Oh, hello.¡± the punk Tailor said with a sleepy smile. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°It''s exactly what I asked for,¡± Derrick admitted, causing the tailor to smile happily at him. ¡°It''s my greatest creation,¡± was the reply he got. ¡°The perfect meeting of form and function.¡± ¡°Yaaaay,¡± said Derrick. His obviously conflicted opinion failed to deter the Tailor''s enthusiasm. ¡°The single best armor created in the entire city,¡± the other User continued. ¡°The System itself gave me a title for creating the design. I wouldn''t be surprised if everyone was wearing them soon.¡± Derrick would, considering you needed to kill and skin a superhuman killing-machine to make it. The Tailor didn''t seem to be really grounded in reality. Derrick wouldn''t be surprised if the Tailor had spent the last few days deliriously happy because of the new opportunities in clothing design the System offered him and hadn''t even really noticed the Scourges yet. ¡°Together, as barbarism claims our planet Earth, we have fought back by creating true art.¡± So turning your enemies into fashion statements wasn''t barbaric? Uggh. Whatever, he was done with this. No wait, this may be an opportunity. ¡°You''ll need more materials if you want to make more armor like this,¡± said Derrick slyly. ¡°What would you pay for it?¡± He planned on killing Vanguard anyway. He might as well get paid for it. Sam Wilst, Tailor extraordinaire, tapped their chin in thought before answering. ¡°Fifty USSP a pound,¡± Sam said and cast a quick glance around before continuing conspiratorially. ¡°Keep this on the down low though.¡± That was less USSP than it seemed at first glance. The plates were very light, a pound of them would be more than one body could provide. ¡°Afraid of the competition?¡± Derrick asked. Would he get a better price from some other Tailor? ¡°No,¡± said Sam with deep frown. ¡°I hear whispers of people going after businesses that are too successful.¡± ¡°Gangsters?¡± the Fighter asked incredulously. Who even had the time for something like that? Only civilians and he doubted they''d get far harassing Users. The Tailor''s frown deepened. ¡°No, worse. Bureaucrats looking for mandatory donations of points to help ''alleviate the crisis''.¡± Sam continued before spitting on the ground. ¡°Padding their pockets so they can pretend that they still run the city is more like it. The fucking parasites.¡± Huh, once again no one seemed worried about the System taking over everything. He guessed it made sense, as aggravating as it could be, it was clearly the only thing that keeping the lights on and the people uneaten. It didn''t even demand taxes for it. Even the punishments it handed out were pretty mild compared to what humans did to each other. Even the richest and most powerful countries in the world could conscript its citizens in crisis and this certifiably qualified as that. What was the punishment for treason these days anyway? Was cowardice in the face of the enemy still a crime? He was going to find out when the next phase started, unfortunately. It had said it would be a military expedition. So far, he hadn''t seen many soldiers. Just a few people that looked like they were off duty when Scourges first attacked. He wondered what the actual army had been up to? He''d heard suspiciously little but had no idea what to make of that. The System was probably just using them hard. No, he was going to get to level two and avoid that clusterfuck entirely. If he got good enough at Auril, maybe he could transition into some kind of student or teacher role? Hell, he''d open up a rival Tailor shop over being frontline infantry. He said his goodbyes to the tailor and quickly made his way to the hospital, his coat tucked into his bag. He''d put it on when right before he entered the quarantine zone. Dressed in ragged jeans and a t-shirt, he got a lot less looks from the scavenging citizens of the city. Everything seemed the same at the medical area as when he''d last been here. Doctors and nurses running around the tent city without even sparing him a glance. He made his way about a hundred feet to Blake''s tent and pulsed auril. There was someone in there, someone tiny and sitting next to Blake''s bed. Tooshort and stockyto be either Jenny or Kate. So, either it was an especially small nurse that had fallen deeply in love with her patient and was praying for his recovery at his bedside, or Greta was in there. No one else but obvious patients was nearby though, maybe he got lucky and she''d been counting on escaping before anyone noticed. Why was she just sitting there then? Sketchy. Quantum Awareness wasn''t being set off though... Hegave a mental sigh and made his way into the tent. ¡°Hello, Derrick,¡± Greta told him calmly as he entered and pointed a Scavengers Pistol at him. ¡°Thanks for showing up.¡± Oh good, it was a trap. He''d been right. He should have tossed a Tangler grenade in. He eyed her weapon, assuming she didn''t hit him between the eyes, he could probably walk off a couple bullets thanks to all the alien drugs he''d immediately flood his system with. Unless of course she had some special type of ammo. Which was a serious possibility, Unfortunately. It was probably the Esthisium spikes thing. She''d shoot him, and the bullets would grow metallic spines that would tear him apart from the inside. ¡°Don''t you have more important things to do?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°Like sending goons to harass merchants or kidnapping old men? Or here''s an idea. Do something that helps prevent us from being subsumed by malevolent aliens.¡± ¡°Why don''t you have a last name on your tag,¡± she asked and threw Derrick for a loop. ¡°It''s not important,¡± he replied deadpan. That was not where he''d expected this to go. ¡°I¡¯ll decide what''s important.¡± Greta said with a slight flourish of her pistol. ¡°Oh, in case your wondering. I''m a crack shot against even moving targets.¡± He hadn''t been, he''d just assumed that to be the case. He also assumed to the gun would fire because she clearly knew what she was doing and the room should have been flooded with angry doctors by now. This was a high security zone, the System watched everything here. ¡°No,¡± he said with a scowl. ¡°It doesn''t show up because it''s not important to me.¡± Greta eyed him. ¡°You were not hired to be Blake''s bodyguard?¡± she asked. ¡°I was hired to be his ally,¡± he answered truthfully. ¡°By the System, no one else.¡± Greta seemed to consider this, then let out a sigh. The gun remained pointed at his heart though. ¡°Oops. I seem to have made a few errors of judgment. That''s too bad,¡± the diminutive woman said wistfully. ¡°You both need to die anyway.¡± ¡°Why?¡± he asked. This all seemed very dramatic and made very little sense to him. Neither him nor Blake seemed like they were worth... whatever this was. ¡°I worked for Blake''s family, the Demnols.¡± She replied easily, ¡°Then I arranged it so that they were torn apart by a mob. Caught them by surprise when the Scourges first arrived. The one thing they weren''t prepared for.¡± Derrick said nothing. ¡°They were monsters,¡± she said and a shiver rocked her slight frame. ¡°You have no idea.¡± Yes, he knew nothing about monsters. Nothing at all. He let her speak though, while she was talking, she wasn''t murdering him. ¡°They still have powerful allies though, the most dangerous men and women in cities all across the coast. The Black sheep of the family, Blake could be used as a figurehead for them to come together and take away all the power I''ve managed to grab from the Demnol''s corpses. A few innocent lives are worth preventing what these people would do with official power and access to the System.¡± Here he had to get a word in. ¡°This seems paranoid,¡± he said truthfully. ¡°And has nothing to do with me.¡± Greta shrugged. ¡°Administrator powers are rather disappointing really. I couldn''t overcome the System''s protection of its Users until something approached me with a deal.¡± Something? Nice, that wasn''t terrifying at all. ¡°I kill you and Blake dies in his sleep,¡± she said and shot him twice, once in the heart and the other in the gut. It felt like getting hit with a pair of hammers swung by Bruce. He fell to his knees and grasped at his chest desperately, unable to breathe. A second later, he slumped forwards and was still. ¡°You are wearing a vest aren''t you,¡± Greta said, annoyed. Of course, she knew what someone getting shot in the heart looked like. Fuck, his luck with women was terrible. Scrambling, he leaped into a roll and threw himself towards the door. From the corner of his eye, he saw her fire twice more and flinched. He stumbled agian but the expected pain never came. Did she miss? Was he in shock? He heard the sound of two metal objects hitting the floor and saw two shiny and stil perfect bullets bounce against the ground, a foot away from him. ¡°And you have a force field,¡± Greta added sourly, as if offended by the injustice of this. Did he? He was pretty sure he''d know about that. Had the System finally stepped in to save him? ¡°No, I do,¡± said Jenny from the door, her own pistol pointed at Greta. Interlude: Hierarchies USS: Inter Authority Incident Reported Summoning Authorities.. Four Responses... All Authorities Accounted For Commencing USS Earth Council #5 Merciful Heavens(Cold Outrage): Gazers Grin, you have interfered in a task we all agreed I would handle. I demand you stop your interference at once. Gazers Grin (Careful Formality Slipping Into Arrogance): You are operating outside of your given Authority. In your own words, you were to, study this world and refine the Systems interactions with them to better fit their psychological and physical potential while preserving their culture. The murder of natives to shape their society to match your own prejudices is very different from that stated goal. If I had not interfered you would be responsible for the planned murder of a native. You were not even particularly smart or subtle about it. Merciful Heavens(Cold Outrage): He is an auril sensitive, their damaging affect on both the System as a whole and their own worlds is well documented. You yourself tried to spare this world his existence and were punished for it. Gazers Grin (Stretching and Unblinking Eyestalks): I put his life at risk to protect this world from prejudices such as yours and prevent scenarios like this exact idiocy from occurring. Besides, we are servants of the System and as my punishment shows, The System gives no allowance for the murder of auril sensitives! The System trusts its Authorities right up until it doesn''t. Your insane actions could have seen us both purged! It That Rewards Savagery (Briefly Opens One Eye): Foolishness. You cannot protect a race from its own nature. Even if such idiocy was possible, it would be opposite of what the System is designed to do. Merciful Heavens, your people arrived at their.... solution to this problem on their own and this world will do the same. They will adapt, or they will die. Thrive or wither. It is exactly that simple. Gazers Grin (Peering Contempt): Solution? You mean the systematic butchery of their own people who show talent? It is rank cowardice and far worse, enforced mediocrity. Merciful Heavens(Outrage): You do not get to judge my people for our commitment to the System''s mission. You own decadent and failing people barely qualify as System contributors these days. The Scourges threaten their borders and a hundred others. We cannot allow these horrors another toehold in System space. Hand on the Scales (Confused Formality): I feel the need to interrupt, as I am growing increasingly confused by exactly what is going on here. Is not auril energy a widespread tool, spread by Scourges and System both due to its vital utility? Certainly its Scourge origin is cause for concern but its been safely used since long before the original founding of the System. Historical records postulate that auril is as old as the universe itself, if not older. Gazers Grin (Cautious Wisdom): It is not auril energy itself that is the issue, but their capabilities with it. They show a rare talent for the fine manipulation and external projection of auril or ''auril sensitivity'', as many call it. This can be rather easily trained into the ability to influence other members of their species. Hand on the Scales (Cocked Eyebrow): Influence how? Merciful Heavens(Clear Disdain With Hints of Shame): A crude but effective emotional control. Most commonly used to impart loyalty and increase social standing. Worlds where the natives are auril sensitives almost always devolve into rigid hierarchies with clans of sensitives at the top and a controlled soldier cast at the bottom. Such worlds rarely bother to become System contributors, instead they form mini empires that waste Aurilin on a useless and paranoid ruler class. Inevitably they fail after a few centuries and are devoured by the Scourges. Hand on the Scales (Cocked Eyebrow): I thought the System disallowed all forms of direct mental control. It''s well known for it in fact. Its obedience protocols are a stark example of how far it will go to avoid such things. It also has made terrible example of organizations or races that try to achieve such power over its Users. Gazers Grin (Authority): All technological and outside forms of mental control certainly. A good portion of System Implants are countermeasures to just that. It is unable or unwilling to provide protection against auril however. Luckily, only the Primal Plague has ever mastered cross species mental domination using auril. Besides, the System classifies auril as a natural force and manipulation using it no different than the use of pheromones or other innate forms of emotional manipulation. Minute levels of Auril are found in all living things after all, and all living creatures are a bundle of instincts and pre programmed responses designed to be manipulated by others of their species. It is a part of social behaviour, most commonly mating, child rearing and leadership. Merciful Heavens(Clear Disdain): There is no comparing the social traits that a species has evolved and been assimilating into their culture over millions of years and the sudden advent of auril energy during the most unstable time in their entire history. Radical action is required to prevent all our effort going to waste.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Hand on the Scales (Contemplative): A working solution is difficult to imagine. Obviously we lack enough fine control over the System to simply limit such sensitives access to auril. You mentioned simply killing off such sensitives was not an option, Elder? It That Rewards Savagery (Lazy Disdain): Humans are social dependants, much more than Merciful Heaven''s people. Arranging the systematic slaughter of other humans would be impossible to enforce worldwide and come with enough psychological side effects it is hard to imagine it would be worth the effort. Besides, Merciful Heaven''s people produce one auril sensitive for every thousand people. My sample size is limited, but humans seem closer to one in fifty. Merciful Heavens(Alarm): One in Fifty! Sample size? How many sensitives have you found already? It That Rewards Savagery (Toothy Grin): Four, out of slightly less than two hundred auril Users. Such talent cannot be contained easily. Nor would I allow it. They will learn to master their gifts or those gifts will choke the life from them. There is no place for self castrates on a challenged world. Merciful Heavens (Sullen): I must admit that I have erred. I allowed myself to become emotional and acted alone when clearly the situation required further examination and a multiple Authority response. I accept whatever punishment the System sees fit. Yet, do not allow my mistake to blind you to the necessity of action. It is imperative that we create an official policy to deal with auril sensitivity. An auril hierarchy is not a desirable outcome for this world, if only because as soon as it becomes obvious this world is headed in that direction, many contributor worlds will pull out. Gazers Grin (Self Affirming Twisting of Tentacles): I''m sure more subtle pressures than base slaughter can be applied to reduce the probability of such an outcome. The Velorie Undercast should come in handy when we can see to their arrival. Their alien natures will make them impossible for sensitives to manipulate. Although those escaped slaves have worrying aspects to their own psychology, they could serve as an effective bulwark against sensitive manipulations. You should find a way to integrate them into native society. It That Rewards Savagery (Tongue Running Across Sharp Teeth): Allow me to handle the existing sensitives. User KL7I 843OY6 has given me some ideas. I will make an effort to guide them onto a more productive path. It will be... fun. I may need some additional resources however. Considering her fervor, I''m sure Merciful Heavens will be willing to donate some towards the cause. Merciful Heavens (Wary Deflection): Of course eldest. Are there any other issues to raise while we are gathered? Hand on the Scales (Contemplative): Speaking of Nano Arks, what is the latest time frame for when we can deploy their assets? Mission expertise could be wielded to great effect at the moment. It will be months before we have local resources advanced enough to deal with some of the Feral Artisans and Tyrant Spore Infections. At this stage, all it would take to destroy an Enclave is a Spore Siren or Feral Artisan in the wrong spot. Merciful Heavens(Confidence): I am glad to report that despite a slightly high Injection failure rate, we are ahead of schedule. While an exact time is impossible to pin down, as each reconstituted User acclimatizes differently, it should not be long. Simple minds heal faster. Hand on the Scales (Curiosity): A high Injection failure rate? The only thing that destabilizes the local Fold environment is movement through it. Injections rates should have dropped, they are too expensive and inefficient. Is it either of the Primal Scourges? Perhaps an overlooked Tyrant Spore Dyson Sphere is nearby? That would be unfortunate. It That Rewards Savagery (Slow Breathing): It is only a slightly greater than normal amount of incoming injections, a combination of Grey Legion and a few unknown but probably System race related Injections. Merciful Heavens(Professional Facade): What about the rest of the Scourges, what do we know of their expansion? Is the Inoculation still spreading at the predicted rate? What about the Red Woods, Rebel Instruments and the Hollow Majesties? Gazers Grin (Annoyed Blinking): The last set of predictions for the Inoculation ITRS gave out seems to be holding true. Unfortunately. The Feral Artisans remain the same enigma they have been since the dawn of recorded history. They are an unwelcome wildcard but not a terminal threat to this world for centuries yet. They wield great power but are too unfocused to be a priority. Hand on the Scales (Formal): I have purged a few Rebel Instrument sites and isolated the rest for now, hopefully without access to System infrastructure the parasites will stagnate and be destroyed by other Scourges. The Hollow Majesties are still hiding and adapting, I have managed to find and disable only a few homunculi. Which will only mildly inconvenience them. I detect traces of dozens more across Earth. Merciful Heavens (Deep Loathing): You have done well HOTS. You show a talent for the eradication of System parasites. It brings me great joy to hear of homunculi being destroyed. They are traitorous perversions of what the System is for. For all they espouse the virtue of strength, the selfish madness of the Hollow Majesties aids only the Scourges. As the System weakens, so do they. Hand on the Scales (Awkward Acceptance of Compliment): It is what I have trained for my entire life. I am glad for this chance to repay a small part of what is owed for the System''s salvation of my world. It That Rewards Savagery (Relaxed and Fanged Smile): Planet side,The Red Woods is fortifying its few Injection sites. It should remain passive beyond slow expansion, it is not an aggressive Scourge. It has benefited greatly from the damage done by the Inoculation, occupying otherwise sterile areas. The orbital situation is still too young to read into, but it seems to have a strong foothold, along with the Tyrant Spores. There is little we can do about that yet. We have, for obvious reasons, concentrated our resources planetside. Does anyone have anything to add? Hand on the Scales/ Gazers Grin/Merciful Heavens(Silence) It That Rewards Savagery (Snort): Well then, it seems we are done here. 3.4 Trust and Trials Derrick eyed the two women with guns silently. He had questions but wasn''t sure he wanted to share the answers with Greta. Better just to be quiet and see how things played out. ¡°What is going on here?¡± asked an angry Jenny. Damn, he was glad to see her. What was she doing here? Last he''d heard she was a miles away, herding non Users to safety. Greta gave Jenny a long and speculative look before dropping her gun. ¡°These are very dangerous men,¡± said Greta. ¡°Do not let your guard down, officer.¡± Dangerous? Blake was in a coma. Did she really think that was going to work? ¡°What the fuck is she talking about Derrick?¡± Jenny asked with grim curiosity. Derrick couldn''t help but notice concern in her voice. Did she actually think he might be the bad guy here? ¡°I''m glad you asked,¡± the male User answered dryly, wincing as he spoke. Bullets hurt, even when you were wearign System armor. ¡°Apparently, she''s all that''s stopping a group of super villains from uniting under Blake''s leadership and using the System to achieve world domination. Naturally, some mysterious entity has offered to trade my death for Blake''s.¡± Wasn''t life grand. A few days ago, what seemed like a dozen alien races had invaded the planet at the same time, yet today he found himself in an almost more absurd situation involving petty human politics. Greta didn''t appear happy that they knew each other, or with his explanation of her motives. It seemed like a pretty accurate description to him though.
United Support System Implant
Warning: Local area security protocols have been reset. Full Obedience protocols now active. Please put away all weapons and refrain from violence in the medical facility.
At the same time as the message appeared to him, he saw both Greta and Jenny''s eyes move and Greta took out her phone. Ignoring them both, she began typing. ¡°Can we trust it?¡± he asked Jenny. ¡°The System doesn''t seem to love me.¡± First the Fighter role, then the whole auril sample debacle. Now this. ¡°It sent me here,¡± Jenny replied and holstered her gun, she was still obviously wary of Greta however. ¡°It sent me from across town for a mission to patrol the hospital area.¡± That was nice to hear, did wonders for his life expectancy. Odd that the System was working against itself. That implied it was more than just the soulless machine it came off as. God, he hoped in wasn''t an insane AI. The last thing he and humanity needed, was for Earths only real ally to have multiple personality disorder. ¡°Why are you really here,¡± Jenny asked Greta. ¡°While he embellished the details, Derrick summarized my issues with Blake.¡± Jenny looked to Derrick and then back to Greta. ¡°Really,¡± Jenny said, in the careful tone one uses to speak to crazies. ¡°Super villains.¡± ¡°I didn''t say super villains.¡± Greta said with obvious exasperation. The small women seemed out of her element, probably not used to explaining herself. Derrick was enjoying her obvious discomfort. ¡°You think a group of criminals are as much or even greater a threat than the Scourges. That makes them super villains.¡± Derrick said mercilessly. ¡°Dangerous criminals?¡± the ex-police officer said skeptically, her head cocked to the side. ¡°From West Hills?¡± Greta didn''t reply. In fact, the silence stretched on for awhile until she spoke again. ¡°Fine, I admit defeat.¡± she said. ¡°I can see this has been one huge waste of time. I promise not to threaten the remaining Demnols'' lives from this point on.¡± Was he supposed to just believe that? Or any if this nonsense. There was a larger issue too. ¡°Also, me,¡± demanded Derrick. He really wanted to be able to forget this whole thing but he doubted he could talk Jenny into killing her. ¡°No threatening my life either.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± replied Greta calmly. ¡°I''d much prefer to have nothing whatsoever to do with whatever System politics we''ve stumbled upon here. It would be beyond foolish, as I know nothing about the players involved.¡± Well that seemed like the truth anyway. Which was good because he could think of no way to stop her from leaving or doing whatever she wanted. He doubted she''d leave them alone entirely, no doubt she''d take every opportunity to make their lives difficult out of spite if nothing else. How much power did the Administrator Role actually grant? The three of them stood around for a second. ¡°Were waiting for you to leave,¡± said Jenny to Greta. ¡°We are busy people,¡± Derrick added, brave now that he had backup. ¡°Fighting real threats. Not shadowy conspiracies.¡± There was a ping from Greta''s phone and after glancing at it, she quickly made her way outside with aloof dignity. ¡°I take you don''t know of any shadowy criminal conspiracy related to the Demnols,¡± Derrick asked Jenny once Greta had made her way outside the tent. ¡°The Demnols owned half a dozen landscaping companies in as many cities,¡± Jenny said. ¡°They might have also owned a few golf courses? I might be thinking of some other family.¡± ¡°So, she''s probably just crazy then?¡± Derrick mused aloud. Greta seemed like a super competent and highly strung woman, perhaps the arrival of the Scourges had broken her a little? Did some grudge against the Demnols, who were total shits from what he''d heard from both Greta and Blake, blossom into madness? His brunette ally just shrugged. ¡°Who knows,¡± she replied. ¡°Wouldn''t be the craziest thing to happen lately.¡± ¡°Speaking of crazy,¡± Derrick said gleefully and with a smile on his face. ¡°You have a force field.¡± He was so very jealous and not only because he was just shot. Finally, a real piece of advanced tech. Not a better pistol or sword but something ripped from the pages of a science fiction story. ¡°It''s technically a ''Guardian Kinetic Controller'',¡± she said. ¡°Uses manna to stop small objects from reaching anything I set to be protected in a range of about ten feet.¡± ¡°You set it to protect me?¡± he asked, touched by the gesture. She''s only gotten the device after they split. ¡°I set it to protect everyone,¡± Jenny said slowly. ¡°Of course you did,¡± he said. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°You''re freaking me out,¡± the ex cop said. ¡°Why are you so happy, you''re never this... smiley.¡± ¡°I''m... just happy to be alive.¡± he lied and tried but failed to wrestle his smile off his face. It wasn''t at all the cool device that made him so ecstatic. If he could get one of those, it would take so much worry off his shoulders. From what Derrick saw of her face, she clearly didn''t believe him. ¡°Fine, I''m just glad to see some real sci fi stuff,¡± he admitted. ¡°Don''t you have like, psychic powers,¡± she rebutted. ¡°That''s pretty sci fi.¡± Oh. That was true. Wow, somehow he''d never really made that connection before. It wasn''t a perfect way to describe auril energy but it was the closest comparison. Well, maybe Chi or Ki was better. ¡°How many bullets could you stop, anyway?¡± he asked. ¡°Around five every few minutes, depending on the speed and size of the bullets.¡± Jenny answered. ¡°Obviously more as I add manna to my new manna gate and it only works in the city.¡± Well, there went his smile. That all but guaranteed she wouldn''t be joining him if he was forced to join the mission to take back the countryside. It also dashed his hopes of getting one for himself. What would be the point if it failed when he actually needed it. Lastly, with that hard limit she still set it to protect everyone? They were very different people. ¡°Hmmmm,¡± he said and made his way up to Jenny with his hand out. ¡°Here you go. A gift for saving my life. I think these are special bullets of some kind.¡± He passed her the bullets that had been stuck in his undershirt and on the floor. They were dented but her Scavenger''s pistol would fix them easily enough. ¡°As a psychic, I predict you will need to you use them quickly if you get in a fight with anyone.¡± He added. ¡°So your puny force field doesn''t get overwhelmed.¡± ¡°I''m hoping to avoid shooting any people.¡± Jenny replied with a tired sigh. ¡°I already miss working with you clowns, when the worst thing I had to deal with was the Scourges. You''d think people would be coming together in the face of crisis. Half of the people I deal with don''t seem to realize anythings changed because the lights are still on and the other half keep trying to bribe me into letting them become a User. As if being a User was somekind of superhero game.¡± ¡°Meh, Guard problems.¡± Derrick said with a shrug and went to pick up his bag from where he''d dropped it. He immediately began to rifle through it. He pulled out his new fancy red shirt and threw away the tattered shirt he was wearing. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Jenny as she watched him partially strip. ¡°Making myself as bulletproof as possible,¡± he replied as he pulled his latest fashion accessory over his head. ¡°It''s not that I don''t trust Greta or the System... no wait, It''s exactly that.¡± Once he had it on, there was a weird sensation as the shirt adjusted itself to fit him perfectly. Perfectly. It was outputtingly intimate but undeniably comfortable. Solid yet the material breathed. That Tailor did good work. ¡°How do I look?¡± he asked Jenny and donned his mask. ¡°Like one of those hobby survivalists with too much money,¡± Jenny replied dryly. ¡°Military style clothing is not supposed to be red.¡± ¡°The only Scourges we''ve seen that even have eyes are the normal Grey Legion Agents.¡± He defended, even though the color was more her fault than his. It was the same color as the mask she''d gotten him. ¡°And the dogs are color blind anyway.¡± ¡°It does look like it would stop bullets,¡± Jenny admitted after a second.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°I had it made from the bones of my enemies,¡± he casually added as he attached his axes to his back. Which was true, assuming Vanguard armor was a kind of exoskeleton. Which it probably was. Jenny just rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, lets get out of here.¡± She said and the two of them made their way out of the hospital zone. ¡°Well, good luck with guarding stuff,¡± Derrick said as they arrived at Jenny''s new car. It was another, identical to the last, police cruiser. ¡°Be careful with that scouting mission,¡± she returned. ¡°Even if you can avoid detection, that whole area is dangerous and you''re not actually trained for this. Don''t get cocky.¡± Ah yes, he''d told the little white lie that he was just going to be doing that bonus scouting mission. Just so people wouldn''t try to talk him out of hunting down any Vanguard he could find. He nodded and smiled as Jenny drove off. All right, he thought and took a deep breathe. Time for action. He grabbed one of the many vehicles just siting in lots and drove to the quarantined zone once more. Once inside, he drove another couple kilometres, about halfway to the mysterious injection site, before pulling over and mentally summoning the mission notification.
Bonus Mission Details
Investigate Unknown Injection The United Support Station has detected an unauthorized Injection into the nearby area at 11:32:29 yesterday. Its source appears to originate from System controlled space. All unauthorized Injections pose a risk to native life and should be investigated. Requirements: Lv 1.5 Advanced Scouting Proficiency
Good, the mission was still available He needed the experience and this was the only mission available to him other than babysitting people back in West Hills. If only there was a mission to kill Vanguard. That would be super conv...
Universal Support System
Mission Update Bonus Mission: Investigate Unknown Injection Trial: Predation (ITRS)
New Mission Details
Trial of Predation (ITRS) System Authority ITRS has announced a trial to earn his favourfo those Users on Earth that meet his requirements. This is a unique opportunity to earn rewards not available to most Users.
Objectives: Prove that Earthlings are not yet the bottom of the food chain. Find, defeat and scavenge the resources of advanced enemies. Beacons representing the location of known targets will be provided. Participating Users will be monitored and judged by Authority ITRS. The most successful Users will earn disciple status under ITRS. All participators that make a successful kill will earn rewards.
Participation Requirements: Lv 1.6 or above, Scrappy Title
Join Trial? Y/N
Hoo, boy. This was suspicious. Not just the timing but the fact it seemed like it was designed with him in mind. Maybe that was just him being paranoid. If it truly was a global contest... What had the Authority that had tried to kill him been called? GazGr, or something? That would make this the one that had sent Jenny? If not, was he being lured into another trap? If so, it was working. He lost nothing for accepting the mission and at least got some possible clues to the location of creatures he was already hunting. While he had no chance of winning any kind of global badass contest, he should be able to get something out of it. It wouldn''t even change his plans. It wasn''t like he could only do one mission at a time. He was going join the trial, but slow and careful. The scouting mission was way outside the city, probably why no one had completed it. Rushing out here, where he was at a disadvantage, was stupid. Even if the Red Law was supposed to make him somewhat hard to detect using Auril, he could still be seen, smelled and heard by the no doubt superhuman senses of whatever was out here. Despite being a little stronger and tougher, he still had normal human senses. So, he bought some things help with that.
Sensor Web Hub (35 USSP) Four small passive sensors and a signal hub. Capable of identifying Scourge units and natives and reporting location through mental beacon. Gathered info will be shared with the System.
Red Scout''s Mask A custom face shield, designed to attach to basic breather masks. Provides more protection than an advanced breather mask. Has the ability to view distant objects through zoom and a night vision mode. Has basic self repair and security features.
He continued towards his objective on foot. A car would be faster but also, too loud and obvious. Not to mention far more likely to get him ambushed as he''d be going too fast for Auril Pulse to do much good. So in the name of stealth, he ended up skulking through abandoned stripmalls, parking lots and industrial yards. The new reinforced axes made it easier but not quite easy to cut his way through the doors and fences that stood in his way. Each one was quick to bring down, taking just one or two swings but there were so many of them. Just as he was considering giving up stealth and just walking down the road, he came across a group of Grey Legion Agents. First, he only saw one from a distance, in the window of a large office building, while he made his way through yet another private parking lot. After watching from cover for a minute, he picked out three more Agents exploring the area. His mask''s new zoom feature let him make out details. Too bad he didn''t have a sniper rifle, they were kinda outside axe throwing range. They were slightly different from the Grey Agents he''d seen up to now. They were still creepy grey skinned living zombies but now they were shirtless and had guns. All the agent''s, male or female, had what looked like thin scales covering their chests instead of clothing. Also, like the brute from the apartment building, he could make out parts of their bone structure that looked padded, like they had too many bones under their skin. It was not a great look. Especially with the perpetual half smile they walked around wearing. But that was not the worst part. The worst part was that they were all heavily armed, with weapons that had obviously not been looted from anywhere on Earth. Long knives, made of a familiar ceramic material with jagged edges and bulbous short Uzi or shotgun looking guns. He couldn''t even guess what those did but was willing to bet it was dangerous.
Universal Support System
New Mission: Locate Grey Legion Weapons Facility. Already undergoing Trial. Assigning as Bonus Mission.
Mission Update Bonus Mission: Investigate Unknown Injection Bonus Mission: Locate Grey Legion Weapons Facility Trial: Predation (ITRS)
New Mission Details
Locate Grey Legion Weapons Facility A Legion Injection Drone has managed to produce a weapons facility capable of producing more advanced Legion tools in the area. Such a facility is a significant threat to the nearby Enclave of West Hills and should be destroyed as soon as possible.
Hmm, another scouting mission. His first instinct when he considered the Agent 2.0''s had been to avoid them altogether. They were too dangerous to fight for no reward. Could he follow them back too their base somehow though? These guys didn''t seem any more aware of their surroundings than the average person would be. None of them had Auril either. Undecided, he spent another fifteen minutes just watching them search the building through its windows. Suddenly, the two he could see stopped. Freezing in place for a second before quickly moving out of sight and into the depths of the building. . Had they spotted him? Were they circling around to... Nope. There they were, five of them coming out the front door in a hurry. As soon as they made it out onto the street, all five of them broke into a run, ignoring the hidden Derrick and moving down the street. Derrick watched them go and considered following. They were moving back towards the city and seemed to be in hurry, so he doubted they were headed back to base. Unless is was very well hidden, but not so well hidden it didn''t just come under attack. Well, whatever. Something was happening and he wanted to check it out. He would probably head back this way and this was as good a spot as any to set up some sensors. So hiding the hub on the bottom of a black pickup, he stashed sensors on all for corners of the intersection before moving to follow. Luckily, they were moving basically in the direction he came from, so he could move through the irregular ''path'' he''d cut earlier. He didn''t get far before he heard the sound of gunshots. Not just a few either, a slow but steady rhythm involving different sounding weapons. From his new position in a plumbing supply storage yard, he saw the Agents march up to a huge car lot, one containing thousands of cars and enter through the front with their weapons at the ready. Two of the Agent''s stayed at the entrance while the others went deeper in and soon were lost from view. The lot was built on an upwards slope, limiting vision of the deeper areas. Large rows of concrete blocks broke up the different elevations. Each elevation was basically a shelf about eight cars deep and forty wide, with a single car wide road running up the middle. The gunshots were definitely coming from inside there. This honestly seemed like the sort of thing that he hated most. A violent and uncertain melee. Exactly the sort of thing he didn''t want to get involved in. On the other hand, people might need his help? Did he care about that. He''d spent as much time fighting people as helping them since the Scourges had arrived. What did he owe strangers? He certainly wasn''t going to run into this fight just because some idiots got overambitious and pinned down. They might even have the situation under control.... Well, just going in and taking out the two door guards would be doable. They were just sitting there, with their backs turned to him. Derrick easily scrambled up the front of a plumbing van and jumped over the yard''s barbed wire fence. He landed in the drainage ditch beside the road and still unnoticed, drew his axes. An auril pulse showed just one more agent in range, deeper in the yard, so he broke into a sprint. He found a grin breaking out on his face as he started moving faster than he had ever before. He''d always been a decent sprinter and endurance runner but now he devoured the distance in what felt like a single second. Even with an axe in both hand, he had to be moving at Olympic levels of speed. At twenty metres from his targets, two axes flew, their flight separated by a single second. An agent turned at exactly the right moment to catch the axe with his collarbone, instantly going down as the Admantium edge cut deep into it. The second managed to to twist themselves out of the way but as a consequence was totally defenceless when a second later, Derrick slammed into him and drove a knife down into his neck. He stabbed them both a few more times too be sure and collected his axes. Panting, Derrick looked down at the fallen Agents. They were still as grey fluid poured out of their wounds. Wow, that had been almost too easy. He turned his gaze to their weapons.
United Support System Implant
Grey Legion Venom Dirk A mass produced weapon used by soldiers of the Grey Legion. It posses an edge sharp and strong enough to cut through most light armor, assuming the User has enhanced strength. This weapon produces a venom that causes paralysis. This weapon contains no security features and can be looted by Users, though it stops producing venom. Auril Medium.
Grey Legion Fragment Gun A short range weapon that can either fire a single powerful projectile or a cloud of needle like fragments. The Spike is powerful enough to pierce cover and light vehicle armor, at least at close range. The needles can be counted on piercing all but the heaviest infantry armor, delivering a chemical paralyzing agent. Warning: Explodes into poisonous shrapnel when tampered with.
So his new armor was basically worthless already. Well, it seemed like it would protect him at range. He just couldn''t let them fire right in his face... Also, enough of his skin showed that a cloud of needles would hit some of that anyway. Kneeling down and keeping away from the gun, he picked a Venom Dirk. It seemed at least as good as the standard Esthisium knife. So, he grabbed both of them and they disappeared into two of the many pockets/sheaths of his vest. No other Agents were in sight but despite how quick he''d killed these guys, he probably hadn''t gotten away murder. The legion tended to move as if following common command. They could probably communicate instantly if they felt it was important enough. He could tell they weren''t using auril but all it would take was a radio chip in their heads or something more advanced. So what now? It felt wrong to just stop now. Keeping low, he scrambled a few cars deeper and after recovering his auril let off another pulse. On the lowest ''shelf'' only a single agent remained and it was slowly moving to join two allies on the next of the yards four ''shelves''. Wow, Auril Pulse was really coming in handy here. The information it gave out almost felt like cheating. After a second of consideration he sprinted away from the loner Agent, and stealthily up the side of the blocks that separated each shelf. The two other agent''s he''d detected where clearly guarding the ramp cars took between levels, so he just didn''t use them. These guys were warier than the last bunch, so instead of a mad charge they''d probably notice, Derrick snuck about twenty feet away, dove out and hit them with a well aimed tangler grenade, hoping to disable both at once. He wasn''t that lucky. A tall female Agent was instantly turned into a mummy as she was overwhelmed by an explosion of clingy white ribbon. The other agent, a stock man of medium height, was almost disabled but managed to quickly drop their gun and use his dirk to cut the few tendrils that had caught him. That was fine, he could handle one Agent. Derrick moved in for the kill and fearlessly, the Agent turned to meet him with a smile. It didn''t try for its gun, just raised its guard. Which was shame, as it would have been the perfect opportunity for either another grenade or a thrown axe. Instead, Derick opened with a wild swing towards the Agent''s chest area. ¡°Submission is Salvation,¡± the Agent said and taking a step forward, jabbed his dirk to cut along the inside of Derricks arm. Derrick smiled at the familiar words. ¡°I have an axe,¡± he replied, fondly remembering the first time he''d heard that. Without any hesitation, he pressed forward. 3.5 Support Derrick easily batted down the incoming strike with his right axe and countered with a blow that even left-handed would have taken off the creature''s grinning head. The Agent deftly shuffled back to avoid it, dirk quickly returning to guard position. Derrick took the opportunity to follow through and swing with his right, forcing the agent to block with both hands on the dirk. The Agent was moving backwards, so Derrick''s forward momentum let him send the Agent stumbling back.It kept its own weapon raised,desperate to block Derrick''s next blow. Which turned out to be a feint to the neck that left the Agent totally unprepared for the kick that violently shattered its knee. The mutated human didn''t flinch, managing to throw himself onto Derrick instead of just falling. Derrick dropped an axe to catch the lunging Agent''s weapon arm. His other axe bit into the Agent''s good calf. That didn''t seem to bother it much. Pain didn''t faze Agents and it was already leaning on him. To Derrick''s mild surprise, they were about the same strength-wise. Which was interesting. Was the method the System used to strengthen Users similar to what agents underwent? As he struggled to keep the others weapon away from himself, Derrick tightened his grip on his remaining axe. Timed with a shove he used to make a little distance, he pulled it clear and used the bottom point of the axe to cut the creature''s throat. There was no time for celebration though. The third Agent was almost to the top of the ramp and Derrick was out in the open. A dozen scenarios ran through his mind to deal with that little problem. All of them ended with him getting shot. His instinct was to retreat, but he felt himself preparing to charge. Mere logical thought was overridden as a phantom hand pushed him gleefully forward. Leaving his one axe behind and attaching the other to his coat, he grabbed the still bleeding out agent with both hands. Actually, he was moving so fast it was more like he body checked it. Carrying the downed agent, he ran full speed over the lip of the ramp and barely flinched as a series of sharp pains made themselves known. The impacts didn''t even slow him down as - still carrying the agent - he slammed into the last immediate enemy. Three bodies went down in a heap as two living fighters and a corpse rolled down the ramp together. Derrick himself went head over heels before he could stop himself. Right behind him, the active agent had thrown away the body and was reaching for his gun, which had fallen in the fight. Derrick turned and threw himself on the agent''s back, slamming him into the slanted pavement. Taking one of the dirks from his vest, he stabbed the crawling agent in the ribs until it stopped moving. It took more than a few attempts. The angle made the strikes weak and he kept hitting bones that he was pretty sure wouldn''t be there in a person. Derrick rolled off the agent and took a deep breath. Or at least he tried. Air refused to enter his lungs. Why, was pretty obvious, he felt a small sliver sticking an inch out of his neck. Shit, his throat was paralyzed, a needle must have gone right through the Agent he''d been using as a shield. Wasn''t the entire point of the paralysation to keep him alive! It wasn''t alone either, a half dozen places on his body had been hit. He began ripping them out of his calves, arms, and neck; where they had just barely penetrated the thinner spots on his armor. He probably had Curative Blood to thank for the fact that none of limbs were completly frozen. The second he''d pulled out every invading splinter, he activated regeneration. The feeling soon returned to his throat and he breathed in, with surprisingly little urgency. Oh right, Breathless. Had Breathless already saved his life? No, not really. It''d been what, twenty seconds before regeneration and Curative Blood ended the paralysis? He would have been fine without it. All it had done was make the experience more pleasant. Which was almost worth the one hundred and twenty points he''d paid for it. It was also probably responsible for his new sprinting powers though, which had come in handy twice already. So maybe it had saved his life? A few more gunshots broke him out of his thoughts, coming from further in the yard. Staying in the same spot was a bad idea, he scrambled off to the side of the yard, where everything wouldn''t immediately look for him. Crouching between two cars of the countless cars that filled the yard, he let his auril refill and then fired off a pulse. Three targets up on the next shelf, all Agents and... retreating? Or at least manoeuvring to the side of the lot he was on, so that they weren''t between where Derrick had been and whoever else they were fighting. Which was smart, it made the chances of his climbing up to the next level without them noticing much smaller. Behind them would be the barbed wire fence surrounding the yard and the large rocky drainage ditch behind it. If he was going to help out anymore, it would be just staying here to put pressure on them or circling around the enemy and joining the people up top. There was an exchange of gunfire and then after a moment of pregnant silence, a small explosion rang out. A single, singed Grey Agent tumbled over the concrete lip of the shelf. It quickly came to a stop and stared at Derrick from two car lengths and a road width away. Derrick stared back, this development catching him entirely by suprise. It raised its weapon just in time to catch an axe with its face. Errgh yuck, thought Derrick as he gazed at the corpse. He''d kind of panicked with that throw. Well it had worked, the Agent was definitely dead. Feeling exposed, he retreated without taking his axe. He still had a solid minute before he could auril pulse and didn''t want any more surprises, so he backed off. Putting another row of cars between himself and next shelf. ¡°Hello?¡± a deep voice called from nearby. ¡°Any Users out there forget an axe?¡± Huddled behind a car, Derrick responded but didn''t show himself. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied and stayed sitting out of sight, half out of embarrassment at being caught skulking. ¡°Thanks for asking.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± a voice answered and then a few seconds later continued. ¡°Can we talk?¡± ¡°One second,¡± Derrick replied and sent out an auril pulse. His auril mastery told him that the area was clear of Grey Legion. The Users were more numerous than he''d have thought though. He''d made the assumption that Users would be operating in groups the same size as his own. A group of six Users was chilling on top of the final shelf, three were positioned on the ground in such a way that they were clearly unconscious or at least very paralyzed. The other three were positioned on the lip, looking out over his hiding spot. One of the wounded even burned bright enough to his auril sense that they must have auril themselves. Derrick decided to just introduce himself. He stood up and waved, ignored the guns pointed his way and moved forwards to grab his axe. The guns were quickly dropped after a second of taking in his obvious humanity. One good thing about the Scourges was that none of them tried to pass themselves off as human. At least none he''d run into did. Derrickatatchedhis axe to his side and looked up to find two men and a woman considering him from above. ¡°You by yourself?¡± a masculine voice asked. He sounded both surprised and interested. ¡°Yes,¡± said Derrick. ¡°I''m doing a little scouting mission. I''m between teams.¡± ¡°Well thanks for the help,¡± said the large black man who stood slightly closer than his two allies. He offered his hand an Derrick took it. He was lifted over the waist high concrete wall with embarrassing ease. ¡°We were almost overrun. Was a hell of a close thing.¡± ¡°I''m Gerald,¡± the older man said and Derrick felt a hand pat him on the back. It reminded him uncomfortably of Bruce, a little like the other party was holding back so as not to hurt him. It made his eye twitch, that assumption of fragility. He''d fucking fought his way here against a half dozen superhuman aliens, armed with nothing but sharp objects and sharper wits. Not much he could do about it though, besides the other man no doubt meant well. ¡°Derrick,¡± he of that name replied tersely. ¡°It was no trouble, really.¡± Once up on the final shelf, he got a good look at the Users and their surroundings.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. All the Users wore what must be standard Soldier Coats from the System, like his but a navy blue and without the pentagons grouped around the one shoulder. Small objects hung in easy to reach places, grenades, a few of which he didn''t recognize. Completely unlike him, they all seemed to be wielding heavy firepower. Especially Gerald, the guy he assumed was the leader and who''d lifted Derrick up to join them. Not only did he have what looked like an Esthisium cleaver but he held a familiar weapon in his hands.
Standard Railgun
A railgun rifle designed by the System for use by humans with built in security functions. An improved version of their most common weapon type, it could last for hundreds of years without the need for repairs. Grenade Launcher attached. Accurate at extreme ranges due to advanced aiming functions and capable of short bursts. Designed to allow weak projectile enhancement using Manna or Auril.
It was the most uniform group of Users he''d come across yet. At least as far as equipment went, they were still a random selection of genders, ethnicities and ages. One of them was a kinda chubby blond kid who looked a little familiar. Derrick couldn''t place him exactly though... something about stairs... ¡°Nice mask,¡± the chubby man, about Derrick''s age commented as the group examined him in turn. ¡°Expensive?¡± Was that hints of jealousy that he heard? Something about this guy just made Derrick think the worst of him. ¡°It was a gift,¡± the axe wielding User replied and continued to examine the surroundings. Apparently, the group had been made of eight people originally, two bodies hadn''t shown on his auril sense, no doubt due to their complete lack of life. These upgraded agents hadn''t gone down easy, their weapons weren''t just for show. They made a real mess of human flesh when they hit. Not that the Users didn''t have a lot of fight in them. From this elevation, Derrick could make out a dozen grey bodies scattered around smoking craters and parked vehicles that looked like Swiss Cheese. He doubted his recently disbanded team could have done half as well against so many well armed Agents. ¡°Do you need help moving your wounded?¡± asked Derrick. ¡°I can give you a hand.¡± ¡°We''ll just hotwire a truck and drive out of here¡± Gerald replied. ¡°Wouldn''t be the first time.¡± ¡°You fight the Grey Legion a lot?¡± Derrick asked. They seemed to have a very specific toolkit. Railguns would be of very limited use against Spore Tyrants. Except for the one with the grenade launcher attachment. They were also much more organized and military than most Users. Derrick felt a little silly standing next to them, having only melee weapons himself. He could tell the group weren''t actual military though, unless Gerald, their leader, was very good at hiding a military bearing. He seemed more like a football coach to Derrick, a really competent one. Hehad to be be a pretty good leader though, if he could keep a team of eight Users working smoothly. ¡°Constantly,¡± a redheaded User replied proudly. ¡°We''re probably the most experienced group in the city when it come to clearing out the bastards. The System sends us wherever they hide.¡± She was heavyset with freckles and her hair tied back in a thick ponytail. She had an attractive confidence to her, backed up by powerful shoulders with a railgun hanging off the back of them. ¡°Not that that means much,¡± the young chubby blond added darkly. ¡°They change for the worse every day. It was brutal when we fought our first Vanguard. We just got ourselves equipped to deal with those when these better armed Agents show up and kill our friends.¡± ¡°They didn''t go down easy,¡± Gerald said. ¡°I doubt the Greys are happier than us about how this fight went down.¡± All of a sudden, Derrick felt alien thoughts invade his brain.
Sensor Web Hub Update
One hostile object approaching at approximately seventy eight kilometres per hour. Five hundred and forty pounds estimated weight. Dense surface materials and ambient Manna detected. ETA: Approximately one minute forty three seconds.
Along with the notification came a whole bunch of raw data. Three dimensional shapes and light defractions? Something about ambient manna density across Fold layers? It was all very confusing. Derrick shook his head until the strange feeling of alien knowledge being crammed into his skull dissipated. Well, fuck. A deep frown took over his face. ¡°We need to be out of here in under a minute,¡± Derrick said seriously to is new friends. ¡°We have incoming, something big and fast.¡± Gerald, a mass of muscle, competence and leadership, considered this proclamation with complete seriousness. ¡°That doesn''t seem possible,¡± he informed truthfully. ¡°We can''t all escape that quickly and we won''t leave anyone behind.¡± Derrick respected that. He really did. In fact, he had to resist the urge to offer a fist bump. ¡°Well bye,¡± Derrick replied. He''d tried, he really had. He''d reached out to help people and it wasn''t his fault they weren''t mobile enough. With both the stealth elements of Red Law and his new sprinting power, he was pretty sure he would succeed in making a run for it if he started now. He let out a deep sigh. They seemed like decent people too. Except for that one guy, the chubby one. Derrick got a weird negative vibe from him. He moved towards the drainage ditch, the best current exit considering where the enemy was coming from. ¡°What''s going on?¡± the last standing female member of the group asked. ¡°Derrick says something is coming,¡± Gerald answered his teammate. ¡°Sensors?¡± ¡°Ya, they''re telling me over four hundred pounds of space magic fuelled killing machine is coming,¡± Derrick elaborated as he slowly made his exit. ¡°All these Agents were just a delaying action. Whatever this is, it wins just by showing up before you guys escape.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re leaving,¡± the women asked, as if no possible answer would surprise her. Derrick watched her check her weapon with scathing indifference. Somehow, that was worse than if she''d been disappointed in him. It reminded him of Kate. Which brought up more complicated emotions. Few of which were positive. ¡°We''re not his team, Lizzy.¡± Gerald explained with superhuman understanding and confidence almost as solid as his muscles. ¡°We can''t expect him to put them at risk by risking himself for us.¡± Even the chubby one nodded at that and steeled himself, as if some universal truth had been spoken. Derrick opened and closed his mouth several times. No words came out though. Not until a very dramatic moment had passed anyway. ¡°I''ll stay and see what shows up,¡± Derrick informed them. He didn''t need to outrun the bear and recently he''d gotten a lot better at running. They didn''t have to wait long. A grey monstrosity skittered down the street and into the car lot, a smooth tower of blurred limbs and overlapping carapace. Once in the yard, it slowed down and allowed the Users a better view of it. It was a giant, grey and heavily armored spider. Well, not technically. Spiders had eight legs and two body segments Derrick knew. This thing was seven feet tall and about as wide, with most of that width coming from six legs and two smaller ''arms'' on the front of it. Its body was a single vertical oval of organic overlapping plates and a protuberance near the top of one side that could only be some kind of cannon.
Universal Support System
Trial Update: New Target Found Warning: Threat level high. Recommend level is 2.7
Grey Legion Combat Support Drone An armored construct created to provide a variety of support to Grey Legion Forces. It is capable of providing long range support, protection and field medicine. They can field a variety of different heavy weapons, depending on the situation. Can be upgraded from Injection Drones, allowing limited early deployment. Uses both Manna and Auril.
The four Users watched it enter the yard fearlessly, blocking the only exit they could possibly evacuate the casualties out of. Gerald pointed his gun in the air and fired it. A small round object flew hundreds of metres in a shallow arc, directly towards the spiderlike thing. The grenade flew unerringly, right up until it got about a half dozen metres from the target and impacted on some kind of circular opaque barrier that appeared in front of the projectile. The grenade detonated against the almost transparent shield and shrapnel flew away from the Grey Legion construct with a bang. Yup, that was a force field, if nothing like the kind he''d seen before. The fact that it exploded instead of falling to the ground showed it was completely different than Jenny''s. ¡°Well that''s not great,¡± Gerald admitted with a frown. ¡°Anyone got any ideas? Could we lead it away from the wounded?¡± Derrick felt a sensation like a hot damp wind blow over him and recognized an auril pulse. One, more like what his bracelet produced than what the Spore Tyrants used. Very long range too, considering the creature was almost two thousand feet away. Easily twice his own range. What he didn''t feel was his Quantum Awareness warning him he''d been found. Apparently, the Red Law''s stealth aspect had held up. ¡°You guys were just scanned with auril,¡± Derrick announced as he put another few feet between them. Considering one of their downed teammates could use it, they probably knew how that worked. Hmmm, powerful scanning and free moving guns... Ya, he was willing to bet this was a mobile artillery platform. Which meant it was already too late to get away if you could be tracked with auril. How the fuck were you supposed to fight something like this? It had heavy armor, some kind of Manna shield, powerful scanners, and a field gun strapped to it. If it didn''t have the Grey Legion''s obsession with taking people alive, it would have probably scorched the earth they stood on. ¡°At least there''s only one,¡± proclaimed chubs. Who Derrick was willing to bet was the slowest of the group. The enemy construct bowed down next to a corpse that Derrick had left by the entrance. The shorter front limbs picked it up and held it in front of its body. The corpse blocked line of sight and prevented them from seeing exactly what it was doing. ¡°What''s it doing?¡± asked Gerald with clear concern. Using his mask''s zoom feature, Derrick saw a thick fluid flow out of the fallen agent''s horrible neck wound, as if the giant spider thing was trying to fill the corpse up like a water balloon. A second later he realized the stuff was hardening, turning into a plate of grey carapace that covered the wound like an armored band aid. Unable to look away, Derrick watched as the dead face came to life with a slow smile. The spider dropped the Agent, letting it fall back onto its feet. The now somewhat more armored Agent rolled its neck and picked its gun up off the ground. Field medicine? It was a damned resurrection engine! No wonder it had thrown away all these Agents to keep them pinned down. The User''s hard earned victory had never mattered in the slightest. The spider thing picked up the other corpse by the entrance and ignoring the Users, began rebuilding the forces it would use to capture them. 3.6 Confidence under Fire Derrick heard a heavy sigh. ¡°We''re pretty fucking dead,¡± the redhead asked. ¡°Aren''t we? There''s like nine downed agents between it and us and the second we become a real threat, it will just fry us at extreme range. Only reason we''re alive is so it can capture us.¡± Again, she didn''t sound surprised. They were all taking the whole thing pretty well, even chubs, who was pale but held his rifle steady. They must have been in a lot of shitty circumstances the last few days. He could relate. ¡°More like a dozen and change,¡± Derrick absentmindedly corrected. He''d left a few more bodies hidden among the cars she didn''t know about. He was calmly taking in the scene and starting to formulate a plan. For some reason, whenever he considered retreating he found his mind twist right back to attacking. No retreat. A single step back could cost them the city. None of the Users he''d seen would be able to stop this thing. Unless the System stepped in somehow, the situation would snowball into a real disaster. They had a chance. If only because it was underestimating them. Did it matter though? He should be running already, not thinking of ways to fight. Yet he didn''t want to run. Was it because of an attack of conscience? Attachment to these Users and their wounded comrades? No it didn''t feel like that. No, this was very different from that. The problem he had with running came in two parts. First, there was only so far to run, so many people he could abandon. The world was much smaller than a few days ago. He was essentially trapped in this city and he knew that too much retreating would quickly leave him and the people of the Enclave cowering in the rubbleas Scourges fought over the ruins. Second, he sensed weakness. As insanely dangerous as this would be, he didn''t think it would be impossible and the rewards he could get from it were huge. ¡°We need to attack it,¡± he said with stone cold calm. ¡°Right now, before the numbers get even worse for us. If you guys can distract it and take out the Agents, I''ll try to get a jump on it. It doesn''t know I''m here yet. ¡± ¡°I thought you said it scanned us.¡± Gerald replied with a frown. ¡°I said it scanned you guys,¡± Derrick clarified. ¡°I''m... resistant to being scanned with auril.¡± ¡°Useful,¡± commented the redhead and casting a look her way, he thought he saw a glimmer of hope pass over her face as she sighted the enemy through her rifle scope. "I''m solo scouting for a reason," he replied. ¡°But can you actually hurt that thing?¡± asked Gerald. ¡°I mean, those are nice looking axes but you''ll probably want something with a little more oomph. Maybe you distract it and I hit it with another grenade? I have a few left.¡± ¡°I have a breacher,¡± informed chubs sullenly and immediately threw it to Derrick, who caught it and attached it to his coat. ¡°I''m not going to try and use it.¡± ¡°So the plan is you jump out from behind a car and attach a breacher to it,¡± the redhead asked and seemed to struggle to find words. ¡°That is... a bad plan.¡± ¡°The plan, is for you guys to hit it with everything you''ve got. Including a grenade. The second it activates its shield, I''ll run in from another angle and we''ll try to overwhelm it.¡± Derrick clarified. ¡°And yes, I know it''s still a bad plan but it''s this or you deal with it yourselves.¡± ¡°Oh, i''m not going to ty nd stop you. Good Luck,¡± said Gerald and patted him on the back. ¡°And thanks.¡± ¡°Err, you too.¡± Derrick replied awkwardly and set out. He wasn''t used to people being this friendly and reasonable. The axe wielding User skulked out to the side of the lot as the others went straight down the middle. By the time they made their way into position, the Drone was busy working on resurrecting the first of the second group of Agents Derrick had taken down and was paying no attention to them at all. It was being guarded by two, soon to be three Agents. Their eyes scanned the lot for threats constantly. Derrick had to peek from under cars and through the corner of windows to remain unseen. Over the last couple skirmishes with them, he''d noticedthe Grey Legion didn''t seem to have the best eyesight. The were far from blind but neither were they particularly observant. A User sentry would have spotted him for sure, the Scourge seemed to rely more on other senses, like auril and smell. He got into position about a hundred feet from the Drone and began to wait. Almost immediately, Gerald fired off a grenade and from a hundred feet to either side of him, Chubs and the redheaded opened fire on the agents. There was limited success. The Drone managed to angle its shield so that it protected two of the agents and stopped the grenade. One of the agents did go down in a hail of bullets and Derrick sprinted in from behind, unnoticed for now. Once again, he felt a strange joy as he slammed his feet into the ground and propelled himself forward with superhuman speed. Despite the terrifying situation, it just felt amazing. One of the Agents, with grey carapace over its throat, turned towards him and raised its gun, only to be brought down by an axe tothe unarmored side of its neck. Derrick bodychecked it aside, now only a dozen feet from the Drone. Which skittered away from him while turning to face him, only to stop as another grenade impacted a shield midair. The last active Agent, which had been firing into the cars that provided cover for Gerald and his group, crumpled the second the new shield appeared. Those Users were good at this. They hadn''t stopped moving and firing the entire fight. Angling their fire to reduce the effectiveness of the Drone''s shield. They were a real threat. The Drone agreed with Derrick. He felt another wave of auril spread through the air and fast as thought, it fired off two of what looked like green fireballs in arcs towards where Derrick assumed the others were hiding. At the same time, the thin and sharp looking point of one of the creatures legs speared towards Derricks body. With hands on the head and shaft of his axe, he lashed and pushed the limb aside, while charging by the limb and towards the creature''s body. The skinny limb contained a lot of power, even angling it aside jarred Derrick. He ignore the pain and sent a pulse of auril through his axe. He felt resistance as he tried to push his auril inside it but that gave way and he felt the limb shiver for a single second.Derrick smiled grimly as the spider thing twitched. That probably wouldn''t have worked if the creature hadn''t just used its auril in a scouting pulse. His auril strike was a very crude and weak attack. In the seconds before he was in range to strike the body, he threw out a Tangler at the other limbs. The Drone tried to dance aside but was too close to dodge. Two legs were bound together by coiling white ribbons and rolling underneath the grey construct, Derrick slapped the breacher to the bottom of it and rolled clear. A second later, from behind him he heard an explosion but didn''t celebrate. Now was not the time for hesitation. He spun around and struck out at a leg that was spearing towards him, he managed to sever it and a thin trail of grey fluid splashed across the lot. The Drone had been hurt, Derrick saw, but not critically. He would change that soon. Derrick used all his new strength to launch himself at the construct, intending to finish the fight before it could recover. Midair, he bounced off a translucent sheet of force that appeared in front of him. It was like hitting a slightly sticky steel wall. He slid off of it and fell stunned to the ground. He shook it off almost instantly and rose to his feet. The Drone had retreated, even wounded,it was still as fast as Derrick. Still lashed, Derrick could only watch in slow motion as the construct''s fireball launcher swivelled to point right at him. Could he hide behind its own shield? No, doubtful. Instead, he threw himself to the side and felt a wave of scorching heat and pain as he caught the edges of the attack. Well, he''d survived a few more seconds but now his fucking arm was on fire and he was a sitting duck. This had been a bad plan.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Agrenade impacted on the Drone''s side and the entire creature twitched violently for a few seconds. He felt his spirits lift, Gerald was still alive. It had been awhile since he''d heard any bullets though. Were the other two dead or did they just not see a point in shooting it? He brushed those thoughts aside and stood up. Ignoring the little fact that he was on fire, the red masked User took this opportunity to strike off another segment of his enemy''s limb, tipping the creature towards him and putting the body in range of his next strike. Making sure it didn''t roll onto him, he circled it while axing it to death. Its armor was thick but cracked from both the breacher and the grenade. The almost magically sharp edge of his axe managed to pierce it if he swung with all his weight and hit a weakened spot. Although his sleeve protected him from most of the heat, it was quickly burning up. Derrick took his knife and was about to cut it off, when to his surprise, it detached easily and fell to the ground. Wow, that was a great feature. This coat was growing on him. In fact, he wouldn''t be surprised if the fact it was partialy made of Grey Legion materials lent in some resistance to the Drone''s fire weapon. Seeing no real damage to his arm beyond a few painful burns, he turned back to the limbless Drone. Where as before it had towered over him, it now looked a lot smaller. Just an oval about the size of a large fat person. He activated regeneration and got back to work. Grey fluid splattered everywhere as he struck, widening the wounds with every strike and digging his way deeper.
Universal Support System
Trial Update: Target Defeated! Congratulations on defeating a difficult opponent. 245 points earned. Title Earned: Scrappy III Target contains both a manna core and auril heart. You have reached the Level Cap. Level locked for 6.3 hours to prevent damage from excessive modification.
Scrappy III: Destroy three types of advanced enemy before level 1.9 with only basic melee weapons + 3 Auril Capability
Scrappy was a nice boost to auril. Or at least it would be when he visited a Station next. He was a little disappointing the reward wasn''t greater than the previous level. Both Scrappy two and three had just given three auril capacity. Derrick used an auril pulse, both to find the heart and to confirm the Drone really was dead. The System had implied it but he was in no mood for uncertainty. Yup, it was dead, completely devoid of auril other than a tiny bit in the auril heart. He also learned some surprising and much less happy information. He turned around and saw a sooty and grim faced chubs emerging from a sea of battered vehicles, gripping Gerald''s rifle in his burned hands. His and one motionless female form were the only living things he''d detected in the nearby area. Chubs wounded allies were still out of his range, but Gerald and the redhead should both have been detected. Derrick cast a glance further into the lot and winced when he saw green flames eating away at the steel bodies of cars. That was... not a good way to go. Derrick felt a wave of sadness hit him as the adrenaline faded. He''d liked Gerald, the man been both kind and competent. A rare combination made rarer still. The two Users considered each other for a few seconds, neither speaking. ¡°Thanks,¡± Derrick eventually said through heavy breaths. ¡°You saved my life.¡± ¡°Maybe but you did a lot more than that.¡± Chubs replied. Honestly, Derrick felt bad thinking of the other User like that now but didn''t know his name. ¡°They... I thought I was strong. I knew I wasn''t as strong as Gerald but I thought that I could make a difference.¡± ¡°Ahh, none of that shit, please.¡± Derrick interrupted. He''d gotten enough of that from Jenny earlier. ¡°You reached into a fire to pull out a grenade launcher and used it on an alien monstrosity just in time to save my life. Don''t ruin that with self pity.¡± The other, younger User bristled. ¡°Gerald was a real hero. If they can kill him, what chance do I have? He...¡± ¡°Didn''t seem like the kind of guy who''d want people crying over him when they could be helping save more people,¡± Derrick interrupted. ¡°Gerald is dead and were poorer for it. Not weaker though. You didn''t break and you didn''t die. What doesn''t'' kill us... Well I''m sure you know.¡± That had the desired effect. The other User shut up and adopted a determined look with a nod. ¡°Have we met before?¡± Derrick asked. Ya, this was really bugging him. The young man looked familiar but Derrick couldn''t place him. It was a silly thing to focus on but maybe that''s why he was doing it. ¡°We lived in the same apartment,¡± the younger man replied, taken aback. ¡°You tried to kill me during the training fight with one of those axes when this all started. You don''t remember that? I sure do.¡± ¡°Oh, right. That. Sorry about that.¡± replied Derrick and watched the other User just shrug. That had been a long time ago. Well, three days but it felt like a lifetime and a different world. The other User was still a little chubby but had lost weight and changed his bearing enough over the last three days that he seemed like a different person. Derrick idly wondered how he had changed. Did he seem more confident, leaner? Had he put on some muscle? He definitely had some new scars. ¡°What was your name?¡± Derrick asked. The still somewhat chubby User had definitely earned the right to a name by saving his life so dramatically. ¡°Tom,¡± the younger user answered and held out his hand earnestly. Derrick spoke his own name and the two of them shook hands. ¡°Do you need help with the wounded?¡± Derrick asked. It seemed like the right thing to say. The focus they should have. He''d felt the redhead''s auril earlier, so he knew she was alive. He was kind of worried she was on fire or something though. ¡°No, they''re stable for now and the System is sending people over. You could hitch a ride back with us if you want.¡± Ah, good. It was reassuring that the System still seemed committed to rescuing its Users. Once the fighting was over at least. It seemed oddly shy about lending any direct help. He doubted it was as hands off as it appeared. ¡°I''ve got a mission to complete still. Gonna push on,¡± Derrick replied carefully. His wounds were superficial. The burns and bruises were painful but regeneration and curative blood would only need a few hours to deal with most of it. Or at least bring down the pain to bearable levels. ¡°Stronger, through adversity,¡± Tom replied with an odd look on his face. As if he''d solved some great mystery. Derrick felt himself draw back instinctively. ¡°We become greater with every blow against us. It is not who we are, it what we become.¡± Tom said intensely and saluted before turning around and making his way to the wounded he''d been fighting to protect. ¡°Thanks for the lessons.¡± Derrick watched the other User leave. It was possible he''d fucked up that motivational speech. Aggravated some kind of mental condition. No, this wasn''t his fault, there was something wrong with that guy. Thinking back, Tom had been odd since the fight in the apartment. Derrick reached into a pocket and began chewing on a ration bar. He didn''t take his eyes off the other User until he moved out of sight. What a weirdo, he thought as he activated regeneration again. After a few minutes of rest, he used his axes to dig out the auril heart and manna core.
Universal Support System Database
Grey Legion Combat Support Drone Auril Heart A weak Auril organ grown for Grey Legion Combat Support Drones Danger: may contain a incomplete version of the Grey Mandate (Drone) style. Limit exposure for your own safety. Contains traces of Aurilin.
Legion Manna Gate A device that uses a small amount of Siviril to connect to a nearby Manna Core. Funnelling Manna through the Fold to the wielder.
Siviril A rare resource that is the foundation of System military technology. It is used in Manna devices, such as Cores, Gates and Crystals. Warning: Some Scourges are attracted to the signature created by large amounts of Manna being pulled from the Fold.
Derrick didn''t study either of them just then, just pocketed the both and moved on, preferring to exit the car lot before the place was flooded with support Users. He didn''t bother trying to claim the grey armor plating either, it would be the work of a day to get any of the tough stuff off the corpse. It wasn''t worth going back too the city without accomplishing his mission. He doubted a single kill would earn him much from the trial either. Besides, he really didn''t feel like dealing with other people or seeing new faces right now. He needed some alone time. He made his way back to the intersection he had deployed the sensors at, the ones that had warned him of the Drone''s approach. He figured it was a safe spot to take a break at. After sending out some auril pulses, he entered a small empty workshop of some kind and sat down in the middle of the office floor, amongst knocked over chairs, scattered paperwork and broken glass. He took out the Drone''s auril heart and examined it. Like the others, it was just a red stone of irregular shape to his eyes. A funny looking pebble. To Derrick''s new senses though, it pulsed as if was alive. A knot of tightly wound energy weaving and flowing in a complicated pattern. It was beautiful. It was powerful. He sent his senses deeper into the stone. Shedding his worldly concerns as he concentrated on the alien enigma in his hand. He had no real goal, he was just curious and let his mind casually explore it. It was fascinating. So very different from the pattern in the stone he''d taken from the Vanguard. That pattern was a wild and erratic beat. This one was far more steady. Maybe because of its host''s more artificial origin? It was a strange process, trying to decipher the meaning and purpose in an auril heart. Much of it was beyond him of course. He did get a general sense of what the contained Style was about though. The Vanguard pattern was about marching forward. An aggressive growth. He''d made that part of the Red Law, along with his own defiance. That had been a one time thing, not something he could repeat. Learning from auril hearts would be a slow process from this point on. This Style was different, precise, almost clinical. Examination and Correction. Correction was... dizzyingly alien to him. He had no basis to understand what that was about. Even his regeneration seemed like it was a completely different process. All he got from trying to understand it was a headache. It seemed like there would be no resurrection powers for him. Too bad, not that he''d really expected something that amazing to be so easily learned. Parts of examination though, he understood. It was much simpler, just a method to gather and release auril pulses. Incorporating parts of that into his own method let him over double the range of his own pulses for almost no increased auril cost. Which was still a measly fifty five feet, a fraction of his System device''s three hundred and some feet. Eyes closed, Derrick smiled. That was just the lowest of hanging fruit, a tiny fraction of what this one Style offered. More study and auril power would increase his range. He was improving. In fact, just a few minutes later, fixing a small inefficiency gained him another ten feet of range. That hadn''t even been from the Style, just a benefit of his increasing understand of basic auril patterns. He was willing to bet that, with some minor adaptions, the same processes could be used to add some oomph to auril strike as well. They were both simple techniques about the internal gathering and release of... Auril Proficiency Upgraded (Advanced) Huh. It was nice that the System recognized his accomplishments. He stood and stretched. Feeling stiff and sore, he activated regeneration and felt it work its magic. You are now level 1.8! Wait. What? 3.7 Progress He''d been meditating for over five hours? Concerned, Derrick checked his phone and found that it was still the early afternoon. It had only been around two hours since he started experimenting with auril. Longer than he''d guess but not the six hours that it was supposed to take for his level to change. Why would the System lie? How could it be wrong about something it controlled? The ration bars? No, their effect was supposed to be minor. Doubling the rate he could level was not minor. He considered what he knew about levelling. A second later, he slapped his forehead. Oh. From behind his red mask, Derrick grinned. Levelling was a physical process that increased muscle and bone density for Fighters. No doubt, a bunch of subtle things like resistance to disease and poisons as well. Even with the System''s advanced technology, it stressed out the body to upgrade it like that. The level cap existed because you could only change a living thing so fast, especially one that needed to be able to defend itself. He''d thought regeneration was weak because it was unfocused, wasting energy by dispersing throughout his entire body. But it had good reason to target his whole body; Regeneration was healing the damage done by levelling. It no doubt helped that he was feeding himself what he needed for the process with the ration bars. He doubted that was a coincidence. So, Regeneration let him level faster. Assuming he earned those levels by putting himself in constant danger anyway. Derrick''s mind blazed with possibilities. Was there a title for levelling quickly? He hadn''t run into it yet but perhaps a milestone level like 1.9 or 2.0 had one for the first few Users to reach them. He was confident he could reach those levels much faster than average. He''d basically won the levelling speed lottery with Regeneration. Could he reach level one point nine today? Hmm, probably not. He felt like trying though. He exited the workshop and continued on his way towards the beacon for the Injection site scouting mission. He left his scouting hub behind again, so he had a safe space to retreat to, if it came to that. Despite purposefully moving through rougher terrain to avoid detection. It took only thirty minutes for him to get halfway there. He was near the outer edge of the city now, he could see fields in the distance. Fields that were bright green. Specifically, the bright green of the flame the Combat Support Drone''s fireball gun spewed. The only reason he hadn''t smelled the smoke was that thanks to the Combat Drone he''d just fought, he still smelled of the same green fire. Before that Drone had attacked him at the car lot, it must have been here, setting fire to the countryside. The fires were still going too, even though the crops and buildings seemed to have long ago turned to ash. Something like napalm? Nasty stuff anyway. The fires did seem to be shrinking, they only took up a fraction of the burned ground. He''d guess they wouldn''t last much longer. He considered them. It was impossible to say for sure, as the green fire left only ash and dirt where it burned, but he''d guess this had been a scuffle with the Tyrant Spores. They were the only thing he could think of that needed to destroyed so thoroughly. Hopefully, the Drone had done some real damage to the other Scourge before beign destroyed him him. Let them fight. He would turn back if he found an area as infested with Tyrant Spores as where that Siren abomination had been. One of those Bleeding Tooth Behemoths could probably beat him in a fight. He lacked Blake''s.... grace. Keeping out of sight as much as possible, he worked his way through a decent sized office building. He reached the front entrance without incident. To keep going, he needed to cross the street, so he let out an auril pulse to check the nearby buildings. To his suprise, the pulse revealed a pair of canine Vanguard in the building across the street. Probably, left behind as scouts, to watch for Tyrant Spore regrowth using their superior doggie senses. It was a good thing they''d hadn''t joined the Combat Drone in its attack. Not only would that have saved the Drone, but he doubted he could have escaped them easily even if he''d left the others behind. A flare from Quantum Awareness revealed that they''d felt his auril pulse and knew where he was. Shit, he thought, as he backpedalled in panic. The pulse the System given device sent out was a crude thing, both easily detected and traced back to its source. This was why he''d been working on creating pulses without the device, well that and the device''s high auril cost. The device really had no advantage other than range. He felt a foreign pulse of auril wash over him. However, he could tellit failed to pin down his location. Hopefully that would confuse them. What to do now? They knew he was here but not exactly where. So, the advantage was still his and killing Vanguard was why he was here. They should go down easier than the drone he''d just fought. After that walking tank, the Vanguard seemed a lot less intimidating. Hmm, he couldn''t really ambush them. His educated guess was that his auril stealth was easily overpowered at even medium range and thecanine Vanguard would probably be cautious anyway. In fact, the longer it took for them to find him, the better the chances of reinforcements showing up. The best case scenario was they attacked right away. Worse case, they hounded him until gun wielding Agents showed up. Hyper alert, he scanned the entrances and listened for any suspicious sounds. He saw and heard nothing. A low powered auril pulse revealed nothing out of place within sixty feet either. Slowly, he walked towards the exit. As long as a pulse didn''t catch him, he should be able to avoid detection. That turned out to be wrong. A light scuffing noise caused him to look over his shoulder. Brazenly, a Vanguard padded through a doorway behind him and sat down in the middle of it, watching him without eyes. It had circled around him with distressing speed. The axe wielding User noticed this canine Vanguard looked a little buffer than the others he''d seen. Hard to tell if its armor was thicker or if it had been a more muscular breed. Derrick adjusted the grip on his axes, making ready to defend himself. He didn''t attack though; one enemy was still unaccounted for. He sent out another weak pulse, lacking the auril for more. He found nothing and Quantum Awareness was only being set off by the one mutant dog. Well, this was about as good a chance as he was going to get. He strode forward, right towards the watching canine. Seeing him come, it just cocked its head to the side before grinning at him with a mouth full of teeth straight from a horror movie. The grey canine dodged a descending axe with a backwards lurch and displaying impressive agility, surprised Derrick by biting at his axe. Catching the weapon by the haft and holding on to it. Luckily, Derrick had two axes. He swung the second but achieved only a glancing blow as the Vanguard pulled him forwards at the worst possible second. He shaved off some armor but failed to draw blood. The horrible angle plus the mutated dog''s own agility made hitting it difficult. Yet, despite the opportunity, the dog didn''t let go of his weapon to attack when he was off balance. There could only one reason for that.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Just as he raised his axe once more, Quantum Awareness informed him of a second presence. He''d been expecting this. He let go of the axe the first attacker was biting and spun to put them both in his line of sight. The first enemy droppedhis axe and snapped at his boot, just as Derrick caught a glimpse of the second attacking dog. It was moving so fast it was just a grey blur. Derrick Lashed and assessed the situation as everything slowed down. One Vanguard snapping at his feet and another coming at him full speed from the side. Child''s play. Bending slightly at the knees, he performed a classic palm strike right above the closest Vanguard''s snout. The blow itself, despite Derrick''s new superhuman strength, was way too weak to even faze the mutated creature. The pulse of auril it sent directly into the creatures forehead though, that had an effect. His now slightly stronger auril pulse caused the creature to flinch. Thanks to Esthisum weaponry''s ability to stick to clothing pretty much anywhere, he attached his axe to his side and with the same smooth motion and Lash driven speed, he drew and stuck a knife into a small gap at the stunned creature''s throat. He was rewarded with first blood. Ha, even though his auril attack was nothing special, his auril capacity was much higher than the canine Vanguard¡¯s. They were more scouts than fighters really. Besides, from what he could tell, their auril was to help them become Vanguard fatser and enhance their senses, not for defense against other auril users. At the same time as he was driving a knife between armored plates, the fingers of his other hand - the one that had just finished a palm strike - wrapped around the mutant dog¡¯s fang filled snout. Then, using those two points of contact, he lifted the Vanguard off the ground and bashed it into its incoming ally with all his enhanced body¡¯s newfound strength. Fast and strong but light, both Vanguard were sent sprawling. Derrick rearmed himself and strode towards them. The Vanguard he''d knifed, recovered too slow to stop him from burying an axe in the back of its neck, almost decapitating it. It shuddered, leaking grey fluid onto the tiled ground of the deserted building that was their battleground. Then, stillness. The other though, managed to scramble to its feet and move clear of Derrick''s attack range. It seemed to consider him for a second, before sprinting out the front door. Running, huh. That wasn''t allowed. Derrick palmed a Tangler and with a flick of his wrist, sent it after the retreating canine. The Vanguard almost made it. Only a few of the white tendrils that exploded out of the grenade managed to grab it. Wrapping around just one of its back legs but also grabbing onto the steel frame of a nearby door. It turned to bite at the restricting tendrils, but Derrick was right behind his grenade. He arrived in seconds and made short, messy work of the mutant canine. Once it was dead, he threw his bloody axe on his shoulder and considered the fight he''d just won. He kind of wished he had a recording of it. For studying, of course. To let other Users know how you got shit done. Ha, It had gone surprisingly well. He was pretty sure this was the first real fight that he''d been in where he took no real wounds. He hadn''t been bitten, stabbed, shot, clawed, burned with acid, pierced by alien tendrils, had his mind invaded or been set on fire. He must be getting better at this.
Universal Support System
Trial Update: Targets Defeated! Congratulations on defeating your opponents. 120 points earned. Targets contain an auril heart. Total Points Earned: 365
Three hundred and sixty five points eh? That was probably above average at least. The creator of the Red Law stood in blood spattered ruins and smiled. He was just getting started too. There had to be more Vanguard around, he''d find them and destroy them and everyone who thought they could compete ag... Derrick frowned. His heart was beating like a hammer and his muscles were tense. Wow, he was adrenaline rushing hard. Get it together man. Well that settled that, he was going to finish this little scouting mission. See what was up at the beacon and make his way back to the nearest System Station to upgrade and rest. Maybe using so much auril was affecting his mind again? The last thing he wanted was to die during some kind of space testosterone fuelled rampage. Derrick took a series of slow breathes. Time to do some harvesting and move on. He quickly used a weak auril pulse to locate the hearts and removed them. He was tempeted to examine them, but decided against it. Any small gains he''d get from it weren''t worth his head getting messed with. It would be something to look forward to, he thought, as he pocketed the small stones. He was just a few kilometres away from where the mission beacon told him he had to go. Thankfully, it was not in the direction that was currently smoldering. Instead, the beacon was in the direction of an urban expansion that grew around a highway exit. It was an unremarkable part of town he¡¯d never been to before. Just suburbs surrounding commercial plazas. He picked up the pace, speed walking towards the beacon and what he hoped wasn''t Grey Legion turf. As fun as that fight had been, he really doubted that they''d throw more canine Vanguard at him. Despite some recent mistakes, the Grey Legion was more than bright enough to just execute him at range. Still, he was feeling confident. Nothing he''d seen so far could catch him unaware. His auril powers were - at least in the short term - better at scouting and evasion than even the Scourges. Matched only by the Spore Tyrants and they were too stationary to be much of a threat to him. He speed walked to his destination, keeping out of the most visible spots, like the middle of the street. Soon, he came upon the back of huge big box store. Basically, a warehouse for food and luxuries of every kind. It of course occurred to him that this kind of place would make a decent cradle for a Spore Tyrant Node. Easily cutting his way through the fence and back door, he entered the store and found it both ruined and empty. Not a single Grey Agent or Spore Tyrant tendril. It was easy to tell because the building was missing a corner and light flooded into the derelict building. Quantum Awareness didn''t so much as tingle as he walked between the shelves. Auril pulses detected nothing living around him. Literally nothing. Everything was sterile and mundane. He saw nothing more dangerous than a set of kitchen knives; lowest price guaranteed. And yet, something was wrong. He slowed his pace as his heart sped up. Something was amiss.He crept forwards, toward the hole in the wall. He frowned as he got closer and got a better look at it. It didn''t seem to be caused by an explosion. It looked more like the building had melted. What the hell could cause that? He paused. Maybe the System would tell him? It had to know what this was. ...No? Fine then, he''d just go and scout it out. That was what he was here for. Unnerved,the User crept up to the hole and looked out to see the most disturbing thing he''d ever witnessed. It filled him with an eerie dread to look at. To think about it hurt, a stabbing pain between the eyes. It was impossible. And yet, the last few days had taught him how little his ideas of what were possible were worth. In the parking lot of a big box store, a thirty-foot-deep and two hundred feet across sloped pit had been formed and was still growing. So slowly it barely seemed to be happening at all, the concrete was... draining, carrying cars and shopping carts in a circular route to the centre of the pit, where they disappeared below the surface without so mush as a rippleorwhisper. A few feet above the deepest part of the pit, turning in time with the ground itself, was a wheel. That was the only way that Derrick could describe it anyway. A wheel made of hands, the size of a child''s wading pool. Not living flesh, but carved in perfect likeness from some unknown material. Hundreds of unique and human hands gripping each other by their unseen wrists, clawing at each other, false fingers digging into fake flesh with tendons tight. All perfectly still but for the turning of the wheel they formed, yet so perfectly detailed they seemed like they might stir to frenzied life at any second. Centered a foot above that, Derrick managed to make out a perfect silver orb the size of a basketball, it was emitting ripples in the air and sparks of blue light that hurt to look at.
Universal Support System
Mission Complete + 180 points for successfully Investigating Unknown Injection Site + 15 points for identifying Injection as an illegal System Affiliate probe Return to a Support Station to spend points for vital rewards!
Derrick blinked at the notification and realized just how much his eyes hurt. He''d been staring, oblivious to the pain it was causing him. He gave it a quick read. Return to a Support station? Gladly. He was getting away from whatever that was. Nothing could get him to go anywhere near that frankly, unholy thing.
Universal Support System
Imminent threat to Enclave detected. Obedience Protocols Activated. We apologize for the loss of control.
Mission Update: Feral Artisan (Journeyman) identified Illegal System probe identified Prevent Feral Artisan from consuming Siviril Source (Illegal Probe).
Ah... fuck. 3.8 Alien Rules I ¡°How?¡±Derrick hissed aloud as he stared at the slowly spiralling madness that floated before him. ¡°How am I supposed to do that?¡± The System had not blessed him with a jetpack or even a grappling gun. No, he had axes and a nice coat. Those weren''t going to help him with this little problem. He couldn''t heal the probe away from that pit and none of the drugs he''d been given granted anything that would useful here, like telekinesis. He was still a good hundred feet from the start of the sinkhole. He wasn''t comfortable being even that close. Who knew how something this strange worked? What, if any, limitations were there to this already impossible phenomenon? He was looking at concrete flowing like water and draining away into nowhere, apparently being controlled by something that he couldn''t even tell was alive or some kind of device. Was he supposed to just swim down there and grab the probe? Which he assumed was the silver orb floating right above the centre of the pit. The one shooting random bursts of blue lightning. Derrrick seriously considered just refusing and suffering through the System''s punishment. That wouldn''t be safe either though, and very likely he would just end up giving in. He had no confidence in being able to resist what was essentially torture. Maybe it wasn''t as bad as it seemed, he thought skeptically. The one thing in his favor was that the Feral Artisan hadn''t reacted to his presence at all. Maybe it was passive. But then, how had it captured the probe? Ughhh, he had too many questions. He considered the situation he and the System was in. This was an emergency, like when the Grey Legion had attacked the Gym, back when all this insanity had first started. The System was forcing him to do this mission because it was important. He didn''t know exactly what would happen if the Feral Artisan managed to eat its fill of Siviril, but he''d guess it would be more of the same. He imagined the whirlpool of liquefied matter moving or growing until it reached the populated parts of the city and flinched. Buildings, vehicles, and people either being pulled under or just liquefying under the strange power of the Feral Artisan. Would he liquefy if he went inside the area of effect? The cars caught up in it weren''t, so he was probably safe from that horrible fate. He couldn''t quite stop himself from imagining his flesh just falling off his bones and joining the ground in draining away. There was a cruelty here that the other Scourges lacked. The Spore Tyrants and Grey Legion were merciless monsters, but they didn''t seem to relish in the pain they caused. Rather, they were completely indifferent to it. This thing though... It was clearly a horror by design. Whatever a Feral Artisan was or did, it was clearly both intelligent and sadistic. Derrick scowled. Sadism and design aesthetic were not survival traits. That this Scourge bothered with them meant it was powerful enough that it could waste resources, even when competing against other Scourges like the Tyrant Spores. Worrying. A little too big picture for him at the momment however. The two other Scourges he''d fought made some sense to him. Strange and unexpected for sure, but at the heart of them, they just did what all living things did. Ate and reproduced. They were just living things that had adapted to use FTL to accomplish this and had evolved in a much more competitive environment than the single relatively young planet that was Earth. Even the probably sentient Grey Legion was really a reflection of this. While he understood very little about that zombie like Scourge, it was obviously shaped by competition with the other Scourges. Terrible yes, but practical and arguably only as terrible as it needed to be. The Feral Artisans were something stranger. Something that threatened the Enclave; as the System called the city. As such, perhaps he could bargain with the usually closed mouthed System? ¡°Query. Feral Artisan Database,¡± he tried. The System did seem to be an AI of some kind and knowing the enemy was key to his survival here. Request Denied. Huh, well at least it had answered. ¡°Insufficient Local Resources to complete mission,¡± he tried again. Situation Critical. Obedience Protocols Activating in 0:0:45 Derrick ground his teeth together. Why was his luck so bad? What were the chances that he was the one who would stumble on this horror show? Sadly, there was no time for complaining. He had forty-five seconds to come up with a plan. Which was way too little for even a token effort. Lacking a rocket launcher, he was just going to have to go down there and hit it with his axe. What a depressing turn his life had taken. He sighed and looked around. The nearby cars told him the ground was safe to walk on, half of one was teetering into the pit but the other half was safely supported by solid ground. He mentally mapped out a possible path of sinking cars that took him near the centre of the pit and began to jog towards it. He reached the edge and jumped, easily landing in the back of a black pickup truck. He''d been afraid it might shift as he landed but it didn''t even wobble under his feet. It seemed like it was still on solid ground beneath the flowing cement sludge. He climbed up on the cabin and leaped again, this time landing on two small cars that were being dragged together. He stumbled a bit as he landed but caught himself after a second. Derrick paused and looked around. The next leap looked longer than it had from the outside of the whirlpool. The half-submerged minivan seemed like it was a good fifteen feet away. Also, he was deep enough into the pit now that the outside edges were close to head height. Hiding the landscape and reminding him that getting out would be harder than getting in. He considered just riding the slowly moving cars until he got to the middle. He decided against it. The System''s urgency suggested something was about to happen and more important, he wanted to get this over with fast enough that he could get out the same way he got in. The longer he took, the more the cars that he was walking on moved towards the middle. He drew an axe, took a few steps back, and jumped with all his strength. Midair, he knew he wasn''t going to land on top of the minivan but hit the side of it. Luckily his axe bit deep into the roof and he pulled himself on top while being careful not to get his feet ¡°wet¡±. He was halfway to the centre now and all he could see that wasn''t cars, sludge or alien artifacts was the sky. It was unnerving and claustrophobic.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. He jumped again, landing on a small car that was mostly submerged and used the momentum to make it to another. The next car down was easily reachable, but he stopped. There was no point in going further unless he solved a very obvious problem. There was nowhere safe to stand near the centre. All the vehicles and debris disappeared below the spinning sludge before they got that close. So instead of going forwards, Derrick jumped on a car to the side and then onto the back of what looked like a shipping container some construction company working nearby had been using to store tools in. Lucky for him, as it was the only thing large enough for him to try his ''plan'' on. The first part of which was using his axe to put a whole bunch of holes in the roof of the container. He jumped to another tiny car behind the container and stumbled on its rounded roof. Everything was closer together near the center, but they were moving faster too. Derrick just rode on top of the car as the container circled the drain. It took just about five minutes before it got close enough to the alien wheel for him too put step two of the plan into motion. Just before the shipping container sank below the surface, he threw his last two Tanglers between it and the spinning ring above it. He breathed a sigh of relief as super strong tendrils found purchase on both the holes in the shipping container and the Feral Artisan wheel thing above it. He''d been afraid the ring would be immaterial or have defences. But no, the tendrils wrapped around it, and for a second it dipped, sucked down by the weight of the sinking container. It seemed like it might be ironically sucked into its own abyss. Derrick watched with his breathe held, as it quickly righted itself though, dragging the top of the container back above the surface and assuming its previous position Ya, he wasn''t lucky enough that that would be the end of it. What now though? How would the Feral Artisan respond? Derrick watched and waited, ready to make a quick exit. Nothing happened. The Feral Artisan just kept slowly spinning, ignoring the tendrils on it and moving the container below it in circles. The container was just two inches above the surface at either end and a few inches higher at the middles, where the sludge was lower. Good news, he had a platform now at least. Oh, and the Feral Artisan was being super passive. It didn''t even seem to know he was here. Was it even intelligent? Was it some kind of dumb construct? Was capturing probes and spinning in circles the only things it could do? Perhaps it was blind. It didn''t have any eyes or obvious sensors after all. And yet, the Tanglers were touching it and it still didn''t respond. Well, he wasn''t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He waited until the end of the spinning container faced him and jumped on it, putting the ring of gripping hands at chest level and the probe at just above his forehead. He carefully walked closer, cautious of both the ground moving beneath his feet and the alien things in front of him. He stood right next to them and still nothing happened, so he took a closer look at the enigma. The ring was even more eerie up close. It was perfectly sculpted and this close, the circular movement made it seem like the hands were dragging each other in an endless loop. Above it, the probe was letting off smaller and rarer blue flashes. Derrick assumed it was being overwhelmed by the Feral Artisan and would soon be consumed. Derrick felt unnerved. There was no way it was going to be this easy. He could feel tension ready to snap, like smelling ozone. He cringed and moved on to step three of his ''plan'': poke it with a stick. He took his axe in hand and pushed it out towards the probe. He expected it to melt or explode but instead it simply hit an invisible barrier about a foot from the probe. A slight blur in the air where the axe touched was the only sign that anything was there at all. Hmmm, it was a shield like the one that the Combat drone had, but spherical. Subtlety apparently wouldn''t work here, so he drew back his weapon and struck out with all his power. The axe bounced off after creating a slightly larger blur. Derrick retreated but neither the Artisan or the probe reacted to his attack. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Why had the System sent him down here if there was nothing he could do to even scratch the target? He wasn''t going to attack the Feral Artisan, as that was the one thing he was pretty would get it to swat him like a fly. Angrily, he punched at the probe. Instead of bouncing, his fist met a soft barrier and sunk an inch inside of it before being pushed back and ejected, causing him to lose his balance and almost trip over his own feet and into the middle of the whirlpool. Heart pounding from the close call, he considered what had just happened. Why was had his hand sunk into the barrier when his axe had been repulsed completely? It must be auril. It was the only thing he could think of that he had and might affect a shield. Carefully this time, he reached out and touched the barrier, feeling the surface before sending an auril strike into it. As the ejected auril moved through the shield, he felt the push back from the barrier weaken. This could work. He withdrew his hand and forming a fist, punched out in time with an auril pulse. His fist made it just over half way through the invisible shield before being pushed back. He tried again but this time a tiny bolt of blue lightning hit his fist and he was sent tumbling backwards once again, this time with more pain. Derrick sighed as he looked at his burnt hand and forearm. This was going to hurt a lot. Ahh, wait. Didn''t the description of his upgraded axes call them an auril medium? Could he use them with auril to break the shield? Ahh, if he hit the probe, wouldn''t that just send it flying into the whirlpool where he couldn''t reach it? That might inconvenience the Feral Artisan but he doubted it would put the probe beyond its reach for long. It might even be what the thing was aiming for. After all the effort of getting here, he wasn''t going to settle for a small maybe win. He was going to get that probe. Fuck, he needed to grab the basketball sized thing, which would take two hands and a very high pain tolerance. He flexed his fingers and arms as he mentally prepared himself. After a deep breath, he adjusted his stance and plunged both hands into the barrier with a double auril strike and all his strength. He made it just an inch from the probe, when a blue spark caused him to flinch. He didn''t stop though, he let out another auril strike and pushed with all his strength. Driving his hands deeper into the barrier. Another spark seared his hands and he lost a precious inch of ground. Derrick grimaced and mentally activated a drug he''d never used before. Weld. A drug that granted resistance to pain and stopped bleeding. It didn''t seem like he could avoid using it, despite his reservations at what side effects the drug might have. He felt numb relief spread through his abused hands and then, a few seconds later, despite two more sparks, he felt his fingers close around a solid object. He switched his feet, giving him pulling power instead of pushing and yanked with all his might. With a sizzling sound and a blue flash, the probe burst free and Derrick caught it in a hug. It didn¡¯t resist or shock him. It seemed completely inert in fact. He had a single second to enjoy his victory when the ground jerked beneath his feet. Luckily, he had a lot of recent practice catching his balance and he stayed standing. His eyes shot to the creepy ring of hands. It had finally reacted to him now that he''d stolen the probe. It was spinning faster now, easily three times as fast. He spasmed in surprise as cold sludge touched his feet, thrown by waves of once cement splashingover the ends of the container. At the same moment he saw a Tangler tendril snap. The increased drag from the quicker spin was more than the tendrils could take for long. Derrick turned around and sprinted towards the end of the container, sludge splashing as he ran towards the nearest vehicle, that was safe to land on. It was harder than it should be, the sludge clung to him like glue. Dammit, jumping was going to be almost impossible while he was ankle deep in this stuff. Another snapping sound from behind him, let him know he really didn''t have choice. The probe still gripped in a bear hug, he reached the end of the container and jumped towards the next car. After a moment of panic as the mud held him back, he escaped with a sucking sound and landed on a nearby unsubmerged vehicle. Which was a huge relief but left him with another problem, after jumping to the next safe ground, he had nowhere to go and was being sucked back to the middle very quickly. He felt fear worm its way into his mind as he took in his dire situation. There were enough cars around that he was in no danger of getting sucked into the middle yet, but he couldn''t see a path out. He was just going to be forced to move and jump until eventually he got tired or made a mistake and fell into the sucking sludge below. Where this sucking pit of sludge exited was probably a mystery best left undiscovered. He forced himself to calm down. He would simply outlast this problem. Eventually, as the pit grew and more cars were sucked in, an exit path would form. Reassured, he jumped to yet another vehicle further from the centre and waited, eyes peeled for a chance. From the corner of his eye, he saw something move and he looked at it in horror. The wheel of grasping hands was slowly flipping up onto its side. Moving so that it turned in an upwards direction instead of sideways, with the face of it pointed right at him. Oh, thought Derrick, this was going to be bad. His face paled as the car he was standing on and all the others lurched to a stop. The edge of the pit rose in front of Derrick''s eyes, forming a wave of sludge that came crashing down towards him. He had just enough time to attach the bottom of his mask and throw the probe over the wave as a last act of spite, before the oozing wave swept him off his feet and down into the muck below. Interlude: Subtle Beasts ITRS had promised that it would deal with the auril sensitives and it was a creature of its word. Already a dozen of them, seeking the rewards it had promised, had begun to hunt the greatest monsters on their world. It warmed all three of its phantom hearts to see such proud violence. Merciful Heavens, that foolish child, had lent it the asked for resources and more importantly, permission to meddle in her own duties, no doubt believing that the trial was a trap or method to thin the ranks of the auril sensitives. Some would die of course. That was inevitable but besides the point. No, his goal wasn''t to diminish this troublesome element but to empower and inspire them. Because this was a trap. But not one for any creature born to this ball of mud. He was hunting larger and craftier prey. A victim of her own culture''s intense fear of auril sensitives, Merciful Heavens saw humanity''s path to decadence and cowardice under auril sensitives as inevitable. Unless they were culled as her world did. There was no hope in that young Authority''s mind that they could be anything but a plague to their own kind ITRS''s lip curled, revealing jagged fangs. This was, the ancient ghost mused, a reflection of her own weakness. She saw in the Earthlings the cowardice and pettiness that defined herself and her own race. It was true that most auril sensitives seized petty power over their own people and this led them into a spiral of failure. It was a trend that had troubled ITRS as it grew more pronounced and the expected exceptions failed to emerge over the last few centuries. ITRS doubted these modern sensitive species were mentally weaker than the ancient examples it knew of. No, it was the System Races that were changing, and not for the better. ITRS felt a knot of sickness in its gut. Weakness was sowing weakness. This could not be allowed to continue. Authorities had many duties to perform for the System that they served. The culling of weakness in the System Races was one that ITRS took special delight in. ITRS had many disciples scattered around the System Worlds, the closest thing the old ghost had to children. Adopted from a thousand battlefields and a hundred worlds. It would send them to make inquiries on its behalf. It smiled to itself. Well, at least some of its children would be wetting their claws once more. It had perhaps left them alone for too long anyway. It That Rewards Savagery was not young. It could remember with perfect clarity species that had escaped the trap that was auril hierarchy. Species that had disappeared long ago. Another thing to look into, it thought as it considered those absent races. Auril sensitivity had never been that important to it. Just a funny quirk in biology and System Race culture. Interesting but never important. At least not since the days of the Necromera, a unique Scourge which had died millennia before even its own birth. Now it worried him as part of a larger trend, part of the greatest threat to the System and the races that worked with it, complacency. Soft pressure at least was being used to prevent auril sensitives from joining the System. An inexcusable indulgence. Nothing as pathetic as prejudice could be allowed to shape the System. He would make sure these sensitives survived, at least for the short term, using the knowledge taken from other such races. Societies of fearless seekers. Scholars that channelled their power into studying and exploring. Seeking to unlock the mysteries of the universe, even if the universe was unwilling. Martial races of proud warriors, that prized strength or honor too much to ever hide behind others. Chasers of glory and purpose greater than mere survival. Races far too antisocial or socially stratified to change much as auril was introduced and they acquired new talents. It would use these exemplars to shape this nascent world and prevent MH''s fears from becoming reality. Through its trial, it would create examples for the sensitives to follow. Warriors and teachers that would pass on skills and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. TheCrusaders could be used to aide this as well. Those specialists would hold few prejudices and thier competence would be alluring to a race as desperate as humanity. The ancient ghost of a long dead race smiled to itself. Its tongue ran across the front of its many teeth in anticipation. And as they inspired, it would watch patiently and see who would be foolish enough to meddle with its work. Then it would hutn them down and destroy them utterly. The dominant sentients of this world even had systems in place to quickly spread its message. It was the work of seconds for it to gather data on all the trial participants and use its knowledge of human culture and technology to craft a vector for cultural control. A persistent infection that would shape human sensitives towards its desired outcomes. From the digital darkness of its domain, a screen appeared and began to play. It That Rewards Savagery looked upon its work and smiled with wicked delight. It was now the proud owner of a television show. --- The man in the bunker was beginning to find the darkness and loneliness intolerable. This was a drastic change from yesterday whenthey had been soothing. He had spent what he was sure was days blissfully half asleep as the world burned above him. Not even the corpses of his family had managed to bother him as they rotted in the closet. Seeing the pale tendrils grow out of them had bothered his daughter, so he''d laid them in there, out of sight. Only his youngest daughter was still alive, the rest had fallen ill when the flowers first burst through cracks in the bunkers floor one night. A deep purple, the tiny things were beautiful to behold. Unlike his wife, he had never been interest in flowers. These ones were special though. Part of him had been terrified by the otherworldly things when he''d first woken up to his wife''s dying screams, but that had quickly faded. They were too beautiful to be scared of. In fact, once it became clear that he and his daughter weren''t going to succumb to the sickness, they had offered him tiny but delicious fruits. Impossible to resist. They looked like a cross between strawberries and cherries and tasted like nothing from this world. He smiled at the memory of his first taste. Things were very different now. He was different. He could feel his daughter next to him. Feel the very life inside her. Not just her either, he could feel the flowers and the roots in the walls that spread out as far as he could sense. The flowers were just a tiny offshoot of something so much larger. Something that he could hear now. He had no idea what it was saying, but he knew it was speaking to him and many others. Sometimes, he even thought he could feel people up above. The thought of people made him feel lonely. Yes, perhaps he had spent enough time sleeping down in the dark. It would be good to see the world again, meet people and see if he could help them. Feel the sun on his face.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He''d have to change clothes, he was sure he looked like quite the mess. First impressions were important after all. He didn''t want people to be scared of him. He shook his daughter awake, returned the smile she sent his way, and considered how best to help people. Maybe they needed some food? He had food. Many boxes of preserved foods that he was now ashamed he''d tried to horde. It wasn''t like he and his daughter could eat it all. He was sure the flowers would want him to share their fruit as well. At least with those lucky enough to survive the sickness. --- Greta sipped her coffee as she read reports and unpacked files. She had spent a lot of time packing an unpacking since the Scourges had arrived. A consequence of moving around so often. Staying ahead of anyone that might be seeking her. It wasn''t like she didn''t have enemies and recent events had made in clear that the best defence was being hidden. System technology made confrontation.... unpredictable. She''s grossly underestimated the System''s disregard for the status quo and the power the System was giving its soldier class. Who could take any force that included the likes of Blake Demnol and that Derrick character in its ranks seriously? They were clowns, not soldiers. At least she''d thought so until recently. They were still clowns of course, but dangerous ones. Best to leave them alone for now. The only real damage they''d done to her plans was releasing Aarav, she''d been hoping to sell his knowledge of the System to the other administrators. No matter how good the Demnols and their friends got at fighting, they lacked the kind of powers that could be a threat to her anyway. They were essentially nobodies and with any luck at all, they''d get themselves killed soon. Just a distraction from all the work that needed to be done. They would fade away on their own. She grimaced, her own employed Users seemed to be falling behind the power curve. She would need to do recruiting if she wanted to have a viable way to project physical threat among Users. Her agents among the regular people were quickly becoming of little use. Soon all the power would be in the hands of Users and the System. She had managed to eliminate a number of potential threats before they could become Users, but now she should try to turn the most competent of her employees into Users. As an Administrator, she had some sway over the next wave of Users. Recruiting the most competent among the soldier Users would be difficult, as the Users that grew the fastest were the ones that were in the Enclave the least and they had already formed tightly knit groups. The best plan was to wait for now and gather the resources to hire later. Especially since the System would be sending large groups out of the city soon. Which was good, both because it would eliminate some threats to her and because the food situation in the city was obviously unsustainable. Hundreds of thousands had disappeared below the city since the Scourges had arrived and all access to farmland had been cut off.Even the old crops were no longer usable she''d been told. Too much danger of Spore Tyrant infection. Thankfully, those sent into stasisrequired almost no food or water. Greta felt a shudder escape her control and travel up her spine. As a Adminsitrator, she had access to the facilities the sleepers were preserved in. While still healthy and alive, the sight of so many people stacked in pods like firewood was disturbing. Especially considering the silver wires that ran through... She banished the thought, forcing herself to concentrate on her goals. The System was encouraging and creating food production in the city itself, but calculations showed that if it kept growing at its current rate, it would only keep aroundthree thousand people fed when they ran out of stockpiled supplies. The sleepers would require only a tenth of the normal resources. Water was actually the larger problem, asany method of growing food was water intensive. Making water the hard limit to how much food they could grow in the city using System tech. Produce too much food and they wouldn''t have anything to drink. Crops had the advantage of being fed by soil and rain. They would have to manually provide the resources for anything they grew in the city. The wells and river that ran through the city was insufficient, they would need to expand to find new sources of water. The creation of food production outside the city, by sources of water was necessary. Assuming they had the raw materials in the city to keep building the infrastructure they would need. The System had created what was essentially recycling centres, consuming metal and plastics to produce the goods people would need to survive. But they would also need to raid the ruins of towns and other cities for resources to keep those going. Greta honestly had no idea if mining was a viable option. She made a mental note to bring it up at the next city council meeting. Winter was months away, but housing tens of thousands of people was not a fast thing. Greta didn''t think the System would help much either. It would be up to the administrators like her to solve this crisis. On the plus side, power was the one thing the System could supply in seemingly endless amounts. If they could find the materials for infrastructure, running it would be no problem. The System seemed too busy to contribute significantly to something as resource intensive as large-scale housing. Its focus seemed to be the Scourges and providing Users with the tools they needed to fight them. It would be essentially creating a modern army from scratch for its expedition outside the city. It should be... interesting to see how it planned to turn its Fighters, essentially bands of roving amateur thugs, into an actual organized and trained fighting force. She grimaced. Just a day ago she''d thought that the System had things well in hand. That she could learn to navigate its rules and assume a position of power without having to deal with the Scourges. Now she knew better. It had seemed so organized and competent. Not to mention its miraculous construction abilities. It had been hard to imagine anything resisting its power. It had after all, taken control of human networks and infrastructure with frankly embarrassing ease. Nothing digital was beyond System manipulation it seemed. Which was why her most important documents and reports were hand written now. Really, she had no secrets from the System itself, but she wasn''t sure who else had access to the data it gathered. Besides, it was unprofessional to not secure her data as much as possible. That did come with its own problems, she thought with a grimace. People''s handwriting was terrible these days. Many reports were almost unreadable. She suffered through though. Anything that would reveal her location couldn''t be trusted to digital format. She glanced at the TV on the wall. The return of sources of news from outside the city had been the most important factor in reevaluating the threat the Scourges were to her and humanity. Before the real scope of the problem had been revealed, her most likely theory had been that the Scourges were tools of the System, just enough of a danger to force people to depend on it for their salvation. It had seemed unlikely that such a diverse collection of invaders had arrived at the same time. Adding to that perception was the ridiculous weapons it handed out. What kind of invading army could be fought off with knives and pistols? Unless the news they received recently was all false, she had been very wrong about the nature of the System and Scourges. Most stations were of course down, either abandoned or destroyed, a few local ones were still on the air, as well as a group that had taken over a national broadcast to share what they knew with the rest of the country. Amateur footage from cellphones was their most common offering, the sheer volume of horror captured on film was staggering. Most of it made it onto various websites as well and was quickly becoming a library dedicated to the fall of Ontario and the State of New York. Access to information from outside that area was seemingly being restricted by the System. Either because of bandwidth issues or as a method of control. She considered the later the more likely. It was her guess that by limiting their information, the System was focusing them on local issues without overwhelming them with the immensity of the problem the Scourges represented. It would be generations, if ever, before the Earth could be cleared of the Scourges. Most people were simply not ready to accept that. To function, they needed to believe they could one day return to their normal lives. A number of radio stations were still running, the lack of visuals made them less trustworthy and popular though. It was hard to describe the changes the world was going through with mere words. Her phone pinged. A text message had been received. The Trial of Predation! It read, Now on channel four! Eyebrow cocked, she took another sip of coffee and after neatly shuffling away her papers, changed the channel on her TV set. She saw city streets in... Africa? It seemed like professionally shot footage. Interesting, solid information from outside the American continent was almost unheard of these days. The scene changed before she could make out what it had portrayed. She sipped her coffee and watched scene after scene of violence and combat. She felt herself becoming engrossed in the programming. It seemed like it had been created by some System entity. But for what purpose? Nothing she would approve of certainly. There was a something very troubling about the footage. A glee in violence that was off putting to modern sensibilities, even her. It was a blatant attempt to manipulate people for purposes she didn''t understand. A call back to the days of war propaganda or even a modern version of battlefield glory. Most people would find it disturbing but everyone would watch it. It wasn''t like they had a lot of options for entertainment these days. Most people had spent the last couple days huddled in shelters or caravans. Was the System trying to recruit people? Hadn''t it already conscripted anyone it wanted too? She watched and tried to understand what the goal of this was. A sleek humanoid robot that tore apart Legion Agents while exchanging rapid fire blows with a Vanguard in the streets of urban Japan. Nearby, a teenage girl with twitching fingers watched calmly through robotic eyes. A helmeted motor biker tossed grenades that exploded into clinging silver fire at fungal creatures as he weaved through a rotten forest at high speeds. Dodging spikes that shot out of the ground with prescient ease. A swarm of insect like machines, being picked off one by one by a cloaked sniper whose bullets curved in the air and struck targets that should be out of his line of sight. A determined looking Asian woman in a plain blue dress putting up her hand and stopping a wave of what looked like broken glass, thrown by what looked like a disco ball that swam through the air of a shattered Buddhist temple. Some idiot in a red mask running at a giant spider creature with an axe... It took her a minute to process what she was seeing but when she did, she choked and spit out her coffee. 3.9 Caught in the Fold Everything was darkness and pain. He thrashed against the pull of the Feral Artisan''s wave. It was futile. He was slapped down instantly, right into the solid bottom of the pit. Stunned, he was helpless as he was dragged against the bottom of the pit. It was even a rough surface. Whatever process the Artisan had used to carve the pit had left the bottom covered in sharp ridges and thorny spikes. He felt them tearing into his fingers as he fought for purchase and into his uncovered shoulder as he was swept away. Derrick quickly realized he could breathe, probably because of his mask, not because of some weird property of the sludge. He also knew this wouldn''t help him as he was very slowly dragged down into... wherever this stuff was going. He renewed his thrashing as he thought about that. It was technically possible that there was something as convenient as a sewer or large cavern beneath the Artisan and that''s where the sludge was flowing. In fact, that would be the obvious guess, but he doubted it was anything that mundane of safe. Ever since he has first approached the Feral Artisan, he had felt a low dread. The sense that something dangerous and wrong was nearby. His instincts screamed at him that whatever was waiting for him at the bottom of the whirlpool was what he''d felt then, and it was more dangerous than anything he''d encountered so far. As he tried to swim against the tide, he couldn''t get the picture of a lamprey like mouth out of his head. His mind kept returning to the idea of being swallowed whole. Inevitably being sucked down and swallowed by whatever alien monstrosity awaited below. Melted, dissolved, chewed or ground down to nothing by gnashing teeth. Mid thought, he was thrown, back first, into what must have been a car. He tried to grab onto it, but he could barely tell what direction was up at this point. The only sense he had that was worth a damn at the moment was auril pulse and that was almost useless for detecting anything that wasn''t alive. Quickly pulled away, he tried to detect another car to climb up on with a series of weak auril pulses. It didn''t work. Fighting desperately to escape, he could feel the circle becoming tighter and tighter until, for a single second, the sludge was still. Just for a second. Derrick screamed into his mask as he was pulled down into... Derrick paused with his hand on the doorknob. Something had definitely just happened, he wasn''t sure what though. He''d just been walking down this hallway, about to open yet another door, when all of a sudden the hairs on the back of his neck had stood up. The door and its doorknob were normal enough. Cheap but solid things, the kind you saw everyday. What had it been then? Had he heard something? He didn''t think so. It had been quiet since... A long time anyway. He was pretty sure he was alone here too. He frowned. Yes, this didn''t feel like a place that people would be, for all that it looked like something built for them. Did that make sense? He shrugged, opened the door and was unimpressed by what he found on the other side. A clean, almost sterile hallway, exactly like the one he was in. Lined by doors exactly like the one he''d just walked through. Wonderful, he thought sarcastically. Not that he''d expected anything different. He cast a quick glance at the symbols on these new doors. They were weird things made of circles and twisting lines. They meant nothing to him but every room had it''s own different collection, so at least he wasn''t walking in circles. No, not in circles, just through an endless collection of corridors that led nowhere. He winced as the usually dim lights in the ceiling flickered into painful brightness, an explosion of light that stabbed right through his eyes and into his strained brain. Also, that kept fucking happening. At intervals that made it impossible to predict. Even closing his eyes didn''t help, as the light seemed to ignore his eyelids entirely. There was nothing he could do about it, except find a way out. So, he picked another door at random, one with symbols that looked like a fish eating a lemon, and then entered yet another hallway. Derrick sighed to himself. This was getting him nowhere. Literally. Usually, wouldn''t there be clues or something? At this point he''d be happy to see math problems he needed to solve to escape. Even walls of formulae so complicated he couldn''t hope to solve them. That would have at least implied that escape was possible. There was nothing at all to suggest these doors and the hundreds of others he''d seen so far led anywhere but to more doors. This place sucked and he wanted out. He had things he needed to do outside. Like... Derrick paused. What had he been doing before this? He couldn''t quite remember. It had certainly been important though. Something about swimming and jumping? That didn''t seem like him. He wasn''t much of a swimmer. Couldn''t remember the last time he''d gone swimming in fact. Any memories of water seemed distant. Something was definitely off here. He felt a creeping sensation of wrongness stir and grow inside him. All the more terrible for the lack of a source or reason. ¡°I drowned for a long time,¡± a familiar voice whispered in his ear and caused him to flinch. Startled, he looked around, but still saw only empty corridors. Well, that was fucking creepy, he mused to himself, feeling more awake than a few seconds ago. The well-lit corridors seemed a little more dangerous to him now. Spurred to action, he began to run through doorway after doorway, hoping to luck into an exit. After a few dozen, he stopped. It was an exercise in futility, nothing had changed. He was still trapped in this stupid forest. Stupid trees. Stupid rocks. Stupid endless branching paths. Stupid weird trail signs. He thought about leaving the dirt path but decided against it. The forest seemed very uninviting. All dense scrub and rocky ditches. The sides of the path might as well be walls. There was a total lack of anything living butplants too. Not a single woodland creature to be found, not even any birdsong. It was a bit unnerving. He shivered and tried to focus on escaping. Who cared about birds? He was a city guy anyway, not a hiker. He''d just get lost off the path. Well, even more lost anyway. If that was even possible, he was pretty fucking lost. How had he even got here? He tried to pick up his discarded thoughts from earlier. It was distressingly hard. His mind seemed to unravel as he tried to think, dropping thoughts unless he made an effort tohold on tothem. Had he been drugged? Was it an allergy to something in these woods? Was he in danger? That last one was probably a stupid question. He could feel danger. It was hididng from him but it was everywhere. He froze. He''d heard something. Ah dammit, he thought as he recognized the rustling of leaves. This again. The sound quickly grew louder and louder, until it filled his ears. He didn''t try to cover them, he knew from experience that wouldn''t work. He twitched as the sound reached crescendo and vanished. Derrick massaged his ears and was concerned but unsurprised when his hand came away with a small smear of blood on it. He frowned as he examined the tiny smear of blood. He was pretty sure this wasn''t how forests worked. Even if he was in some special canyon that channelled the wind, he shouldn''t be in pain and bleeding from the ears. Something was very very wrong here. He''d thought this before, he realized with mounting dread. More than once. Fuck. This place had trapped him and was killing him. He needed to backtrack, to find how he got here in the first place. Channelling his fear, he tried to remember his path. Umm, left path, right path, centre path, third door on the left? A series of escalators.... a winding creekhe''d navigated usinga paddle boat? Well, fuck. He wasdeeply and truly lost. But wait, the incredible journey he remembered in his head was impossible. There was no way he''d actually just wandered through such a diverse group of locations and never encountered anyone. This wasn''t real. It was all too dreamlike to be real. Ahh. ¡°This is a dream,¡± Derrick realized aloud. Did that help him though? He''d never been a lucid dreamer, capable of waking on command. If anything, this just made his struggle more pointless. No matter how far he travelled, there was no way out of a dream. Maybe if he killed himself, he would wake up? He felt a wave of despair wash over him. It was probably better to just forget about this and choose a... With an act of will, Derrick dragged his thoughts back onto a productive course. It wasn''t easy. It fact, it was terrifyingly hard. This place, this dream, was eroding his will. He couldn''t even be sure this was the first time he''d realized this wasn''t real. As if in response to his thoughts, the world around him blurred and wavered. He closed his eyes, shuttign out the ephemeral landscape around him. He couldn''t let it drag him back into the delusion. He needed to fight it. But how? He needed a strategy, to help him remember that this place wasn''t reality. A few ideas came to himThis story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. First off, he would name this place. But what did you call a place like this? Now aware of his environment, he could see how flawed it was. It was more like a shitty painting of a forest than a real forest. Which was probably his fault. As it must be pulled from his mind and he didn''t spend much time in forests. Just his mind taking what it knew and painting over a blank... Yes, that could work. ¡°This isn''t real,¡± he shouted at the unnaturally still trees. ¡°This is a Canvas.¡± There, now that he''d given it a catchy name, it should be harder to forget what it was. There was more to this place than just a normal dream though. The persistent theme of travel and being lost was clear. Was his brain trying to tell him something? Or was something stranger at work here. The rustling began again. Building up, until the pain it caused was all he could think about. His eyes wide open, the ground seemed to buckle under his feet and the scenery wavered. He didn''t think that was just from the pain. There was something going on. It felt like pressure building up. Like something poisonous trying to flow into his mind. He wiped his ears and found a little blood under both of them this time. It was getting worse, he realized. This was also not something normal dreams had in them. He was distressingly sure that whatever that had been, it would kill him unless he could escape. So, he needed to wake up, right the fuck now. He tried to will himself awake but nothing happened. He closed his eyes and pictured himself waking up. Nothing changed, he was still in a maze of alleyways. Well better just pick one at rando.... ¡°Canvas,¡± snarled Derrick and slapped himself on the face. ¡°Canvas. Canvas. Canvas.¡± This place was insidious. He eyed the dirty alleyway he now found himself in. With litter on the ground and dumpsters up against the brick walls. It was basically every alleyway from a crime movie he''d ever seen. In fact, that was probably exactly what it was. That didn''t give him any clues a how to escape though. His choices were walking down a branching alleyway or trying to get through a tiny, barred and unlit window. On the walls, the ever present symbols were written as graffiti. Derrick narrowed his eyes at them. They must mean something. They did seem familiar, but that was an untrustworthy sensation in a place made of his own memories. ¡°Canvas,¡± he said aloud, for good measure. He examined the graffiti. Maybe now that he was lucid, they would make more sense. What did they remind him of? Two spiders dancing? Hmmm, not helpful. The other just looked like a burning fence. Next was a web? No, not quite that. Like a wheel being held by dozens of hands. Derrick shivered as recent memories returned to him. It reminded him of the Feral Artisan. Which was probably a good thing. As it had created the trap he''d fallen into. Nothing to do but head that way. He couldn''t think of a way to exit, except the way he got in, and wandering around the Canvas till his brain exploded was not an option. The alleyway soon split again and Derrick chose his path based on which way was marked by a symbol that reminded him of the Artisan he''d ''fought''. He suspected it hadn''t been much of a fight for the Artisan. Just him becoming annoying enough that it had bothered to swat him. Each symbol was different and yet the association to the Feral Artisan was clear to him every time. Some times it was just a tiny part of the Symbol, but there was always something. ¡°Canvas,¡± he said after every decision and slapped himself. Painful for sure, but it seemed to work. A dozen or so decisions later, he had found something. A big steel door, tagged with the most elaborate symbol yet, one that looked to Derrick like a painting of the Feral Artisan. The monstrosity was just as unsettling as street art as it was in the ''flesh''. There was a strange weight to it. It pulled at him, demanded his attention. He hesitated at the sensation but pushed the door open. Or at least he tried. The damn thing was jammed shut. After all this, the door was locked. Fuck that. Enraged, Derrick kicked the door and it budged. Just a hair, but it definitely moved. He tried again, but it remained shut. Next, he rammed it with his shoulder but only managed to hurt himself. It was jammed. Maybe he should find ano.... ¡°Canvas,¡± he swore. He''d almost lost himself there. This place was not real. It did not follow the rules of reality. A stuck door was not just a stuck door. It must mean something. What mattered in a dream? Emotion. He''d been angry when he kicked it. That must be it. He just had to hulk out. Derrick balled his hands into fists and tried to summon anger. It was a spectacular failure. OK, so he needed something to get angry about. Obviously. Dammit, why was he such a calm and controlled person? He stared at the offending door and tried to think of something that angered him. Feral Artisans? A little, he guessed. Not much though, too impersonal. Mostly he was just scared of the creepy thing. He wasn''t even sure it was alive in a conventional sense. Grey Legion? Dicks for sure. They had killed those Users and set him on fire... He remembered that sensation and pushed pressed his palm into the door. It moved an inch before stopping. It seemed like that was all he''d get from that subject. Something else then. What angered him? Not the Spore Tyrants. Who got angry at mold? Greta. With her weird conspiracy theories to justify shooting him. He''d brushed that off at the time, for practical reasons, but now the anger flowed easily. He wouldn''t forget about her, he thought as the door moved another inch. He would get out of here and even the scales, he promised. He smiled as the door gave ground. Which brought him to Blake. Blake was an asshole. His ally though and assholes were common enough that it didn''t really anger him. The door failed to move. Hmm, the well was pretty empty at this point. He hesitated. Well, not quite empty. There were a couple of things he''d rather not think about. But what choice did he have? Kate, he thought and felt the door move a hair. His anger at himself for liking her and the fact she''d just left on her own. Plus, of course, the fact she''d almost surely stolen from him. He felt his pulse quicken. At the same time, he felt the natural atmosphere of this place, the dreamlike moroseness pull at his emotions. The anger was a shield, it barely affected him. She had taken those auril hearts from him when he was asleep. Why? He was the type of idiot that would probably just have given them away if she asked. As much as anything, the ambiguity of the situation angered him. Did she steal them? Why? Was it something he''d done? Was she in trouble? Perhaps he should have killed Greta to protect her? Should he steal something of hers to even the scales? ¡°I''m not afraid of dying,¡± a memory whispered. ¡°I''m afraid of not living, of not being worth remembering. So, ya. Stay behind me.¡± He blinked and remembered where he was. He noticed the door was open a couple more inches. He stared at it, hesitating. He could think of only one thing that angered him that was left. It was not something he could just deal with though. He wavered and the ground began to shake so very slightly. Even the dregs of anger fled as panic filled him. His eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the movement. The streetlights began to flicker and as they did so, they began to buzz. A heavy drone, that together with the terrible brightness, pierced right through his brain. The world shuddered and flickered. For a single second it failed and even as he tried to resist it, he beheld the blank form of what he had so blithely named the Canvas. When the ground grew still, Derrick was a gasping wreck, sprawled across the ground. He could feel liquid running down his cheeks and didn''t think it was tears. Fuck. He''d been very wrong about this place. The dream wasn''t a trap. It was the only thing keeping him alive. His brain''s desperate attempt to shield him from something so terrible it would destroy him to know it. Feeling weak, he stumbled to his feet and looked to the only possible exit. This was no time for half measures. He needed to get out of here. And yet... he still hesitated. This was not something he could just undo. It would have consequences, dragging up a part of himself that had not seen the light of day in years. He wanted to live though. The anger came surprisingly easy, considering how old the wound was and how hard he had worked to bury it. It bubbled up, a toxic madness that threatened to overwhelm his control. Made him want to strike out, to hurt something, anything. Hate aimed at everything. HE WAS NOT GOING TO JUST VANISH. HE WASN''T GOING TO JUST OBEY. He didn''t remember touching it, but the door flew open and impacted against the wall with a deafening crash. He had to dodge it, as it bounced back towards him. Derrick twitched and tried to put the memories back in the box. He knew from experience that he couldn''t function with them. You couldn''t go through the motions of everyday life with something like this bubbling away under the surface. You couldn''t hide it. Couldn''t appease it. It was an embarrassment really. It wasn''t like his life had been particularly hard. He''d had a small inheritance, enough to put himself through college and people who looked after him, if not loved him. For sure, thousands of people, even in the modern world, had less then him. Never mind the suck that was most of human history. What right to complain did he have? But still, it was infuriating. Maddening. That people, people who he loved, could be erased in a single moment from a supposedly kind universe? An entire family removed from this world and life just went on? Just back to the grind? He had been wronged. All that expectation to be a good little orphan and get over it? To move on? Oh, just an accident. Happened every day. Well, OK then. What the fuck was the point of it all if... He took a deep breath and felt the anger fade to a manageable level. It did not disappear though. It was sustained by something else, Pride. Who was he to be angry? He was a Fighter with superhuman abilities. A survivor of horrors and killer of monsters. He''d saved the lives of dozens directly, probably hundreds indirectly. He''d been thrown into the front lines of a war he didn''t understand and flourished there. Derrick the User was very different from Derrick; junior network engineer. And with that realization came another. They were all gone or irrelevant, the User realized. The people that he needed to appease. All the people with petty power over him. He felt an electric shiver run through him, straightening his spine. His only boss was the System right now, he thought. Somehow, he didn''t think it cared about his personal problems much. Derrick stepped through the lightless doorway and felt, once again, the scenery change. It was different this time. Smooth and clear, like he was moving under his own power instead of being moved. One second, he was in the dark doorway, the next he was standing on a black stone platform in a white void. The contrast gave the scenery a sort of chessboard feel. His gaze was immediately drawn to the impressive sight before him. A familiar floating ring, turning silently and slowly above an overflowing pool of sludge. Or maybe it was a different ring? It looked and felt like the same ring. The same endless circle of grasping hands was carved into it. It fel like... the unseen side of a coin. The pool was just a stone basin about a foot high and thirty feet from side to side. It was being drained by a series of rough grooves cut into its walls and the floor of the platform he was standing on. The odd liquid flowed out from these flaws.From there, the sludge was carried by an elaborate series of channels across the platform and off the edges of the platform. Derrick was kind of curious where it went from there. But he didn''t go look. Instead, his eyes remained locked on another feature of this place. The giant arms turning the wheel. The only color theycontainedwere their perfectly black fingernails. Marble pale and seemingly growing seamlessly out of the white void, they were hard to look at and harder to look away from. Four perfectly manicured and flawless limbs moved together in such perfect rhythm that they seemed more like a machine than anything alive. A powerful machine, for all their delicate looks, they radiated a terrible strength and an unfathomable distance. For all they looked like he could jump up and touch one, he''d guess that was an illusion of perspective, like looking at the sun, seeing it and thinking you could hold it in your hand. Even if you could reach out and touch it, it would incinerate you. Looking upon them, Derrick felt minuscule and... simple. The whole ''growing out of nothing'' thing was messing his head too. It hurt to look at where they just blended into the nothing around them. Was their ''flesh'' made of sky void or was the sky void made of their flesh? It was mesmerizingly creepy. It made no sense. What was this? Was this all in his head? He was still dreaming right? That persistent unravelling of his thoughts was still there. It felt like a dream, now more than ever. He probably shouldn''t think too hard about any of this, some part of him acknowledged. That could be dangerous here. He just needed to escape. Carefully, he crept up to the pool and tried to put his hand inside it. He was, thankfully, ignored. It was hard to get his hand below the surface of the pool, it was like forcing something into mercury. He frowned. This wasn''t going to work, he couldn''t exit this way. If he tried to jump into the pool he would just bounce off. Which made sense considering it was flowing this way. Was all this for nothing? He had no other plans. This had been it. He considered doing some really stupid. Like trying to bargain with or attack the entity or entities that he guessed were the Feral Artisans. All of a sudden something changed above him. He cringed and flinched, afraid of grasping hands from above. But no, he wasn''t under attack. They were still ignoring him. Yet, they had, with perfect flowing grace, moved the ring onto its side. Standing it up on its side, no doubt like when they had caused the wave that had swept him into this hallucinogenic hell. He tore his gaze from the wheel and the hands that turned it. His mind taking in one even more important detail, the pool had stopped overflowing. Huh, Derrick thought as he considered his lack of options. He gazed up at the terrible entities above him, the strange beings indifferently working towards their alien purpose. ¡°Bye,¡± he said and jumped into the pool. 3.10 Alien Rules II Being submerged in an uncontrolled torrent of blinding sludge wasn''t any funner the second time. The only mercy was that the sudden transition back to reality meant he was too disoriented to panic much. In fact, it felt like only a few seconds to the confused User, before he was slammed into something that felt like a concrete wall and he flopped onto the ground, motionless. Laying face down in a puddle of clinging sludge, one leg twitching uncontrollably, Derrick grinned. Well, grimaced anyway, he was in a lot of pain. It was a very mundane sort of pain. Which suggested that he was both alive and had escaped the Canvas. Now, if only he had the strength to move. Ah, screw it. He was just going to lay here and read the System notifications that were popping up.
Universal Support System
You have reached the Level Cap. Level locked for 2.3 hours to prevent damage from excessive modification.
Mission Complete + 220 points for successfully preventing Feral Artisan from consuming Siviril Source (Illegal Probe). + 100 points for earning Emergency Activation II title + 250 points and manna core unlocked for earning Fold Survivor title
Titles Earned Emergency Activation II: User has twice survived emergency activation. Fold Survivor: User has survived exposure to another layer of the Fold with their sanity mostly intact.
The Fold The most common term for the many layers of reality accessible from this one. These alternate realities enable both manna technology and FTL travel. Travel through the fold is unpredictable and dangerous. Manipulation of fold layers can affect reality, such as manna shields.
Fold Layer: Canvas (Named for human Users by User Derrick) A remote layer of the fold used by the Scourge known as Feral Artisans. It is speculated that their access to this layer of the fold is at least partially responsible for their strange abilities. Another theory is that it is merely along the path they take through many other realities to reach our own. This layer is notable for having a very low survival rate.
He finished reading but didn''t really process all the information. While he read, he could hear the sounds of what seemed to be a dramatic battle taking place nearby. Impacts so heavy the ground shook and weird zapping sounds filled the air. ¡°If that hardens soon, you''ll be in a lot of trouble.¡± A somewhat familiar female voice informed him. ¡°Oh, Hey Derrick!¡± another, deeper voice added cheerfully from directly above him. ¡°Funny running into you here.¡± Bubbles escaped the puddle he was lying in as he groaned deeply. Not from the pain, but from the pun. Apparently, the wall he''d hit was Bruce. The utter bastard. ¡°Our young friend seems to have gone through quite the ordeal,¡± an older male voice commented. ¡°I do not think your attempts at levityare helping.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, he''s tougher than he looks,¡± Bruce said with cheerful sadism. ¡°He can take a little punishment.¡± How he wished he had the strength to stand. Or, even better, psychic powers, so he could kill with his mind. Wait, he did have auril power. Oops, he should probably be using that. Somehow, he had forgotten about auril. Mind still fuzzy. He activated regeneration and felt the pain very slowly diminish as that strange energy rampaged through his flesh. He ran out of auril long before he ran out of injuries but he did feel better. He shakily climbed to his feet and tried to wipe the gunk of his mask so that he could see. ¡°So, he''s still alive. But is he sane?¡± the female voice questioned, who Derrick identified as Bruce''s friend and his one time ally, Anita. ¡°My money is on not. He seemed a little mentally fragile to me when we first met.¡± Failing to remove the gunk from his mask with his equally gunky hands, he removed both parts of his mask and took a deep breathe of fresh air before he responded. ¡°I have been caught in the wake of cosmic leviathans and sent spiralling into depths of unreality so alien it crushes souls.¡± Derrick explained patiently, as if he was talking to children. ¡°I have seen things. Terrible things.¡± Fragile? He was not bloody fragile. Doubtful that any of these posers could withstand half the horror he''d witnessed today. An hour ago, he was on fire while fighting a goddamn spider mecha! ¡°So, no then.¡± Concluded the small Indian woman dryly as she looked him over and clearly conveyed how unimpressed she was. She seemed the same as their first meeting, he noted. Deadly calm and very still, like she was tightly wound. She was wearing a coat like the Users he''d run into earlier, if a shade darker. No obvious scars either. Overall, she seemed to have done well for herself. Oh, how he hated her. A ball of simmering hatred formed in his gut, but quickly faded. It wasn''t really her he was angry at, not really. Still, he wasn''t going to let that comment go. Instead of acting out, Derrick met her eyes and gave her a sincere smile, all wide eyes and bloody teeth. He was rewarded with a flinch. That was probably just because he was still bleeding from the eyes though. Still, it was nice to get a reaction other than dispassionate scorn from the woman. Women seemed so hard to impress since the Scourges arrived. He would have to work on his game. He puffed out his chest and tried to project both strength and nobility. The effect was somewhat lost when, a second later, his strength fled and he folded like a puppet with its strings cut. Only, Bruce reaching over and holding him up by the shoulder with one hand, kept him from hitting the ground. ¡°I have seen enough, I think,¡± the older voice said. ¡°We should take our friend to safety.¡± ¡°Hello, Aarav.¡± Derrick replied as hespun his head to lookin the direction of thespeaker. ¡°We''re not doing any more fighting?¡± The Indian man gave him a kind, if somewhat condescending smile. ¡°No, we are a bit out of our league here.¡± The older man replied good naturedly and holding out his hand, summoned a shimmering barrier to deflect a stony spear that had been aimed right at him. The spear turned and vanished into a nearby building, melting its way through the brick wall without slowing. ¡°I am here merely as a witness and an envoy,¡± he continued, as if nothing had happened. ¡°With these fellows as my bodyguards.¡± Huh, apparently the Feral Artisan had been just playing with him. All it would have taken was one of those spears to end him. It probably had a whole bag of tricks it hadn''t bothered to use against him. Well then. He would just have to spend all his new points and become stronger. Shields seemed pretty great. That would be his first priority. He wondered how many times Aarav could summon that shield. Even with his special Role, he should have some pretty hard limitations. Kate''s kinetic barrier had been capable of stopping just a few bullets before needing time to recharge. But wait. If it was so tough, who was it fighting now? From behind him, he heard an orchestra of odd sounds. Weird splashing sounds, whistling sounds and impacts that made the ground shudder. A lot of something was happening. He couldn''t see anything however. The way Bruce was holding him up, made it impossible to easily turn and look. Well, whatever. He''d figure it out soon enough. ¡°We should move,¡± Anita said cautiously. ¡°Third Striker, seems to be doing fine on his own and I don''t want to....¡± Derrick lost focus before she finished talking. Third Striker? Was that a name? He looked towards the battle again, but a shooting pain caused him to stop. Before he could ask, Bruce threw him over his shoulder and unconsciousness hit him like a hammer. Groggily, Derrick made his way back to consciousness. He awoke from a restless but thankfully dreamless sleep, to find himself laying on a hard vibrating surface. He immediately recognized the movement as the kind a car or truck made. Judging by the hard plastic he was laying on, he bet he had been thrown in the back of one of the city''s endless supply of pickup trucks. God, he was so fucking tired. Both mentally and physically. He hated the idea of even trying to move. He didn''t bother to open his eyes, just lay there and activated regeneration, feeling the soothing healing energy at work. That was the stuff. It was entrancing, to feel the threads of power dance and weave as they worked on his bruised and battered flesh. Pulsing cords of power that left his new heart and dispersed into every muscle and organ in his body.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You have a Champion''s Flesh¡± said an unfamiliar and unwelcome voice. It was deep and very matter of fact. More observation than compliment. ¡°Thanks, I workout,¡± he replied and turned onto his stomach, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. ¡°I speak of the quantum catalyst,¡± the voice continued. ¡°Auril. You have talent for it, have empowered yourself skillfully considering the scant time you have had.¡± That was an odd enough speech that Derrick cocked a single eye open. What he saw was a little stranger then he was expecting. In the corner of the cargo area of the pickup truck, a bald teenager was sitting with his eyes also closed. He didn''t seem very comfortable, every bump and jitter of the truck caused him to tense or overcompensate. The teenager looked about fourteen and was wearing a thin suit of blue plate mail that covered every part of his small body but his head. Weird black markings covered the most visible places on his armor. Derrick had no idea what it said, but it was clearly meant to be read. It reminded him of medals but carved into the armor instead of pinned to his chest. As if sensing his gaze, the odd teenager smiled, revealing a mouth full of tiny and inhumanly sharp teeth. A second later, his eyelids opened and he looked to Derrick with eyes that were solid light blue, except for a thin vertical black line that bisected each eyeball. It was almost as if he had two solid blue eyes in each eye socket. Cheek pressed into the plastic floor, Derrick just calmly returned the creature''s gaze. He was too tired to be surprised. Besides, he''d seen far weirder things today. Demon children were pretty vanilla at this point. As long as there was only one and it didn''t start singing or anything, he was just going to relax.
User Tag
Name: Third Striker Titles: Pilgrim II Veteran III Investor Roles: Page Shield Carrier Crusader Warder Level: 3.7
Race: Bound Mwin/Human Hybrid
¡°You''re a User,¡± mused Derrick aloud. Ahh, so neither demonic nor an actual child then. He was looking at the first alien he''d met that probably wouldn''t try to kill him. A high level User too. His tag alone was full of interesting tidbits. ¡°User?¡± the alien hybrid child thing repeated and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Crudity. I am not some parasite or addict. I am a Citizen Ennobled through Strife. A knight of the Mission.¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry,¡± offered Derrick, surprisingly intimidated by the small act of aggression. There was something larger than life about Third Striker now that Derrick had a good look at him. He seemed inhuman and unpredictable. Human for the most part, but his instincts were picking up small things about the self proclaimed knight that confused them. ¡°Err, The terminology actually comes from someone who has access to resources from a computer or network.¡± This was officially the first time his background in computer science had come in handy. Reluctantly, he pulled himself together, unwilling to pass up an opportunity to learn about the System and afraid of offending this higher level User. He seemed a little formal, so he might not appreciate talking to someone who was sprawled out on the floor. The alien User seemed to consider Derrick''s words carefully. ¡°I cannot say it is not somewhat fitting,¡± Third Striker responded solemnly. ¡°You are barely neophyte. No doubt overwhelmed by the revelations and challenges to your world. You will come to reconsider the nature of the System. Apology accepted.¡± Derrick just shrugged. He was getting some very strong fanatic vibes. Which was to be expected he supposed, considering Third Striker was a Crusader. Which was a little odd. Like most people, Derrick had considered what alien life would be like and this was pretty far from what he''d imagined. The human hybrid thing was also a little outputting. How was that possible? Some Captain Kirk? Alien abduction and experimentation? That seemed like it might be a sensitive question though, especially if it involved Greys and probes. Not the Grey Legion, just regular Greys. That in mind, he tactfully asked another question first. ¡°Speaking of challenges. Did you win? Is the Feral Artisan dead?¡± he asked hopefully. Anita had said that he was holding his own in the fight. Which was impressive as hell considering Derrick had eight inches on him. ¡°I triumphed. Yet, It was never the beast itself, so I could not strike a finishing blow.¡± the teenage looking alien said dramatically from his corner of the pickup truck. ¡°Just a hungry shadow. Triumph over it was temporary.¡± ¡°So it will be back?¡± asked Derrick. Did you have to enter the fold to actually threaten a Feral Artisan? That would make it difficult. Hopefully destroying their shadows was more than an annoyance. ¡°Yes, but thanks to your interference, no stronger than it was before it manifested. Your glory earned is greater than my own today.¡± Third Striker answered and reaching behind himself, rolled something at Derrick before resuming his death grip on the sides of the truck. ¡° Here, your prize.¡± Derrick caught the object. It was the probe the Feral Artisan had trapped. Now lifeless and inert. His desperate fuck you to the Artisan, when it had created that wave, must have worked. The probe had escaped the Artisan, only to be captured by this guy. Not quite as good as being safe from that particular Feral Artisan, but still nice. ¡°Thanks,¡± said Derrick sincerely. Judging how it resisted the Artisan, this thing must have a manna gate or core. Probably a core, if he understood how those worked. A gate would require a core nearby to leech power from. ¡°No thanks is necessary,¡± Third Striker replied. ¡°It is your due.¡± ¡°So, it was trying to eat this?¡± he asked as he examined the silver orb. ¡°It eats Siviril?¡± Third Striker seemed to consider the question. ¡°It takes it into its shadow,¡± The alien said uncertainly, as if he was unsure of the wording. ¡°By its nature, Siviril is key to the Fold. Never the more so, than when in the hands of the Feral Artisans.¡± "The shadows are... are... blind." Third Striker continued. "It sensed the probe''s use of manna.The connection to the Fold that the probe drew power from and pounced on it. Your approach, mere flesh that you are, was unnoticed. It could only thrash out at our world blindly once it knew a thieving irritant was nearby. You have a fools luck." Hmmmm. So it hadn''t been toying with him exactly. The two sat in silence for awhile before Derrick asked another question. It took a minute to formulate his question, it was a little more... ambitious. ¡°Don''t me wrong, I am grateful to the System and know its saving us from the Scourges. But I need to ask.¡± Derrick explained first. He didn''t want to offend the Crusader again. ¡°Why?¡± he asked and waved a hand towards the ruined streets they were driving through. ¡°Why all of this. Why Users? Why vending machines. Why all the secrets and the lack of communication? It seems like the System is holding back, almost hiding form us.¡± ¡°Because you''re wrong,¡± Third Striker said and grinned at Derrick. When he spoke, it was with fervour. ¡°The System will not save you. It is not here offering salvation. It is merely offering support because there is no salvation to be had.¡± ¡°Your world is insignificant, one of a thousand infected balls of mud the System wars on. Even if the System dealt in salvation, the resources to save them all do not exist. For every Injection it sends to challenged worlds, it could build the better part of a small fleet to shield the Core Worlds of the System Races. So, the System hedges its bets. The System has no place for dependants. The only species worth saving are the ones who can save themselves.¡± That was mostly what he''d guessed honestly. It seemed like Third Striker may be a bit biased in his outlook though. No doubt, the fact that surrendering worlds to the Scourges was a bad idea in the long term played a part. Two facts stuck out. One, they had fleets, Derrick thought and smiled. He wondered how much a small spacecraft would cost. Probably a lot and you could hardly pull one out of a vending machine. Less fun, was the fact that them having fleets meant the Scourges probably had their own as well. Fighting Grey Legion Agents in the streets was one thing, fighting a Grey legion fleet in orbit was another. No matter how great he got with an axe and auril power, he''d be useless in a space battle. Two, Third Striker spoke of the System and the System Races as two different things. He asked about that. ¡°It is above and apart,¡± agreed Third Striker with a mean smile. ¡°A silent supporter, older than any living System Race. We all rise and fall, either devouring ourselves or crushed by the relentless assault of the Scourges. Yet the System endures, puts weapons in the hands of the challenged and remembers the honers we have earned on our eternal Mission. ¡± Ya... He definitely wanted a different perspective on this. Third Striker seemed to consider the System as some kind of war god. Third Striker seemed like a good ally to have but he didn''t like what he implied about the System Races. Derrick was skeptical that the System, a advanced AI, would work the way the hybrid said it did. It seemed primitive to him. ¡°Why are you called Third Striker?¡± Derrick asked, changing the subject to something lighter. ¡°Because my dominant sire named me that when I had earned the privilege,¡± It replied proudly but unhelpfully. The Mwin continued a second later. ¡°It was the third Strike Ship that broke the crest of the first Simmerlight wave. A victory grand enough to spawn a hundred names, to bless a thousand Pages.¡± Derrick slowly digested all this. So, a real alien. Huh. Confusing alien culture included. Heavily wounded, barely conscious and lying in the back of a pickup truck, he was not going to try and unravel an entire alien culture from the overly dramatic speech of a bald alien hybrid teenager. ¡°I assure you, your own name, Tower That Raises, is as odd to me, as mine is to you,¡± Third Striker added. ¡°Less than flattering in the culture of my race, the Mwin, either Bound or Defiant.¡± Tower That Raises? Did the hybrid actually hear it that way? He decided to just add that to the long list of things he was ignoring in this conversation. ¡°Humans just like tall things.¡± Derrick explained easily. ¡°For evolutionary reasons, height is associated with safety and authority. They also rectangles for some reason.¡± ¡°I had noticed,¡± Third Striker responded dryly as they drove under the shadow of ruined skyscrapers. Ya, he probably got a lot of funny looks. Even Derrick had a little trouble taking him seriously and he knew the diminutive User was the most powerful thing he''d met. ¡°You''re not really half human are you?¡± asked Derrick, getting to the question he wanted answered the most. It might look mostly human, but Derrick got the impression the mind in the teenage body was completely inhuman. ¡°Only recently,¡± Replied the Mwin hybrid with a toothy smile. ¡°It is both practicality and courtesy to walk a challenged world in a native form.¡± The small alien in a boyish body shrugged. A very human gesture for an alien. ¡°It is not as if I could bring my own body through an unsupported Injection. Even if I could, I would require the System to give breath and sustenance to a body unused to the weight, brightness and unnatural height of this savage world.¡± The space knight thought the Earth was savage? It had seemed civilized to the point of pointlessness to Derrick. Well, the Crusader hybrid, probably had a very different idea of what civilization was from the average office worker. ¡°Skill, bravery and power make the journey through the Fold. Such is the glory of our eternal Mission. The System''s blessing to those who take the Role of Crusader, to fight and die in alien flesh. A small price, to defy the Scourges.¡± He said reverently, like a prayer. He was wearing new body then. Third Striker must have arrived on Earth the same way the Scourges had. Reduced to a sphere about a foot in diameter and then regrown into an entirely different species by the System. No wonder he was the first alien Derrick had met. He couldn''t imagine that was a popular way to travel. By power, he was guessing the Mwin meant auril and manna. Possibly some other rare resources, he''d yet to encounter. Injections; the weird teleportation aliens all did, seemed to always bring some of that along. ¡°It''s that easy to walk around in a completely different body?¡± he asked. ¡°And is that why you look so young?¡± ¡°No,¡± replied Third Striker with a scowl. ¡°Though the System Implant aids me greatly, It is still difficult to display my practised prowess. I have the wrong number of... everything, again. It was only the dire threat to the Enclave that made me move with such haste. The seeming youth is because your species is so very tall. I wanted time to get used to this height before I become taller still.¡± Derrick was impressed. It seemed like this five foot and a few inches tall Crusader had beaten the Feral Artisan that had basically slapped Derrick into another dimensionand he wasn''t at full strength. He was impressed enough that he decided it would be in bad taste to make fun of the Crusader''s obvious fear of heights. Also, he got distracted by fantasies of the Mwin. Which were clearly a powerful race of warriors, wielding terrible powers granted by the System in an endless war against the Scourges. From Third Strikers comments and biology, he pictured them as two foot tall, four eyed anthropomorphic mice people wearing platemail while wielding little laser swords. No doubt completely wrong but the first thing that popped into his head. Thinking of their epic battles, he couldn''t keep a smile off his bruised face. ¡°Tower That Raises,¡± Third Striker interrupted and his serious tone banished Derrick''s lighthearted imaginings. His oddly bisected blue eyes studied Derrick seriously. ¡°I have answered your questions. Now answer mine.¡± Derrick froze. He detected danger here. Not hostility exactly but definitely danger. ¡°You touched one of the darkest levels of the Fold. Were dragged into a realm ruled by the Artisans for hours. And yet, you sit before me, lucid and barely mad at all.¡± the tiny fanatic said with brittle kindness and leaned toward the human User. ¡°What did you see?¡± 3.11 Talent Derrick considered the question very carefully. He had to immediately discard the idea of lying. He simply didn''t know enough about this situation to even start to come up with a believable lie that would be less incriminating than the truth. He decided to just downplay his experience and hope for the best. ¡°It''s not very clear. I was lost and confused,¡± Derrick answered truthfully. ¡°Something was horribly wrong, but I couldn''t tell what, so I just kept trying to escape the places I found myself. Which were just mundane places? Hallways and forest paths? It felt like if I stared at one place too long though, something horribly would happen. No, not happen. It felt like something terrible would be revealed. Which is probably why everything kept changing until I stumbled to the exit.¡± He scratched his nose. ¡°Other than that, I don''t remember much,¡± Derrick said slowly and untruthfully. ¡°Which, I''m pretty sure, is because it would be unhealthy to remember. It''s that whole dream thing, you know, where your brain makes some memories impossible to remember clearly. They fade the moment you stop thinking about them.¡± Third Striker calmly watched Derrick as he spoke. His face was still and gave away nothing of his emotions. A long second after Derrick was finished, he finally spoke. ¡°What is a dream?¡± The hybrid asked carefully. Derrick opened his mouth. Then closed it. Opened it again and closed it again. Ok, wow. Ummm, how was he going to explain this? Wait, Third Striker was half human now... would he dream? Had he already dreamed but forgotten it? ¡°It''s complicated,¡± he informed the alien hybrid. ¡°Honestly, I think someone else should explain this to you.¡± Third Striker looked around the otherwise empty back of the pickup and then considered him for a long moment. ¡°Try,¡± he said seriously. Derrick did. He gave a rambling speech about REM sleep and hallucinations. Memories and the random firing of synapses. ¡°So, you''re trying to convince me you don''t remember touching the Fold because your brain interpreted it as a hallucination from a type of altered consciousness your mind enters when you sleep and is effectively quarantining those memories.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°OK.¡± said Third Striker and moved back into his corner, seemingly at ease. ¡°OK?¡± Derrick repeated. Caught off guard by the tiny hybrid''s easy dismissal of a subject he''d been clearly very interested in. ¡°Yes. Ok. I was simply curious. My curiosity has been prevalent lately,¡± Third Striker responded contemplatively. ¡°I think it might be a human racial trait. Like your inability to focus on more than one thing a time, which half the time is sex. It''s very distracting.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Derrick easily. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± He considered the teenage hybrid in front of him. He seemed oddly laid back, which made him seem trustworthy. Derrick decided his own massive ignorance was probably more dangerous to him than this Crusader was at the moment. ¡°So, I''m not in any danger of being corrupted or mind controlled? You''re not secretly watching to see if I start worshipping hungry space gods?¡± Third Striker just smiled at him, showing pointy little teeth. He was clearly amused by Derrick''s concerns. ¡°Hardly,¡± the alien replied. ¡°The Feral Artisans are infamous for the manipulation of reality, not living things. I doubt the creature even noticed you exist. Touching the Fold might have damaged you, subtly driven you mad to the point you will be a danger to yourself and others in the future, that however, is not my problem.¡± ¡°Oh good,¡± answered Derrick. That was a little distressing, but he did appreciate the honesty. ¡°Besides, it''s not my place to judge you. You remain a User.¡± Third Striker explained. ¡°And there''s no judgment among Users?¡± Derick asked hopefully. ¡°One big happy family fighting the Scourges together?¡± That was encouraging. The hybrid seemed civilized enough but since he''d met Third Striker, he had been concerned about a bunch of super powered aliens running around. Life under the System was heading in direction that was a little more ''law of the jungle'' than he was comfortable with considering how low humanity must be on the totem pole. ¡°What? Blessed Blades of Bwedo no.¡± exclaimed Third Striker. ¡°It was my meaning, that if the System implant nestled in your very brain has been fooled, what chance does a humble Crusader have of spotting such corruption?¡± Oh, right. That. Well, at least the System was probably the only eldritch power influencing his thoughts. He really had no choice to trust the System. But these Crusaders? What did they want? He asked his fellow passenger. ¡°I already told you. We desire the same thing you have been chasing so desperately since the System blessed you, little Fighter,¡± the Mwin hybrid spoke. ¡°The completion of missions and the gaining of levels. To claim power and glory through the slaying of monsters. Those that take the Role of Crusader, no matter their race or the exact Role, come from worlds where the Scourges have been defeated. That makes it difficult to rise under the System, so we must earn our way to challenged worlds.¡± Blessed by the System was not how he''d describe himself. ¡°What about your fleets?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Couldn''t you attack the Scourges with those?¡± That seemed safer than Injecting yourself onto a strange planet. The once Mwin looked at Derrick like he was an idiot. ¡°While there is honor in Fleet service, they are a defensive force.¡± he said. ¡°No one has fleets to waste attacking lifeless worlds fortified by the Scourges. What they take, they keep until another Scourge wrestles it from them. Trying to match a Scourge in a competition of weight in the black is a fool¡¯s errand.¡± Oh. That was less glorious than he''d thought. Probably no epic space battles for him then. Although, space was big enough that territory probably mattered less than in a terrestrial war. Even a single solar system contained enough resources it would take thousands of years to strip mine it. ¡°No System Races ever attack the Scourges or even each other?¡± he asked. ¡°Not with anything as expensive as a force of warships,¡± replied Third Striker with iron certainty, before switching to a more thoughtful tone. ¡°It is rumoured however, that the System has a Black Fleet. A secret force, manned by ancient and powerful Users, that strikes at the Scourges and any race foolish enough to break its rules. It is the secret wish of many Crusaders to join it, if it does indeed exist.¡± ¡°The rumours around the System and its most glorious Users are endless however,¡± the hybrid said with a shrug. ¡°One should not take them too seriously. Especially if one has yet to have earned a single Role.¡± It was good to know the System wasn''t just keeping secrets from humans. It seemed like the bastard AI thing loved being mysterious. ¡°I have a Role.¡± Derrick said defensively. Third Striker rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, I can see that, little Fighter.¡± he replied with a smile. ¡°It was bestowed however, without having been earned. It is a stopgap to preserve your race. Barely a Role at all.¡± What was this? Role elitism? He hadn''t earned it? Fuck that. He was just about to give Third Striker a piece of his mind when the hybrid pre-empted him. No doubt seeing the anger on his face. ¡°It is no judgment on you. It is merely the way of challenged worlds. The first Rolesgifted by the System to a challenged species are... simple. How could they not be? The System has had no time to craft Roles to your nature and talents.¡± ¡°What does a Fighter or even a Guard do?¡± asked Third Striker, before answering his own question. ¡°They Fight and Guard things. That is all.¡± ¡°Real Roles are more complex and demanding things, requiring years to advance through, not mere days. It took me a dozen years of training and competition amongst my siblings to even earn my first Role, Page. A Role that the System has refined for my people over centuries. The majority of my brethren never even make it that far, they live and die at tier zero.¡± What? So, all human Roles would be weak for the next couple decades at least? It made sense but was so unfair. Fighter was obviously kind of basic, just increasing muscle and bone density, plus the drug package. He''d thought that was because it was a common and low-level Role, not because all human Roles were bad. The Universe was truly a cruel, cruel bitch. ¡°There are upsides for you,¡± Third Striker continued. ¡°The sheer number of fighting Roles available to a challenged world is an opportunity to be seized. In time, any human with an ounce of courage will have the opportunity to fight under the System. And also, the rate in which you have levelled is madness, even for a challenged world. I laboured as a Page for two years. Learning under the tutelage of veterans and practising skills given to me by the System. Another decade was spent as a common mercenary, fighting in petty border skirmishes and putting down Tyrant Spore outbreaks before finally earning the right to become a Crusader. You''ve been a Fighter for a week and already are on the cusp of a new Role.¡± ¡°It has been a long week,¡± responded Derrick as he reminisced.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Grey Legion. Grey Legion. Greta. Spore Tyrants. Spore Tyrants. Greta. Grey legion. Feral Artisan. Such a very long week. He had no time for whining though. He had one more important question to ask this oddly helpful alien hybrid. ¡°So, my next Role will be important, because I will probably be stuck with it for a long time. What kind of Role should I take? How do I become strong enough to fight and survive?¡± he asked. Just a day ago, he would have asked about a non-combat Role. A way to avoid danger. Things had changed overnight. The modern world had trained him to understand that he was a replaceable cog in a dizzyingly complex world. Anything he failed or refused to do, was easily accomplished by some other nameless grunt. Looking back over the last week, he was not so sure that was still the case. He had possibly saved the city when he had taken the probe from the Feral Artisan. The empowered Feral Artisan may not have destroyed the city itself, but it would probably have dealt a blow it would not have recovered from. Not a stranger, not few people, but an entire city. Who knows how many of those the human race even had left? His choices had a real effect on the survival of the human race. It was frankly a mind-blowing change. Not to mention he needed the city to survive so that he hada place to live. ¡°A complicated question,¡± answered the youthful looking alien hybrid from his corner of the truck. ¡°The quickest and shallowest way to become stronger is to seize and purchase as much Manna as you can and a weapon to channel it into. ¡°With the right weapon or tool, something indirect and medium ranged, your auril stealth and detection abilities could be used to dominate the Scourges for at least a month,¡± the Crusader continued. ¡°A custom ''grenade launcher'' with Manna enhanced ammunition, in your hands, could be used with great effectiveness against the lesser forms of the Grey Legion and Tyrant Spores.¡± That made sense. ¡°But you don''t think I should do that,¡± said Derrick, because even with his brain bleeding out of his eyes and ears, he wasn''t an actual idiot. ¡°Even in my original body, I am no master of auril,¡± the hybrid continued. ¡°I have fortified my flesh through prayer and pattern, to better resist my enemies. A technique completely unlike your own innovations and much more limited. You have a rare gift and luck. So, my answer is simple. Take whatever Role the System offers that increases your auril capacity, as that will be the greatest limit you face in the future.¡± The alien peered at him for a second. ¡°I''m surprised you have as much auril flowing through you, as you do,¡± the alien said with a hint of curiosity. ¡°Either your Fighter Role has a higher capacity limit than most level one Roles, or you have already boosted your capacity limit somehow.¡± There was a limit on how much auril he could have? Crap. It was already impossible to buy the stuff, but knowing the System soon wouldn''t even let him add more scavenged aurilin to his auril heart was bad news. He quickly brought up the relevant information and did some calculations. If he was already above the average allowed Auril Capacity at eleven point four, that would put it around ten. A nice neat number that was as good a guess as anything.
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Role: Fighter Level: 1.8
Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer, Fold Survivor, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious
Traits: Curative Blood (D) (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Combat Drug Package (E) (Offensive) Crude Quantum Awareness (F) (Survival) Breathless (F) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 11.4 Auril Style: Red Law (E) Active Auril Skills: Regeneration Pulse
USS Manna Pool: 0 USS Manna Skills: None
The only thing he had that affected auril capacity was the second and third Scrappy titles. Each granted, what must be, a maximum capacity boost of three. Making them a lot better than he''d first thought, considering he could use one hundred and sixty percent of the auril most Fighters could. A nice starting boost anyway. For all he knew, most level two roles had a limit of a hundred. This was all prettty much pure guesswork. It would totally suck to be stuck at a capacity of ten. His chances of ever overpowering the defences of any auril using enemy with an auril strike would be pretty much non-existent. Not to mention it would make his subtle pulses limited to an unusably short range. He reached into his pocket and played with the two stolen Vanguard hearts there. Assuming his theories were right, those would probably take him right to the limit of his current capacity of sixteen. The larger stone, from the Combat Drone, was probably overkill. He kind of wanted to hold onto that one anyway. This was just another reason to reach level two as soon as possible. ¡°Sorry for ignoring you,¡± Derrick said as looked back to Third Striker, who was back to sitting with his eyes closed. ¡°You have much to think about, I''m sure.¡± The hybrid replied dismissively. ¡°I will leave you with another piece of advice. You will have unlocked access to Manna in your victory over the Feral Artisan. There is a strong correlation between Fold Survivors and talent with Manna. Resist the temptation to use it as merely a way to empower System weaponry. I have been teaching Aarav the more demanding methods to use it. Ask him to teach you as well.¡± With that said the hybrid remained silent. Derrick just relaxed and activating regeneration again, managed to doze off.
When he woke up, he was unsurprisingly back in the hospital. The nice doctors seemed to have even reserved his bed for him. At least it seemed like the same bed. It was hard to tell because while the bed next to him was occupied, it wasn''t by Blake, but by someone whose body looked like it had been on the receiving end of a bear mauling. They were basically just a mass of bandages. He sighed. He was once again alone. It would have been nice if one person had been here for him. Maybe left some flowers? He supposed everyone was too busy fighting for the survival of the human race. Derrick stretched cautiously. He felt good? Checking himself over, he wasn''t bleeding anywhere or suffering from headaches. He just felt good. Odd. He must have been out for awhile if he had healed this much. He looked to his side. Someone had done him the huge favour of washing or replacing his clothes. Checking his pockets, let him know that he hadn''t been robbed this time either. That was nice. What a wonderful morning. Err, midday? The light streaming in corners of the window suggested it was around noon. He waited for the other shoe to drop. Nothing happened. He didn''t feel like leaving the bed to be honest. It was comfortable and safe. His only missions were the Trial and the bonus to find the Grey Legion Factory. Neither were urgent enough to get him to move. It would be a waste to do nothing though. He reached over into the bed stand and grabbed a scavenged Vanguard auril heart. He sent his own auril into it, studying and looking for inspiration. Third Striker had told him the System was still learning about humanity, he couldn''t count on it to give him powerful traits or abilities. So, he would make his own. The Grey Legion Vanguard were the ideal place to start. They were transformed Earthlings. Logically much easier to steal upgrades from than a spider construct or a fungus monster. Carefully, he explored the fragments of the vanguard auril style in the hearts. Growth, that was what came to mind. Growth and to a lesser degree¡­ Seeking? Seeking was easy. It was unsurprisinglysimiliar tothe Examination patterns from the drone. He played with the strands of that for awhile, trying to work out the knots and learn more about how to use Auril Pulses. The style contained pretty much exactly what he was trying to learn. The Vanguard Dogs were low powered hunters. Capable of an efficient auril pulse. Not a subtle one, like the Spore Tyrants used but efficient at low power. Rather than a unique method of sending out auril, the pieces of their style he saw concentrated on sensitivity to the pulses return. On gathering more information from it. He would definitely play around with that later. It might even help him with Crude Quantum Awareness. Now back to growth. He was really hoping he could find a way to make himself tougher. He was tired of bleeding so much and that was the specialty of the Vanguard. He let himself fall into the stones in his hand. Blending the broken styles together in his mind. There was something there. Something that dealt with toughness and protection. A way to speed up the changes a vanguard underwent. Ah, it was how they grew that grey armor so fast. A physical process boosted by auril. Hmmm. He didn''t want to grow an exoskeleton. Could he limit it in some way? Instead of growing new bones, he just wanted the process that changed existing bones. Could that even be done with just Auril or did it need the physical and chemical components offered by the Drones? Well, worse case scenario, it just did nothing or was so slow as to be useless. He spent another few minutes fine tuning and pruning the auril style of useless junk. Then finally, he gathered his own auril energy and tried to shape into the imagined pattern. The first few times, the energy just failed to set, falling apart and diffusing. Eventually however, he got it to stay in place. Wrapping around his bones and flowing evenly. Carefully, he watched it. It did not appear to do anything. Well, that was a waste of t... Ah, shit. Derrick thought as his heart skipped a beat. The energy inverted. The threads shifting and assuming an entirely different but still miraculously stable form. Still wrapped around his bones, they began to eat away at them. Shit. SHIT. This was bad. He could feel the alien power spread through bone and cartilage, attacking them in ways that reminded him of acid.
Universal Support System Implant
Dangerous auril mutation detected. Adapting... Failed. Cleansing...
This again. Well whatever the System Implant was doing, it seemed to have slowed down the damage anyway. He still had malignant auril patterns inside him, doing who knows what to his bones. Which he needed. Panicked, he tried to crush them. To smash them with his will, so that they unravelled. No Luck. They were annoyingly resilient little knots of power. He felt his limbs beginning to acquire a sore numbness. It was a very worrying feeling. Maybe Regeneration could overpower them? He gathered power and sent waves of regenerative auril through his body. It was like mixing oil and water. And now his fingernails were bleeding. Probably his toes too. A spike of electric pain shot down his spine and he slammed his hand into the bed. He felt something break, and it wasn''t the bed. Why the fuck had he thought this was a good idea? He needed this auril gone. Right now.... gone. That gave him an idea. Instead of just destroying it, what if he expelled it. Like an auril pulse. He tried to gather the offending energy and force it outside his body. It worked, partially. The energy exited his body and unravelled almost immediately into the air. It took a dozen monumental efforts of will before it was all gone but it worked. Leaving Derrick with two broken fingers and tiny droplets of blood around his fingernails. Oh, and he tasted blood too. Well he''d fucked that up royally. He thought he would been safe to experiment because of Curative Blood and the fact that he was in a hospital. A few more seconds and things could have gotten really bad. From superhuman to cripple in under a minute... ¡°Fuck,¡± he said aloud and winced from the shooting pain in his broken fingers. ¡°I guess no one is as tough as they think they are.¡±
Universal Support System Implant
Cleansing Successful! You have created a unique auril ability: Splintering Strike!
Splintering Strike An auril striking technique that near instantly weakens hard organic materials such as wood, bone and cartilage. Especially effective on organic, harder and carbon based materials undefended by auril. It can have a short lived cumulative effect. No one is as tough as they think they are - Derrick the Red
He ran his tongue over bloody teeth, as he read the notification. The flavor text was back and taking him completely out of context. It made his humbleness sound like a threat. He frowned and his head cocked to the side. Who the fuck was Derrick the Red? 3.12 Commitment ¡°You are Derrick the Red,¡± said the smiling nurse, responding to the question he''d just asked her. His little auril experiment had not gone unnoticed by the hospital staff. He was pretty sure the atypically attractive nurse been sent to make sure he didn''t kill himself in the middle of the hospital, which would be embarrassing for everyone involved. The young Asian nurse had a disarming cheer to her. Like a personal cheerleader who was just so happy to work with you. She was also enthusiastic and professional in her work, which impressed him. She probably saw more horror in a day than he did. ¡°It says that on my my file?¡± he asked cautiously as she installed a white and very minimalist brace on his hand. It only needed to be on a few hours, but keeping the bones in the right place during that time was still just as important. ¡°No no,¡± she replied with a wave. ¡°It''s what everyone is calling you.¡± ¡°Everyone,¡± repeated Derrick carefully, seeking a hidden meaning in the word. ¡°Define, exactly, what you mean when you say everyone.¡± The nurse gave him a confused look. ¡°It''s what they have been calling you on the Trial of Predation,¡± she answered as she worked. ¡°I don''t watch the Trial myself, too violent. Well, a bit of Bhadra. Shes just so stunning. And she never fights anything that looks human. Even if you don''t watch much, you can''t avoid hearing about every little thing that happens on the show though. From what I hear, you''re something of a hometown hero?¡± She looked up from his hand and gaze him a scrutinizing look, before breaking into a almost painfuly bright smile. ¡°I guess you''ve been too busy to see the show? Well, you''re not one of the big names. Not like Bhadra, Bullet Ghost or Solix the Slayer,¡± she continued. Ouch. He was being outclassed by someone who called themselves Solix the Slayer. Who, he could only imagine was around twelve years old. ¡°I''m sure you try very hard,¡± she added quickly and blushed. Apparently afraid she''d hurt his feelings. She hadn''t. The only thing he was feeling at the moment was paranoia. People had been watching him, he thought, unnerved. When exactly? He hadn''t seen any cameras. Were they invisible? Were they watching him right now? ¡°You don''t like the nickname?¡± she asked with smile, apparently misinterpreting the look on his face. ¡°Probably shouldn''t have worn all that red then.¡± ¡°I didn''t choose the colour,¡± Derrick answered on automatic. ¡°The mask was a gift. I''m more partial to green.¡± Green was a good colour, he thought. It blended in well. People who wore green, never got ''The Green'' tacked on the end of their names. He gathered his scattered thoughts and tried to organize everything he''d learned into a picture that made sense. Alright, there was a Trial of Predation TV show. One that everyone was watching. While he''d been fighting for his life, the city... the world had been watching him. He vaguely recalled something about the Trial being monitored when he agreed to join it. At the time, he''d thought that meant they were watching for rule breaking. Apparently not. ¡°How do you deal with the horror?¡± the woman asked and the more serious tone dragged him back to reality. ¡°Just walking through ruins and over bodies without any idea of what kind of monsters you''ll find.¡± ¡°You can get used to anything. Fighting monsters is what I do now,¡± he answered, somewhat bemused. ¡°Then, I get the shit beat out of me and my unconscious body dragged back to this hospital. What about you? How can you work here just waiting for the next ravaged body to be wheeled in?¡± ¡°Have you ever just considered stopping?¡± she asked, ignoring his own question. There was a pause, as Derrick considered that maybe they weren''t talking about just him. He considered his words carefully. He''d had... mixed luck with inspirational speeches. ¡°No,¡± mused Derrick. ¡°As bad as things are, running away would only make them worse, both in reality and in my head.¡± Yes, that was good line for his viewers. The lurking bastards. It sounded a lot better than, no, the System tazes me when I try to run away. Or, no, I give into peer pressure too easily. His eyes darted around for signs of recording equipment. He almost hoped he was being recorded. A few more minutes of conversation revealed that his line was probably wasted. Only footage of fighting made it into the show. He also learned that his ''fight'' with the feral Artisan hadn''t made the cut. Which he wasn''t going to complain about. It wasn''t exactly an inspiring moment. Honestly, he would be taking this a lot worse if it had come from anyone other than this nurse. Maybe she''d been trained to deliver bad news? He considered asking her for her phone number, but realized she''s never offered her name to him. He could have gotten it from her User Tag but her not actually giving it to him was probably a clear indication she was just doing her job. Oh well, she seemed to be dealing with some stuff anyway. Derrick paused at that thought. The whole conversation had gone oddly smoothly. Playing it back in his head, he noticed he''s been more laid back and smooth than he was used to. It was almost as if the conversation hadn''t mattered. Meh, whatever. Soon the pretty nurse was called away and Derrick donned his casual clothes. He was very careful to shove his coat and mask into a backpack where no one could see them. Next, he stood up and did a few stretches, working the kinks out of his much abused muscles. It was time for the best part of the end of the world, the shopping. Derrick made his way to the Support Station hub, thankfully unrecognized by anyone during the walk. Maybe the nurse had been exaggerating his fame? How many people could find his flailing entertaining anyway? He imagined there were hundreds of Users that were doing better than him. A normal looking guy in a t-shirt and jeans, he waited in line at the fancy plaza that had grown around the Support Stations. While doing so, he noticed someone had taken the time to plant some bushes and flowers around. A weird use of resources. Maybe they wanted to help people relax? It didn''t take long before the people in front of him had gotten what they wanted and it was his turn. He knew what he wanted to look up first. ¡°Manna stuff,¡± he commanded and instantly over a dozen items popped up. Two of them jumped out at him, they were by far the most important.
Manna Sources
USSP Points: 1304
Basic Manna Gate (411 USSP) (E) An Upgrade to the System Implant that adds Siviril and Manna manipulation functions. A Manna Gate is a shallow contact with the Fold, allowing the User to efficiently receive Manna from System Stations or nearby paired Manna Cores, as well as connecting and charging nearby paired System technology. (Manna Cores and Gates are incompatible)
Basic Manna Core (622 USSP) (D) An Upgrade to the System Implant that adds Siviril and Manna manipulation functions. A Core is a deep connection to the Fold, allowing the User to pull Manna from the Fold directly and independent of location. Connecting to different layers of the Fold can draw in unique forms of Manna. User must touch System Technology to charge it with Manna. (Manna Cores and Gates are incompatible)
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.So, Gates were like wireless routers for Manna? They were great and moving it around and using it at range but couldn''t create it, so needed to be in range of a System Station or a generous User with a Core. This cheaper option seemed to offer a quick boost of power. Cores, on the other hand, could provide Manna anywhere. Having a deeper connection seemed to mean that they couldn''t act as a router though, just as a power source. Probably much weaker than the Cores in a System Station too. Oh, and the Cores seemed to be able to produce special types of Manna as well. If that was useful though, why didn''t the System Stations produce it? Still, the dependability of the Cores and their potential for uniqueness outweighed the Gates more plentiful and longer ranged Manna. He''d always been a sucker for customization. Plus, it was ranked a tier higher. He purchased the Core and after ordering it and sipped on the lime flavoured Soda the machine dispensed. He browsed through the other Manna related options, noticing a few had disappeared, no doubt from his selection of a Core.
Manna Weapons, Weapon Upgrades and Traits Available
USSP Points: 1304
Pseudo Momentum Battery (235 USSP) A single charge battery that empowers a strike with Pseudo Momentum. Increasing the penetrating power and damage done on hit. Charged at Support Stations or with a Manna Core. Can be applied to ammo cartridges and melee weapons.
Manna Focus: Hard Shield (166 USSP) A wrist mounted device that when empowered by Manna, creates a weightless shield of adjustable size and shape. A Hard Shield is a barrier against physical objects. Shield strength is based on Manna spent and shield size. Focus holds a small amount of Manna.
Shield Breaker Battery (331 USSP) A single charge battery that empowers a strike with a Fold Destabilization Effect. Designed to destroy or weaken most defensive techniques that use Manna. Charged at Support Stations or with a Manna Core. Can be applied to ammo cartridges and melee weapons.
Marching Boots (95 USSP) An upgrade to footwear and undergarments that allows them to slightly enhance User movement. Increasing endurance and movement speed slightly.
Dimmer Field Focus (210 USSP) A stealth upgrade for a coat. This device, when empowered by Manna, will slightly blur the wearer while reducing sound and the escape of thermal radiation. Warning: Device is designed to prevent indirect detection at a range. Provides no protection from direct line of sight by common Scourge senses or Earth level vision.
Some, like Dimmer Field and the shield were tempting. He''d wanted a defensive ability for awhile now. Something that could be used to block bullets and other, much worse things. Dimmer shield was obviously stealth from a distance, it would compliment his Auril stealth ability nicely. The rest were pretty meh. He was really hoping to avoid any scenario where Marching Boots might come in handy and the offensive batteries were pretty underwhelming. Pseudo Momentum just seemed like a heavy blow or power strike ability. Okay, but he probably could find better things to spend Manna and points on. Shield Breaker seemed useless. An ability to pierce shields would be great, if he had a ranged weapon or even a spear. If he had to hit a Manna shield several times with his axes to break it, it had already done its job. The Combat Drone had been able to conjure them from nothing after all. He decided on buying none of them in the end. Third Striker had said to talk to Aarav about Manna and what to buy. Besides, it would take at least half a day for his Manna Core to grow anyway, if his Auril Heart and other traits were any comparison. Which led him to his next choice of upgrades. Traits.
Traits Available
Curative Blood ? (Defensive) 917 USSP Defensive Trait. Modified blood cells and plasma give increased resistance and healing speed.
He was a little disappointed he only had the one option still. Even the low ranked traits were super useful. Even at low levels Curative Blood had cut down a lot on the time he spent wounded and in pain and breathless let him sprint faster. He definitely wanted the upgrade for Curative Blood right now, so it had time to kick in before his next round of abuse from the Scourges. But, there was a problem. He didn''t have enough points for both Curative Blood ? and the Manna Core (D). Together, they cost fifteen hundred and thirty nine points. He only had thirteen hundred and three, so he needed two hundred and thirty six more points. Luckily, he had a few things to sell.
Items Available for Sale:
Vanguard Heart: 101 USSP / 1.3 Aurilin. Vanguard Heart: 92 USSP / 1.2 Aurilin. Combat Drone Heart: 244 USSP / 2.9 Aurilin. Combat Drone Manna Gate: 46 USSP / 0.9 Siviril Probe Manna Core: 225 USSP / 4.2 Siviril
Hmmm. Siviril; the source of Manna, was worth less than Aurilin; the source of Auril. The Combat Drone Manna Gate was by far the least valuable thing he had. Value comes from Scarcity so the System must have more of it. ¡°Can I purchase Siviril?¡± he asked the gleaming white machine in front of him.
Universal Support System Station
0.5 Siviril: 39 USSP
Huh, so he could. Not that he wanted to at this moment. It was more points he needed at the moment, not less. Another quick question confirmed that Aurilin was still unavailable due to scarcity. He decided to just sell the Siviril and break down the Vanguard hearts for Aurilin. He could just find or buy more Siviril later and he was pretty sure it didn''t contain unique information like Auril hearts did. The useful fragments of the Vanguard Style in the hearts had been memorized anyway. He placed the items in the dispenser of the machine and watched them disappear. He then used those points to order superhuman healing powers and disease resistance. It came in the form of a chocolate bar, the System Station correctly guessing he''d had enough soda for now. He spent his last thirty five points, replacing the tanglers he''d used. Although annoyingly non lethal, they were still very useful. Now completely out of points, he let the next User in line take her turn. While chewing on the bar, he moved towards his next destination but noticed the little stand was empty. Sam Wilst, his tailor didn''t seem to be around. He''d have to check in later to get his missing sleeve fixed. The stand looked abandoned, maybe the Tailor had moved to a real store? What to do now? It was getting late and he wasn''t going to go back out into the Scourge infested parts of the city right before it got dark. He had night vision in his mask and Auril senses, so he might actually have an advantage at night. He still needed to sleep though. Plus, he had definitely earned a break. According to the experts, there was a good chance he was already insane from his exposure to the Fold. Having just woken up at the hospital, he wasn''t tired. All he would need was a few hours of sleep tonight before he went back out to hunt alien monsters in the morning. Hmmm. Without a working Manna Core, visiting Aarav was a waste. He could try to find his old allies? See what they were up too? What would they be up too? Jenny would be doing boring things. Probably helping those in need. Blake would probably be trying to grow stronger or goofing off. Kate was a mystery. He sent out a bunch of texts and decided to grab a bite to eat. Whatever that white stuff was they pumped into his veins during his hospital stays, it didn''t fill his stomach. Around the hub of System Stations, the few shops he''d seen earlier had grown into a ring all the way around the hub. A strip mall of User owned and operated shops. The restaurant and pawn shop had multiplied, and some more User run production shops had opened up, selling everything from clothes to bullets. The small mechanics shop had somehow grown a huge five car garage overnight and was offering to upgrade vehicles with System tech. He saw one of the doors open up, revealing an inside more like a mad scientist''s workshop than any garage he''d ever been inside. The mechanics even wore protective clothing and dark welding goggles. Derrick noticed a small parking lot full of cars was in front of the shop, waiting their turn at being remodelled. Almost all of them were pickup trucks and vans. A school bus and a few bikes were also there. Users wanting to move their teams together safely or the city trying to upgrade their infrastructure? Either way, this was a good thing. The expedition would need the vehicles outside the city for sure and their sources of gasoline had been cut off. Also, there was a dojo or something? Large signs proclaimed the necessity of weapons training. Offering not only knife fighting lessons but gun and hand to hand as well. Firearm training was practically a must, Derrick mused. The rest seemed iffy. It wasn''t like most Scourges were going to duel you or even had hands. Better than nothing he supposed. It was nice that people seemed to be finding things to do. Claiming niches using the talents and skills from before the Scourges and the System destroyed everything. Too bad he wasn''t one of them. Talking to Third Striker had left him a little worried that the only role the System really wanted from them was warriors. Seeing so many Users learning to use System technology was relieving. It made them seem less like dependants or servants and more like allies. It made his cautiously optomistic about the future. The restaurant he''d eaten at earlier was still doing good business, it was so busy that no one spared him a second glance as he filled his stomach with pasta. Full of said pasta, and without a reply to his texts, he decided to just hang for a bit and clear his head. He watched people eat and tried to connect with the fact he had saved the city. Him. Derrick the orphan and junior network engineer. Or Derrick the Red now, he supposed.Slayer of monsters and saver of cities. He didn''t particularly feel like a hero. He didn''t feel like he used to either though. Since the Scourges had arrived he''d gorwn and shaped himself into a new person. Not just metaphorically either. He was pretty sure his experiments with auril had changed him. Maybe that should bother him but it didn''t. The person he was now had saved the city, he repeated in his head, driving the point home. It was like Jenny had said, they had made a difference. He liked that. Watching the Users struggle to rebuild and improve themselves, he realized that mere survival wasn''t his goal anymore. He wanted to improve himself, to take every scrap of power the System offered and use it to save not only the city, but the entire world. He was still just a single human, an insignificant member of an unimportant race on the verge of extinction. But he''d felt the power of humanity''s many enemies and spoken to one of their few allies. He was no longer convinced that neign human wouldn''t be enough to win. 4.1 The Basics I After his deep personal revelations, Derrick decided to chill and work on his Auril power. Obviously, he wasn''t going to be as stupidly ambitious as before and put himself back in the hospital. His plan was to take it easy, to just work on pulses and try to make Quantum Awareness more useful. The System had hinted the trait could become much more useful, which considering how unhelpful the System usually was, made it worth exploring. Assuming a meditation posture in the middle of the User plaza, he concentrated on the thin and complicated membrane of auril that was Crude Quantum Awareness. The strange ability that had saved his life more than a few times now. Concentrating, he could feel it every time someone looked at him, there was even a sense of roughly the direction they were in. It was like the thin strands of Auril on his skin were so sensitive even the lightest gaze caused a reaction. Right before his trip to the hospital, he had theorized he could use what he''d learned from the Vanguard hearts to try and upgrade it. Time to test that. He recreated the weave he''d memorized earlier and tried to add it beneath the auril that danced across his skin. It took a good hour of experimentation but it worked. Surprisingly, without any horrible side effects at all. One moment he was bashing the two weaves together and the next, the auril trait evolved and the gazes he felt on him... sharpened. Eyes still closed, he could feel exactly how many people were looking at him and where they were before they lost interest in him and moved on. It was a very weird sensation, the fleeting awareness offered by the trait. Like having almost blind eyes he didn''t control that opened and closed all across his skin. Or was it like a very convenient but limited sense of hearing? Derrick shivered but smiled. If he concentrated, he could even sort of tell what part of him they were looking at. That could come in handy. Crude Quantum Awareness (F) has upgraded to Quantum Awareness (D)
Universal Support System Implant
Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) A weave of Auril energy that responds to awareness of your self and position. Allowing you to know when other sentients are directly aware of your position and the focus of their attention.
¡°Excellent,¡± Derrick congratulated himself. He must really have a talent for this. He felt great that at least one of his plans hadn''t backfired. It reaffirmed his decision to avoid any more ambitious auril experiments. At least ones that tried to make physical changes to himself. Obvious talent aside, he was still a beginner in using what was clearly an insanely complicated and dangerous force. Baby steps for now. Like his auril pulse''s incremental growth. Sending out a few subtle pulses let him know that he could now feel living things as far away as ninety some feet. Extending his range to a level where he could scout small buildings or across streets. Using the pulser item, he felt it reach out a good hundred and fifty feet. It had gotten a little stronger just from his increased auril. The extended range let him feel two other auril users in the gym or dojo. His Quantum Awareness let him know that one of them managed to detect his pulse and even use it to pinpoint Derrick himself. Huh. Was the gym some kind of auril meetup spot? That would make sense. He should check it out later, right now he just wanted to sit here and relax. A few seconds later, Derrick frowned as he felt a half dozen gazes lock onto him and begin to move closer. Their laser focus on him, making their destination clear. He frowned but didn''t move, just continued sitting. This had better not be more trouble from Greta. When he guessed they''d enter his range, he sent a subtle auril pulse at them. It seemed to go unnoticed but informed him that two of the approaching men were the auril users he''d pulsed. Both seemed unimpressive. Had he broken some kind of etiquette here? Was it bad manners to scan another auril user? Had he accidentally challenged the dojo? Derrick felt a ripple of auril wash over him but fail to pierce his defenses. As soon as the first one failed another was sent out but it was as unsuccessful as the first. Both pulses had been kind of pathetic really. As bad as his original experiments with the skill. As they closed the final dozen feet, he slipped off the concrete block he was sitting on and into a standing position. ¡°Hello,¡± he greeted them with a smile. No one answered. Oh wait, his eyes were still closed. He opened them and looked over his visitors. They were obviously all Users and particularly fit looking ones. All Users had started off pretty healthy and only improved over the last few days. Well, the surviving ones had improved anyway. The half a dozen men and women in front of him all had the hard muscles of serious athletes however, displayed by cut t-shirts and karate pants. Sweat glistened on their exposed flesh. They had clearly been in the middle of a workout before rushing out here to confront him. So why had they bothered? What did they want with him. ¡°Can I help you?¡± he asked the man at the front of the pack who looked like the leader. A seven foot tall lanky fellow with almost ink black skin and a deadly serious gaze. ¡°Yes, ya can.¡± the man said with a slight accent. He rolled his shoulders and displayed a smile that didn''t reach his eyes. ¡°I''ve been looking for a sparring partner. You seem like someone who knows a thing or two about fighting.¡± ¡°Never sparred in my life,¡± said Derrick as casually as he could manage. It did not escape Derrick''s notice that his buddies from the dojo had moved to encircle him. He didn''t want to fight this guy over whatever macho bullshit this was. Derrick had taken family karate for awhile. This guy looked like he''d been born and raised by third generation MMA fighters. As Derrick examined the leader, a notification popped up.
User Tag
Name: Dominic Sargel Title: Scrappy Role: Guard Level: 1.5
He was a lower level than Derrick would have thought. He guessed that was because of time spent in dojos and not doing missions. It would be a mistake to think that meant he couldn''t take Derrick in a fight though. ¡°How about some pointers then,¡± the bigger man asked insistently. ¡°You seem to have a lot of auril and know how to use it.¡± Derrick heard something intense in the man''s voice. Was this really about, getting some pointers? Or maybe he was just jealous or trying to maintain his cred as a teacher in this dojo. Training others could be a way for him to avoid fighting himself. A decent plan. He looked to the ''students'' making up the encirclement. They were watching him carefully. Not exactly hostile but very wary of him. Which was weird because he was the one that had been minding his own business before they showed up. Something odd was going on here and whatever it was, it was far more complicated than someone picking a fight. Could he esca.... Derrick felt a wave of anger wash over him as he looked over the other Users. Not at the auril using Guard but at himself. He was letting himself be intimidated. After all the horrible experiences he''d been through, he was losing his nerve because of schoolyard level User bullshit. Fuck it, if they wanted a fight, he was going to fight. It wasn''t like his life was in danger or anything and he didn''t care if he got his ass handed to him. Not that he should, he had three levels and probably several traits and skills more than this guy. ¡°You know what? I changed my mind,¡± Derrick said and broke into a series of elaborate stretches. ¡°I could use a good warm up.¡± Watching Dominic carefully as he stretched, Derick saw the other User''s face go still for a second before the other man nodded once and took a fighting posture. With his hands, almost blocking his vision, Derrick thought the other man to be trained as a boxer of some kind. Derrick stopped stretching and took a balanced stance of his own, causing Dominic to attack almost instantly. He was fast. He seemed to just appear in front of Derrick and launched a flurry of jabs. Derrick shuffled backwards, blocking or avoiding them but was unprepared for Dominic ending the combo with a lightning fast kick at his thigh. Derrick barely managed to take the weight off that leg and twist to reduce the strike''s force. He felt the impact through his entire body. Dominic wasn''t holding back. If the other User was trying to do real damage though, he was wasting both their time. With a three level advantage, Derrick was pretty sure his bones wouldn''t be breaking any time soon.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. And the pain? Barely noticeable. Derrick had become somewhat of a connoisseur of pain since the Scourges arrived. Compared to acid, impalement and sanity destroying headaches, this was almost nothing. Derrick took the hit and pushed forward, catching the other User off guard and delivered a jab followed by an uppercut that actually managed to land. He wasn''t an experienced fist fighter however and failed to press his advantage. Dominic grimaced from the body blow but danced backwards with impressive agility, easily doging a hook from Derrick. Ya, the difference in footwork was going to hurt him. He just couldn''t match Dominic''s ability to strike and retreat while maintaining perfect balance. As they eyed each other, Derrick shuffled forwards. A tougher body wasn''t his only advantage, he was pretty sure his endurance was at least as good as well. It was to his advantage to keep the fists flying and prevent Dominic from trying anything too fancy. Seeing Derrick step forward, the taller man glided out to meet him. Derrick blocked the first punch but tried to turn the second into an exchange of blows. Dominic didn''t want to play that game, he executed a perfect counter punch using his longer reach. Derrick staggered but didn''t have time to collect himself. He saw Dominic launch a side kick at his chest, his long leg stabbing out like a spear in slow motion. A combination of a karate block and a step to the outside let Derrick barely avoid the hit. He moved in to attack but only managed to hammer at the other User''s defences before he skillfully backed away. At least his strikes had been fast and hard enough that he''d forced Dominic to retreat. A small victory that. Well, Derrick thought, he hadn''t won that round. Although, his opponent didn''t look happy either. He was also breathing heavily already, which was normal for something as strenuous as a spar. Derrick was slightly better off, no doubt due to Breathless. He activated auril regeneration for a few seconds, taking the edge off. ¡°Had enough yet?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°How about we call it a draw?¡± The larger man didn''t reply. Instead he closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breathe, before launching himself towards Derrick. They exchanged blows again, both fighters sending out jabs. Although, the jabs couldn''t hurt him, Derrick was careful not to let them block his vision. The body blows, he just ignored or tried to counter. A strategy that failed as often as it worked but seemed to annoy his opponent. He thought he was doing pretty well. At least until a hand snaked out and grabbed him by the wrist and a knee came flying at his face. He blocked with his free hand but Dominic just launched another strike, Derrick failed to block this one completely. His hand was sandwiched between his chin and the attackers knee. A spike of pain flared through his neck and face. To Derrick''s surprise, that wasn''t the end of it. Still another knee was sent flying towards him. Blocking again seemed like a bad idea. Instead, acting on panicked instinct, he pulled with all his strength on his captured hand, forcing Dominic closer and headbutting his assailant even as he was kneed in the chest. Derrick saw the other User''s eyes go wide in surprise for a second, before everything went white. Derrick blinked. Ahh, there had probably been a better way to avoid that. Focusing, he shook himself and was surprised to find he was still on his feet. That was good. Less good, his opponent was also still conscious. Actually no, that was good. It meant he could still fight. Except it would be less a fight now and more Derrick taking him apart. ¡°Line crossed,¡± Derrick said and spat out bloody saliva onto the ground. It had been almost fun until the knee strikes. That was just dirty, especially the third one. Multiple knee strikes to the face? That was more no holds barred street-fight than a friendly spar. If the gloves were coming off, this bastard was going to find he didn''t like what Derrick could do with just his bare hands. Derrick sent out a subtle auril pulse, getting a feel for his enemy. In less then a second he''d confirmed what his earlier pulse had told him. His auril defences were practically non existent. He doubted this guy even had a style. Derrick moved forwards and gathered auril energy again, this time in his hand. Something must have showed on his face because the other User hesitated before stepping up to meet him. Derrick''s strike was heavy but easy to block, which was the point. A blast of auril entered Dominic''s blocking forearm and caused it to spasm, which allowed Derrick to clock the stunned User in the face. Dominic recovered fast. Derrick''s next strike was blocked again but clumsily enough that Derrick got a gut shot in right after. He smiled as his victim staggered back. He grabbed a hand to prevent a retreat and gathered another pulse of auril energy. This time though, he twisted the power into a knot. A seething ball of energy just waiting to eat someone from the inside out. He raised his hand and prepared to shatter the bastards collarbone. Or maybe some ribs? He hesitated as he considered the best place to strike. ¡°Ya, that''s enough,¡± a voice called out from right behind Derrick. ¡°He''s not who you''re looking for you idiots.¡± Derick ignored that, but then something red fell to the ground at his feet. He frowned. It was his mask. Some bastard had been going through his stuff while he''d been fighting. These people were just asking for it. He turned to find Blake Demnol standing there. The sword wielding User positioned himself between Derrick and Dominic''s friends. Oh, oops. He''d forgotten about those people. A couple head blows and his situational awareness went right out the window. They''d been about to jump him from behind but now seemed stunned by something. They eyed each other nervously instead of attacking. Did they know Blake? There was a lot of eyes on him now, a small crowd of Users had gathered to watch the show. Two dozen people but that was enough that he couldn''t sense them with Quantum Awareness, they all blurred together. He made note of that weakness. Derrick let his Splintering Strike go, ejecting the energy into empty air and stepping away from Dominic. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Derrick asked Blake, his irritation clear. ¡°Why am I the target of an amateur street lynching? This better not be Greta again.¡± The blond User seemed to have made a full recovery from his injuries. He wore his sword on his hip and had a green jacket of obvious System design. It reminded Derrick of his own. ¡°We..¡± one of the nameless Users started but stopped when Blake spoke over him. ¡°Nothing to do with that bitch. They just thought you were a serial killer,¡± Blake cheerfully explained, as if that was the most hilarious thing he''d heard all day. Why the hell would they think that? Just because he ran around the city wearing a mask and carrying an axe while covered in blood? That was... sadly reasonable. Wait a second. There was a serial killer loose in the city? One that looked like him? ¡°There''s a serial killer around here that looks just like me?¡± Derrick asked incredulously. It seemed ridiculous, even in a post Scourge world. Was it some kind of murderous doppelganger? ¡°We don''t know what he looks like.¡± Dominic stated, causing Derrick to look back to him. He seemed a little groggy but calm. ¡°Just that he''s a powerful auril user that uses auril to identify and kill other auril Users. Three bodies so far, probably more we don''t know of.¡± The very dark skinned User had risen to his feet, seemingly recovered from Derick''s blows. He showed no sign of wanting to continue their fight. Instead, he seemed tired and mildly ashamed. Like he''d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar instead of trying to cave in Derrick''s head, in the middle of a crowded street. This did explain why they''d thought the killer might be him. They must have felt his auril pulse and thought he was scouting for victims. ¡°Well, it wasn''t me,¡± Derrick stated sourly. ¡°Ya, that is obvious now,¡± The dark skinned User answered with a sigh and wiped blood off his face. ¡°Should have known who you were when I read your tag. Ya just look very different without that,¡± the User finished and pointed to the ground. He was pointing at Derrick''s mask, causing Derrick to become confused. What did that have to do with anything? Oh, right. The show. He rolled his eyes. Apparently, these were members of his adoring fanclub. Well, at least the show was a rock solid alibi. Not that a User should need one. ¡°How can there be a serial killer?¡± He asked. ¡°Shouldn''t the System stop anyone from killing?¡± If there was loophole, he wanted to know what it was. To defend himself of course. Proactively. Dominic shrugged while he played with his bleeding nose. ¡°Bodies are being found with bullets in them and their valuable System stuff carved out of them.¡± He explained. ¡°In safe zones, where no Grey Legion could be hiding. If it not a person, is doing a good imitation.¡± ¡°Wonderful,¡± said Derrick as he considered this fresh threat. ¡°Just what we needed.¡± So, it was either someone who, for whatever reason, could ignore the System''s no killing rule or a Scourge that looked and acted just like a person. He was guessing it was the former, the second option didn''t seem like something a Scourge could or would want to do. Unless it was part of the Grey Legion? Some kind of infiltrator? No, couldn''t be. If they could pass off Agents as Users they would have a lot more than one and they wouldn''t give themselves away over something as small time as a few weak auril Users. Auril was valuable but not that valuable. Rather than some galactic monstrosity, this felt like simple human greed. ¡°You should be safe,¡± a nastily smiling Blake added. ¡°You''re too high profile, Mr Derrick the Red.¡± Derrick the Red flinched at the sound of his new nickname, which only made Blake''s smile grow. Derrick recovered quickly though and returned fire. ¡°Is that jealousy I hear,¡± asked Derrick innocently. ¡°Don''t worry, one day I''m sure you''ll get a moniker as well. I could help you out. How does Naked Blake sound?¡± Derrick, was pleased to see that memory wiped the smile off his allies smug face. At the same time, remembering finding Blake tied to that bed did wonders for his own mood. ¡°Ha ha, you''re hilarious.¡± Blake said dryly. ¡°Why did I come over here again?¡± ¡°Thanks for stepping in,¡± Derrick said sincerely. ¡°Things might have gotten a little out of hand if you hadn''t.¡± In the heat of the moment, he might have done something he would regret. He was going to have to watch his temper. Quite possibly, he was getting too used to lashing out. He was already high profile. Publicly taking someone apart with Splintering Strike could lead to problems later. Besides, he should keep that ability hidden for now. As an ace up his sleeve. It was interesting to know that the System would have let him use it though. He could imagine several ways to use the ability lethally or at least to cripple someone horribly. ¡°No problem,¡± Blake replied. ¡°What are friends for?¡± ... Were they friends? He seemed sincere when he said it. He probably wanted something. ¡°I am very sorry,¡± interjected Dominic. He also seemed sincere. His anger having faded to mild annoyance, Derrick decided to forgive him. Being a likely target for a serial killer during an alien apocalypse had to be pretty stressful. It was no wonder he had lashed out. If anything was to be blamed here, it was his fucking terrible luck. He''d basically been tripping over every horrible monster within the city limits. Being mistaken for a serial killer was pretty much par for the course. ¡°Don''t worry about it,¡± he answered and saw the other User relax. ¡°Ya,¡± Blake added. ¡°What''s a couple more blows to the head to Derrick the Red?¡± Derrick sighed. ¡°Anything else I should know about this auril using murderer?¡± he asked. Dominic shook his head. ¡°So far, all the victims have been weak but there aren''t many actually strong auril users around. It might be just you and the killer?¡± Mused Blake. ¡°I''d make sure you sleep somewhere secure. I know a couple of places that could work.¡± Derrick liked to think he wasn''t weak. Not to mention he was hard to find with auril. That could give him an advantage if he wanted to tango with this mystery killer. He didn''t though. Too many unknowns. Would the System even let him fight back? Where would he look? He''d be keeping an eye out but he wasn''t a police officer, trained to catch killers. If he wanted to save lives, there were more efficient ways for him to do so. ¡°It''s true,¡± Dominic said, his face displaying his embarrassment. ¡°We don''t know really know what to make of auril. Honestly, with the killer on the loose. I think most people would rather not even have the stuff.¡± ¡°Maybe you could give some tips?¡± the larger man asked and had the decency to look even more embarrassed. It was almost comical to see the tough looking User so shamefaced. ¡°And we could do some sparring,¡± Blake added and patted the sword on his hip. Derrick eyed them both skeptically. Really? They wanted his help and some more sparring. Immediately after a spar where Dominic tried to bash his head in. Fine. He had to admit it did make sense. He could teach them auril tricks. Improving pulses was easy enough and would provide both enhanced senses and a useful combat trick. Obviously, Regeneration and Quantum Awareness couldn''t be taught and Splintering Strike was going to remain his secret for now. It was better for him in the long run if he could both empower the Enclaves Users a little and make some useful friends. Plus, it was nice to be appreciated. Compliments were rarer than injuries these days. As for Blake, the blond was very good with his sword and as the fight with Dominic had reminded Derrick, he wasn''t actually that great of a fighter. He''d been coasting on his talent with auril and high level to fight the Scourges. He could use the practice and the professional coaching. ¡°Alright,¡± he said and grabbed his bag. ¡°I suppose I''ve got a couple hours to spare." 4.2 The Basics II Derrick ended up staying at the gym for just over three hours, sparring and working on footwork while teaching other auril users how to optimize their meagre abilities. He spent most of the time with Blake, who took way too much pleasure in proving he was still a better fighter than Derrick. He was free with tips and advice though, if only to drive home his own amazing skills as a teacher. More than once, Derrick had to resist the urge to either storm off or punch him in his smug face. He managed to do neither though and as the hours passed, felt like he at least knew how to improve himself. Only slightly less annoying, was teaching others about auril. He explained what he was capable of, plus the abilities the Spore Tyrants and Grey Legion had displayed. Trying to impress people with the limitless possibilities it offered. He spent an annoyingly large amount of time convincing people that auril was useful. Most other Users seemed disappointed that it didn''t provide a huge instant boost. Which, was fair, considering the constant danger they were in. Most of them were just trying to survive the week and weren''t too impressed with long term gains. Every time he managed to convince someone that it was worth investing time in, another ignorant neophyte auril user showed up to repeat the same damn questions. Yes, he was that Derrick. Yes, auril was powerful and worth investing in. Yes, it would stop space fungus from making you its bitch. No, it wouldn''t let you shoot eye beams or make you bulletproof. Yes, auril senses could be used to ''see'' through walls. No, auril senses did not let you see through other people''s clothing. It became obvious that word had gotten out about his presence at the dojo. Someone was clearly using his fame from the Trial to draw in more Users to the dojo. It was also obvious from the guilty look on Dominic''s face, exactly who the guilty party was. He was a little jealous. It took balls to go from trying to murder someone one minute, to using them as a living advertisement for your business the next. He went along with it. It was annoying but he was improving the quality of Users in the West Hills Enclave. If even a single auril User learned some tricks he could copy, it would be well worth the headache. It pissed him off, thinking about how he had to do the dangerous work of experimenting with auril energy. Let someone else narrowly avoid melting their bones. What was the System''s deal? Why did it have to be so unhelpful. Was he really the only User in the city that had a clue about how to use auril? Well, there was the serial killer. Maybe he should hunt that guy down, just to see what he could do. Derrick seriously considered it but decided against it. First, he was going to learn to use Manna and then the Trial should take precedence. He was still hoping to get some good rewards from that. He would need all the help he could get for what came next. On that note, he talked to a couple of Users with scouting proficiency and got them to set up a sensor hub that tracked aurilin and would flag anyone with a higher than normal amount of the stuff. There, that should stop that lazy bastard of a murderer from killing any more auril users. He would just have to go out and kill Scourges like Derrick had if he wanted Auril. He called up the info he had on the Trial.
Mission Details
Trial of Predation (ITRS) System Authority ITRS has announced a trial to earn his favour to those Users across the globe that meet his requirements. This is a unique opportunity to earn rewards not available to most Users.
Objectives: Prove that Earthlings are not yet the bottom of the food chain. Find, defeat and scavenge the resources of advanced enemies. Beacons representing the location of known targets will be provided. Participating Users will be monitored. The most successful Users will earn disciple status under ITRS. All participantsthat make a successful kill will earn rewards.
Participation Requirements: Lv 1.6 or above, Scrappy Title
Kills: Grey Legion Vanguard x 2 Grey Legion Combat Drone Illegal Probe
Nope, nothing new. Not even a clue as to when it ended. He was guessing at the end of the phase. When all the Fighters would be drafted into an expeditionary force. That gave him just today and tomorrow to make some more impressive kills. Hopefully, something simple like Vanguard and not some new horror. It was nice that the Probe coun...
Universal Support System
Congratulations on successfully activating your Manna Core. You have connected to a USS manna network. Manna capacity increased 10%.
... No new Titles huh. Oh, well. He brought up his profile.
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Role: Fighter Level: 1.8
Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer, Fold Survivor, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Manna Core (D) (Manna) Combat Drug Package (E) (Offensive) Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) Breathless (F) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 13.9 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Active Auril Skills: Regeneration Pulse Splintering Strike
Core Capacity: 7 (7.7) Manna (Raw): 7 (7.7) Manna Skills: None
Successful USS missions: 5
USS Points: 2
It gave him a warm glow inside, seeing the numbers and lists grow larger. All the expected changes were shown. He took a second to examine his thoughts. Bonus, Manna didn''t seem to influence his emotions. He felt the same as before the Core started working. Exactly the same. If Manna was available to him now, he had no idea how to use it yet. Probably for the best, he''d most likely end up electrocuting himself or something. It was a good thing that Aarav had been recruited by Third Striker to be his teacher. A quick exchange of text messages let him know that the Indian man was ready and willing to instruct him. He was given an address just a couple blocks away by a friendly message that ended with a smiley face emoji. Before he left the System Station hub, he sold the probe. Gaining three more Manna capacity and seventy three points. The points must be because he''d already hit the Systems limit on how much manna he could have as a Fighter. That lent a lot of weight to his theory that the normal limit for auril was also ten and that his auril maximum would be sixteen thanks to the bonus from the Scrappy titles.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. It also told him that the probe had been no light weight. There must have been a lot of Siviril packed into that unlucky orb. Who had sent it to Earth? What on Earth was worth that kind of investment? It depressed him that he would probably never know. That the universe was simply so big and dangerous that he''d probably never uncover a fraction of its mysteries or history before it ground him to dust. Well, time to go learn how to shoot lightning or whatever.
¡°Welcome! Welcome!¡± exclaimed a smiling Aarav as he grabbed Derrick with surprising speed and dragged him into a small apartment. ¡°You''re just in time! We just finished tea.¡± ¡°Oh? Who is..¡± started a startled Derrick, stopping his question when he was dragged through the short entrance way that smelled strongly of spices in under a second and spotted Anita sitting on the hardwood floor of the living room.
User Tag
Name: Anita Basak Title: Relentless Role: Fighter Level: 1.6 (Capped)
The small female User''s eyes looked at him for a single second before closing without a word. She appeared to be meditating and still kind of a bitch. Very fit though. The Indian woman was wearing a yoga outfit that despite her slim build, she looked great in. She clearly didn''t think much of him. A few days ago that would have been insulting but weirdly he just found it kind of funny now. Like reacting to her slight was beneath him. Huh. It was like his fight with Dominic, it just didn''t seem important enough for him to act on. Was he in shock? From the outside it might look like he was being nice. But that wasn''t true, he just didn''t care. With a flash of insight he knew that if it brought him closer to his goals, he wouldhave broken every bone in Dominic''s body as easily as he had forgiven him. ¡°If I''d known there was tea,¡± Derrick said with a small smile. ¡°I would have been here sooner.¡±
Derrick had a cup of tea shoved into his hands by a surprisingly spry Aarav before they got down to the business of manna. He enjoyed it, it had been awhile since he''d had a cup. As soon as he was done, the cup was ripped from his hands and replaced by a grey pair of thick gloves of obvious System origin.
Manna Gauntlets A pair of gloves that contain both Admantium and Esthisium. They are a simple focus that allows the gathering of Manna around the hands. Has basic self repair and security features.
¡°A gift,¡± Aarav proclaimed with a flourish. ¡°From Third Striker.¡± Derrick examined the tough looking gloves for a second before shrugging and putting them on. They were a lot better than a wand anyway. He noticed a pair of thin fingerless gloves on Anita''s hands, probably something similar. ¡°So these are better than the focuses and batteries I can buy?¡± asked Derrick as he slid them on. They of course fit perfectly. ¡°No,¡± replied Aarav. ¡°Worse in every way really.¡± ¡°And that''s good?¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± responded the master of manna, sounding just like a university prof. ¡°Those are all incredibly efficient and effective tools. Refined through millennia of constant conflict. Any User with access to Manna can use them instantly and almost perfectly.¡± ¡°They do all the work for you,¡± Aarav finished. ¡°They exist for good reason of course. If the System has an advantage over the Scourges, it is access to large amounts of raw manna and a wide variety of tools that use it. Wonderful things but you become dependent on them. The gauntlets are crude, they force Users to develop skill for themselves.¡± ¡°If they live that long,¡± Derrick added skeptically. He wanted something he could use right away. Honestly, he already had auril as a long term goal, what he needed was a quick boost of power, not another long term project. They were free though. Might as well try them out. It wasn''t as if he could afford a better tool right away anyway. ¡°That is the System''s take,¡± Aarav admitted. ¡°It is far more concerned with our survival as a species at the moment than the long term benefits of manna proficiency. That''s why it does not encourage their widespread use yet.¡± ¡°Benefits like what?¡± asked an intrigued Derrick. ¡°Increased control over the effects produced by focuses, not more power, simply more malleability. Hmmmm. The ability to use some of the more difficult focuses or even to do without focuses. And last, but not least, there are rare abilities that require it, such as Fold Navigation.¡± stated Aarav before pausing for effect. ¡°Increasing your manna proficiency decreases the risks and costs of FTL travel.¡± That got Derrick''s attention. The ability to travel to other planets? Sold. His obvious reaction caused Aaarav to smile at him. While, from the corner of his eye, Derrick saw Anita''s lip curl into a sneer for a second. ¡°Which are... significant. ¡± continued Aarav, somewhat more subdued. ¡°Still, one does need to dream, do they not my young friend?¡± Derrick nodded thoughtfully. FTL travel, a distant dream. If nothing else, it would be great to be able to run away if the Scourges won and conquered the Earth. Not that he would likely survive that. It was worth seeing if he had talent for manna anyway. ¡°Alright, so where do we begin.¡± he asked as he held his gauntlets out in front of himself. Pointing them away from the room''s other occupants. ¡°Just focus on the gloves, while repeating the idea of filling them with manna,¡± Aaarav said. ¡°Your implant should do most of the work.¡± Derrick did so, and felt an almost immediate result. The sensation of pulling something from somewhere very far but close at the same time. New skill gained: Manna Sheathing Wow, that was surprisingly easy. He waved his gauntlets around. Beyond a small shimmer in the air, like a heat illusion, nothing happened. ¡°What does this do?¡± he asked. ¡°For you?¡± Anita commented. ¡°Nothing.¡± Derrick raised an eyebrow at Aarav. ¡°Young miss Basak is correct. Sheathing is one of the most basic uses for manna. It provides protection against other manna techniques. Sort of like claiming ownership of something so that others can''t manipulate it. There are skills and focuses able to set things on fire at a range for example.¡± That didn''t sound useless. In fact, while fighting opponents like the Feral Artisans it would be a life saver. He flashed back to when he was trying to grab the probe from the Artisan. Ah. ¡°I already have something for that,¡± he realized. ¡°Just so,¡± Aaarav affirmed approvingly. ¡°In fact, your auril energy will make sheathing yourself both unnecessary and much more difficult.¡± he shrugged. ¡°Auril will not protect anything that isn''t alive however, so there is still some value in learning the technique. Making it more difficult for something to liquify the ground under your feet, for example. Or superheat the air around you.¡± Was he likely to fight things like that? From what he''d seen, other than the Feral Artisans, the Scourges seemed to prefer more direct weapons. Flamethrowers and shotguns, spikes and spores, not using manna to imitate wizardry. ¡°I can use the gauntlets for something more practical than that, right?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± replied Aarav. ¡°I would have hardly called you over here to teach you that. Heavens no. I was merely starting with the most simple technique. Laying the foundation, as it were.¡± The older man held one hand up and seemingly without effort, created a shimmering barrier a few inches from his open palm. It was a rectangular thing a few feet across, like a conjured pane of perfectly clean glass. After a second of staring, he flicked his eyes to the other man''s hands. He wasn''t wearing any gloves. Aarav preempted his question. ¡°A trait.¡± the Pupil replied, his brown skin wrinkling slightly around his eyes as he smiled. ¡°Go ahead and strike the shield.¡± Derrick didn''t need to be told twice. Tentatively at first, but quickly working his way up to full strength, he launched a few strikes at the shield. When he reached full strength Aarav rocked a bit backwards and the shield faded. ¡°The mind is strong but the flesh is still weak,¡± Aarav said, almost apologetically. ¡°You received some transfer of force,¡± Derrick was going to say, but Anita beat him to it. ¡°But not all of it.¡± ¡°Yes, well spotted. For a cost in manna, you can create a shield that partially reduces the force striking it. Otherwise, the force applied to the shield is dispersed across your entire body.¡± Huh, that would make even the basic version much better than carrying around an actual shield. Especially since it could be summoned at will and was weightless even when it did exist. He definitely wanted to learn to make one of those. Aaarav explained the process to him and Anita. First you had to extend manna sheathing into the air, ¡°claiming¡± the area where you wanted the shield to appear. This was what Anita had been working on when he arrived. Derrick did not have a lot of luck right away. After half an hour of effort, getting the energy out of his gloves and into the air was easy enough. At least at a distance of a couple of inches. Probably. He couldn''t tell if what he was feeling was even real, as it had no visible effect. He seemed unable to turn the energy he felt into a ¡°claim¡±, it just kinda faded into nothing. Perhaps, he needed to work his way through the entire process of this space magic. Meditation seemed to have helped Aninta, who was already creating a vague shimmering in front of her palm. Even if she had a head start, he wasn''t going to let the smug woman have something else to be smug about. He was going to beat her to the punch and form a shield. She would be so impressed that she might even talk to him in a neutral tone. Like zero condescension. One does need to dream. Honestly, it made him miss Kate. She at least gave backhanded compliments. Bah, he was letting himself get distracted. Perhaps he should forget about the gloves for now. They were a useful tool but not the actual source of manna. That would be his core. He tried to feel that, to trace the manna to its source from the gloves. It took him less than a minute to find out the power was coming out of his brain. He could feel a spot there, like a blinking light inside of himself that had weight and texture somehow. He turned his gaze inside himself. Everything faded to darkness except that light. It beckoned him. Pulsing like a star in the night. It was a tunnel. A doorway. Going everywhere from nowhere. He moved deeper into himself and towards the light. A small part of his mind entered the light. He found himself in an electric ocean. A place of pure potential. It was oddly calming, this electric blue emptiness. No, not quite empty. There were paths here, thousands. Paths to everywhere. And one familiar one. He could hear it. Hear the whispering behind the light. It was a hidden path, trapped behind a thousand false doors, but was still clear to someone who was invited. And Derrick the Red had been invited. He reached out... Someone kicked him. Blinking, he awoke to Anita standing over him. She had just kicked him lightly on the shoulder. ¡°Not really the time for napping,¡± she said. He blinked at her some more, confused. Had he been napping? Huh, he guess he must have been. How embarrassing. He looked around, noticing the sky was darker than it had been. The sun was well on its way to setting now. That meant he''d been out for at least two hours. Too bad, he thought he''d had something there for a second. He remembered feeling the manna. Aarav was nowhere to be seen. He probably got bored with their training. He was about to defend himself, when he was interrupted by the System. New Manna(9765A) gained. Hmm?A new manna type? He opened his mouth but was interrupted again. This time by the tiniest of sensations. A feeling that barely existed at all. It was enough to drain the blood from his face. To launch him to his feet and prepare himself to run as his eyes scanned for threats. Fuuuuuuuuck. This was bad. He''d been scanned with auril. By a skilled pulse that made his use of auril look like random flailing. It had come from below, from a titan deep below the earth. For a second he and it were made aware of each other. For a single terrible second, he felt it react to his awareness of it. It surged and then disappeared. He didn''t think it had lost track of him. It had countered Quantum Awareness in a single second. ¡°What is it?¡± asked a somewhat bemused Anita. ¡°Have a bad dream?¡± ¡°Spore Tyrant,¡± he hissed. ¡°We''re under attack.¡± ¡°The System would...¡± she started. Auril Signature verified as of Spore Tyrant origin
Universal Support System
Warning: The West Hills Enclave is threatened by severe Spore Tyrant Infection. All Users should prepare to resist biological infection and arm themselves. More instructions to come. Good Luck
4.3 Personal Growth Derrick grabbed his bag and emptied it onto a nearby couch. Thankfully, he was already wearing his boots, so he saved some time there. He just had to throw on his coat and mask while attaching his axes to the coat. Seeing a sensor fall out of his bag, he threw that onto the floor as well. Derrick looked himself over. Only one thing stood out. His coat was still missing an arm. It had been torn of when that giant spider had set it on fire. Well, he was just going to have to look a little silly. Fully equipped, he turned and saw Anita staring at him with her mouth open. ¡°Aarav left?¡± he asked. ¡°He was called away to a meeting,¡± she replied cautiously. ¡°Something about a group of support Users meeting up.¡± Good, he was fond of the old man. Better that he was somewhere safe, rather than here with him and Anita. Derrick felt for any sign that the Spore Tyrant could sense him. The alien thing''s faint auril waves were still hitting him, but his own defences seemed to have adapted to the weak pulses. As long as they didn''t get stronger, he should be invisible to it. He turned to consider Anita. ¡°We''re teammates, right?¡± he asked Anita with puppy dog eyes. ¡°We''ve got each others backs.¡± The Indian woman seemed taken aback by his question. ¡°No,¡± she replied slowly, dragging the negative out for maximum effect. She seemed to take some comfort in saying it. ¡°Wha...¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± replied Derrick loudly and with visible relief. ¡°OK, so you''re going to want to run. It has identified me as a threat but can''t find me, so it''s probably going to try and track me by following something it can sense.¡± She tried to say something, but Derrick talked over her. What he was saying was important, it was for her own good that she knew this. ¡°That''s you. It has life sensing radar, long range artillery and swarms of disposable tentacle minions. Don''t trust the ground or sky. If it captures you, it will try to rip any info about me out of your mind, leaving you a mindless fungus ridden slave. Good luck.¡± he finished and after taking a deep breath, left the apartment at speeds only the highest-level User in the city with a trait that was made for sprinting could reach. He was out of the room before she could get a word in, his sudden departure and Breathless ensuring that he reached the nearest intersection before Aarav''s little house was rocked by explosions. The sensor he left behind assured him that Anita, had in fact just gotten out of the building before swarms of shrapnel worms were propelled through the ceiling and walls. A few seconds later, a dozen sporelings writhed their way across the backyard, going in the direction she had fled. Huh, he''d mostly been bullshitting as a form of petty revenge. He guessed it was true though. Oops. Well, at least the whole mind ripping thing was not true. Probably. It could be. He felt a little bad but didn''t even consider turning around. He couldn''t allow himself to get distracted. The Spore Tyrant was attacking the entire city, not just him. Derick''s unique abilities made him a target because he was important in this fight. The last few hours had made it clear that all the other auril using Users were fucking terrible. They wouldn''t be able to get within a kilometre of the monstrosity he''d sensed, and someone needed to kill it. That or lead the survivors out of the city. He heard popping sounds from the sky in every direction, the sound of exploding artillery strikes launched by the Spore Tyrant. It had apparently brought a lot of ammunition to this fight. Sneakily too. The System had been undermined. He began to hear human screams as well, both angry and afraid. He really wasn''t sure where he was going, he was just running to avoid getting hit by a sporetar. Which was what he had named the artillery in his head. A combination of spore and mortar. Hmm. Should he be running towards the screaming, or away from it? He turned a corner and saw three people firing regular bullets into some sporelings that were making their way over a wooden yard fence. They started backing up but stopped when a dense mass of the invaders burst out of a sewer drain in a mad flurry of writhing limbs. This group of tiny tentacle beasts was just slightly outside of Derricks path, so unafraid of the head sized creatures, Derrick waded right through them, his axes making short work of them as they launched themselves in his direction. When one managed to wrap around his foot, he simply sent a stunning blast of auril into it and ripped it off before it could start crushing it. The little bastards were incredibly strong and clingy. All they did was latch on to something and try to rip it apart. He threw his axe, bisecting another of them in midair, it had been pouncing on one of the other Users. Next, he ripped a sporeling off a screaming User''s shoulder and grabbed his axe from the mailbox it had buried itself in. ¡°Anyone got a Sterilizer Grenade?''¡± he asked, as he looked over the scene. It turned out that one of them had three and was thankful enough to let him borrow one. Derrick quickly gave them a one sentence rundown on Spore Tyrants and took off again. Three minutes and a block later, a pulse of auril washed over him. Similar to the Spore Tyrant''s but different at the same time. Also, a lot closer and coming from above ground. It also triggered Quantum Awareness for a second. Fuck, he''d been found. No, wait. Maybe this was a good thing. He could tell where it had come from. That gave him somewhere to go. As fun as just running around the city dodging sportars would be, it would be better to be a little proactive. He stopped and turned to look towards the pulses probable source. It seemed to have come from a tall building about five hundred metres away. Ya, he should investigate that. It must be some kind of node. He should get moving to, more sportars could be incoming. He had just turned towards it, when a manhole cover exploded up into the air and a mass of tentacles forced their way out of a sewer line. This was no sporeling, unfortunately. The tentacles were as thick and long as small trees, covered in white scales and jagged thorns. The only other feature was a massive lamprey mouth filled with more bony spikes and drooling a red acid that sizzled and smoked as it dripped onto the asphalt below. Derrick grimaced. Great, one of these things. A Bleeding Tooth Behemoth. A giant acid spitting starfish. It didn''t even contain anything valuable or vulnerable. Just a pile of dumb muscle that took a lot of killing and shot acid. He backed away slowly, hoping to avoid this fight. No luck, the second it was free of the sewer, the thing turned its gaping maw toward him and let fly a spray of acid. Caught in the middle of the street, he dodge-rolled out of the way. Behind him, an abandoned car began to melt. Uggh. This was a job for someone with a rocket launcher. Not someone with axes. He was back on his feet just in time to sever a swiping limb and dodge the bodies main mass by throwing himself to the side again. That was too close, he needed to keep his distance. If it got too close, it would rip him apart. No time for half measures, he Lashed and felt the world slow down. Another attacking limb was severed before it could smash down at him from above. The creature lurched back a few feet. Balancing itself to point its drooling maw at him and catching him flatfooted. Fuck, fuck, fuck. What were his options? When in doubt, attack! Derrick''s spare axe flew out and severed a back limb, causing the behemoth to tip just as it fired a shotgun blast of acid at him. Instead of hitting him in the face, most of it missed. A few drops landed on his coat and a single one burned its way into the flesh of his bare arm. Derrick screamed as his flesh dissolved. Behind his mask, he felt his eyes water and his heart jackhammered in his chest. Eyes wide, he saw the monster tip forward and throw itself at him. Still under the effect of lash, he saw the tentacles that would kill him as they slowly closed the distance. The beast was spinning its entire body like a whip covered top now, adding extra power to these blows.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Options? Attack? No angle. Defend? Hail mary. Manna shield. One of the tentacles was severed and his axe hand dropped just in time for him to shield his body from the other blow with both of his new gauntlets. He watched as the tentacle whipped at him with all the power of a speeding car. Slowly, a silver haze surrounded his gauntlets. Then, impact. A sensation like being slapped by a giant. Derrick was sent flying through the air. Literally. Huh, he thought as his feet left the ground in slow motion. His arms weren''t broken and his rib cage hadn''t been caved in. The force had been dispersed through his entire body. His quickly created pseudo shield must have worked a little at least. Yay for him. That had still hurt like a bitch though and the landing would probably... He hit a second story window. Two windows actually, and the thin metal divider between them. Luckily, he went right through them and after a few seconds of rolling through furniture, came to a stop. He relaxed and checked himself. Then activated Regeneration and watched it go to work. He was surprisingly OK. Not great, but functional. He stood up, activated a subtle auril pulse while dusting himself off. On the outside of the building, the behemoth was having trouble climbing up the wall to chase him. It had lost too many limbs it seemed, it kept trying to grab things with tentacles that were lying on the street behind it. Derrick doubted it would be stopped for long. What to do? Run away? It might not be able to catch him. Drop something on it? Ha, no. Damn, he wished he had a real grenade. He did have tanglers but the behemoth would probably just overpower it or even just stretch itself out of the restraints. He heard a sound from the far end of the building, a pulse revealed sporelings swarming all over that side of the building. He wasn''t getting out that way. So, he threw the tangler out the window and jumped after it. Somehow sensing him, the tentacled beast stopped trying to climb and instead reached up towards him with three hook covered limbs. Before the User fell right into those, the thrown tangler exploded into ribbons that tied the reaching tentacles together. Derrick landed right beside the beast and began to hack at the tentacles it was using as legs. With denser muscles and bones, the fall from a second story didn''t faze him at all and he got immediately to work. In just seconds, the monster''s restrained limbs had come free but Derrick had already finished with its legs. Falling over, it couldn''t aim well enough to stop Derrick from dismembering it further. He stepped away from the now mostly harmless creature, he remembered that it could still explode. It wasn''t worth finishing off now that it couldn''t follow him. He grabbed his second axe from the street and stared up at the building he''d jumped out of. Were the sporelings going to come now? No? Good, he''d had enough of tentacle monsters. Derrick made his way to the source of the pulse he''d felt earlier. A small, three story apartment. Axes in hand, he stopped just outside after sending a pulse out. The building was full of people? That was the last thing he''d expected. He was sure the pulse wasn''t from a fellow User. The range had been like three times his own. What was going? He felt at least five people inside. ¡°Hello!¡± tried Derrick, giving the house a friendly wave. ¡°Do you need any help? I can help you evacuate.¡± You can trust me, he thought but didn''t say, I''m a reality TV star. A moment of silence, until it was clear Derrick wasn''t going to wander off. ¡°Get away!¡± a male voice screamed back at him from inside the building. ¡°We''re armed! Leave us alone!¡± The voice''s tone made it very clear they were on the edge of panic. Unstable like you really didn''t want an armed person to be. Quantum Awareness informed him that at least three people suddenly began watching him. ¡°Look, it''s not safe here...¡± he started before flinching as someone took a shot at him from a window. The bullet slammed into the pavement, just two feet from Derrick. He couldn''t tell if it was a warning shot or they just had terrible aim. Either way, he quickly strategically repositioned to behind two cars that had crashed just a few feet away. Another bullet impacted the car, just as he was leaping over it. Just great. What was even going on here? He needed to get inside that building, but these idiots wouldn''t let him. He needed to do it fast too. The longer it took, the more likely a sportar would land on him or another behemoth could show up. He peeked over the car''s trunk, ducking when Quantum Awareness warned him someone was focusing on the spot between his eyes to a disturbing degree. A second later, a bullet momentarily occupied the space where his head had just been. Someone was playing for keeps then. A second, much better shooter seemed to have shown up. Also, that was an interesting use for his awareness ability. ... Could he dodge the bullets? Obviously not completely, he wasn''t that fast, not even when lashed. His fancy coat and mask should provide almost complete protection against bullets though. If he could feel where the enemy was aiming, all he had to do was mess up their aim, so they didn''t hit his unprotected thighs or neck. Oh, and his one bare arm. It seemed doable. He was fast enough that they would only get a few shots before he was inside and could overpower them. Maybe throw a tangler through a window on his way in. It was weird, thinking about fighting other regular humans. He took a deep breath, jumped back over the car and charged. Immediately, he felt three people staring at him. His left thigh in particular. He zigged to his right and was rewarded by a bullet missing him. Another hit him like a punch to the shoulder, he staggered but kept running. Halfway there. His auril sense told him to raise his arm, so his gauntlet blocked a bullet meant for it. A dozen feet away from the apartment''s entrance, he threw a tangler through the second story window and an axe where the front doors hinges should be. He wanted to get through the door without slowing. And he did, kicking the weakened door open and barrelling through at full speed. He''d of course sent out a pulse of auril right as he entered, so he knew there were two people right on the other side of the door and one more crouched behind a furniture barricade. He dodge-rolled again. Feeling no impact as a gunshot rang out. It was pathetically easy to take out the two people by the door. One tried to stab him, but he just punched her in the shoulder so hard she spun away. The other didn''t have time to do anything before Derrick just grabbed a forearm and threw him into a wall. He caught sight of an old man with a pistol aimed at the centre of his chest. Derrick charged, unworried. Three more bullets hit him before he reached the man and punched him in the gut. Derrick had the man''s gun out of his hands before he hit the ground. Whatever problems he had with the System, they did make quality stuff. He''d felt the bullets for sure, but doubted he''d even bruise much, even if he''d been a regular person. He considered what he knew. There were three people left in the house. All upstairs. At least one had a rifle. No sign of tentacle traps or any node. The ones down here had been very hostile, if somewhat nonthreatening. Speaking of which, all three of them were rising to their feet. Huh, he''d hit them pretty hard. Even avoiding head blows, at least one should be too injured to get up. Well, they had shot at him, so he wasn''t going to hold back too much. He kicked the old man in the knee as he tried to rise and moved back to the first two. After another kick he grabbed a rising man and dragged him to his feet. ¡°What is your people''s deal anyway¡± he asked the man while holding onto him, he was honestly curious. What were they doing out here and why did they shoot at him? Why were civilians so heavily armed in the safest part of the city? The man seemed stunned but focused on Derrick after a second. Derrick frowned as he examined the man''s face. He seemed like someone¡¯s unremarkable dad, yet he seemed unwell. Sweaty and pale. When the stranger''s eyes met Derrick''s, they were wild and had a tint of yellow to them... ¡°We won''t let you touch her, DEMON.¡± the man said before trying to spit at Derrick. An effortless pulse of auril assured he spasmed and began choking instead. Derrick was surprised at how susceptible the man was to auril. He fell back to the floor, convulsing and Derrick didn''t bother picking him back up. The whole demon thing made it pretty clear these people weren''t going to be reasonable. Especially since he thought he knew what was going on here. These people were being controlled... no, influenced by the Spore Tyrants and tasked to protect the node in the building. Things could get really bad, really fast if the spore tyrant was capable of controlling large amounts of people at the same time. It must be spreading some kind of infection through the Enclave that made it easier to control people with auril. Even if all Users were immune, which he wouldn''t bet on, they were onlyabout halfof the population at this point. A disease inspired riot could be be an ugly end to the Enclave and him. No time to waste, he had to destroy the node, then find the main body. He auril pulsed and failed to find any source of auril nearby. Had it moved? No, it was probably hiding from him. If he could hide himself, he was sure this Scourge could. That could be dangerous. Considering all the people upstairs, he was pretty sure that''s where he should look first. Maybe one of them knew something, it wasn''t like they were zombies. He ran up the stairs with a metal stool stolen from the kitchen. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he dodged a bullet and threw the stool at the gunman. It hit and distracted the rifle wielder. He was going to try and avoid fatalities if he could. The favour wasn''t returned. Two men with improvised weapons attacked him, they took just long enough to put down that the gun was pointed his way again. Without thinking, he grabbed a falling opponent and pulled him into the line of fire. The bullet slammed into the man''s stomach. Oh, oops... He would probably be fine. Right? It took a long time to die from gunshot wounds to the gut. ¡°You Bastard!¡± The gunman swore and prepared to fire again. Derrick heaved the gutshot man at him. He missed. The gunman dodged to the side and raised his rifle just in time for Derrick to grab the barrel and rip it from his hands. The man reached for something in his pants, but Derrick was having none of that. He caught the gunner¡¯s wrist, and easily prevented him from moving. The man, oddly enough, smiled at him. Derrick smiled back. Maybe he could get some info? ¡°I know its must be hard to believe, but I''m trying to help you.¡± Derrick said and ignored the gutshot man groaning on the floor. ¡°Where is... it?¡± How would he describe a Spore Tyrant node to a civilian being controlled by one? From this close, Derrick could see how sick the man actually was. Hell, he could smell it. ¡°Behind you,¡± the man smirked. Derrick sighed, as if he was going to fall for that. He''d been pulsing auril since the fight start... Something pierced his jacket and bit into his flesh. He immediately spun in place, one hand going to his back and the other knocking the smirk of that asshole''s face. Having done a one eighty, he found himself staring at a bald little girl with bright yellow eyes. She looked around thirteen and was calmly holding a bloody needle in her tiny fist as she considered him. The hand at his back, felt something thin still stuck inside of it. How had she snuck up... Shit, she was the node. 4.4 Personal Growth II A terrible numbness filled Derrick and his legs buckled beneath him. He managed to catch himself as he fell, resting on one knee and hand. Had his spine been hit? No, his auril told a different story. It was some kind of infection. He activated Regeneration and at the same time caught a needle aimed at his face. He tried to rip it from the hand of the murderous teenage girl that held it, but he found doing so surprisingly difficult. The girl had a ridiculously strong grip. She was light enough though, that she couldn''t drive the needle further towards him. Dizzy, the wounded User pushed her back. Using his greater weight and Systemgiven strength to send the girl toppling backwards. Next, he pulled the thin needle out of his back, or tried to anyway. Fuck that hurt, Derrick thought as he pulled on the needle. The damn thing did not want to come out. He had to switch position and use all his strength before it gave, taking what felt like a fist sized chunk of his back with it. Looking at the needle, he saw clumps of his flesh stuck to yellow threads. The fucking thing had been growing roots into him. Disabled while he fought off the infection inside himself, he watched his tiny attacker stumble, fall and pick herself back up. Once on her feet, she looked around for awhile. Whatever she was looking for, she didn''t find it. She didn''t seem to have superhuman physical skills. The opposite in fact, she was strong but clumsy. He watched her focus back on him. ¡°Give it back,¡± she said, finally. ¡°I need that.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Derrick, a little shocked to hear her speak. ¡°You stabbed me.¡± ¡°You''ll get better,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°Unless you don''t. That happens sometimes. It happened to my mom.¡± Derrick just sighed. He wasn''t going to argue with a possessed teenager. He watched her warily and concentrated on using Regeneration to fight the infection eating away at him from the inside. The quicker he was fighting fit, the better. ¡°The thorns are coming,¡± she said after a few seconds. ¡°You''ll have to give it back then.¡± Oh, good. A time-limit. Hopefully it would be a minute at least before ''the thorns'' showed up. That would be all he needed to regain control of his legs. Converting more auril into healing power, he could already feel the infection dying. ¡°The garden is so pretty,¡± she said, her voice filled with a serene sweetness. ¡°You''ll be happy there.¡± Derrick doubted that. He wasn''t much for gardening. Judging by how his attacker was smiling at a blank section of wall like it contained the secrets of the universe, she looked to have gone into a kind of trance. He didn''t let his guard down. Her behaviour was clearly erratic but also very... psychopathic. Calm could turn to rage in a second for no reason at all. The Garden, huh. Was she talking about what he thought she was talking about? He supposed she wouldn''t know it as a Spore Tyrant Node. ¡°I''m Derrick,¡± he said, blatantly trying to build a rapport and keep her from attacking again. ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°Tiff,¡± she answered casually. Still lost in her own world. ¡°Hey Tiff. I love Gardens,¡± Derrick lied as his regeneration stopped. ¡°So, where is the pretty garden?¡± She looked at him, her human serenity replaced by alien calculation in a single moment. Suddenly and without warning, she lunged forward, clawing at him with broken yellow nails. Shit, had he just been outsmarted? Had she been waiting for him to spend his auril? God, he hoped this didn''t get televised. He stopped her by grabbing her wrist and standing up, dragging her kicking feet off the ground. He was still a little woozy, but he should be able to... Right through the air, a wave of auril hit him. It felt like getting slapped by a wet sandstorm. Dammit, how was she so good at this? She actually managed to worm her way through his defences and stun him. He felt his muscles gonumb, like they had fallen partially asleep. The bald teenager dropped from his grip, then she grabbed her needle from his limp fingers and stabbed him again. Right into his bare arm, the needle piercing deep into the flesh and muscle of his forearm. This time she held on to the needle and sent a wave auril right through his depleted defences. Where it passed, his flesh fell still. Robbed of strength, until it reached his mind and heart. Derrick staggered. Peace and beauty. Service to something larger. Rest and fade. Why not? Something that wasn''t a voice said in not words. It was speaking through the girl, part of him saw, but also from inside of her. From places pieces of her humanity should have been. Because I fucking hate you. A savage part of is mind roared back with perfect sincerity. WroNg! My HEad MY HEAd. Resist! How dare you! Make you bleed! Again! His auril, spent from healing him, rallied after a few seconds and pushed back. He regained control of himself. It wasn''t enough, a temporary stalemate. He wanted to win, to push forward. He destroyed his own defences, gathered that energy and before she could capitalize on his weakness, twisted his auril into a seething mass and pushed. The giant needle in his arm shattered into a dozen pieces as a horrible noise filled the air. Yellow eyes wide and bulging, the girl thing was screaming. The thing controlling her really did not like the auril from Splintering Strike. Even if it wasn''t actually hurting it much, it was disruptive and tenacious. Like an infection. ¡°There have been bigger monsters than you in my head,¡±Derrick the Red snarled. Overwhelmed with emotion, he backhanded what used to be a child across the room. She spun and fell, lying still on the cheap wooden floor. Taking no chances, Derrick stumbled over to the still form and raised his axe. Fucking monsters. When would they learn that his head was not public space. This diseased child was no match for him. He could kill a hundred.... diseased... Damn it all. Staring down at the tiny body, Derrick saw the future. It was him killing monsters, again and again. Until, one day, he found himself alone and overwhelmed. Torn apart by once humans and monsters that fed on human flesh. He flashed back to the bar, as he chatted with Clara. ¡°We can win a thousand battles and still lose the war,¡± she''d said. Or something like that. Gazing down at a hollowed-out child, Derick knew no amount of killing would be enough. Not to make it right, not to even this score. The System existed because these things ruled the Universe. Derick lowered his weapon. His sin was a lack of ambition. Death was easy. How many humans and even Users had died in the last few days? They were uncountable and unremarkable. Killing once humans was a hollow victory. A delay of human kinds inevitable doom. Even before the Scourges... ending a life was no accomplishment. It was far too common for that.
Universal Support System
New Mission (1) Destroy Slave Broadcast Nodes (2) Discover and Destroy Slaver Node Item Granted: Tyrant Spore Antidote Injector
Universal Support System
Spore Tyrant Slave Broadcast Node A rare breed of node, it infects the survivors of Spore Tyrant infection that show affinity for auril and uses them as a tool to control other infected and lesser Spore Tyrant breeds. They are in turn controlled and coordinated by a hidden Slaver node, which hides its location by acting through its slaves. Mobile sources of intelligence, reconnaissance and infection, these nodes should be destroyed immediately. They are capable of using advanced auril techniques and have had minor boosts to the host''s physical capabilities. Despite this, they are not usually very threatening in a direct confrontation with Users, the process that allows Spore Tyrant control and auril techniques causes brain damage and functionality loss.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Derick considered this data and what the System was asking of him. Specifically, the destroying Slave Broadcast Nodes part. He scowled and sat down on a nearby couch, tired and upset. Mostly, he was disappointed. In both himself and the Universal Support System. ¡°No,¡± he said to the chip in his brain. ¡°I don''t think I will kill her. Or any of them if I can help it.¡± Obedience Protocols Initiated. Derrick just sighed. Time to call the System''s bluff. Or whoever was controlling the System locally. Derrick had a theory. It was simply that the System was shit at using auril. It made sense because auril was a power used by living things and the System was a machine. It interacted with auril through Users only. It probably wasn''t even good at teaching auril, which was a problem because that was something humanity needed to learn fast. Anyway, the important part was that the System needed him. Other than a serial killer of dubious humanity, he might be the only competent auril user in the city. Well, Third Striker was competent but only used it for defence and minor boosts to healing and stamina. Which might be a very common approach. The point was, he was in a position of strength. ¡°Are we pretending I''m not absolutely necessary to save this city?¡± Derrick questioned. ¡°If you were skilled in finding Spore Tyrants, we would not be in this mess. Would we?¡± No answer. He looked at the tiny body on the floor, In many ways a better auril User than himself. Just full of secrets that her death would destroy. He''d played around with enough auril hearts to know their styles fragmented after death and he really wanted to study some living ones. The physical and auril enhancements were just a few things they could learn about. If humanity was going to survive it needed to learn and it needed the System to learn how to improve human Users. But most of all. He wanted to take something from them. He wanted to make the monsters hurt. To take from them like they had taken from humanity. ¡°I want the slave nodes alive,¡± he said. ¡°Captured and held somewhere where I.. we can study them. Higher risk, higher reward.¡± You have gained basic leadership proficiency You have unlocked a Title: System Command/Clearance 1A/1B 48O73E4WK2 He was going to take that as a yes. He wasn''t surprised, he imagined such experiments were the kind of thing the System would like. An ancient immortal AI should approve of long-term planning. Amazing, for the first time since the Scourges arrived... No, much longer than that actually, something encouraging, something big too look forwards to.
Universal Support System
Mission Update (1) Capture Slave Broadcast Nodes (2) Discover and Destroy Slaver Node (3) Report to Secure Facility Westhills WK2 Item Granted: Tyrant Spore Antidote Injector x3 Sterilization Grenade x2
Still lounging on a couch and surrounded by unconscious people in a stranger''s apartment, Derrick smiled. That was definitely a yes. He''d made a deal with the System. Now all he had to do was survive long enough to earn his part of the deal. A chance to learn. A chance to teach. He grabbed the human node and making sure she wasn''t faking being unconscious, threw her over his shoulder. He carried her out of the apartment. The System was kind enough to give him a mental beacon where large amounts of rowdy infected suggested another human node was. Should he wait for backup? This node had been almost undefended but that didn''t mean the next would be. If he had to guess, she''d been being used as a scout and agitator. Possibly trying to gather more infected. This next node seemed to be controlling an attacking force. A harder nut to crack. As soon as he stepped out of the building, a message appeared. Wait for Courier. ETA 2 minutes 11 seconds. He could wait two minutes. Was the System being nicer to him? Nicer might be the wrong word, it was being cooperative. Was it fulfilling its part of the bargain or did it value him more now? Almost exactly two minutes later, a white vehicle that looked like a modified ambulance silently drove up. Two figures in airtight System armor jumped out and almost gently, strapped the girl onto a restraining stretcher. When she was out of his hands, one of them threw three injectors and three Sterilization grenades at him. ¡°There''s five regular infected inside the building,¡± Derrick informed them and received a nod in return. They rolled the node into the back of the vehicle and took off with another nod from one of the sexless figures as it closed the back doors of the van. They hadn''t taken the other infected. Was he supposed to use the injectors on them? They were two short. Maybe they would be back. Or they could just be overwhelmed at the moment. Derrick frowned. If the System''s Medical capabilities were being overwhelmed, a lot of people were going to die. They had seemed very competent, if a little hurried. Their speed and professionalism was impressive. The medical evacuation teams were upping their game. They must be pulling infected people out of combat zones all over the city and had equipped themselves for it. Well, time to do his part. He had more nodes to kill or capture. How to go about it though? As the only User whose movements weren''t being tracked, joining a group seemed as much loss as gain. So, he supposed he''d just wander over to the next beacon, all stealthy like. Twenty minutes later, he started hearing cracks of gunfire and louder popping noises. Next, he found a body with yellow tinged eyes and a bullet hole between them. Someone wasn''t holding back. He didn''t blame them. There was no one around at the moment though, so he kept moving. He used auril pulse to avoid others while he found a decent vantage point of the fighting. He sunk his axe into the cement wall of a jewellery store and used it as a foothold to climb up unto the roof. The bullets were really flying now. From what he could see using his mask''s enhanced vision, a dozen Users seemed to be trying to defend a small building from an attacking force of at least twice that many infected people with a variety of mundane guns. Normally, he imagined that they''d make quick work of the infected, but they were wounded and tired. He saw them flinch as a sporetar exploded against the side of their building. From his vantage point, it looked like at least one User got hit. He didn''t envy them. They were soon going to be overwhelmed. In the distance, he saw dozens of sporelings cross a street, either moving to cut off their retreat or attacking some other target. The best thing he could do for them was to take out the node, which should be nearby. He jumped down and set off on the route that seemed to provide the best cover. Ducking between buildings and cutting through shop doors to stay off the street. He began to notice Stalks curled beneath the ground. Soon, he saw some that had already burst through the ground. Even one that had impaled a body right through the ribs. It didn¡¯t even look like a User, just a civilian. He paused as he began to feel the auril coming from below increase in strength. Beneath the ground, alien roots were growing and spreading. Worrying, but not a problem he could deal with. He needed to find and take out the node. The most likely place to look was towards where the roots were coming from. None of the nodes he''d fought so far had been strategic geniuses, so he was going to bet it was there. Using auril to follow a trail of alien roots back to their source, one of his pulses detected his target in a furniture store. A human sized living thing with auril energy flowing through them. A full grown adult this time. He also detected a whole bunch of other living things, none of which were even remotely human. The nodes auril signature was the only reason he could even make out something human in the mass of life inside. He frowned as he took in the hiding spot. The Spore Tyrant was being subtle. Beyond a few broken windows, there was no sign that the building was filled with alien life. Roots, Stalks and Sporelings. The front was to open, he would be spotted if he approached from the front. He should try the back first. He moved to the outside of the building, tracking his target, who thankfully wasn''t invisible to auril like the last one. Warily, he crept forward to the back door of the store, a steel door right next to the loading dock. Derick froze as his hand touched the door handle. The outer layer of his auril twitched, someone had spotted him. He relaxed a second later. The information he got from Quantum Awareness suggested it was both human and in the opposite direction of the node. Probably a User. He scanned the side of a storage yard, trying to find his watcher. A glint caught his eye, light reflecting off of something. Probably not a coincidence. Someone was saying they had his back. Well, they could cover his escape route anyway. He opened the door, or tried to. It was stuck. He hit it a couple of times with his axe, cutting through the bolts. Still stuck. Something was holding it closed from the inside. He put his foot against the wall and pulled with all his User given strength. It popped open with a tearing noise. When the door swung open, it brought a horrible display right into Derricks face. The back of a fresh human corpse with yellow tendrils fusing it to the inside of the door. The Tendrils growing out of it and into the walls and floor had been holding the door shut. In fact, forcing the door open had left one of the corpse''s feet still attached to the floor. The tendrils holding it there, having been stronger than its own knee joint. Derrick was glad he was wearing his full mask, at least he was spared the smell. The corpse couldn''t have been more than two hours old but parts of it were decomposing with unnatural speed. He tore his eyes from the corpse and threw a sterilization grenade inside, shutting the door to trap the fumes inside. Next, he ran to the front of the store and threw another as deep inside as he could. That should spread the fumes around. He half expected someone or something to throw them back, but nothing like that happened. Instead a wave of auril passed over him and penetrated his defences. Instantly, a wave of sporelings exploded out of the building and from the sewer grate across the street. It was an obvious attempt to pin him down where sporetars could hit him while the node retreated. Instead of waiting, he tore through the front wave of sporelings and jumping through the broken display window they had come out of. It would be safer inside, his mask protected him from the grenade fumes and the reduced visibility meant less to someone with auril senses. He would just have to use pulse sparingly, so he didn''t run too low on auril. Inside was a mess of furniture and tendrils hanging down from the ceilings like curtains. Combined with the lack of working lights and a yellow haze that was filling the air, it was hard to see further than a dozen feet. He wondered what the yellow haze was, a counter to the sterilization grenades or just a cloud of spores meant to infect invaders? Striking out at leaping sporeling and ambushing stalks, he tore through the building, making his way to where he''d sensed the node. To his surprise, a pulse told him it hadn''t run. Why soon became clear. He was not the first to have tried to take out this node. A full grow adult male, it was hanging like a puppet from the ceiling, suspended by tendrils. Like maggots, the ends of pale tendrils writhed through a deep cut that ran from shoulder to waist and out of multiple bullet wounds across its body. A single working eye, the other swollen shut, focused on Derrick and smiled. At the same time a wave of auril hit him, trying to stun him. It didn''t work. The thing''s weak smile didn''t falter at the failure. On the ground were the bodies of his attackers. System weapons laying at their sides. Derick marched over them and considered the slave node. So much for his newly minted plan to capture the nodes. He doubted this one would survive an attempt to move it. Hopefully, the rest could be captured. He raised his axe but never got the chance to use it. A bullet struck the node in the forehead and Derrick felt the life leave it instantly. It twitched for a second before relaxing, limp like a hanged criminal. ¡°Good job,¡± a female voice said casually from behind him, causing Derrick to turn around and face her. ¡°I did miss working with you.¡± She looked at ease as she stepped over the bodies of other Users with a System rifle on her shoulder. He''d felt her enter but had been focused on the node. Now, recognizing her, he gave her his full attention. ¡°So did I,¡± Derrick told Kate and meant it. 4.5 Personal Growth III Derrick considered Kate with a mix of emotions. He wasn''t worried about her having killed the Slave Node. He doubted it meant anything much to the System. Levelling, like most of what the System did, was opaque. What he did know, was that you only levelled at the end of missions and experience was shared amongst groups. Groups seemed to level at about the same speed as well, so unless he''d just been robbed of a title, there was no real loss. It was probably just her way of making an entrance. An unnecessary reminder of how good a shot she was. Looking at her, she seemed to be doing well for herself. She was wearing a black and dark green System Soldiers Coat, not unlike his own red one but without the grey pentagon plates around the one shoulder and it had both sleeves still attached.
Custom System Soldiers Armor A customized coat designed for human use. Guaranteed to fit any human. Made from dense carbon threads and armored plates layered over an Esthisium frame. It offers a slightly greater defence than a standard Soldier''s Coat. It has limited self repair and security features. Structural framing allows for the comfortable attachment of weapons to the back and hips as well as the ability to carry heavier loads. A Sam Wilst Creation
She was also sporting a green mask that was very similar to the one he was wearing. Framed by her short blonde hair, it had a pattern of thin black ripples covering it, instead of stubs on the forehead. Which made sense as she''d been the one to design his own mask, it had been a gift from her and Jenny. She looked good. Even when standing in a room full of dangerously mouldy furniture and unnaturally fast rotting human corpses. Even though he couldn''t see her face. To his auril senses, she glowed like only people who had aurilin did. That also made sense, considering what she had stolen from him and where she was. The most basic use for auril energy was to provide a defence against diseases, poisons and the auril abilities of others. No one without it would stand around inside a sweltering swamp of infection like this place. She seemed to be beyond just the basics, the energy inside of her was strong and organized. The threads of auril energy following a clear pattern. She had a style. How interesting... solid bands of defence? Some kind of very specific healing woven through her muscles. Ah, that would be a sort of stamina boost. It reminded him of Third Striker''s style more than his own or the Scourges. Potent but simple. Still, he was happy to see another competent auril User. Really happy. Someone else to bear the burden of discovery. He was beginning to think the Tyrant Spores had killed or turned them all. A deep silence, as the two of them looked each other over. The only sound was the drip of slime falling from growths on the ceiling. ¡°It''s always nice to know someone has your back,¡± Derrick said. ¡°I''ve been kinda doing my own thing lately.¡± ¡°Well, I''m here now,¡± Kate informed him. ¡°I was doing my own thing too. Running into you is a happy accident.¡± ¡°Come for more aurilin?¡± he asked her. He didn''t even really mean it as an insult, it was just the first place his mind went. An honest question. ¡°I suppose I deserve that,¡± she said, not sounding particularly upset. Getting guilt from Kate was probably like getting water from a stone. Not worth the effort. ¡°Why?¡± he asked patiently. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°This isn''t the best place or time for a chat,¡± Kate answered after a second. She seemed to be getting annoyed, which made Derrick angry. He was the one who should be annoyed. If they left the building, they would need to find somewhere secure. That might take a while and Derrick wasn''t too worried about being ambushed. The Tyrant Spores didn''t seem to create ''minions'' with auril abilities. He''d only run into nodes with auril so far, meaning their forces probably depended on numbers and infection, not auril abilities. He considered the dead Slave Node, drained of auril energy, he could sense its aurilin. It contained surprisingly little aurilin and what it did have was hard to get at. Instead of a single core like Users and Grey Legion had, it had a number of small ones woven into its spine. As desensitized as he was, he wasn''t going to pick a human spine apart for pieces of aurilin barely bigger than grains of sand. Even if he wanted to, it seemed like it could take hours and would be really really messy. Instead of leaving, he grabbed a stool from a display and under Kate''s annoyed gaze, wiped the slime off it and sat down. ¡°You''re being childish,¡± Kate said, standing in place. Derrick sighed, he wasn''t happy with how this conversation was going. Two people just being passive aggressive at each other was probably close to the last thing he wanted. Especially considering they were both in a battlefield. ¡°You stole two auril hearts from me,¡± he said and she didn''t deny it. ¡°Explain why or leave.¡± ¡°You knew I wasn''t a nice girl.¡± she said, in a tone that made him think she was fluttering her eyelashes. Derrick considered her admission a bit of an understatement. Since they''d met, she had seemed perfectly happy to loot the corpses of her allies and had a complete indifference to the suffering of others. She''s also seemed brave and willing to risk her life to fight by his side. He wanted that. ¡°You can be mean and still avoid being stupid,¡± he answered. He didn''t think either of them were interested in the moral high ground. ¡°Stupid,¡± she repeated slowly. Apparently uncomfortable with that accusation coming from him. She ran her hands down her pant legs. Passing it off as checking them for grime. Derrick saw her fingers twitch when they passed by her knives though. ¡°Yes, stupid,¡± he replied. ¡°Are you going to pretend you didn''t know I wouldn''t have given them to you if you had just asked? Raiding my pockets and running away was fucking silly.¡± ¡°I like you Derrick,¡± she said after a second. ¡°But not everything is about you. Other people''s opinions aren''t the most important thing to me right now. I have my own goals.¡± ¡°Right. So, how''s ''being worth remembering'' going for you?¡± he asked, without obvious emotion. Kate flinched a little that. Derrick wished that her mask didn''t hide her face so completely. The two of them returned to just looking at each other. Derrick heard gunshots in the distance but didn''t move. They were both tense and angry. Kiss or kill territory. Finally, Kate let out a deep sigh. ¡°You''re right,¡± she admitted. ¡°What I did was stupid. I was not in a good place when I woke up from the Siren Nodes attack. It hit me right where it hurt.¡± Derrick could hear pain in her voice and had to empathize. The Siren Node''s mental attack had been brutal. ¡°However bad the Siren was for you,¡± she said, hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. ¡°It was worse for me. I... I would do.. would have done anything to not to get pulled under again.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Derrick remembered the two of them in the hospital together, sharing mental scars. If she was being sincere Derrick couldn''t hold her theft against her. If she was being sincere. He liked Kate. She was competent and had been a decent ally for all her rough edges. Also, she was good looking and an... interesting person. Both her personality and her history. He decided to forgive but not forget. ¡°So, I''m sorry.¡± she repeated and gracefully stepped closer to him. ¡°How about I make it up to you?¡± Derrick just lifted an eyebrow. This was probably the wrong place for sweet talk or seduction. Rotting corpses and protective clothing were hardly romantic. She stepped past him and a knife appeared in her hand. One, twice, three times she struck the suspended corpse and each time another tiny grain of valuable aurilin was stuck to the knife. Huh, he knew the Esthisium weapons could be selectively adhesive but using them that way had never occurred to him. Well, the other cores had been too large to take out that way anyway. ¡°That''s less than you stole,¡± he informed her, matter of fact. ¡°Maybe a quarter.¡± ¡°I''m not done,¡± she answered, holding the grains in her hand. ¡°You brute.¡± ¡°Brute?¡± he said, thrown off by the insult. ¡°I''ve seen your fights, Derrick the Red.¡± she replied with a teasing voice. ¡°You''re one hundred percent brute. No finesse at all, just luck and an enthusiasm for violence.¡± That was actually hurtful. It wasn''t like he had chosen his fighting style. It had just sort of happened. A combination of talent for auril and System recommendations. ¡°Neither of those are bad things to have,¡± she continued. ¡°You''re going to run out of luck though. You need some subtly. The ability to avoid fights instead of just going from one slugging match to the other.¡± He narrowed his eyes. Quantum Awareness was subtle, he thought defensively. His auril pulses should be pretty good too. Those weren''t obvious to an observer though. From watching him fight, it would seem that he was lucky instead of skilled. He was about to defend himself but stopped. Actually, he was OK with being underestimated. It annoyed him that his strengths and weaknesses were being broadcast on television. ¡°Here,¡± Kate said and held out her hand. Derrick mirrored her and she dropped the aurilin into his open hand. Curious, Derrick examined the aurilin and the pattern within. It was completely different from what he was expecting, from all the other cores he''d found so far. The grains contained a single complete pattern, spread across all three tiny hearts. He looked to Kate, who was standing smugly beside him. He could tell she was being smug because of the way she cocked her hips. Her hips... No, not the time for that. ¡°What did you do,¡± he asked. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°I just fixed an auril technique in the hearts for you.¡± she said, nonchalantly. ¡°It was already in there, I just brought it together. Made it obvious enough for a dumb brute.¡± ¡°What does it do?¡± he asked cautiously, remembering the unfortunate and almost fatal bone melting incident. ¡°Puts Spore Tyrant minions to sleep,¡± she said casually. ¡°Doesn''t work in a fight but it helps to avoid one. Let''s you walk right through their defences as long as nothing is controlling them directly. Might take you awhile to get it to work but you should be able to learn it.¡± An external technique then. An auril pulse that put stalks and sporelings into sleep mode. No wonder Kate was so clean. He grinned. Combined with his natural stealth, this was incredibly useful. Even if it had been completely useless, it would still have been worth learning. He was not content to learn just a few auril techniques, he wanted to understand auril. To master it. This was a solid step in that direction. Already, he saw several similarities between this technique and Splintering strike. How it travelled and lingered inside targets. He wondered what else he could learn from other auril Users. He had to force himself to focus on the situation he was in. He didn''t have an hour or two to experiment. With his luck, he''d learn it just as the last other human life in the city was snuffed out. ¡°This is impressive,¡± he said honestly. Both the technique itself and the ability to both read and modify aurilin hearts. She must have gotten it from another Slave Node. He hadn''t any idea how she''d managed the second one. He''d never even tried altering an existing heart''s pattern. He wasn''t sure where he would start. It would be like trying to change the words in a book by staring at them really hard. ¡°So, am I forgiven?¡± she asked confidently, his fascination with her gift obvious to her. Her arrogance grated on him but maybe he could learn some things from her. What did he gain from turning her away? He did not want to be alone. Not again. ¡°You still owe me a favour,¡± he answered. ¡°But I''m willing let you earn my forgiveness.¡± ¡°How magnanimous of you,¡± she said and gave him a funny look. He could tell because they had both removed their masks. ¡°Does that mean we can get the hell out of here? Because I don''t want to get all slimy and I don''t think the Enclave is going to save itself.¡± Ya, the city was being attacked. All the drama had made him forget that little fact. Reluctantly, he pocketed the grains. He was surprised the System had let him take this break. Although, he could feel a beacon tugging at his mind insistently, the location of the next Slave Broadcast Node. It seemed to be further away from the centre of the city but not that far. Reachable by foot.
The two of them made a mostly silent journey across the city, passing between deserted buildings and and down crumbling roads. Several times, he got to see Kate''s technique in action. It allowed the pair to safely pass through roads blocked by Tyrant Stalks. They managed to catch the Slave Node by complete surprise. It turned a street corner, running from some other Users, and was knocked unconscious in a single punch. He would have felt proud, if it hadn''t been another teenage girl. This one dark skinned and maybe just a few weeks past her sweet sixteen. The baldness made it hard to tell, making the Spore Tyrant''s victim look a little younger by making her look boyish. What did the Spore Tyrants have against hair? Why did it infect teenage girls so much? He received a notification from the System that the couriers were on the way to pick up the node. What he didn''t get was a new objective beacon. He needed the beacon. His chances of finding a node by wandering around the entire city were basically zero. Derrick disarmed her, then grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. The node was ridiculously light. He noticed Kate giving him a funny look as he carried the node to the intersection. ¡°What?¡± he asked, taken aback. ¡°It''s fine. She''s evil.¡± Kate was the last person he would have thought would have problems with violence against the childlike slave nodes. ¡°What did you used to do before the System?¡± she asked. ¡°Network Engineer,¡± he replied with narrowed eyes. One of his many very short-lived jobs in the field of programming. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Huh. Not what I would have guessed.¡± Kate Demnol said. ¡°You just reminded me of some people I used to know. People who worked for my family.¡± The Demnol family? Either a monstrous criminal organization or landscapers, depending on who you asked. He doubted anything in the last few seconds had reminded her of landscapers. Well, technically you could consider fighting the Spore Tyrants as weeding. Sort of? ¡°I once spent a summer cutting grass,¡± he informed her dryly. ¡°That must be it,¡± she replied with a toothy smile. ¡°You reminded me of the kind of worker we used to get. The kind that didn''t last long. The ones that held back. Desperate or ambitious but soft.¡± So, they were definitely not talking about any literal form of gardening then. It was his turn to shoot her a funny look. Hadn''t she been like sixteen herself when she''d fallen into a comma? What kind of criminal organization let a sixteen-year-old girl help run the family business? ¡°Landscapers aren''t survivors or even preservers,¡± Derrick replied, keeping the tortured metaphor slash code phrase going. Honestly, he just wanted experimental subjects, but he wasn''t going to admit that aloud. For all he knew, thousands of people were watching him right now, thanks to the invasion of privacy that was the Trial of Predation. ¡°They''re parasites, weakening an already threatened host. To survi...¡± ¡°Yes, alright. Fine. You win, please stop¡± interrupted a wincing Kate Demnol. Derrick scowled. What was her problem? That had been a perfectly fine speech. He was going to put that down to her poor upbringing. Possibly brain damage from her coma. What was probably the same courier vehicle he¡¯d seen two nodes ago pulled up next to the both of them. They watched as armored Users identical to that vehicle''s took the girl away without a word. They didn''t even leave him any useful items this time. It was probably the same bunch though, one of them gave him a familiar and professional nod as they loaded the girl into the back of the armored ambulance. As he watched them drive away, he felt Quantum Awareness kick back to life. The giant presence beneath the earth, the Spore tyrant, once again spread its awareness directly across the surface. Beside him, he saw Kate flinch as if struck. The weight of the thing hitting her without warning. Its massive pulse of alien energy tore through Derrick''s defences and located him. Practically pinned him down. At the same moment, Quantum Awareness returned the favour. For a single second, Derrick felt the monster below. Knew where it was. Now he just needed to tell the Sys... Recording auril signature and data Something tore through his mind, something very different from the Spore Tyrant. More like a stray thought than an alien presence. Target Located
Universal Support System
Mission Update (1) Capture Slave Broadcast Nodes (Complete) (2) Discover and Destroy Slaver Node (3) Report to Secure Facility Westhills WK2
Good. If all the Slaved nodes were defeated, that meant the chance that the city would fall to the Spore Tyrants were small. All that was left was the Slaver node itself. The final boss of this horror show. He felt a mental beacon form in his mind. It wasn''t even that far. He was going to finish this. Beginning Bombardment Warning: User is within bombardment hazard radius. Seek shelter immediately. 4.6 Oil and Water ¡°This is just sadism.¡± said Kate testily. ¡°All that hard work and the System just nukes it from orbit. I''m beginning to think the Universal Support System doesn''t respect the on the street level User.¡± ¡°You want to crawl down into the sewers to fight a Spore Tyrant Node?¡± Derrick asked as he scanned the surroundings, looking for sturdy shelter. ¡°I feel like my luck has pretty much run out at this point. I just want to get some training in before the next attack. At this rate, I''ll be fighting a new and terrible Scourge tomorrow morning anyway.¡± He was mentally worn out. Too much... horror and... exercise. He just wanted to work on some ways to use manna, maybe learn to use a gun. Simple everyday things that would help him live a longer healthier life in this new world order. Kate paused in her own attempts to choose a destination. Something he said seemed to have caught her by surprise, judging from the look that flashed across her face. Had she not realized the Slaver Node was deep underground? She let out a little giggle, the bubbly sound shattered the silence in the abandoned and abused section of city they were in and caused Derrick to flinch from sheer surprise. Confusingly, she shot Derrick a fond look. ¡°Yes,¡± she said serenely. ¡°There''s always the next monster. It''s not like we are ever going to run out. We can probably skip the sewer battle. Save ourselves a decontamination.¡± Not that the sewers would be anything like deep enough to reach the node. He had felt the Spore Tyrant though Quantum Awareness and the impression he got was that it was at least a hundred feet underground. Westhills wasn''t some ancient European metropolis, it had no tunnels beneath it. Unless the System was going to rip the node out of the ground, this was one problem the System couldn''t solve by throwing Users at it. The closest building that looked like it could provide cover from any kind of bombardment was a parking garage. It was made of thick concrete at least. What it lacked in airtight walls, it made up for in sturdy construction. I was all steel fencing and concrete pillars. So while dust or poison might leak in, at least he shouldn''t be hit by flying glass or caught in a burning building. And with their equipment and auril, he wasn''t worried much about poison. He wondered how he would fair against radioactivity. Hopefully, he would never find out. The Universal support System probably wasn''t going to nuke them anyway. ... right? Ugh. That would be the worst. Both because of the fallout and how cheap it would feel. If he was going to be caught up in an Alien bombardment, it should at least be high tech. He demanded a laser on the moon, or at least in low orbit. He was smart enough to not let his random thoughts slow him down. By the time he¡¯d finished that thought he was right beside the shelter of his choice. His movement was barely slowed by the chain link fence that blocked access to the lowest floor of the parking garage. Cutting his way through with an Esthisium weapon was much faster than making his way to the actual entrance. The chain link fence might as well of been made of cheap plastic for all the resistance it offered his descending axe. Three slashes and he was in. OK four cuts, he missed a link in one corner. He dropped down into the building and spotted a double-parking spot protected by concrete walls on three sides. That seemed like the safest spot to him. He didn''t want to go deeper, lest the building collapse on him. Kate must have agreed, she followed him in and crouched beside him and a supporting pillar. Both of them were nervous and trying to hide it. He could feel her auril pulses as she used the alien power to detect any nearby living things. It was reassuring, maybe even a little soothing. He was doing the same, so he knew that the garage was completely empt... Derrick''s head turned behind him and a second later Kate followed the obvious movement. Considering that behind them was a solid wall of concrete, she must have detected the same thing he had. A small group of three humans had entered the garage. No auril Users among them. They seemed to have weapons, but it was hard to tell with auril. Non-living things were very hard to detect. The snapshot that his auril gave him of them, made them seem to be exploring the garage. Well, it was the closest thing to a bomb shelter available. No surprise other Users would hide out here. ¡°Grey Legion,¡± informed Kate, her tone cold and sure. It was impressive that she could tell. How could she tell? He asked. ¡°How can you not,¡± she replied, eyebrow cocked. ¡°They''re not even a little bit human at this point.¡± Derrick decided not to answer her and just concentrated on getting ready to attack. His pulses didn''t give any real information on the makeup of the living things he scanned beyond a sense of how much auril they had and how organized that power was. Which just made them stand out against the colorless and opaque background made of unliving matter that was most of the surroundings, like they were more alive and therefore even easier to detect than other living things. The short haired blonde User turned away from him and raised a hand, motioning him to stay in hiding. No doubt to set up an ambush. With her new rifle, she could probably take out most of them before they could fire. Grey Agents tended to be poor to average when it came to using guns. As far as he knew, their bodies had been upgraded, not their minds. The Legion transformation didn''t magically make trained fighters, just tough and fearless ones. He had spent all his time obsessing over expanding the range of his auril detection. It didn''t give him any in-depth info. No, actually that probably wasn''t true. From what he understood of auril, the problem was that he couldn''t interpret the information it contained. Apparently, Kate could. Which was both encouraging and worrying. Just how good at auril was she? Like x-ray vision good? He had to stop himself from turning his hips away from her. This was really not the time for such stupid thoughts. Beside him, Kate had drawn her rifle and tensed up, waiting for the Grey Agents to enter a large empty section of the garage, where she could ambush them. Derrick, axes in hand, prepared to leap out of hiding. He tensed up, ready for the fight but not the impact that came instead. He almost fell over when the ground shook and a light shockwave hit them. A wall of dust and air that hit like an air cannon. He managed to remain standing by driving an axe into a nearby wall as the ground jumped beneath his feet. The Esthisium weapon easily bit into the concrete and stuck there, making it pretty much a perfect handhold. Beside him, Kate wobbled after the ground''s second attempt at flight, dust raining from the ceiling, she reached for the wall but missed as her fingers just scrapped its rough surface. Faster than thought, Derrick grabbed her other hand, that had shot out for balance. He slowed her fall and held her up. A third impact hit them and Kate fell into him, her shoulder hitting him in the chest lightly. A second later, one of her hands shot down to his thigh for balance. That caused him a complicated surge of emotion. Amongst all the dust, larger pieces of concrete were now falling. Judging by the noise, parts of the ceiling had to be caving in. The part they were in though, was a small room supported by thick walls on three sides, so it stayed mostly intact. Derrick''s heart skipped a beat as Kate scrambled against him. He hesitated. Ah fuck it, he needed to man up here. At some point you just had to stop using survival as an excuse. Derrick reached his free arm around her waist and pulled her into him, keeping the both of them balanced. He was rewarded by a chunk of concrete the size of his fists bounced off his head. It luckily hit him on an angle his mask protected and did no damage beyond a stab of pain in his neck muscles. Two more impacts rocked the area before they stopped for good. An auril pulse revealed that the Grey Agents were unharmed and now moving away from the two of them. ¡°Thanks, but you can let go now. Or..¡± started Kate and moved her face closer to his. Derrick felt a shiver run down his spine. ¡°Or?¡± Derrick asked, intrigued. He''d already discarded caution. Might as well go all out. ¡°Or... I could cut myself free,¡± she continued brightly. Derrick decided that he didn''t believe her. Maybe he should. There was evidence to support her claim but he found that he didn''t care. In fact, he just found her threat strangely endearing. He held her for another few seconds before letting let go with an internal sigh. Kate immediately moved to pick up her fallen rifle and sling it back over her shoulder. ¡°We should take those Agents out,¡± Kate said and Derrick nodded. Leaving them around was a bad idea. The concrete labyrinth they were in was one of the best places to fight them anyway. Limited visibility and solid cover were to their advantage considering their skills, weapons and auril sense. Together the two of them crept after the retreating trio of Agents, remaining undetected according to quantum awareness. When the hunted trio entered an empty section of the garage, one devoid of cars, Derrick and Kate strolled out of cover at their backs. The good news was they caught the Agents by surprise. When Derrick turned the corner and sprinted at them, all he saw was the back of their heads. The transformed humans should not have seen him coming. Spoiler alert; they saw him coming. His quantum awareness instantly kicked in as he turned the corner and saw that there were four enemies, instead of the three his auril pulses had found. He''d trusted his auril pulse so much that he was caught flat footed by this undetected fourth Agent. He paused mid assault, his mind trying to decide what to do with this new information.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°We see you,¡± came a calm voice, coming in clear even though the inhuman speaker had its back to them. Kate fired and hit one of the normal agents, her new silver and white rifle barely making a noise as it fired. Despite the unimpressive sound, a short but stocky agent crumpled as a bullet found its spine and left through the other side of the agent, taking splinters of said spine with it as it left. The others had already started to turn however and before the next bullet the pair of users found themselves facing armed attackers. Despite the guns pointed his way, Derrick couldn''t help but look at the stealthy agent. That undetected Agent was very human looking. At least compared to the more extreme transformations he''d seen so far. It was no giant brute and it had no grey claws growing from its flesh. It also had no eyes or ears. Instead, a single plate of smooth grey armor-like bone grew out of the upper part of its face. It was almost like a helmet except almost paper thin and sculpted to its flesh. On the forehead, a single glowing silver diamond had a network of glowing veins branching from it. Oddly, it was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. More importantly, it was also holding a longer than normal barrelled Fragment Gun in its hands. Although, it might just have seemed longer as it was pointed right at him. ¡°Submission is salv...¡± it started and was interrupted by Kate hitting it with two shots from her rifle just as it stepped towards them. The bullets hit it but Derrick saw a heat haze spring up on its skin at the moment of impact. It stumbled but caught itself before hitting the ground, apparently more stunned than injured. Derrick threw an axe at it, his aim perfect. It missed anyway. Still turned away from the Users because of its stumble, the Agent dodged the axe perfectly anyway from its awkward pose, the movement looking more like a puppet having its strings pulled than anything a human could do. Its allies turned their guns on him and Kate, forcing Derrick into an awkward backpedal back into cover. Luckily, Kate grabbed his shoulder and yanked him onto his ass and back to safety just as they opened fire. With a loud crack, the lip of the concrete wall exploded into dust and gravel, showering his mask with gravel and dust. ¡°Keep going!¡± hissed Kate, grabbing his collar and heaving him further into cover. Another shot broke through six inches of concrete effortlessly and caused him to flinch. Why the hell had he thought an advanced alien species''s weapons would be stopped by concrete? Whatever that strange Agent was packing, it was a miniature cannon. Fuck, this had gone south quickly. This bastard. It was like it was designed to piss him off. Derrick grimaced. It totally was designed to piss him off. This thing was the Grey Legion''s answer to the annoying human auril Users hunting its troops in the city. Sent to hunt down either him or Kate. Not only was it stealthy, it was somehow using manna to shield itself from auril pulses and bullets. Plus it had some kind of three sixty vision and a probably manna powered gun powerful enough to end a fight in one shot. When a third shot broke through their cover, Kate leapt forward and fired again. Luckily, the shooters slow reload time hadn''t been a bluff and she wasn''t smeared across the garage. This time her gun boomed loudly compared to its normally quiet sound. Hopefully, she''d hit it with something a little meaner than what it had just walked off. Seizing the moment, Derrick stood and sprinted out of cover. Hoping to take advantage Kate had either stunned or distracted it. He emerged from hiding to see two agents still standing. He raised one gauntleted hand to his throat and channelled manna into it. It was a better shield than nothing. He tried to get a sense of where the Agents were aiming but couldn''t pin it down. A cloud of fragments hit him, fired by the normal Agent. Grimacing, Derrick felt the tiny shards dig into his flesh in a half dozen places. After a sharp stab of pain, a sensation of numbness spread from the wounds. Neither the pain nor the weakness stopped him though. Both just made him more determined. He easily fell into himself, time stopping for a second as he sent a wave of energy out from his auril heart, shaping it into regenerative power that flowed through his entire body. The numbness stopped its spread and spurred by the alien energy, Derrick pushed forward. The offending Agent backed away from him, trying to buy time for another shot. It was too slow. Muscles screaming, the angry User hit it with his axe. Derrick found himself staring into a Grey Agent''s unblinking eyes as grey fluid spurted from the deep neck wound that he''d just inflicted. It crumpled and Derrick turned to the last standing Agent. It was the manna using one. The one that was probably designed to kill him or Kate. Fuck this guy. While removing the last Agent from the fight he''d sent out a routine auril pulse and gotten a response from the manna equipped one. Not sensing the creature exactly but he could feel slight distortions in his auril where it was. It seemed like the stealth was imperfect. As long as he knew what to look for, he could still use auril to detect things hiding with this trick. The closer he was to it, the easier the distortions would be to feel. He marched towards it, unafraid because Kate had exploited a weakness in its powerful body reinforcement. Its defensive ability hadn''t extended to its gun. And so, it was holding a venom dirk in its bloody fingers while the twisted remains of its gun lay discarded on the ground behind it. Derrick noticed that the fingers that had been holding the gun were bleeding and somewhat twisted too. It was making itself tougher using manna, not invincible. Confident, Derrick strode forwards with one of his knives in one hand and his axe in the other. A half dozen feet between them, he dashed forward and swung for the enemies neck. With a grim smile on its pale lips, the transformed human stepped back, slashing at his fingers. Damn, it was fast. Derrick''s own speed had improved since becoming a User but not to superhuman levels like this Grey Agent. His fingers were saved by his gauntlets, the glancing blow not leaving a scratch on Third Striker''s gift. Off balance from his evasion, a kick came flying out at Derrick''s knee. It never landed though, a soft buzz heralded the arrival of a bullet into the Agent''s eyeless face. A ripple of energy partially negated the blow, but its kick lost its force as the eyeless head snapped back. Fucking Hell though, Kate was right behind him! How close had that bullet''s path been to his own head? He would need to check and make sure he had both ears when this fight was over. Speaking of which, he repeated his first strike. Hoping to hammer through the stunned Agent''s defences The blow was easily deflected by its lightning fast dirk, but Derrick just stepped in and tried to gut the agent with eleven inches of Esthisium knife held in his other hand. The blade scrapped against plates of armor hidden beneath the Agent''s skin. Grey blood was drawn but his target ignored the stomach wound and grabbed for his retreating wrist. The once human thing was fast, so fast that it managed to grab his wrist and attack again with its venom dirk at the same time. It was aiming its attack at his throat faster than the red wearing User could defend with his axe. So, Derrick dropped the weapon and grabbed at the Agent''s wrist. He didn''t manage a clean grab, but he did deflect and slow the blow, stopping it from doing anything but tearing his fancy new vest, the blade grinding against hidden plates that protected his chest. Face to face with the Agent, he squared his stance and headbutted the alien monstrosity as hard as he could. The stumps on his mask''s forehead slamming into the Agent''s own armoured forehead with a loud crack that resounded throughout the parking garage. It might have just been the headblow but he swore he saw dust fall from the ceiling. Both of them staggered backwards from the improvised impact. With distance between them, he heard two more bullets slam into the agent. The first failed to pierce it but the second left a hole in its t-shirted shoulder. Derrick smiled, adrenaline and joy overriding mere pain. This thing was designed to fight him by an alien force more advanced than anything humanity had ever faced. And he was winning. They were winning. Thin cracks were running across his opponents face and the agent began to let out an inhuman scream. It was the first time he had seen any Grey Legion creature care about anything as human as pain. Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped and its face fell back into the look of detached happiness Agent''s usually displayed. The quick change from extreme agony to contentedness was more than a little off-putting. It leapt, not at Derick but at one of its fallen allies fragment guns. A bullet slammed into it, but only slowed it down. That was enough. Derrick rammed an axe blade through its shoulder, almost severing a grey skinned arm. His knife scrapped against the side of a reinforced spine, sinking all the was up to the handle. He pulled the blade out and the once human slumped at his feet, grey blood pooling around its still body. Fight over. It had been over since he landed that headbutt. The creature''s dive for a new weapon had been a desperate Hail Mary. That was probably because his headbutt had sent a wave of Splintering Strike auril into its face. Weakening its armor and probably blinding it. Considering the glowing jewel lodged in its forehead, it was probably using some kind of manna ability to see. Aarav had said that auril didn''t like sharing the same space as manna, so injecting his own auril might have blinded it temporarily. That had been the plan anyway. Or it could have just been distracted by the trauma of its skull fracturing. Either way, Splintering strike had done the job. This was a win for dangerous human experimentation. Reasonably sure that there were no other threats around, Derrick took a moment to bask in the afterglow of his victory. His heart was beating like a hammer and he couldn''t help but grin. It felt good, winning. ¡°Bet you didn''t see this coming,¡± announced Derrick, standing over four broken alien bodies. Maybe ''I saw this coming'', would have been better? He blinked, trying to dismiss a dull ache between his eyes. His System tech mask was amazingly comfortable but not perfect, he had felt that headbut and would still be feeling it tomorrow. Panting, he took it off to catch his breathe. Another win for Derrick the Red. That counted as an advanced enemy right? It had manna.
Universal Support System
Trial Update: Target Defeated! Congratulations on defeating a difficult opponent. 110 points earned. Target contains a manna core.
Grey Legion Proto-Agent (Sentry) Grey Legion Agents serve as both conscripted forces and experimental bodies. It is not uncommon for them to have prototype modifications suited to the nature of their original species. If successful, these modifications will be refined and added to Legionnaire arsenals. This Proto-Agent maintains a veil of manna that can be used to reinforce its naturally armoured flesh and provide protection from unsophisticated detection methods.
Unsophisticated detection? That was hurtful after all his time spent improving his pulses. Well, he''d been at this less than a week. He imagined the Grey Legion had been doing this for a lot longer than that. As he was reading the notification, one of the bodies at his feet twitched, so it got an axe to the throat. It''s OK, he thought to himself, there was an elegance to simplicity. It just meant he had room to grow. That was a good thing. He gazed at the cracked and eyeless face. Manna wasn''t his area of expertise but maybe he could get Aarav to set up some kind of imitation of this thing he could practice detecting. That seemed like the kind of thing the old man would be down for. ¡°Thanks for breaking its gun,¡± Derrick said to Kate, who he heard moving up behind him. ¡°That was an amazing shot.¡± ¡°No, thank you,¡± said Kate sincerely, having removed her own sea green mask. ¡°That headbutt was a thing of beauty. I hope it makes it onto your little TV show.¡± Derricks face spent several seconds going through a series of contortions, before settling into normalcy. No, even the mention the Trial couldn''t break his euphoric mood. It just felt so good to be alive and to be working with competent people. It felt like having a future. It said something that he and Kate could be ambushed by an alien monstrosity in a depopulated city and come out of it feeling optimistic. Something important. ¡°Not as beautiful as you,¡± he said. Unable to stop himself and immediately cringing internally. Kate froze mid step, all emotion leaving her face in an instant. Which seemed like a very strange reaction to Derrick. His impulse compliment had hardly been the smoothest line ever but... All of a sudden, Kate broke the silence by small letting out that adorable giggle. Seconds later, small but strong hands gripped his collar and dragged his face forward into hers. He saw a flash of pale skin, brownish green eyes and blonde hair before a pair of hungry lips met his own. For the second time that day, he found Kate in his arms and her laughing eyes unflinchingly staring into his. 4.7 Undercurrents Things escalated quickly. Neither of them cared at all about the danger they could be in. At the end of the day, neither of them were monks or even soldiers. The thrill of winning his fight, the pleasure of working with someone competent like Kate in a world that was doing its best to kill him and the simple fact that she was dangerously sexy all added up to a irresistible compulsion to just fuck. Honestly, there might even have been a little influence from using his auril in there. His auril style was all about instinct and passion, not temperance or restraint. Even if that was true though, Derrick was beyond caring about the details. With her already secure in his arms, Derrick easily lifted Kate off the ground and felt her thin but strong legs wrap around his waist and her hands invade his shirt. His tired muscles easily found the energy to carry the still somewhat skinny blonde to the nearest car and they toppled onto its hood with just a slightly heavier impact then he''d intended. Kate didn''t seem to mind. Her teeth just bit his lip a little harder and her fingernails dug deeper into his back. A week of terror and horror faded in importance compared to Kate''s lips and other subtle curves. Their armor proved to be no real obstacle. Despite the protection it offered, it came off easily enough. Her vest and coat were flung overhead, hitting the concrete wall and disappearing behind the car they were leaning on. Coming up for air, Derrick caught a glimpse of her small pale breasts and wiry frame before his head was dragged back down to meet hers. He silently thanked the System for the Breathless trait. Kate lips smashed into his so energetically he was pretty sure his lips were bleeding. That was easy enough to fix though. The sensation of auril running through him only made things more intense. In retaliation, Derrick grabbed a wrist and stretched it above her onto the windshield of the car, while his other hand groped her now defenceless chest. She writhed beneath him, her hungry lips and playful struggles driving him insane. Even her teeth nipping at his lips was an invitation to ecstasy. He loved how beautiful Kate was. He loved how strong Kate was. Even her playful resistance was probably more strength than any human had just a week ago. He loved her pale skin, her strong features and the surprising amount of power in her light frame. He loved the heat-like sensation of the auril coiling beneath her skin and he loved the flashes of wicked delight he caught in her brown eyes in those few moments when their lips weren''t pressed together. Derrick moved his free hand to her other defenceless breast and rejoiced in the shudder of pleasure that he felt run through her. Defenceless because her other hand was buried deep in his pants. Together, the two of them managed to discard the offending piece of clothing. It took a bit of work because Kate seemed unwilling to release her leg''s grip on his waist completely. Derrick shivered as the front of his bare legs pressed into cold steel. Just for a second though, the warmth coming from Kate more than made up for it. Now it was Kate''s turn. Meeting her eyes, he eagerly sent a hand to equal the playing field. He paused when he felt her tense beneath him, the corded muscles of her thighs squeezing him almost painfully. Derrick looked into her eyes and saw hesitation there. A wariness. He paused, worried he''d done something wrong. Kate was looking up at him, apparently deep in thought. ¡°What?¡± he asked. She''d better not be having second thoughts now. That would be just... No, he was relieved when she ran her hand across his face in a surprisingly chaste but definitely intimate gesture. ¡°Maybe put your mask on?¡± she asked with a toothy grin. Ouch. It was clearly a deflection, but still, ouch. ¡°My scars are sexy,¡± he replied with exaggerated pride. ¡°They''re badges of honour from protecting my precious comrades.¡± ¡°With your face?¡± Kate asked playfully. ¡°I think you''re just a masochist. It would explain a lot.¡± Like their relationship, the brave hero very carefully didn''t say. Derrick instantly denied it but even as he did so, he considered the comment seriously. He had been rather causal about pain since the Scourges arrived on Earth. No, that wasn''t quite right. It was since he''d created his Style; The Red Law. Which made sense, the System had straight up told him that auril would effect his mind as well. Well, as long as he didn''t go from dismissing pain to actually enjoying it, he should be fine. ¡°You might regret this,¡± Kate said, changing the subject suddenly. Derrick took a second to think about the naked woman laying in front of him. About everything he''d learned about himself and the universe in the last few days. It was a lot to think about. Including some thoughts he''d been careful to avoid. Kate represented a lot of things to him. One of them was the future. ¡°I won''t,¡± he promised. Which was apparently the right thing to say because she grinned at him with laughing eyes. Derrick felt a shiver go down his spine at the sight. ¡°Fuck it all then,¡± she said seriously and then released her legs'' grip on his hips, drawing them up to her chest and pressing her bare feet into his chest. ¡°Fuck me.¡± ¡°Gladly,¡± replied Derrick and gleefully stripped the underwear from her squirming hips.
¡°Should we talk about our relationship?¡± Derrick said cautiously, once he was wearing clothes. ¡°Relationship?¡± Kate asked, her head cocked to the side and a blank look on her face. ¡°Ha ha,¡± Derrick remarked dryly. ¡°For example. Should I tell Blake? No ''Landscapers'' are going to try to ''whack'' me over this are they? I''ve already dealt with enough Demnol drama lately.¡± ¡°Tell whoever you want,¡± she replied easily. ¡°No one will believe you anyway. Me and you? Pfft. This was just a fluke. Stress relief.¡± ¡°Would I have a shot if I was the last man on Earth?¡± he asked and with superhuman speed, spun an axe in the air before catching it by the handle. ¡°I think I could swing that.¡±
He was pretty sure all he''d have to do was nothing and Westhills at least, would fall to the Scourges almost instantly. Felt that way to him anyway. ¡°No,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°There''s got to be some hot alien guys out there somewhere. I have an open mind. I''ve seen Star Trek.¡± Derrick couldn''t help but think of Third Striker, who looked like a teenage boy with weird eyes. A couple years away from being ''sexy'' but his existence did prove... He froze in place. Oh, he thought. How had he missed this? It had never occurred to him what the alien crusader''s presence on Earth and hybrid body truly implied. He blamed the multiple head wounds. Shit it was so obvious in hind sight. Were there sexy alien babes on Earth? Warrior women from another planet that might appreciate his local celebrity from the Trials. Could he get Third Striker to put a good word in for him with some of his fellow Crusaders? Even third Striker had said that having a human body came with a unusually powerful sex drive. Lost in his imagination he didn''t notice Kate had moved until something pricked his bare arm. It was of course Kate, poking him with a Venom Dirk. It barely drew blood but he had to fight off a tiny wave of numbness with his auril. ¡°Really?¡± Kate said as she frowned at him. It was obvious that his thoughts, as he zoomed out, had been written on his face. ¡°You brought it up,¡± he defended weakly.
Universal Support System
Mission Update (1) Capture Slave Broadcast Nodes (Complete) (2) Move to and defend beacon location (3) Report to Secure Facility Westhills WK2
While he''d been... distracted, things had been happening it seemed. The System now wanted them to defend the location it had bombarded. Why defend what he assumed was a crater? Well, they''d been about to head out anyway. First though, he was going to grab a bite to eat and had some loot to gather. From a pocket, he pulled out a ration bar and began to chew. ¡°You know how you owe me a favor?¡± Derrick asked once he''d swallowed down some of the chewy substance. He offered her a bite but she declined. ¡°Fine,¡± The blonde User replied and sighed with exaggerated weariness. ¡°I''ll agree to a threesome with an alien chick if she''s hot enough.¡± Derrick spit out a mouthful of what was probably the most expensive food on the planet. ¡°What? No.. good... not what... Deal.¡± He said, then paused and considered it. No that had clearly been just a joke right? Possibly even some kind of trap. Better to ignore it and grab the interesting trinket. ¡°I want the head.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kate gave him an odd look. He hurried to clarify. ¡°The Grey Agent head with the manna gate in it.¡± he clarified. ¡°I want to see if the System or a friend of mine can learn anything useful from it. Like how to beat its stealth. I''ve decided to think more about the long term.¡± That''s what women wanted to hear right? Damn, he wished everyone he could talk to about women wasn''t dead. His options were Blake or Bruce... Kate just shrugged as she pulled her rifle strap over her shoulder. Apparently less interested in manna than auril. Good to know, as he was the opposite. ¡°You''re going to cut its head off and bring it with you?¡± she asked with obvious amusement. ¡°You sure you weren''t a ''landscaper?''¡± ¡°Yes. It''s for Science,¡± he answered as he examined the body. ¡°Knowledge is power. Power is survival. I just need a way to stop it from bleeding all over m...¡± He stopped talking because Kate was holding out a roll of saran wrap with a cheeky smile on her face. ¡°Problem?¡± she asked innocently. ¡°Yes, you''re too perfect.¡± he said with a sigh and taking the roll from her hands, got to work. Quickly, severing the head and wrapping it for transport before shoving it in his bag. ¡°Could you detect it at all using auril?¡± he asked when he''d finished. Kate was a better auril user than him in many ways. Able to get more information from the energy pulses than him and she knew a few... odd techniques. Well, his techniques weren''t any more odd. ¡°Nothing,¡± she replied. ¡°The Grey Legion is quickly becoming my least favourite Scourge. It''s just too unpredictable.¡± Interesting. Kate should have detected it if he could. What made him special? He''d bet all his points it was a side effect Quantum Awareness. The strange mutant layer of auril that danced across his skin must be amping up his sensitivity. It reaffirmed his idea that it was a rare ability. After a cautious search of the surroundings, the two of them finally exited the parking garage and headed off to the beacon. On their journey through the abandoned section of city, they heard the occasional gunshot from blocks away but nothing to be alarmed about. They passed a few hidden Tyrant Spore tentacles but easily just avoided them. Not even bothering to use Kate''s trick to put them to sleep. The only thing that slowed them down was the terrible conditions of the roads. Large cracks and broken glass covered the streets and some brick and concrete walls had collapsed onto the streets below. Still, they arrived where the System wanted them to be in around fifteen minutes and without incident. The beacon itself was placed in the middle of an intersection with the ruins of two-story shops and apartments on all sides. The beacon was obviously placed right on top of one of the places where the bombardment had hit the earth. The intersection was a smoking crater with a gaping pit in the middle of it. All four streetlights had been knocked over and every window they could see from here was empty of glass. The System hadn''t been playing around when it hit this spot. Cautiously, they crept closer and to Derricks surprise, nothing horrible crawled out of it. Peering down revealed only steam and smoke billowing up from the lightless depths. Oh, and the faint smell of sewage. ¡°This doesn''t look promising¡± Derrick said unhappily. Already imaging the System ordering them to climb down there. Kate answered with a low hiss, apparently very unhappy with their situation. Maybe she had a problem with enclosed spaces? Or darkness maybe, that would fit better with her near-death experience from drowning.
Universal Support System
Mission Update (1) Capture Slave Broadcast Nodes (Complete) (2) Move to and defend beacon location (9:34) (3) Report to Secure Facility Westhills WK2
Ah, a timer. Excellent. Instead of crawling deep underground through sewage, all they needed to do was defend this spot. Unless a Feral Artisan or army of Grey Legion showed up, this shouldn''t be too hard. Done with staring into the pit, he turned his attention to the scenery. It wasn''t a horrible place to defend. The shells of the nearby building would be a good place to hold up. He could set up some sensors by all the obvious entrances too. He didn''t have enough for multiple blocks though. ¡°Do you have any sensors?¡± he asked Kate, causing her to snap back to reality. She had zoned out while looking at the pit. ¡°Ye,s but give me yours, I''ll set them up.¡± she said. ¡°I''ll get them to communicate with your implant. I don''t really want to stand around here anyway.¡± Derrick hesitated. A number of concerns going through his head. He banished them all. Her volunteering to do the work was fine with him and he said so. He guessed he was going to stay here and defend the pit then. Until the System gave them some clue as to how they were going to kill the Slaver Node that still lurked below the city. Picking a building that looked mostly intact, he went inside and sat down by a window that overlooked the intersection. If he had time to kill, he was going to spend it preparing. His greatest concern was simply not having the tools needed to survive whatever happened next. So, he began to work on his manna use. When fighting the second Bloody Tooth Behemoth, he had managed to flood his gauntlets with manna and use them to block a blow that should have broken his arms at the very least. A poor imitation of the forcefield creating abilities he''d seen so far, but still better than nothing. At the very least he should work on being able to activate that on command. The first step to using manna was touching the Fold, the layers of reality that lay just of normal reach. He closed his eyes and tried to feel for the speck of ''light'' that was his manna core. Once he''d found that, it was easy to dismiss common reality and embrace the Fold. Falling into it, he felt raw power all around him and with an act of will drew an insignificant amount of that endless sea into reality. He tried to pull at more but failed horribly, the power slipping through his mental fingers. He gave up onbrute force and pulled on the trickle that felt natural to him. Quick as thought, he felt power leap from his manna core and into his gauntlets. He could taste ozone as his hands began to shimmer. Was that a real effect or just in his head? Ambitiously, he tried to send the manna into the air but it just fizzled out. Dammit, he really had no talent for this. Anita had been halfway to a usable shield after their short lesson from Aarav, whereas he''d just fallen asleep mid lesson. Sensor Hub access granted Derrick went back to basics and attempted to use his gauntlets to transfer force from an attack to his entire body. Creating a connection and anchoring his gauntlets to himself. This turned out to be almost too easy. It had a serious downside though. Once he reinforced the gauntlets, he couldn''t move them. Any attempt to do so just resulted in him fighting his own reinforcement, slightly weakening the effect. It was quick and easy to activate and dismiss, so it shouldn''t be too much of a problem. The part that annoyed him though, was that it didn''t make any sense. His and therefore his arm''s position was always moving because the planet he was standing on was both travelling through space and spinning. If the ability could deal with that, why couldn''t it allow him to move his arms? The best theory he could come up with was that the System was somehow compensating for the Earth''s movement but for whatever reason couldn''t or wouldn''t do any more. Honestly even that was a guess, he wasn''t really qualified for the research of the physics of manna. Well, at least that meant it was technically possible to fix. In fact, this gave him an idea. If he could use manna to drain or move kinetic energy from his gauntlets, why couldn''t he do the opposite? Use manna to add kinetic energy to a strike. Essentially making his attack faster. He remembered that there was even an item for weapons that did that; The Pseudo Momentum Upgrade. He''d never seen it in action though. For some strange reason most Users seemed to like using guns, not melee weapons. Musing about the unfairness of life, he siphoned a bit of power from the Fold and tried to use it to punch harder. It didn''t take him long to achieve a result not far from what he wanted and he was really glad no one could see him accomplish it. New Manna Skill Learned: Acceleration That was an interesting name. Not accelerated strike or heavy blow, simply acceleration. His enthusiasm had hidden the fact he was getting another headache. Not just a headache, it felt harder to extract manna from the fold. A quick glance at his profile showed that his manna capacity had actually decreased a few points. He took a minute to work on auril instead. That soothed the pain. An experimental pulse told him the he was no longer the only human around. None of them had spotted him though. Either Kate had told them not to bother him or they were just terrible at scouting. After sending out a few pulses and relaxing, he got back to working with manna. His capacity had jumped back to seven point seven. How interesting. It seemed like drawing out manna caused some kind of backlash that temporarily hurt him and his connection to the Fold. So, a manna Core didn''t offer a constant supply of full capacity power. The more power you drew, the lower your capacity would fall. It turned out that manipulating kinetic energy with your mind was hard. Well, aiming a kinetically enhanced punch was hard. It was like... strapping a rocket to your arm, practically guaranteed to make you overextend and fall down on your ass. Even a simple punch was a precise manipulation of muscles and bodyweight. Being a second too slow in stopping the manna ability would drag him forward to face-plant on the floor, one time he even managed to drag him himself by his own hand across the floor on his face. Even more fun, applying the power to the wrong movement would spin you around like a top. Basically, if anyone had been watching, he would have looked like he was being tormented by an invisible enemy. He made a mental note that anyone using a technique like this was committing to the strike. Dodging the blow and hitting the off-balance idiot would be the best plan. It was a simple and useful enough ability that he was sure many Scourges and Users would use it. Eventually, he managed a jab, straight, hook and uppercut combination using a quarter of his manna capacity without embarrassing himself. If he had to put a number to it, he would say he was punching with just under twice his normal power. And that was only using half his current manna capacity. He imagined a high-level User like Third Striker could hit like a truck. Straight up superhero levels of physics defying beatdown. Assuming he didn''t train with much better weapons, like shooting lightening from his hands. There seemed to be very few limits to what manna could do. Honestly, it seemed more powerful and versatile than auril. Self healing and subtle scouting powers were nice but didn''t compare to being able to stop speeding cars with your hands or punch through concrete walls. Not to mention, it seemed to be connected to FTL. Which made sense to him. Manna seemed to about the manipulation of pure energy, even across different realities. Whereas auril was... a biological catalyst. It was simply a force that enhanced or disrupted normal biological processes. It was able to supercharge things like healing, disease resistance, stamina recovery and growth but not actually able to make you punch harder. Plus, it only interacted with biological objects, which meant it was almost impossible to detect with machines and therefore a near undetectable active sensor. He did a couple more fighting routines as he thought and felt pretty proud. Until he realized hitting things was a really stupid way to fight. Ughhh. He''d been trying to be less of a melee fighter, not more. Soon enough, there would be enough guns around that no amount of luck or auril would keep him alive. He was not going to be picking any fistfights with alien invaders, especially not a Spore Tyrant. Splintering Strike was probably the better ability anyway. He couldn''t use manna and auril on the same body part at the same time, the two energies refused to exist in the same area as far as he knew. He could feel the manna push his auril out of the way as it coursed from his brain to his hands. It always flowed along a specific route, making him think that the System had installed some kind of manna network inside him along with the core. Thankfully, the time spent training was not a total waste, roundhouse punches translated easily to swinging an axe. If he fancied himself a ''swordmaster'' like Blake he might have had some trouble. Axes though, axes were brutally simple in execution. It was especially useful for axe throwing he discovered as he managed to put one so deep into concrete it actually got stuck for a bit. He was really worried until it popped out easily a minute later, coming loose for no obvious reason. His trusty Esthisium axes could be imbued with raw manna easily, as long as they made contact with his gauntlet. This unguessed of side effect was actually the greatest takeaway from his experimentation. He needed to do some experimentation with reinforcement and shields. Find a way to make his axes useful at range against the tougher enemies. He was pretty sure his axes would just bounce off something like a manna enhanced Grey Legion Vanguard unless he enhanced them as well. It had been about an hour and he was happy with his gains. Looking out the window revealed that a few things had changed. 4.8 Faces and Voices First of all, a System Station had sprouted out of the ground like a mushroom in an alley between two ruined shops. Offering resupply and upgrades to the dozen or so Users that were guarding what had been a smoking hole in the ground only an hour ago. While he had been meditating on the nature of the Multiverse and how to use it to punch harder, the System had sealed the pit with a smooth circular cover of smooth white and silver material. Around the metallic edges of the cap, the ground was transforming into a hard substance that looked like concrete. Derrick was amused to see that the colourful collection of Users didn''t stand anywhere near the spreading substance. They were hanging about in small groups but clearly at ease with each other. No doubt trading tips and tricks of their new trade. Remember to ask the Station for recommendations.The best spots and colors for custom gear. Always aim for the head or neck. Buy grenades, even if they seem like toys. How to unlock rewarding titles. Derrick didn''t see Kate among them or anyone else he recognized. Not really wanting to go through a round of introductions, he just went back to practising. He didn''t feel the need to go look for her. It didn''t seem like he was going to be needed anytime soon. Whatever the System was up to, it was taking its sweet time. Hopefully, whatever it was building would kill the Node. Curious about how it had changed, he brought up his profile.
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Role: Fighter Level: 1.8
Titles: Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer, Fold Survivor, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious, C/C 1A/1B
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Manna Core (D) (Manna) Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) Combat Drug Package (E) (Offensive) Breathless (F) (Survival)
Auril Heart Capacity: 13.9 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Active Auril Skills: Regeneration Pulse Splintering Strike
Manna Core Capacity: 7 (7.7) Manna (Raw): 7 (7.7 Manna (Deep 9765A) 3.5 Manna Skills: Sheathing Reinforcement Acceleration
Successful USS missions: 5
USS Points: 118
It was all pretty normal until he got to Manna (9765A). What was that supposed to be? Raw manna was clearly the basic type he''d been practising with. From what he knew, it powered weapons and manipulated kinetic energy, allowing for the creation of shields. A very useful power for both offence and defence. So, what did this second type do and how did he use it? Curious and a little excited, he sent his mind back into the Fold. Raw, was a good name for the sensation he felt as sent a sliver of awareness into the Fold. An overwhelming sea of crackling energy waiting to be used was all he felt. If there was more than one type of power here, he had no idea how to find it. The raw energy was overwhelming. He wasn''t in a hurry, so he just sat down and basked in the sensations of touching another layer of reality with his mind. Listening to the hum of alien energies was strangely calming. The web of power currents flowed around him like an impossibly complex machine. He failed to detect any pattern of form to them, but it was a pleasant distraction. His mind emptied, the roar of power faded, and the Fold Survivor began to hear something. The faintest of whisperings. Odd, why did this feel so familiar? He frowned and removed his thoughts from the Fold. Whispers and mazes... damn, it was no good. Whatever he had been remembering escaped him. Well anything so easily forgotten couldn''t be important. It probably had nothing to do with manna anyway. He was pretty disappointed really. He had honestly been hoping for a last minute power up and new manna type seemed like it might have led to that. He didn''t have time for experimentation that would probably have no pay off though. Maybe he should hunt down Third Striker after this, get some lessons. Aarav probably didn''t have the advanced know how to teach him to use a new manna type. Third Striker meanwhile had been very impressive when he... did that fighting... against the thing. Derrick frowned, what was wrong with his head this last hour? He felt like was dozing off. He gave himself a little slap to the face. Moving to the window and staring down revealed that at least two dozen Users were now hanging around in the intersection. Just hanging around and chatting or buying things from the new Station as the sun slowly set over this ruined corner of Westhills. Derrick grimaced. Things were about to get dark. Literally. There was no way the broken streetlights were going to kick in when the sun set. Which would be dangerous enough for a team like him, Kate, Blake and Jenny. With the quality of Users he saw below, it was twice as bad at least. He''d gamble that at least one person would end up with a bullet in them even if no enemies even showed up. Sure, they had the sensor hub Kate had set up but that shouldn''t be their only line of defence. If nothing else, a fast enemy could blitz across half a dozen unlit intersections in under a minute, while Users scrambled to arm themselves in the dark. Personally, as a naturally stealthy User already in cover and with night-vision, he wasn''t threatened too much by a blitz, these people were right out in the open though. Some of them even seemed to be arguing amongst each other. Pitiful. Someone should step up and get things organized. Where was the leadership?Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ... And now he realized this might be his fault. Maybe, before experimenting with manna, he should have been organizing the... camp... base? He felt an uneasy feeling grow in his chest as he looked to the armed mob. Despite his recent proficiency gain, he wasn''t really the leader type. It had never been his thing, not even in the normal context of office life. Things had changed though, the stakes were a little higher these days. Keeping his head down was no longer an option. That would just get the position overrun, which would be a loss of force multiplierness. Multiplierity? A loss of tactical advantage. His mind flashed back to the dark imaginings of a few seconds ago and the shadows that clung to the abandoned section of city he was in began to look a lot more hostile. He was going to need help to survive this mission and defend this spot. No, he was going to need people to do what he said. He peered down one more time, hoping to spot someone who looked more competent than he felt. No such luck. He was pretty sure all two dozen Users were still unaware of him, having not bothered to peer into any of the ruined buildings around them. He guessed their next move would be to start a bonfire and crack open a couple beers as the sun set. Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration, some of them looked more competent than any group he''d been part of. Most though? He wasn''t sure how these people even still alive. The first Vanguard or Feral Artisan they encountered should have eaten them alive. He spent a moment just creeping on the group below. Luckily, an auril pulse detected Kate was entering the back of the building, with another human... man. His auril senses weren''t that precise but he was pretty sure it was man. ¡°The Hub is set up. It should be impossible for anything to get within two blocks without us knowing.¡± Kate informed him as she entered the room. ¡°Also, Blake is here,¡± she added with no particular enthusiasm. It was definitely the other surviving Demnol. He swaggered in, sword on hip and wearing System made armor, having apparently learned his lesson from his trip to the hospital. It was a slightly darker shade of blue than the usual armor, with grey highlights. He was also, for some reason, wearing a necklace of oversized dog teeth. Derrick was about to make fun of him but remembered that his coat was a ''trophy coat'' and had stolen carapace woven into it. Besides, some of them were big. Like almost saber-tooth tiger big. ¡°Greetings, mighty Derrick the Red,¡± Blake said with a friendly nod and grin at Derrick. Apparently his confidence had healed as quickly as his body. No real surprise there. ¡°I see you two are... together.¡± That was astute of him. Was there some kind of stamp on his forehead? Something that declared for everyone to see that the two of them had hooked up? Derrick shot Kate a look and saw her roll her eyes as she moved to the window and took a peek below. Apparently, she wasn''t bothered so he decided not to care either. Besides, Derrick was glad Blake was here. Grating personality and relationship awkwardness aside, he was an oddly dependable ally. ¡°Greeting, Blake the Puppycutter¡± Derrick replied deadpan. ¡°You got drafted onto this glorious mission too?¡± ¡°Actually, I''m a volunteer. How could I just leave you two on your own?¡± he answered. ¡°I was technically on break after a long day of protecting refugees coming into the city when I saw you two double team some Agents on the Trial, so I got a ride over. Meg; the biker lady with the nice rack, says hi. Sadly, she''s too busy to help out here. We were running down some very bad dogs together. ¡°I''ll bet you two really hit it off,¡± Derrick said sarcastically. The raven haired biker was a surprisingly friendly woman in derrick''s admittedly short experience. Derrick hadn''t been stupid enough to risk annoying her though. You didn''t become a respected female member of a biker gang through acts of kindness. ¡°He was riding bitch behind a dude named Gary when he was dropped off.¡± Kate confirmed. ¡°Probably not a romance for the ages.¡± ¡°I wasn''t her type.¡± the blond sword wielder explained with a shrug. ¡°How goes the battle so far? Kate filled me in on the details of the Legion scouts already.¡± ¡°Pretty bad. Take a look for yourself,¡± Derrick admitted and waved him towards the window. ¡°Yes. They do seem to lack leadership,¡± Blake said while looking down, the fingers of one hand tapping against the pommel of his sword. ¡°That''s easy enough to solve though.¡± ¡°You think you should be in charge?¡± Kate asked, amused. ¡°They would be lucky to have me. I remember leading a successful team,¡± the male Demnol defended. "No failed missions or deaths." "Like four people died," Kate reminded him. "Some within minutes of you becoming their leader, pretty bad deaths too" Derrick shot Blake a look. Ya, he remembered that he''d been welcomed as a replacement for another dead member. Soon after that, their group''s fourth member had bitten the dust in a free for all against Legion Agents. ¡°No one that mattered," Blake clarified. "But no, I will gracefully pass the baton here. Derrick here has the Star Power needed to get people to listen to him. I shall remain his trusty and competent advisor.¡± Derrick heard Kate snort loudly from her position at the window. He shared the sentiment. ¡°Fine, we all agree. That''s three votes for glorious leader Derrick.¡± Kate said. ¡°We need a plan to steal some more votes. Anyone think to bring any bribes? That''s how this usually works.¡± Well, that was basically true. He had Basic Leadership proficiency, maybe he could use that? Time to see what Leadership meant to the System. To get what hewanted from the System, he would need to think like a computer. Make an argument one would understand. Just saying people were incompetent and they were going to die didn''t seem like the kind of thing the Universal Support System cared about. ¡°Local resources and leadership are insufficient to defend location,¡± he tried aloud, knowing the System could hear him. He probably didn''t even need to speak aloud but this way was less creepy.¡°I request local command and a budget to order supplies from the Enclave. In order to reduce strain on local Station resources.¡± Surprisingly, an answer was immediately forthcoming. He''d guessed that whatever the System was doing here, it was straining its resources and it seemed like he was right. The new Station below couldn''t possibly supply them with everything a defensive outpost would want in a few hours. No matter how advanced the System''s technology was, it still had limited resources. Temporary (24:00) command over facility G4wd01 granted. 97 USSP Defence Budget created. Transport for supplies arranged. Huh, that wasn''t a huge budget. Honestly though, he''d thought he''d be paying out of his own pocket, so it worked for him. He didn''t even have to strong arm someone into making the delivery, which would save a lot of time. Say what you wanted about alien AI overlords, they delivered. The other takeaway was that this spot was classified as a facility. That was interesting. Apparently, the System had ambitions for this spot. ¡°Did that work?¡± Blake asked skeptically. ¡°Seems like it,¡± Derrick answered. ¡°I have a defence budget of ninety-seven points now anyway. Oh, and free delivery.¡± ¡°How generous,¡± said Kate dryly. ¡°Spare change and a coupon. The System really emptied its pockets for us.¡± Derrick shrugged. Better than nothing. What was the most important thing they needed? ¡°I will pay any amount of points if you can guarantee the four buildings that surround the intersection have basic utilities.¡± He replied hopefully. The buildings around here were blasted ruins, still standing but who knew what below the ground was like? Probably shattered and infested with all kinds of nastiness. Keeping a bunch of modern city people happy without sanitation or electricity was pretty much impossible. His lip curled at the thought. People squatting in the dark, thinking about how thirsty and hungry they were did not make good soldiers. -5 USSP from G4wd01 budget. Repairing native utilities. A bargain, he thought, relieved. So now he had the System''s backing in organizing a defence. That would help a lot. He would probably need it to get people to take him seriously. ¡°Good call,¡± said Blake approvingly then added slyly, ¡°You should keep the lights off for now. So, people know who to thank when they come on.¡± Yes.. that was a good idea. Showmanship wouldn''t hurt. ¡°Keep the lights off till I prompt it,¡± he said aloud to his invisible boss. There was no response but he''d guess the System would play along. ¡°Where''s miss ''Straight Shooter'' anyway,¡± Kate asked Blake suddenly, attracting Derrick''s attention. ¡°I thought you''d be with her.¡± ¡°She took some easy missions to babysit her partner,¡± Blake answered, a touch of annoyance in his voice. ¡°When they let me out of bed at the hospital, I needed to get back into the action. Took me awhile to find anyone worth working with and wanted to do the right type of mission. High risk, high reward is my style.¡± ¡°So the partner is finally joining the fight,¡± Derrick added. ¡°I thought he''d be asleep forever.¡± ¡°Good for him,¡± said Kate agreed. ¡°One more Guard for the city I guess.¡± Every bit helped he supposed. They were getting a little off track now. He pulled out his phone and dialed as the two Demnols watched. It wasn''t like he had learned nothing about leadership during his life. He knew the very basics. A leader was confident. A leader provided for his people. A leader unified. On the other end of the phone, a voice greeted him warmly and asked what he wanted. ¡°Hey, I would like to order some pizza,¡± he answered. 4.9 Seizing Power Pizza was, of course, not the most important part of his plan. It was simply the toppings on his ambitious strategy. Though, being able to provide hot food to a bunch of Users who were being forced to camp out in monster infested darkness would at least establish him as a provider. As well as get their attention and build good will. The pizza, made by a System startup, cost him a dozen points for fourteen large. He assumed it had some special properties he would look into later, or maybe Pizza was just a huge luxury now. The three Users had a little chat about what they wanted to spend their budget on now that food and utilities were taken care of. Lights should be pretty easy to set up. He just called one of the fabricator shops he''d seen earlier and had them set him up with a few hundred meters of carbon power cable and two dozen System built light/sensor boxes that could stick to walls. That only cost him a few points. Which was really cheap, but he guessed materials were basically free at this point. A lot of no one''s stuff was just lying around, ready to shoved into a System built fabricator by Support Users. Time was really the only expense, as the System was probably supplying the power too. With that in mind, he considered what else he could throw in. ¡°Recommendations for defences?¡± he asked aloud. He was talking to Blake and Kate but the System answered as well. Low Quality Barrier Pane: x3 2 USSP Structural Reinforcement Post: x1 2 USSP Huh. A light but strong sheet that could be expected to stop a projectile and a self securing post that could be used to hold things in place. He ordered a few dozen of each. Movies informed him that no defensive perimeter was complete without barbed wire, so he ordered a few hundred feet of that too. What else, landmines? No, even if he could order something like that, it would be directly from the System and through someone who knew what they were doing. ¡°Any suggestions for defending this place?¡± he asked his Demnol allies. ¡°Some more passive sensors wouldn''t hurt,¡± she answered with a shrug. ¡°It would be nice to cover a few more buildings or get some redundancy. Explosives maybe?¡± ¡°Can you order those?¡± he replied. ¡°I can''t purchase anything like landmines.¡± ¡°No, not landmines.¡± Kate said. ¡°Something to bring down the nearby buildings and clear our line of sight. Hard to see anything with all these building around.¡± ¡°Construction equipment might be safer and basically free,¡± Blake offered. ¡°Not fast though,¡± Kate riposted. ¡°We could be attacked at any time. That was a very good point. Also they''d been concentrating on countering the Grey Legion with their plans. While hopefully the System would kill it soon, the Spore Tyrant Node below them was still alive and it might still have minions in the city. He could easily imagine a flailing mass of tentacles bursting out of the ground or a wave of sporelings writhing their way over any defences he created. ¡°Can you teach me that Spore Tyrant disabling trick now?¡± he asked Kate and got a shrug in return. ¡°Auril Stupor. Sure,¡± she said casually. ¡°It''s not difficult if someone shows you how.¡± Curious Derrick''s eyes met her brown ones. ¡°Really. Who showed you?¡± ¡°Title reward from the System,¡± she answered easily. ¡°Incorruptible. Not sure what I did to get it exactly. Something to do with almost dying from infection after killing that Node in the cake factory.¡± The thin blonde immediately gathered and released a pulse of auril from her hand, sending it out in a wave that hit Derrick. He shivered as the still strange sensation washed over him. He paid attention though. It was over way too fast though for him to get any real info for it. ¡°Again,¡± he said, but grabbed her hand this time. Kate, raised an eyebrow at the invasion of personal space, but said nothing, just showed him the technique whenever he asked. Which was half a dozen more times. Derrick didn''t even notice her amusement, so focused was he on studying Auril Stupor. Right away, he was pretty sure he could copy it. Better yet, he began to understand it. It was an inhibitor, which fit nicely into his theories of what auril could do. The auril energy flowed through the ground and when it hit something living, it shut down some biological process. He could feel it, a extremely specific interaction but not a complicated one. Probably unique to Spore Tyrants but that could be fixed. It was somewhat like coding, now that he had some idea of how to play with cause and effect. Finally some good news from his old expertise. Kate''s technique was a goldmine for him. It was also simple, to the point of feeling incomplete. He lost track of reality completely as he focused on the dancing patterns of auril and tried to steal meaning from them. He knew auril had a natural invigorating effect. So, all he had to do was see how the smallest threads of auril interacted within himself. Next he took those patterns and used Auril Stupor as a basis to reverse that effect. A quick test on is own hand, showed success. He felt a wave of weakness and numbness before his auril quickly overpowered the technique and undid the damage. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kate asked. Probably because he was still holding her hand. Absently, he let go and continued his work on his own auril. ¡°I guess he''s already bored with you cousin,¡± Blake said. ¡°Shouldn''t have given up the goods so fast.¡± Derrick registered a sound of impact and a grunt of pain but ignored it. It still wasn''t good enough to be a usable combat technique. The effect was only momentary on anything with auril. It would be great if he wanted to slow multiple non auril using opponents that were nearby. That was about all it was good for but he knew a way to fix that, the persistent effect created by Shattering Strike. The two abilities might be close enough... yes he could do it. It was just a matter of allowing the auril to... churn in such a way that in pulled in adjacent auril. Feeding and protecting the technique from outside influence. Hidden in the flesh of his hand, a churning knot of invisible energy grew, relaxing and numbing the muscles it could reach. He wouldn''t be able to emit this version as a pulse, but at a touch, he could inject it right into a target. Bonus, the effect was much less dangerous to experiment with than Shattering Strike. New technique learned: Auril Stupor Pulse New technique learned: Sapping Strike ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Kate. ¡°Did you somehow manage to turn your brain off?¡± ¡°Ahh. No I''m good. I think I''ve got the technique,¡± he said and let a pulse of the vanilla technique out. It hit Kate and washed over her without visible effect. ¡°Yeargh,¡± said Blake and gave a little shiver. ¡°Fucking weird.¡± ¡°That was fast.¡± Kate said and gave a lazy smile. ¡°Well, we are in a hurry.¡± he answered and looked out the ruined window. ¡°There are cats that are in desperate need of herding.¡± ¡°How about we just stay here and use them as bait?¡± the female User asked hopefully. No doubt she was joking; it was a pretty terrible plan. ¡°No,¡± he said, then elaborated. ¡°Too many guns. We need to at least make sure they won''t shoot us by accident. Look, two of them already have grenade launchers. I''m not lurking in the shadows while a terrified mob fires those at anything that moves.¡± A pout crept over Kate''s face. It was so cute that he couldn''t hep but smile at her. Blake looked slightly disgusted and turned away. Sighing to himself as he peered below. ¡°So, we use the head you''re dragging around to scare them into listening,¡± she offered. ¡°Sell ourselves as experts. Get ourselves some cannon fodder. Make sure they''re at least pointing those guns in the right direction.¡± ¡°We are experts,¡± Derrick argued, then paused. ¡°Relatively.¡± He waved down at the groups of colourfully dressed Users below. ¡°They should be grateful we''re here to save them.¡± ¡°I''m sure that''s exactly what they will be thinking,¡± Kate mocked. ¡°Thank the System! Derrick the Red is here to save us with his tactical genius!¡± ¡°Quick, everyone grab an axe!¡± added Blake, even though Derrick being in charge was his idea and Blake''s sword was hardly much different. If anything, Blake was far more attached to it than Derrick was of his axes. The only reason he hadn''t upgraded to some kind of gun was that he''d been too busy playing around with auril and now manna. ¡°There''s no need to be jealous,¡± he rebutted. ¡°I''m sure at least one of them will have heard of you.¡± ¡°Oooh. You should totally give a speech,¡± Kate offered with a grin. ¡°I love it when you try to inspire people.¡± Blake smiled at him meanly, clearly amused. ¡°I probably will, and you should love it,¡± he agreed haughtily. There was nothing wrong with his speeches. They worked, that was the important thing. No doubt they would work again. The three Users grabbed their stuff and made their way down the stairs and out of the building, attracting more than a few surprised looks as they did so. He''d been right that few if any of the Users had realized he''d been up there. Wearing his mask and red armor, he was immediately recognized as Derrick the Red and a few Users shuffled aside to allow him and his allies pass. The now close to three dozen Users sent by the System to protect the intersection were in groups of four to six people. The groups were illuminated by the lights from two silently running modified pickup trucks and a pair of lights attached to the sides of buildings that some generous User must have bought from the nearby Station. Most of the Users were just chatting together or restocking at the Station while keeping an eye on each other and the lengthening shadows around them. Most were dressed in the normal blue System armor and all had the filtration masks the System offered, though only a few were wearing them. The coats consisted of an armored but not bulky vest with long sleeves that looked like the classic sci-fi take on military or police gear. Many had boot and pants from the System as well. While none of them were as colourful as Derrick the Red or Kate in her sea green, two of the groups did stand out.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The first, was a group of five, four men and a woman who was still wearing her mask. They seemed to be going for a tough grunge look. Playing up the wear and tear on both themselves and their clothes. Tears in clothing and messy scars were on display, alongside an identical patch sewn on all their chests; a lightening bolt running through an ornate gear. It was familiar to Derrick, something he''d seen in the city before a number of times but never paid much attention to. Just one of the countless logos you saw everyday. As tough and serious as they looked, it was their weaponry that set them apart. Each had multiple grenades, guns and gadgets stuck to them, some that Derrick didn''t recognize but each bore the same logo as their chests. It was also proudly displayed on the side of a nearby pair of pickup trucks. Summoning their tags revealed that they were a mix of Guards and Fighters. So, some of them were at least semi-professional combatants before the Scourges made themselves known. At their head stood a somewhat tall man with sloping posture whose face was hidden by a hood. Derrick was both impressed and curious. In turn, these Users watched Derrick approach with cautious interest. The second group was the largest, nine people clustered together, most of them wearing the System armor and with standard weapons like Scavenger''s Pistols and System made rifles. Other than that, the only thing they had in common was youth, ranging from skinny kids that should be in high-school to older college students. At their head, was a tall and athletic looking young man of college age whose features were strong and tanned but didn''t really mark him with any clear ancestry. Like the other group, one of them wore a mask. A shorter girl with a small amount of auril that looked like she was hiding behind the others. Unlike the last group, they watched him approach with smiles and looks of relief. Apparently, they were fans? Only the leader was guarded, his smile more polite than welcoming. Not hostile though. Then there was a scowling Anita and two Users who seemed to be with her. Hers had been the smallest group taking part in the big argument. They all had knives and Rifles at least, with a few standard grenades between them. They seemed somewhere between the other two groups when it came to competence. The last group was one that had been sitting the discussion out, until Derrick showed up. They moved to him as soon as they saw him, all three standing behind him and the Demnols. It was Tim and his allies. No. Wait, his name was Tom. He was the younger User who Derrick had beat up in his old apartment. Then, he''d helped him and his allies with the giant spider drone that had ambushed them. At his side was a skinny and pale man with auril. Who, even wearing System armor and with a System rifle slung over his shoulder, seemed totally out of place. Gangling and awkward, he seemed more like a nerdy school teacher or accountant than a combatant. On the other side of Tom, was the heavyset redhead he''d met before. He couldn''t help but look at the burn scars that covered a third of her face. She must have gotten those burns by making a target of herself, so he''d had a chance to catch the Combat Drone by surprise. Derrick summoned her tag, wanting her name.
User Tag (Basic Leadership)
Name: Kessy Kelly Title: Adamant Role: Fighter Level: 1.6
Rank: Subordinate Proficiency: Expert Rifles, Basic Explosives
Oh hey, the tag was bigger now. Because she was his subordinate now? Curious, he turned to look at Kate.
User Tag
Name: Kate Demnol Title: Incorruptible Role: Fighter Level: 1.7
Nothing new. Apparently, she was not at all subordinate. Not really a surprise. ¡°Derrick,¡± Kessy said and gave him a friendly nod. Relieved at a lack of bad feelings between them, he returned the nod. That fight had been brutal and she had lost people she must have considered both allies and friends. Tom''s no doubt exaggerated praise of him probably helped. The teenage looking young man was trying to look tough but couldn''t help but shoot almost worshipful looks his way. ¡°Kessy,¡± he returned with respect. ¡°Derrick,¡± spoke another female voice, this one much less warm. ¡°I thought you''d be too busy for mere guard duty.¡± Hmm, hostility. He supposed he deserved that after his little ''prank''. Well, at the moment it was more likely to drive people into his arms than turn them against him. He could already see a hard look in Kessy''s eyes. The tall auril user was frowning while Tom tensed up. The two dozen other Users mostly just looked... entertained or indifferent. ¡°You underestimate how important you are,¡± Derrick rebutted. ¡°The System is taking the defence of this place very seriously. Whatever it''s doing here, it does not like the fact that the Grey Legion is scouting it out and preparing for an assault.¡± Anita looked like she was going to speak but the hooded man talked over her. ¡°It told you this?¡± came a raspy voice that was almost deep enough to hide the concern in it. ¡°How long do we have? Any estimate on numbers?¡± The speaker stepped forward and let light from the setting sun reveal what was under his hood. Derrick wasn''t the only person to flinch. The older man''s face was a mess of thin but long scars, the worst of which was around the eyes, where it looked like some kind of small animal had put a lot of effort into messily clawing the eyes out of his face. Instead of fleshy orbs, he had somehow replaced his eyes with silver eyes of obvious artificial origin. Eyes were not the largest thing he was missing either. An auril pulse failed to detect his left arm at all, even though a functioning gloved hand could be seen hanging at his side.
User Tag (Basic Leadership)
Name: Gregory Smith Title: Relentless Role: Fighter Level: 1.5
Rank: Undecided Proficiency: Expert Pistols, Advanced Engineering
What an interesting fellow. One he wanted on his side. Time to display the evidence then. ¡°Kate, show our friends the head,¡± he said and saw her pull a head out his backpack in response, flourishing it like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Holding it from above and below, she held it out so that all the Users could clearly see the eyeless face. He watched the Users respond to the ghastly sight. Most showed almost no reaction but concern. It was the Mr Grey that reacted the most. Not to the head but to the name Kate. His eyes widened and shot to the blond woman, then to Blake before he hid his reaction. Kate must have seen it but didn''t react to appear to recognize the man in turn. Blake just looked like he hadn''t been paying attention, which was probably not true. He really hoped this wasn''t more Demnol bullshit. Gregory did not seem like someone he wanted to fight. ¡°This beauty is a variant on the classic Grey Legion Agent that everyone loves. Now with stealth, personal shielding and detection abilities,¡± Kate informed with a cheery tone. ¡°It was leading a group of Agent''s that was skulking about.¡± ¡°The local Grey Legion are getting more cautious due to a series of setbacks they''ve faced,¡± Derrick indirectly bragged. ¡°We''re in their strike range though, they have a hidden base outside the city somewhere. Kess and Tom here can tell you exactly how fast and hard they can hit when they want you bad enough.¡± ¡°The first thing you''ll notice is that half of you are on fire,¡± Kessy added grimly. ¡°The second thing will be dozens of Agent''s swarming your position, armed with weapons of their own design. They''re ramping up, better tactics, guns and mutations everyday. Not sure if anyone saw it on the Trial, but they basically mechanized now.¡± ¡°Almost unlimited numbers too,¡± Blake commented. ¡°No matter how many you kill, there''s always more skulking about it seems. They''ve been falling back from the inner city recently, consolidating into this direction.¡± Huh, he hadn''t known that. ¡°Could you actually help deal with an attack by an army of Grey Legion?¡± the youth leader asked. ¡°Not to be rude but it seemed like you got lucky. You seem to work better at... a smaller scale too. ¡± Derrick hid a frown, not at the comment but from a weird sensation that rippled over him. Was that auril? If so, it was very low powered. So low powered that he had no idea what it could be for. ¡°We won''t be surprised and caught out in the open this time.¡± Derrick said encouragingly, as he tried to understand what had just happened. ¡°So, we won''t need luck if we can get things going here.¡± ¡°Besides,¡± Kate added from his side. ¡°We have a lot more firepower. We should be able punch right through anything¡¯s defences with concentrated firepower. Assuming we are organized enough.¡± Only if their target stands still, Derrick thought darkly. It would be a real problem if one of those drones just decided to rain fire on them from above while staying mobile at a distance. ¡°So you should be in charge? That''s what you''re working up to, isn''t it?¡± Anita interrupted with narrowed eyes. ¡°You''re joining the discussion a little late. We were just talking about that already.¡± ¡°And decided exactly nothing,¡± the youth leader added, sounding tired. ¡°The last thing we need is someone else throwing their hat into this circus.¡± ¡°I think it would be a good idea if someone organized our defences, considering none of us can leave this giant target for the next... seven hours,¡± Derrick finished. ¡°Unless anyone here thinks they have a better understanding of Grey Legion scouting and assault tactics than me?¡± ¡°Everyone here has been fighting for their lives against the Scourges. We are not inexperienced,¡± the young leader said with a hint of defensiveness. Derrick narrowed his eyes. He''d felt it again when the man spoke. It was coming from close by but not from the speaker himself. The short girl with auril in the mask? Some kind of super low power pulse? Interesting but a distraction. ¡°I wasn''t insulting anyone,¡± Derrick answered. ¡°You wouldn''t be here if you weren''t capable. What I asked was, if anyone here thinks they have a better understanding of Grey Legion scouting and assault tactics than me?¡± If anyone did, they kept it to themselves. It wasn''t quite that easy to take command over the Users though. ¡°Do you bring any other skills to the table?¡± asked Gregory sounding more curious than confrontational. He was giving Derrick an odd look. No doubt because he recognized Kate but not him. He pushed down a surge of annoyance and resisted the urge to make a landscaping comment, it would just confuse the situation. Besides, while he''d been talking, a cube van pulled up into the intersection, from which the smell of hot cheese and spices wafted out. Behind it, four more vans waited. It seemed his orders had arrived. ¡°Logistics,¡± responded Derrick and sent out a mental command. Lights inside the four neighbouring building all flashed to life, the ones not destroyed by the System''s attack did anyhow. The single remaining and tilted streetlight actually joined them, flickering to life and illuminating the Users from above. Derricks lack of reaction showed the sudden illumination came as no surprise to him. The old man nodded to himself and Derrick could see his showmanship paid off with the other Users as well. Points to Blake, they took the lights as the mandate from the System it was. They were used to doing what the System told them to at this point. ¡°It seems we have a winner,¡± said the youth leader, seemingly relieved. ¡°Congratulations. I look forward to working with everyone.¡± Derrick would guess he''d been more worried about his group being abused than actually dedicated to being in charge. Had he run into problems before?Well, the other man seemed to trust him for some reason. ¡°I have a logistical question,¡± the pale ally of Tom stated with a frown on his face and continued when Derrick gave him a nod. ¡°What do we do with bodies. We found some Spore Tyrant victims in the bank vault. We fumigated, of course, but haven''t done anything with the corpses yet.¡± Wasn''t leadership grand. So his first leadership decision would be about the burying of corpses. Specifically, who should be forced to bury the corpses. He would think this was an attempt to undermine him, but the man looked like the question had really been bugging him. ¡°We bury them,¡± he replied. ¡°I''ll be assigning tasks to everyone according to their strengths. Building a defensive perimeter. Whoever is left over buries them. Anyone have any problems with that?¡± Heads were shook, the grim nature of the task both depressing and motivating them. ¡°No need to put it off,¡± said Gregory, calmly. ¡°I''ll have someone take care of it quickly. We''re used to this sort of thing. Won''t take more than a moment.¡± That got the older User some thankful looks. Surprisingly, none of his allies seemed bothered by being volunteered for the grim task. ¡°Since we''re dealing with issues now, what are we doing about Users who need to sleep?¡± Youth leader asked. ¡°Some of my people were already sleep deprived, even with System cheats, we won¡¯t be able to keep everyone awake all night.¡± ¡°We''ll clear out the basement of these buildings and fortify them,¡± Derrick said. ¡°As soon as that''s done we can rotate people on watch.¡± ¡°Here is what else we need done if we want to survive,¡± he continued and laid out his plans. ¡°Can anyone here hot-wire a car?¡± 4.10 Meeting New People Hot-wiring was actually unnecessary. Kessy just offered to drag the vehicles where he wanted them. With the truck she had driven here in, not by hand. While she did have an aura of workman-like competence and strength to her, she was no Bruce. Derrick¡¯s plan was to turn the four small two story buildings that surrounded the intersection into a defensive perimeter and base. A bank and three shops with either offices or an apartment above them. Just enough room to spread three dozen users across easily. The newly arrived barricades would be used to cover windows and doors that faced the outside of their amateur fortification. So, while other Users barricaded streets and reinforced the nearby buildings, she dragged cars to block the roads. Those car frames soon had layers of barbed wire running on them, creating a makeshift wall about eight feet tall. Which should be enough to slow attackers down without providing much cover for them. After getting past the cars, a more impressive looking wall of dark grey barrier panes stood with cars parked behind it to allow Users to walk on them as a rampart and to help prevent the barrier from being toppled by whatever alien monstrosities they would be fighting. Other barrier panes had been set up to block windows and doors at street level, making it so the only way out of their ramshackle base was two steel security doors in alleyways. Assuming whatever attacked them couldn''t just break through concrete walls. Trying to design defences against everything the Scourges could throw at you was hard. He found two three story buildings outside that perimeter to use as lookout stations, vantage points that could be easily retreated from. If something large and fast came gunning for them, a lookout could see it coming precious seconds before it hit the sensor lines. Plus, something might try lurking around the edges to pinpoint targets for sniping or artillery. To help counter that, Kessy and some of the logo wearing Users were knocking down buildings. The buildings went down surprisingly quickly, making him grateful he''d thought to reinforce their own. Well, the System had suggested it, but he''d been smart enough to go along with it. The pairs of rifle armed Users he¡¯d positioned in the watchposts would be in danger, but they would help prevent something from skulking around the edges of their defences. They were strongly suggested to fire and retreat if they saw anything they didn''t think they could handle. They were a way to prevent scouting and possibly slow attacks, not a real fortified position. Cables ran from an outlet on the System Station to lights above all the barricades, illuminating every entrance and the gun armed Users that patrolled them. Some Teslaforce Users had stolen his extra power cabling, but he just let them have it. No doubt whatever they would do with it would be more impressive than backup lighting. All in all, it was an impressive change from the disorganized crowd of just two hours ago. The Users had all jumped to help, providing a variety of skills to the fortification effort. No one who had survived as one of the System''s conscripts this long was stupid or useless. As tired and scared as some of them might be, they knew it was in their best interest to sweat now so they didn''t bleed later. Derrick had been hard at work himself, upgrading the defences by upgrading the defenders. Specifically, the new auril users, all three of them. He could tell their techniques were cruder than his own, not to mention much lower in strength due to their lower amount of aurilin. So, he gave a few lesson in efficient pulsing and detecting enemy pulses. They were almost pathetically grateful for his meagre teachings, having just done the tiniest bit of experimentation themselves. Of all the auril Users only the two female ones stood out. The shorter one because she was the one who showed the most skill and the Teslaforce employee because of her large amount of auril. He would guess that she had already reached the normal auril cap for level one Users. Probably as an experiment done by Teslaforce, she certainly didn''t have skill with it. The shorter girl, the skilled one, refused to take her mask off for some reason. It was a little strange but whatever, he''d certainly dealt with weirder people and things lately. Maybe she was just afraid of scarring her face? He could relate. Despite his powerful healing, tiny scars still covered his face. Mostly from the acid. ¡°That was sad,¡± Kate said, as the lessons finished up. She''d watched the lesson without stepping in to help. Not that he needed any as all he taught was auril pulses. It wasn''t a waste though as he was glad to help and he''d been ''paid'' by the Teslaforce employee with a small auril heart taken from a Grey Legion Vanguard. One of the dog''s, the human ones were much rarer and seemed to be used for defence. The dogs meanwhile were much more common, used by the Grey Legion as scouts and raiders. ¡°I don''t think you should use us as a standard,¡± Derrick replied and gave a small yawn, it had been a long day. ¡°It was kind of a let down though. Have you run into any decent auril Users?¡± ¡°None that were human,¡± Kate replied. ¡°You seem to be very far ahead of the curve.¡± ¡°Only locally,¡± Derrick replied modestly. ¡°In the trial alone I''m probably only in the top five. I''m not even sure I''m better than you.¡± It was hard to be sure of anything like an exact ranking from just short video clips. He''d seen some impressive tricks there, but it was hard to know what was auril and what was manna or just regular skill and luck. His own abilities were very subtle, his scouting and healing were hard to capture on a minute-long video. ¡°The... competitors in that Trial are the best auril users on the planet.¡± Kate said dryly. ¡°No one is going to learn faster than you through peaceful meditation.¡± He had been giving the lessons in the lobby of a cleared-out shop. When he finished, he followed his students out. He was deep in his own thoughts when he found himself face to face with a scowling Indian woman. She had been in the shop across the street, seeing how many Users could defend with manna. A fluke of timing let her catch him by surprise. ¡°Hey...¡± he started before he was interrupted. ¡°You didn''t strike me as a leader when we first met,¡± she said. ¡°Well spotted,¡± replied Derrick casually. ¡°Kate this is Anita. Anita this is Kate. Anita helped me clean out some gym washrooms. Bruce was also there, Blake might have mentioned him?¡± ¡°He didn''t,¡± Kate answered with an easy smile. She had begun acting formal Derrick noticed. Adopting a friendly look that was odd to see on her face. ¡°Nice to meet you Anita.¡± ¡°You as well,¡± replied Anita without taking her eyes off Derrick. The lack of attention caused Kate''s friendly smile to grow a little larger, which Derrick knew was a sign of repressed anger. He idly wondered which of them would win in a fight. Kate for sure if she could get distance. Well, the important thing was not to get between the two of them. ¡°What is it you want?¡± Anita blurted out while staring unblinkingly at him so hard it was making him uncomfortable. Derrick paused. He sensed a lot of hostility from the women recently but had no idea why. Envy was the obvious answer but it seemed too arrogant for him to seriously consider it. ¡°What exactly is your problem?¡± he asked, more curious than threatened. She was a bit player here. ¡°I don''t trust you,¡± Anita answered with a scowl. ¡°You have been arrogant and selfish since we first met. I''ve watched much better people than you die while you ran around like a moorkh. Not giving a shit about the consequences of your actions.¡± A Moorkh sounded pretty bad. He assumed it was an Indian swear word. He saw Kate back away, abandoning him with the angry Indian woman. There was a little truth to the accusation of selfishness. He would say that he was one of the most humble people around though. From the beginning, he''d had no illusions of being invincible, valuable or even particularly likely to survive. Even now, with his talent for auril and higher than average level, he was just a slightly larger than normal fish in an insignificantly small pond. Huh. In fact, that might be the problem, he realized. She''d seen the streak of fatalism that ran through him and mistaken it for arrogance. That fatalism had been useful, allowing him to, if not adapt to, then at least to accept the incredible changes of the last week. He imagined a lot of people simply were too attached to the way things had been to thrive as he had. ¡°This is not a game,¡± Anita replied while he considered what to say. ¡°People are dying, are going to die here. You should go back to running around the city throwing yourself into fights. Less people will die that way.¡± He assumed he didn''t factor into her calculations of people who would die. Did she think he was just playing around? She seemed insulted because of his... casual acceptance of the post Scourge reality. He had eased into it more than most, emotionally. Physically it had been a nightmare, sometimes literally. That wasn''t obvious to her though. Derrick realized that she must have very personal and complicated reasons for her dislike of him, built from bias and misunderstanding. He also realized he didn''t care.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°That was a great learning experience,¡± Derrick admitted. ¡°Is there any reason I should do that, other than your very confusing personal feelings? Because people who know me better than you have very different opinions on my skill as a leader. I, the System itself, and everyone else here believe I have skills that increase the survival chances of those smart enough to listen to what I have to say.¡± ¡°Desperate people do stupid things,¡± she retorted. ¡°I should...¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± he spoke loudly, letting out a wave of auril. Not an attack of any kind, just enough auril that she would feel something; a shiver down her spine. He was out of patience with this. ¡°Resent me if you want. I don¡¯t care,¡± he said. ¡°This isn''t about you. It''s about this spot that the System needs guarded. You will contribute to the defence of this place. Suggestions will be considered; selfishness and whining will be punished.¡± ¡°You''re playing soldier now?¡± She asked with a sneer. ¡°If you like,¡± he replied with a smile. ¡°How many Users have passable shields? Private.¡± ¡°None in the style of Aarav taught,¡± she replied. One guard has a device that slows incoming objects and two of the Teslaforce people have devices that create hard shields at close range.¡± ¡°Better than nothing. Now, report for a two-hour shift at the northern watch point. Hoo Rah.¡± ¡°You can..¡± she started, then stopped suddenly and after a second, stomped off. He assumed she was going to say, you can''t make me, or something like that. Then the System had informed her that he could and was. ¡°That was handled alright,¡± came a voice from beside him. He turned and saw Gregory there. ¡°But what would you have done if the System hadn''t helped out.¡± A tricky question. ¡°I would have disarmed her and accused her of endangering everyone here.¡± he responded. ¡°She''s too valuable to discard completely. Her defensive manna abilities could make a big difference.¡± ¡°So, you''re an optimist.¡± Gregory mused. ¡°What did you do in the good old days?¡± Good old days? Did he mean last week? ¡°Network engineer,¡± he replied casually. ¡°What a coincidence,¡± The older man exclaimed with false cheer. ¡°I, too was engaged in engineering. Though of a different sort.¡± His gloved fingers reached into one of the many pockets of his jacket and pulled out a card. It was an ordinary paper thing like every business man used to have. It was also speckled with reddish brown stains. Teslaforce Solutions, it read and had the familiar gear logo on it. Beneath that, Gregory Smith, Senior Partner. ¡°It''s a little out of date,¡± The man with a maze of scars covering his face admitted. ¡°Still essentially accurate though. I''m not actually a ''partner'' per se anymore. Not since all the other partners were eaten.¡± ¡°Sorry to hear that. So, you''re still keeping your business going?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Even now?¡± ¡°Especially now,¡± Gregory said, gave a wild smile and drove one fist into his other hand''s palm, creating a dull thud. It was a sound completely unlike flesh hitting flesh. ¡°Markets have shrunk drastically and infrastructure took a bad hit, I''ll admit. But the opportunities in manufacturing and research boggle the mind, boy. Boggle the mind.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± said Derrick and took a step back. At some point the other User had gotten a little too close for comfort. Despite being old, stooped and not particularly heavyset, the older man was a bit intimidating. He radiated intensity when he spoke about his work. ¡°It''s great to meet a fellow optimist. I take it everyone I saw with your Logo on them works for you?¡± ¡°And almost two dozen more.¡± Gregory agreed happily. ¡°Another field research team and the support staff back at HQ.¡± He patted the assault rifle looking gun at his side. ¡°We can''t pay in modern currency as of yet. So instead, we''ve been paying employed Users with weapons and ammunition.¡± Modern currency must mean USSP, the currency of their new AI overlord. Yet another person who seemed glad that the System had arrived. ¡°How entrepreneurial of you.¡± Derrick responded neutrally. ¡°You have much competition yet?¡± Whatever Gregory was doing, it would affect far more than just business. An organized and loyal group of Support and Fighter Users would be a political superpower in the ruined city. If this old man wanted to be friends, he was all for it. ¡°Just independent operators,¡± he bragged. ¡°We''ve sped ahead of the competition through dedication and sacrifice. Without matching our investments, it''s impossible to match the expertise of our specialists. The most others can do is mass production of basic designs offered by the System or recreating older products with System tech.¡± A truly mad smile blossomed on his face. Derrick noticed that despite his ravaged face, the older man''s teeth were perfect. ¡°As far as we know, we might be the only people using System fabrication methods to incorporate advanced materials into cutting edge designs. Real sharp stuff, you''ll see tonight no doubt. We brought some pretty pieces.¡± ¡°I''m jealous,¡± admitted Derrick with a sigh. ¡°The System does not seem to like network engineers much. I mean, it''s a super advanced AI that spreads through FTL, if it couldn''t handle its own network maintenance it would be kind of weird, I suppose. The only insights it''s given me have been..." He stopped talking, unable to put the thought into words. ¡°You seem to have some new and valuable skills,¡± Gregory offered, still grinning. ¡°Some of which are very interesting. Very interesting indeed. You''d have a place at Teslaforce Solutions if you wanted it. Just give the word!¡± Derrick couldn''t help but smile at that. It was strangely touching. He found himself liking the older User. Not sure if he could be trusted though, he could easily just be playing up the whole old eccentric thing to build trust. Then there was the fact he''d recognized Kate. ¡°I''ll keep that in mind. I''ve been itching to sit down and do some research of my own,¡± he admitted sincerely. ¡°So, I saw you recognize my teammates, the Demnols. Did you know the family?¡± ¡°Only in the usual way we old snobs knew each other. Stuffy parties and such,¡± he dismissed with a wave. ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s happened to them recently. Been years since I saw young Kate, I''d heard she was in a coma? Was big news a few years ago, I seem to remember.¡± ¡°I was told they were torn apart by a mob,¡± Derrick said and Gregory nodded and looked thoughtful. Not showing any emotion, as if people you knew getting torn apart by mobs were an everyday occurrence. Which, he guessed it might actually be now. Huh. ¡°Kate''s cousin got the System to wake her by making her a User. Blake?¡± ¡°The name is familiar, one of the unimportant Demnols I think.¡± Gregory said with a shrug. He seemed to be unenthusiastic about this conversation. Derrick had a number of problems to deal with though and needed to make sure the older man and his well armed friends wouldn''t be another. ¡°What about Greta? Does that name mean anything to you? Short lady, dark skin? Wants to be in charge? Hates the Demnols?¡± ¡°Ah... her,¡± he replied with a frown. ¡°I''ve had some dealings with her in the last few days. Hates the Demnols does she? Odd, I remember her as one of their employees. Hmmm. Executed a bloody little coup did she?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± answered Derrick with a nod. ¡°What kind of dealings are we talking about? She didn''t strike me as the type who cared about production or research.¡± Gregory shot an amused look at Derrick. ¡°No, I''d bet she didn''t. Yet, it is an unfortunate reality that even hardworking professionals must set aside the practical to deal with the political at times. A wise businessman always cultivates contacts when he can. So far, I''ve exchanged only information on Users and the System with her, mostly in the first two days since the Scourges arrived. A very ambitious woman but only in mundane ways,¡± he dismissed. Interesting. It didn''t sound like they had a close relationship. If nothing else, he was pretty sure the older man''s disdain for politics was real. A thought occurred to Derrick. ¡°What did she offer at first?¡± he asked. ¡°Insight into manna?¡± That earned him a shrewd look from the eyeless and heavily armed man. ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Gregory admitted. ¡°It was very helpful.¡± Wonderful. He knew exactly how to make sure Gregory didn''t conspire against him or Kate. Invite him into his own little conspiracy. ¡°She''s lost her expert,¡± Derrick spilled. ¡°A man named Aarav. I have his number. I can get you in touch with him.¡± He considered mentioning Third Striker but didn''t know how cooperative the Crusader would be. What little he knew about the Crusader''s philosophy was contempt for just the kind of weapons Teslaforce seemed to want to create. Or, for that matter, how useful his knowledge would be for creating weapons for human Users. Derrick gave him Aaravs contact info, as well as a warning that the Indian User both had friends and could take care of himself, just to discourage any repeats of Greta''s kidnapping stunt. Gregory appeared not to hear the subtle threat though, he beamed at Derrick. ¡°Much obliged!¡± he thanked before adopting a conspiratorial tone. ¡°Just so you know, I''ve heard things about what Greta''s been up to. She definitely has been keeping an eye on some Users; Users that might be you. Tried to do it directly but apparently some of her employees died under suspicious and... messy circumstances. Since then she''s been keeping her distance and exchanging a lot of favours. As far as I know, she has no ''aggressive'' actions planned towards you. She''s been shoring up her power base among Users and trying to organize some kind of governing body for the city.¡± That was... somewhat reassuring. The lack of physical threat from her was countered by the mysterious deaths and her gaining political power. If she managed to end up in charge... He asked if her dead employees had auril but the other man didn''t know. From there the conversation moved onto less dramatic subjects. Gregory had just launched into a speech about prototypes that Derrick was only half listening to when he was interrupted by a gunshot that echoed through the dark. It seemed to have come from the southern watch-post. A second later, a powerful wave of auril washed over Derrick, penetrating his defences and giving him a vague feeling of something powerful to the south. Next, he heard shouting but by that time, both he and Gregory were sprinting in that direction. The older man quickly fell behind, though that was more because of how fast Derrick could move and not him being particularly slow. Shit, the System''s timer still had four hours until they were done here. He hoped this wasn''t a prelude to a night long skirmish. Half of their Users were still asleep. They could wake them, but their amateur fighting force was unreliable enough without sleep deprivation added to the mix. Hopefully, it was only a single powerful Legion scout that had snuck past their sensor net. Maybe some kind of Tyrant Spore node? Gah! It could be anything. His thoughts were interrupted when something large and human shaped lept up onto their makeshift rampart from the other side, landing at the side of a panicked User and lifting him off the ground by his collar with one hand. Derrick slid to a halt as he watched the intruder hold the thrashing man. It regarded him for a second before turning to Derrick and he felt a powerful will focus on him. Gregory had caught up and had his gun out. Derrick slapped it down before he started something he couldn''t finish.
User Tag
Name: Blaze so Bright It Reflects From Above. Titles: Pilgrim IV Warden III Scholar: Quantum Flesh Race: Human/Strider Beneath Sunlight Hybrid Role: Sentry Pathfinder Warden Crusader Level: 3.9
¡°Greeting Crusader... Blaze.¡± he said to the almost eight foot tall green and purple woman with thick long white hair hanging behind her. ¡°We neophytes welcome you to our humble base.¡± Glowing like a human bonfire to his overwhelmed auril senses, the Crusader turned a cold gaze to him. ¡°I find your defences lacking, Tower that Raises.¡± She said and dropped the squirming User on his ass. ¡°The night is filled with nemesis and your people seem inadequate to turn them away. If you want to survive, you will have to raise them higher.¡± 4.11 Meeting New People II He had no one to blame but himself for this. He''d wished for alien women and now one had shown up. Blaze so Bright, was that. A lot of that. Over seven feet tall and clothed in armor that made his own red vest seem plain, she was obviously alien and as intimidating as hell. Something made Derrick really doubt this was going to be anything like his fantasies of a few hours ago. The tall Crusader jumped down from the top of a car with surprising grace, considering her size, seemingly so she could look down on them from less of a distance. Her face revealed no emotions as she gazed at them. This allowed the human Users a closer look at her in turn. ¡°This is an ally?¡± asked Gregory. ¡°Why is it... she a.. such a she? That''s a lot of woman. Not that I''m complaining.¡± The nearby Users seemed to be somewhat overwhelmed by the new arrival. Derrick decided to give them a quick info dump. Most of them had had no interactions with the System beyond the Stations and missions. ¡°Crusaders are high-level Use... Warrior Citizens of the System brought to earth and reborn as human hybrids by the System, so that they can breathe the air and open doors and stuff,¡± he said loud enough that everyone nearby could hear. The last thing he needed was for one of the nervous Users nearby to try and shoot her. At this point, a dozen Users were unabashedly staring at her from windows and rooftops. He didn''t blame them, though he was grateful that both Kate and Blake were in a watch post at the moment. ¡°Huh,¡± commented Gregory eloquently, the fingers of his fleshy hand fidgeting. ¡°Hybrid you say.¡± ¡°You are well informed, Tower that Raises,¡± The lean hybrid commented casually. ¡°That is good. It will save me the tedious chore of explanation that most neophytes require. Finding the right words to explain such unique concepts is difficult at times. Also, as both our species are speakers, you may just call me, Scynil. Your words lack harmony, brevity is best.¡± Derrick nodded, smiled and tried to subtly put some distance between them. The hybrid''s dark blue armor looked like it had been grown around her in solid pieces, which was a real possibility he supposed, as her entire body was new. Maybe it just never came off, or maybe it turned into a liquid and flowed off. It had inch thick plates on her knees, chest, and thighs that looked like blue shell, yet left the purple and skin of her feet, hands and stomach completely exposed. What she was wearing wasn''t quite boob armor as it didn''t highlight the space between her breasts, it did have a low neckline however and had to accommodate her massive breasts. Well, they weren''t particularly large for someone of her size, but he wasn''t used to seeing anyone her size. Especially not from so close. The offending mammaries were about eye level with him and no more than two feet away, which made it hard to look at anything else. She did not seem to have any respect for personal space. Her face was unmasked, with no obvious way to quickly change that. He supposed any creature with as much auril as her probably didn''t fear breathing poison much. She was wearing a twisting half-band of the same organic material as the rest of her armor on her forehead, just under her white hair. He didn''t want to call it a tiara but it was basically a thick and smooth tiara with tiny stubs running along the top and bottom. With long muscular limbs ending in talons and a natural grace, her body screamed beautiful predator in a way that was very confusing to his monkey brain. Meanwhile her armor and tone presented her as both disciplined and professional. The towering woman''s exposed skin was light purple with mottled green markings on her features. Weirdly, that wasn''t the strangest things about her. She was.. oddly put together, her hips were broad compared to her slender shoulders and her legs were also longer than any humans, accounting for a good part of her height. From his distance, he noticed her hair wasn''t actually white, it was transparent, almost glass-like and each ''hair'' was many times thicker than a human''s, like straw or bristles. Unlike Third Striker, her eyes looked human and were a normal brown colour. Her feet and hands though, were alien, long digits with large transparent claws on her toes and smaller ones on her fingers. The contrast between the colorful skin and the transparent parts of her made them seen ghostly as they caught the artificial light. You could almost forget they were there until the light caught them in just the right way. Her face was beautiful, just not in a way you associated with humans or sexuality. It was more like an interesting abstract painting of a person, the proportions just slightly off. Small things like the broader shape of her nose and sullen cheeks added together to make her... not ugly, just, well... alien. Her features were different enough to be oddly androgynous despite her... bountiful chest and wide hips. That said, he was sure more than a few people would find her attractive. Even he might after awhile to get used to her. The target of so many stares didn''t seem to mind the gawkers, she ignored the dozen Users and focused on Derrick and Gregory. ¡°Greetings benevolent alien visitor. Did you perhaps mean make the defences literally higher?¡± asked Gregory, raising one hand above his head as he stared absentmindedly. ¡°Or was that a more of a metaphor? Like, we need to reach the next level of defence.¡± ¡°You have butchered yourself,¡± she said, instead of answering his question. ¡°Welded poor substitutes in place of true flesh. Why?¡± ¡°Ain''t got time to bleed.¡± the older scarred man said, as if that explained everything. ¡°You both will make cripples of yourselves,¡± She replied seriously, her eyes unblinking. ¡°The body knows what it should be, it cannot be deceived or so crudely altered without consequence.¡± ¡°You''re talking about auril,¡± Derrick guessed, amused despite himself at how she sounded like a disappointed schoolteacher. ¡°It doesn''t work with artificial limbs or just missing limbs?¡± ¡°Auril makes you more of what you are. To diminish what you are is to weaken the Exalted Flesh.¡± ¡°I''ve never had any Exalted Flesh,¡± Gregory replied with a grin. ¡°Just the regular failing kind. I''ll definitely look into it though. Sounds like an interesting research subject. Quantum catalysts and their interaction with artificial enhancement. The System itself uses implants so it''s not an impossible branch of research. Some kind of carbon matrix that carries neural signals? That''s the main theory as to the process the Grey Legion uses to overwrite consciousness but retain useful memory. Not so much overwriting the brain as caging and feeding on it. Is the limit degrees of transition across the mediums? Perhaps auril itself can be regulated or altered to increase adaptability through artificial means.¡± The Crusader stood perfectly still, staring at the scarred man for a few seconds. Then she looked away, taking in the ruined scenery for a few seconds before looking back at him. An almost invisible clawed finger was tapped against a scarred forehead. It drew a drop of blood but Gregory didn''t even appear to notice. ¡°Undermind. You have a splinter of secrets buried in you,¡± she said with a frown. ¡°And yet you are here, on the battlefield? Oddity. Though I suppose such a recently challenged world needs every champion it can get.¡± ¡°No idea what you''re talking about.¡± Gregory said playfully, not bothering to sell the lie. ¡°And if I did, I couldn''t say anything due to it being a company secret.¡± ¡°Splinter of secrets?¡± Derrick asked without much hope. That certaintly sounded interesting. He waited for a response but was ignored. It seemed like this splinter of secrets was just another thing to add to the list of things no one was going to explain to him. He was getting really tired of being in the dark about what the System was doing on Earth. He had some guesses though. From context, it sounded like some kind of database addition to the System implant? Scynil spent a few more seconds meeting Gregory''s wide-eyed look of innocence before turning to look at Derrick. ¡°And you are even more the masochistic oddity,¡± the towering Crusader accused. ¡°You are blessed with enlightenment and merit both but have chosen to warp yourself. In what footsteps do you follow? What blasphemous hymns have you sung to alter yourself so?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you''re talking about,¡± Derrick admitted carefully. This Crusader was even harder to understand than Third Striker. She gave off a somewhat animistic impression from how she moved and her natural weapons. At the same time, she was almost monk-like in her attitude and words. From what her and third Striker had said, it was implied that ''hymns'' and ''prayers'' were a way to change ones internal auril pattern in an attempt to build a style. ¡°Your aura is... twisted,¡± she continued, her frown growing. ¡°It resists scrutiny and yet I can sense its potency is matched by its instability. I reach for it and yet it draws back. How did this come to be? Did your world know the Exaltation before it knew the Supporter?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°No, aurilin is new to us,¡± replied Derrick, guessing at what she was talking about and deciding to be honest. That had worked surprisingly well with the first Crusader. ¡°My auril mutated into a Style after a Spore Tyrant Siren Node tried to will me to death. It''s not anything I did intentionally. I''ve been having trouble just improving my ability to pulse auril.¡± ¡°Any tips on that?¡± he added hopefully and fidgeting uncomfortably as more awkward staring ensued. After a moment, she looked down at his hands and like magic, her fingers were wrapped around his wrists. He couldn''t help but flinch in surprise, not that it did any good, she was fast when she wanted to be. The clawed fingers twisted his wrists until his armored palms were displayed. Derrick was very careful to not resist or make sudden moves. ¡°Where did you get these devices?¡± she asked. ¡°These are not common to neophyte worlds.¡± It was hard to tell if she disapproved of him having them or if that was her default emotion. He took a moment to imagine an entire race that spent all their time sternly reprimanding each other before being empowered by the System and launching a crusade to let the universe know how it was doing everything wrong. It was depressingly possible. ¡°A Crusader named Third Striker gave them to me after I ran into a Feral Artisan. Long story short; It kicked the crap out of me and he saved me,¡± he answered mostly truthfully. ¡°Do you know him?¡± He was not above name dropping if it kept his hands attached to his wrists. The half alien''s full and very human lips quirked, displaying a flash of human seeming teeth and suggesting, for the first time, an emotion other than disdain. ¡°The Endless Mission has Crusaders in the thousands and across a dozen Orders,¡± she said proudly. ¡°I have never heard of this Third Striker. My Order of Flourishing Humility do not use such tools. They would not help our Wardens or Shrouded in their missions. Manna is a useful tool but it remains Other, auril is of the self.¡± And yet you have to take it from others, Derrick thought to himself as he mused over the rest of what she''d said. So many names without context... It didn''t help that she was still right in his face. Well, at least he was still in one piece. ¡°So, the Orders all have different specialties,¡± he asked, then did some informed guessing. ¡°Based around the Scourges you fight and how you do it.¡± That got him a nod. ¡°I would guess that you fight the Spore Tyrants,¡± he said, looking at her lack of obvious weapons and powerful auril. Spore Tyrants were masters of auril but at the same time seemed somewhat weak to it. Probably because they depended on it for basically everything, it was the cheat that allowed them to get around the limitations of biological life. ¡°Fight? No,¡± she replied. ¡°War cannot be waged on either of the Primal Scourges. Not in the way you mean. Such a war would be less than a footnote to history, one of countless failures. Other Orders do aim for such victories over lesser Scourges. Not so mine, we are the humble. Our goal is simply the improvement of the self. Resistance through the seeking of wisdom and the spread of Exaltation.¡± ¡°Then what are you here for?¡± asked Gregory, grim amusement on his scarred face. ¡°Because I think we need weapons more than wisdom at the moment. I hope you didn''t come all this way to spread the word of how submission is salvation. We get enough of that from our grey friends out there.¡± ¡°You lack perspective,¡± Scynil responded calmly before turning her emotionless face to Derrick. ¡°Victory, like life itself, is temporary.¡± That was not what the human Users wanted to hear. Derick could see Gregory holding himself back. He was beginning to doubt he and this Crusader were going to be friends. What was the point of fighting without hoping to win? Even foolish hope was better than nihilism masquerading as humility. ¡°Still, this Third Striker correctly identified potential in you.¡± she continued and finally withdrew her hands from his. ¡°This Dungeon is your work I take it? Such a level of discernment is a rare and valuable skill.¡± ¡°Dungeon? Discernment?¡±A very confused Derrick asked. ¡°I don''t follow.¡± This Crusader was even harder to understand than the last one. ¡°Through rare perception, you revealed a greater node to the Supporter,¡± was the answer he got. ¡°It is rare to outmanoeuvre a greater node so completely; the Supporter struggles to perceive them. It is a powerful boon to the world of your birth to accomplish such, so quickly. Almost always, it is a member of my Order that accomplishes this and there are always far more challenged worlds than Wardens of my Order.¡± Well that was nice to hear. Maybe he would be getting a fancy title once the System finished killing the Spore Tyrant then. This Crusader must be here to help with that. ¡°Speaking of survival. You were offering suggestions for our defences I believe?¡± Gregory injected. ¡°That seemed like it was important, I want to hear more about that.¡± ¡°I and it was.¡± The alien hybrid said, failing to offer clarity. ¡°It seems like the time for that has passed. We are already under attack. They seem to be altered members of your own species for the most part, with some other creatures as well. How interesting.¡± Immediately after that warning, the System gave its own. A notification telling him and other Users of multiple targets approaching from the North. Just seconds after that, the sky was lit up by a ball of fire that dropped from the sky and crashed into the northernmost barrier of cars and barbed wire. Metal and glass immediately began to warp and melt under the alien fire. ¡°How good are you at fighting?¡± Derrick asked as the barrier he''d been so proud of melted before his eyes. They were lucky to have such a high-level User for this fight. He was guessing, based on how fast she was, that even a humanoid Grey Legion Vanguard wouldn''t give her much of a fight. ¡°I do not know,¡± Syncil answered. ¡°I was brought here for a different battle. Wardens of Flourishing Humility exist for a very specific purpose.¡± The towering User joined Derick in watching the burning barrier for a second. ¡°Probably poorly,¡± she admitted as she watched dozens of grey bodies march out of the flickering shadows cast by a second fireball arching overhead. ¡°I am too valuable to spend against mere flesh thieves.¡± Great, it seemed like she was hyper specialized in fighting the Spore Tyrants and had been brought here to help kill the one they were standing above. Derrick sighed and considered his options. ¡°Can you stop those fireballs?¡± he asked, more than a little annoyed. ¡°Because we need to stop those if we want to prevent the Grey Legion from having their way with us and stopping your oh so holy mission.¡± ¡°They won''t spare you just because you have a greater purpose,¡± Gregory added caustically. ¡°They''re not that picky about their food. You should have seen the shit that went down at the zoo.¡± ¡°I''m aware of the stakes,¡± the Hybrid interrupted with a grim grin. ¡°All Scourges are a horror and blight. I shall play my part, but this form of competition is not a strength of mine. Find a better solution quickly.¡± As a ball of fire began its descent, Scynil took a solid stance and almost casually swiped her hand. Derrick was expecting a shield but instead the descending fireball simply fell apart. The pieces scattering mostly in the direction of her movement and fell from the sky on an empty building instead of their base. That definitely wasn''t auril, Derrick mused. She had at least some ability with manna. The raw stuff at least. Her defence looked like a simple transfer of force, if at an impressive range. ¡°Get people up on the walls and returning fire,¡± Derrick told Gregory. Did they have enough ammo for that? Probably. It should be fine. They just needed to last until he... someone came up with a plan. ¡°With pleasure,¡± the older man said, gave a salute and ambled away to make it so. Derrick heard him mumble something about, ''uking space munks'' before he moved out of hearing. More gunshots began to sound out and Users began to stumble out of buildings, staring wide eyed at the burning cars and clutching weapons. Derrick was happy to see that Gregory immediately began barking orders at them. Derrick sprinted into one of the four buildings he''d had fortified, trying to get a better view of the action and looking for a specific User. This building was the one she should be in. He sprinted up the stairs and found her and another User sneaking glimpses out of a reinforced window, rifles in hand. He could hear impacts against the side of the building, nothing penetrated the walls though. His target saw him and scowled. ¡°What do you want, glorious leader?¡± Anita mocked. ¡°Come to see if I''ve run away?¡± ¡°Can you stop the fireballs?¡± he asked simply. Ignoring her drama. ¡°The Agents don''t matter, if you can do anything about those fireballs. Concentrate on that,¡± Derrick pressed. Anita had gotten the same lessons from Aaarav as him but had shown actual talent in using manna. From what he could tell just by observing, the fireballs were very easy to block using manna, probably because they were a weapon against the Spore Tyrants more than humans. The Indian woman took a second to peer out the window, her eyes tracking one such fireball''s arc across the night sky. ¡°I can''t,¡± she admitted. ¡°I''d need to track it for too long. I''d be out in the open and defenceless. If they were just a little lower I might...¡± Derrick nodded, stopped listening and peeked out the window himself, taking in the situation below. There were holding easily but that was because the Grey Legion weren''t actually trying to break their defences. They were going for attrition, correctly assuming that they could wear down the Users with artillery and shots from cover. Any Agents they put down would get back up a lot faster than Users that took a bullet from their fragment guns. Especially if they were dragged back to the Drone that was playing the role of artillery. It was a winning strategy for the grey bastards, all they had to do was play it safe. They had the numbers, the organization and the heavy guns. The frail humans were going to lose. He could feel it. He was failing. He''s stepped up and was going to fail. A wave of depression and anxiety hit him. No. He was moving forward. He was going to fight. He was still so far from where he wanted to be. From the things he needed. He felt phantom fingers dig into his shoulder, sending shivers down his spine. Anxiety faded, smothered by a euphoric clarity as an idea came to him. The fight against the Scourges itself, this battle couldn''t be won by playing it safe. He needed those shots blocked. Derrick the Red closed his eyes and took a step, right into the open window. He stood there, in his stupid red jacket, right in the open. He ignored the anxious voices around him, the ones telling him to take cover. They just didn''t understand the stakes here. It was do or die time. Quantum Awareness buzzed to life, warning him of alien attention. As second later, something clicked. He felt what was coming and grinned from behind his devilish mask. He tore a stream of manna from the Fold, taking every iota of power he could from every source he could and forcing it into his gauntlets. Faster than human thought, an alien bullet tore through the air at him. Fired by strange weaponry in the hands of a Grey Legion invader. Derrick the Red: Auril Pioneer and Fold survivor, swatted it out of the air like it was an offending insect. Mostly by accident, he''d been trying to block it and missed slightly. 4.12 Making an Impression A sound of impact rang out as the projectile hit the cheap tile floor at his feet and cracked it. He rocked back a bit but was otherwise fine. His gauntlet having effectively spread the force through him. He shook that hand and noticed that it was quiet now, the voices that had been shouting a second ago were stunned into silence. He felt laughter rise but managed to keep it down. He couldn''t keep grin from flashing across his face though, not that anyone could see it under his breather mask. New Titles Unlocked: Resilient, Force Adept Basic Manna Proficiency Gained ¡°Excellent,¡± commented Derrick. New titles were always welcome. ¡°Come over here Anita, you block the fireballs and I''ll block the bullets.¡± For some strange reason she didn''t immediately join him out in the open. Instead she was just looking at him. Hmmm. She must be doubting him. Which was fair, just because he stopped one bullet didn''t mean he could stop the next. On cue, he felt something click and another projectile came at him. This one would have hit him just under his left eye and probably messed up his neck, even if his mask could stop it. Instead, the tips of his left hand''s curled fingers sent it of course, right into the wall behind him. Almost missed that one too, he mused to himself. There was a flaw in his technique he noticed. He could only detect where the enemy was aiming, not where the bullet would actually end up. Ironically, he was depending on the enemy being a good shot. It was working though and still no one said anything or moved to him like he''d asked. Derrick took off his mask and gave a gentle smile. ¡°I''ll block the shots,¡± Derrick said. ¡°You concentrate on the incoming artillery.¡± From the strange look on her face, Anita seemed less than sure this was a good idea. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He said encouragingly. ¡°I''ve got this.¡± Just for good measure, he gave a thumbs up. Still nothing? Wink? Did she realize somehow that he was lying, that he could only detect shots aimed at him? He was just about to launch into some more encouragement when she spoke. ¡°I...¡± A pale Anita started before taking a deep breathe and continuing. ¡°Fuck. OK.¡± She strode forward to stand both behind and beside him. There was a bit of an awkward wait as it took a minute for the next fireball to be launched. As soon as that ball of fire lit up the night sky, bullets began to come their way. ¡°Cover fire please,¡± Derrick asked of the third user in the top of the building. That User guiltily tore his gaze away from Derrick and began to shoot at the attacking army. The dark offered no protection to the Agents as almost every User had night-vision built into their masks. They had all been part of at least one desperate firefight in lightless and ruined sections of the city, it was not the kind of thing a sane person did twice if they could help it. ¡°Nicely done,¡± he said as Anita successfully blocked the fireball, actually managing to set an Agent filled building on fire. That was probably a happy accident. A little more well-placed flame and they might blunt the attack for awhile. Even Grey Agents wouldn''t push through walls of fire to attack. Derrick stood there for awhile, managing to keep Anita alive and actually block a bullet. This one hit his wrist and bounced right back out the window. Only one shot came because the Users had begun firing back in higher numbers and not just with bullets. Derrick saw several explosions and heard more. The Agent''s cover was being demolished and they were being pushed back. One such grenadier, a TeslaForce man armed with a custom grenade launcher and a whole pack of grenades, joined Derrick in the top story of the shop. Another factor was that the Agents had begun to spread out to the west. They were winning but Derrick had to wonder how long they could keep it up. The System Hub below might be able to produce a steady stream of ammo, but they had limited funds to buy it. He caught something from the corner of his eye. A low to the ground blur of movement coming from the west, not the north. Agent''s and Vanguard of the dog variety were headed right up the middle of the street. In less than a minute, they would be at the barricades and he doubted those would slow them down much. He weighed the advantages of being a bullet sponge against dealing with this new dog related crisis. ¡°Got to go,¡± Derrick said and strode to the west face of the building, were he stepped out of the window before anyone could respond. ¡°Be back soon.¡± A tiny flare of raw manna to his gauntlets slowed him down enough that he barely noticed when his feet hit the concrete below. The axe wielding User immediately let out a pulse of auril, catching the closest of the dogs just as it launched itself at the spot where barricade met building. It had avoided the shots from a pair of pistol wielding Users on the barricade. It used the rough stone exterior of the building to gain height and then scrambled over the barrier. The barbed wire causing a few scratches but nothing more. That was a disappointing showing for such hard work but at least he couldn''t see a human Agent pulling that off. Derrick saw a panicked User on the makeshift wall fire wildly without effect. No big deal though. Derrick was calmly waiting for it. Stepping onto the hood of a car, he moved to where it would land and cut it out of the air. Armor and bones shattered under his axe as he drove it back into the wall it had just bounced off. His next pulse revealed that another dog attempting the same jump had been taken out by a hail of bullets already. It had taken every bullet to put it down. These Agent dogs were almost halfway to being a Vanguard it seemed, though they lacked auril. Half of their bodies were covered in a patchwork of grey ceramic looking plates, especially their heads. The biggest difference between them and Vanguards was that they still had eyes. One of them tried to jump the other corner of the wall, away from Derrick. Just as it paws touched the ground, a muscle and manna propelled axe sped out and took it in the ribs. It slammed into the wall and began twitching. Keeping low, Derrick casually moved over to it, only to be greeted by an eyeless face with a full mouth of unnaturally large teeth that had followed the last attacker over the wall, scrambling through the barbed wire instead of trying to bounce over it. Instinct kicked in and he punched it in the nose, sending it rocking back but its entanglement in the barbed wire stopped it from falling off the wall. A little space was all he needed though, a second later a knife scrapped against the plates that protected its throat until it found a gap and sunk into flesh. It continued to snap at him for a few more seconds before falling still. Derrick made sure to stab it in a couple more delicate places before moving on, leaving the corpse hanging off the wall. Behind him, he heard the shouts of the other Users fighting as well. A quick look revealed that one of them had been savaged pretty bad but his buddy had put his attacker down. That just left the agent that had been hit by his thrown axe. Luckily, it was still down. Moving to it, he put his foot on its head and pulled his axe out of its ribcage. Just for good measure, he slit its throat too. You could never be too careful. A look over the wall revealed the last few dogs had retreated, leaving three bullet ridden corpses at the base of the wall. Before he could celebrate victory, an auril pulse hit him from outside their little base, piercing his subtle defences. Shit. He''d spent enough time studying Grey legion auril pulses to recognize that it hadn''t come from any Vanguard. That meant... ¡°Incoming!¡± Derrick the Red yelled and broke into a sprint, using Breathless to its fullest as he ran back into the building he''d just jumped down from. Just as he got inside, something roared above his head and fire rained down from the sky. Scynil¡¯s work, judging by how it was scattered but not actually blocked. She was cutting it a little close. Maybe she was running out of juice? Ya, he should have brought Anita with him. Also, he hoped someone was smart enough to start putting out all these fires. He''d seen how tenacious this flame was when he''d been hunting Vanguard, it could burn on concrete and dirt for hours. Now inside, he climbed back up the shops stairs and found Anita still up there and taking pot shots out a window with other allies. Derrick saw all of them startle at the sound of someone coming up the stairs. He found two of their guns pointed at him before they recognized him and relaxed. Mostly relaxed anyway, they had a funny look on their faces. ¡°You''re on fire,¡± Anita said incredulously. ¡°Thanks,¡± Derrick replied. ¡°You''re both doing pretty good yourselves. I think we might be winning.¡± He just hoped the other two barriers were holding, he couldn''t see them from this building. He should probably go look. The fire from the first hit should stop attacks from the west for now. ¡°No, literally on fire,¡± Anita said slowly, as if she was talking to an idiot. ¡°Your back is literally on fire.¡± Ah. Quickly, he stripped off his jacket and frantically began stamping on it. Whatever weird chemicals the Grey Legion used stubbornly refused to stop smouldering though, so he ended up soaking it in a nearby sink for a minute. That saved his armor but not his dignity, he thought as he came out of the washroom wearing a soaked jacket with black burns across the back. He couldn''t go without it or wait for it to dry. Another enemy pulse washed over, this one failed to find him though.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You''ve been scanned,¡± he informed the pair and moved to the window. ¡°Get ready for incoming fire.¡± He felt a few gazes fall on him as he stood in the open. Weak sensations coming from below. Anita moved to his side, but no fireball was incoming. No one even shot at him, it was kind of a let down. He watched from dark city from his spot by the window. The fireballs were coming from a new, closer, location now and were being safely blocked by someone else. That was good. What was less great was that the sound of gunshots from everywhere informed him that the Grey Legion had spread around their base. Penning them in. A quick check of the feed from of their remaining sensors, told him that his hearing was correct. Derrick idly wondered how they were doing under that much fire and the System provided a new window for him. No doubt another perk of leadership. Maybe he should ask about those. Scynil should know about that.
Subordinate User Status
Disabled: 6 Fatalities: 2 Uninjured: 15 Minor Injuries: 7 Missing: 1 Total: 31
So, they were doing not great. It had been only about half an hour and already nine User''s were out of the fight. It was to be expected he acknowledged and grimaced. They had countered the Combat Support Drone''s artillery but were still getting ground down too fast. He needed to know what they were up against here. Could they counter attack or would that play into the enemy''s hands? He caught movement from below and drew his axe. A grey blur crawled over the top of one of the other buildings. It was visible just for a second, before it ducked down and out of sight. Shit, human shaped Vanguard. It had been awhile since he''d seen on of those, but the grey plates and long claws were unmistakable. He was just about to sprint to deal with it, when it reappeared a second later, flying out of a second story window with drops of grey blood in the air around it. He wondered who was responsible for that? Despite several bleeding wounds, the armored mutant hit the ground on all fours and dashed away from the base. No doubt to heal and try again soon. Checking the Subordinate Status window revealed it was the same, except for a few more minor injuries. Someone knew what they were doing. His money was on Kate and Blake. ¡°Anita, you hold down the fort,¡± he said. ¡°I''ll try to send a couple more Users up here.¡± ¡°We need bullets more than bodies¡± one of the other nearby Users said from another window. ¡°I''ll see what I can do,¡± he answered. He didn''t have a budget left, having spent the last points on real grenades for the Users that had unlocked them. He made his way into the street and took in the scene. There were no assaults on any of the barricades going on. As far as he could see and hear the Grey Legion had decided to just wear them down with bullets and fire for now. As he moved, he spotted wounded Users being dragged into basements and one younger User who was sprinting away from the Station with a backpack full of ammo. He yelled that the northwest needed ammo and looked for his target. He spotted Scynil beside the Station, just standing there with her eyes roaming the sky above and a Grey Legion Vanguard of the dog variety literally crushed beneath her heel. There was not so much as a drop of blood on her that was higher than her shin. Below that, a thick coating of grey fluid covered her bare feet. Seeing him arrive she brought a foot up behind herself and plucking a small reddish stone from between her toes, threw it at him. It was an auril heart. Apparently, she''d dug it out of the creature''s tough flesh with her toes. He was just about to thank her when her voice called out at him. ¡°It is curious,¡± she said. ¡°These beasts do not seem that dangerous to a civilization as advanced as your own appears to be, yet they must be, for the Scourge throws a great number at you.¡± What? Derrick stopped mid-stride and tried to understand what she was talking about. Oh, she thought dogs were wild animals that hunted people and that''s why there were so many around. Weird. How to explain the human/dog relationship to an alien? ¡°They weren''t our enemies,¡± Derrick replied with a touch of sadness in his chest. Now that he stopped to think about it, the fate of these dogs was rather depressing. How many had failed to protect their owners or even been turned against them? Well, there was nothing he could do about that. ¡°They were domesticated. Trusted companions. An ancient relationship from prehistory that was successful enough we honour it to this day, even though it is no longer as practical as it used to be.¡± Scynil''s head cocked to the side, giving Derrick the impression that she didn''t really understand what he was talking about. Apparently, domestication of dangerous animals wasn''t all that common in the universe. ¡°Interesting.¡± she replied after a moment. ¡°I am unsure as to how the intertwined nature of your species affects your blasphemy.¡± His what now? ¡°This is from where you''ve stolen your Exaltation,¡± she continued loud and cold, a clawed finger pointed to the aurilin she''d thrown to him. ¡°Taken from a Scourge. An emulation of their monstrosity. Do you think it is wise to forge your flesh in the prayers of twisted fiends?¡± Said like that, it did sound like a bad idea. He took a second to feel the familiar sensation in the red stone she''d given him before deliberately pocketing it. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied, matching her certainty. ¡°I''ve already explained why.¡± ¡°Explain further.¡± Derrick was very aware that the Crusader in front of him could probably kill him in under two seconds. It would be a good idea to answer her questions. ¡°No,¡± he said instead. ¡°I have already answered a question and now is not the time for me to answer more. I''m going to ask one instead. Are you up for a raid? How stealthy are you?¡± She did that head cocking thing again, so he just kept talking. ¡°The Grey Legion is grinding us down. They can heal most of their casualties almost instantly, so as long as this stays an exchange of bullets they will outlast us. We need to hit back and do some permanent damage. They use auril pulses, can you avoid their detection?¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± she replied with a complete lack of humility. ¡°I am no Shrouded, but that is a skill all Crusaders of Humble Flourishing learn.¡± ¡°Good... good,¡± he mumbled as he considered a plan of attack. Best to keep it simple really. The enemy had spread out to surround them and wear them down. That gave him a chance to sneak out a backdoor and try to take out as many Grey Legion Agents as quickly and permanently as possible in the general direction of the Combat Drone that was launching fireballs at them. If they could take that out it would be a real game changer. If they could take it out. He wasn''t going to push too hard. Instead, he would just retreat at the first sign of organized opposition and try again a few minutes later in another direction. Force the Legion to change plans. He explained this to Scynil. The Crusader listened attentively and as soon as he was finishedspeaking, she nodded and strode away in what seemed like a random direction to him. Derrick just shrugged and followed her, any direction was good to him. Soon, a fireball shot out from the exact direction they were headed, arching overhead until it exploded against a User made shield just outside the base. So, they were headed the right way. This didn''t seem like a coincidence. The weird thing was that he felt only a weak auril pulse coming from his guide. It barely hit him, nevermind something a few blocks away. ¡°How did you find the Drone?¡± he whispered, intrigued. He was being cautious now that they were on the very edge of the Users'' base, inside one of the corner buildings first floors. Only two Users were on the floor, taking turns peering out a tiny slit that had been left in one of the barrier covered windows. They gave the two of them a strange look but kept to himself. ¡°Below the ground our feet step on, are thousands of the Tyrant Spore tendrils. The Supporter''s attack on this place has isolated these from the Node that grew them. I am simply using them to move auril as the Spore Tyrants do,¡± the hybrid stated. ¡°It is a lesser secret of the Wardens and Shrouded. If the Node was still active then I could use a similar technique to blind it.¡± Impressive... he had no idea how he would even try to accomplish that. Just pushing auril into the ground would just let him scan the ground. He wanted to ask but instead moved to unlock the steel door that sat at the back of the building, hurrying to open it before the stern Crusader kicked it down. ¡°Try to avoid throwing grenades this way for a bit,¡± he told the two Users, who nodded. ¡°Tell the people upstairs too.¡± The two users down here were from the young group, armed with pistols and knives, basically just door guards. He could hear a rifle cracking from above, those would be the people who might hit him by mistake. The metal door opened with an annoying squeak, not having seen much maintenance recently. Scynil pushed past him and immediately broke into a run that took her into the alley, then a dozen feet towards the street, right up the side of the building across the alley and through a shattered second story window. All this in seconds and while managing to move near silently despite dancing across the shards of glass and rubble that littered the alley. A few seconds later, a grey skinned corpse fell into the alley. Derrick glanced into the dark window above his head that Scynil had disappeared into. Was he even needed here?
User Profile:
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Role: Fighter Level: 1.8
Titles: Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer, Resilient, Force Adept, Fold Survivor, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious, C/C 1A/1B
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic manna Core (D) (Manna) Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) Combat Drug Package (E) (Offensive) Breathless (F) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 13.9 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Active Auril Skills: Regeneration Auril Pulse Stupor Pulse Splintering Strike Sapping Strike
Core Capacity: 7 (7.7) Manna (Raw): 7 (7.7 Manna (9765A) 3.5 Manna Skills: Sheathing Reinforcement Acceleration
Successful USS missions: 5
USS Points: 118
Proficiencies
Expert Melee Has Expert skill with melee weapons. Capable of holding his own against opponents of inhuman skill and strength. Has shown adaptability in solving problems with physical violence.
Advanced Scouting Has Advanced skill in battlefield awareness and scouting. Can safely navigate hostile terrain and spot primitive ambushes.
Basic Handguns Has basic skill with handguns. Probably not going to shoot himself or his allies.
Advanced Auril Has advanced skill with Auril Energy, allowing the User to study auril patterns. Can manipulate it freely into simple skills.
Basic Manna Has very Basic skill with manna. Can sense and manipulate energy from the Fold, manipulating kinetic energy at a short range in not insignificant ways.
4.13 Unneighbourly Derrick hesitated, for a moment the alley wall loomed like an impassable obstacle. This was impossible... but no, it wasn''t at all, was it? It would actually be pretty easy to get up there. Shrugging, he drew and threw an axe, the blade biting into the brick perfectly parallel to the ground and just below the window Scynil had disappeared into. A jump let his fingers grab the embedded weapon and he pulled himself up to the window and into the building. Even with his new strength to weight ratio, he was much less graceful than Scynil''s entry via wall run had been, but he would have felt stupid walking around to the front of the building and using the door. He rolled over the window ledge and found no enemies waiting for him. Huh, that had been kind of fun. A useful trick too. Using manna, a simple spike of Esthisum could be thrown as either a weapon or climbing tool, it made more sense than throwing away a much more expensive reinforced weapon. Especially if you were in a hurry and needed to be doing some quick urban movement. He was sure there was some fancier way to accomplish this, like a grappling gun but the simplicity of just throwing things resonated with him. Leaning back out the window, he retrieved the axe from the wall and moved to the next room. Scynil was there, standing partially hidden by shadows. His mask took a second to adjust from the lights outside to the blackness inside of the ruined building. When he got a better look at her, he almost didn''t recognize her. The gaps in her armor had been filled by what looked like thin dull silver wires that had grown from the blue plates. They wrapped around her exposed flesh to form a seamless barrier. Only her hair, upper face and claws were uncovered, the transparent body parts looking like glass growing out of steel. She definitely looked more like a sleek android than a living creature. He was guessing it was Ethisium, that malleable System material that let its weapons self-repair. Derrick wondered if he could get armor like that, it made your abs look great. No, on second thought, he looked ridiculous enough already in his red mask and now sleeveless red armor. The mask was especially ridiculous with its little stub horns. Not that he considered getting rid of it, as a gift from both Jenny and Kate, it had sentimental value. It was the only... huh, at this point his clothes and weapons were the only things he owned. He was technically homeless, although arguably he''d been ''investing'' in himself and his ''business''. AKA, alien extermination. His trophy armor was growing on him, the pattern of stolen grey hexagons around his shoulder was both modern and delightfully primitive. You couldn''t run around axing things to death without gaining an appreciation for savage aesthetics. More importantly, it had saved his life a few times. Oh, and the System made boots were very comfortable. Finished with his musings, Derick silently joined his ally while letting out a few auril pulses. The rest of the building was empty, probably because it provided no good vantage to shoot at their base from. The second story was an apartment with only a few windows, none of them facing the street. The next building over though, had at least three agents in it, spread across both floors. They did not seem to have noticed their allies¡¯ sudden death. ¡°Did you stop them from communicating?¡± Derrick whispered. The Grey Legion seemed capable of some kind of silent communication, the basis for which he had no clue. Could be anything from radio to telepathy. Probably not auril though, that was the one thing he''d checked for. ¡°No,¡± Scynil responded, her faint reply somehow amplified by his mask. ¡°How do these flesh thieves communicate?¡± They must have just gotten lucky then. It would be a pointless ploy for nearby Agents to play dumb if the Crusader''s auril pulses were half as discerning as he guessed they were. ¡°How about you go high and I go low, hit both floors at once?¡± Derrick whispered from behind his red mask. That would be better than him just chasing after her. The amazonian Crusader nodded and held up a finger, the universal gesture for wait. When it dropped, Derrick did too. He fell through the window, hitting the ground running and immediately tearing open a small side door that led into the next building. Overhead, the Crusader managed to leap out a window and clawed her way a dozen feet across the facing wall, into another window. She seemed to really like doing that, not that Derrick could blame her. He was definitely going to be working on his parkour skills. As he burst through the doorway, Quantum Awareness warned Derrick that the two Agents on the first floor had not been caught unaware by his sudden entrance. He really hadn''t been going for subtle anyway, the glass and rubble would have made that more difficult than it was worth. One of the agents immediately turned a corner and caught a thrown axe with her stomach. The blow was timed and aimed perfectly due to his auril senses. Without slowing, he sprinted forward, cutting the wounded Agent''s throat before it could even fall and pulling his axe free at the same time. Just as he was wondering which way to go, projectiles burst through the walls, tiny fragments easily tearing through the buildings interior as they were propelled by two more Agents from across the building. Derrick grimaced and stifled a shout as one fragment managed to lodge into his bare forearm. The Agents were adopting a spray and pray strategy, filling the whole area with shrapnel. Wary of more hits, he grabbed his recent kill and held it in front of himself as a shield, feeling the corpse absorb a few more of the tiny projectiles. He was definitely investing in some sleeves when he got the chance. Luckily, the Grey Legion''s Fragment Guns on this mode were designed to disable, not kill. He was tough enough that he could shrug off a few fragments despite their paralyzing effect. They hurt like a bitch though and he''d need to be careful to avoid any unfragmented shots, those would probably go right through him. A pulse of auril washed over him and he prepared to run. However, his stealth worked, keeping his position secret. So, he walked forward with the corpse still up until the bullets stopped. Quantum Awareness was telling him that he was undiscovered, so they must have given up on hitting him through luck. He moved towards the remaining Agents, breaking into a full sprint when his auril told him they were retreating out a window, unwilling to fight him where he held such an advantage. One escaped into the street but the other had only just started climbing out the window and was an easy kill for Derrick. It managed to block his axe with its own Venom Dirk, but the impact of the manna propelled weapon was enough that it stumbled into the window frame. Exploiting that second of weakness, Derrick smashed his way through its defences with a second manna empowered blow with his second axe. He had to step back a second later though, as the Agents hidden in the surrounding buildings peppered the window with fire. One bullet even landed in the thigh of his target, creating a gaping wound with a sickening wet sound, but none were lucky enough to mark him. Spinning out of sight, he pulled his latest victim to the floor, then hacked the body to pieces with a series of downward blows. Gruesome and tiring but they needed to make sure the Agents they put down couldn''t be resurrected and sent back into the fight. He would have to dismember the rest on the way out. Scynil appeared behind him, still covered in silver and blue armor but now with patches of grey fluids all over it. It certainly looked like she was doing her part. He noticed that a part of her armor was dented enough that it had to be pressing painfully into flesh, if not breaking the ribs beneath. ¡°Should we continue?¡± she asked, seemingly unbothered by the wound. ¡°While these Grey Legion are no real challenge, they are gathering to attack together. In numbers they could become... difficult.¡± Derrick considered this as he wiped his bloody gauntleted hands clean on the carpeted floor, avoiding the broken glass and weird stains that covered it. Something was bothering him that he couldn''t quite place. Something in the air? Familiar but unnerving... hostile even. Maybe it was just all the smoke or the constant exchange of advanced weaponry. ¡°No, I don''t think so,¡± replied Derrick. Without stealth they had no chance of actually taking out the Combat Support Drone, it would just fall back while shielding itself. That was the only real target worth risking their lives over. It was enough that they had taken out a few Agents permanently and disturbed the Legions plans to wear them down. Both his and Scynils weakness was massed fire and the legion was more than smart enough to use it. ¡°Full speed retreat and then we do this once more if they try to surround us again.¡± The raiding pair managed to make their way back to the first of the buildings they had cleared without anything but pot shots being taken at them from the lightless windows of neighbouring shops. The only one that came close to hitting him was blocked by a gauntlet. Which earned him a raised eyebrow from Scynil. Apparently even she couldn''t use auril to predict ranged attacks. As they moved, he could feel more enemy gazes fall on them and he detected some Legion dogs skulking about. He felt like they were holding back, probably scared of sending rarer troops against an unknown Crusader. Wise of... As he was sprinting through the last building between them and safety, a projectile flashed through a window and took him in the shoulder. A grey bullet hit his armor and lifted his feet right off the ground. He couldn''t even try to keep his balance, falling right on his ass, too surprised to do anything but let out a hiss of pain. Fuck, where had that come from? An attempt to sit up sent him into a spasm of pain. Using his other arm, Derrick scrambled away from anywhere an Agent might be able to see him. He didn''t get very far before a hand gripped him by the collar and threw him across the room. He was sent sprawling head over heels to slam into the far wall by the exit with an excruciating thud. It was Scynil, ''helping him''. He hurried to stand, fighting off the stinging pain. The Crusader dashed to his side and pushed him out the door. He felt a powerful buzz as her auril filled flesh made contact with his. He ignored it and sent out a pulse, trying to find his attacker. No luck. He did discover the group of dogs was headed towards them at full speed now. No doubt smelling weakness. Luckily, they were just a dozen metres from safety. He could hear shots being fired by Users at the Agents that must be chasing them. All they had to do was make it across the alley and through the steel door that separated the base from the outside. He stumbled into the street and then the ally, about to shout at the Users inside to open the door. Instead, his shout turned into a scream as he found himself leaving the ground once more. This time he got much more air, flying through a second story window and into safety. He made it through the large window and crashed onto the floor for the second time in less than thirty seconds. A groan escaped him as he adjusted his position to reduce the agony of his shoulder pressing into the ground.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°You! Are you alright?¡± a male voice asked, after peeking into the small room. No doubt alarmed at the noise and his unusual entrance. ¡°No, get someone who knows something about broken bones,¡± the base''s leader demanded and heard the other User scurry off to follow his command. Before they were even out the door, he heard someone with claws on their feet land beside him with much more grace than his own landing. ¡°That is no way to treat a wounded person,¡± Derrick gasped out. He was in enough pain to make talking difficult. Fuck, was his collarbone broken? That was supposed to be a special kind of painful. Something in his shoulder must be broken. He was tempted to try use Regeneration but held back. If the damage was great enough, regeneration might just fuse the bones back together the wrong way, crippling him. ¡°I chose the course of action I believed to be the surest path to survival,¡± Scynil answered, a hint of defensiveness in her voice. ¡°Waiting for access was unwise considering we were under attack from an unknown source. Whatever struck you was powerful enough to avoid my detection.¡± I''m not used to fighting things I can''t sense, so I panicked, was how Derrick interpreted that. However, he just grimaced and didn''t argue, it wasn''t worth the pain it would cause him. ¡°It was probably a Grey Legion Sentry,¡± he answered instead as he pulled himself to a sitting position. Scynil had retracted her armor, showing off her green and purple skin once more. ¡°An Agent that uses manna to hide itself partially from auril pulses. Has some kind of enhanced senses of its own too.¡± There was a pause, so he looked to the Crusader. On her broad face there was a strange look of mild... disgust? Annoyance? Surprise? It was hard to tell with her. ¡°You are positive of this?¡± she asked after a second. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s from the System''s own description of one,¡± he replied and watched her scowl grow. ¡°Why, what does that mean?¡± ¡°It is simply a rare ability, requiring knowledge of both auril and manna.¡± Scynil answered. ¡°If this Scourge is capable of producing such specialists in any great numbers, it is more formidable than I had guessed.¡± ¡°Still nowhere near as dangerous as Spore Tyrants, I''m sure,¡± he replied. ¡°Yes,¡± answered Scynil. ¡°The universe is theirs; it always has been and always will be. These Grey Legion are a neophyte horror. Their kind of Scourge burn bright but fast, rarely lasting more than a millennium.¡± Oh, was that all? Nothing to worry about then. Derrick opened his mouth to argue but just grunted and turned to watch a Teslaforce User enter the room. The User helped Derrick through the painful process of getting out of his armor and began to examine him. After being poked and prodded, the other User declared that his shoulder probably had a hairline fracture and that he wouldn''t be able to use it for a few days. The User then scurried back to where he came from, he seemed uncomfortable around Scynil and Derrick for some reason. Hearing that his bones were mostly in one piece, Derrick gathering auril and began using Regeneration. It would take at least an hour for him to heal the damage he estimated, as auril wove tissue and bone together. So much for going back out right away. Scynil''s own stomach wound was noticeably smaller as well. Her armor and flesh both repairing themselves. ¡°How are the Grey Legion responding to our little raid?¡± he asked. He''d tried the sensor hub but only a few sensors were still active, giving him no real bigger picture. Scynil''s auril tricks seemed better than the hubs anyway. ¡°They are gathering to the west,¡± she responded. ¡°Dozens of living bodies, the large many limbed construct and at least one of those Agents I cannot easily detect. No, two creatures are shielding themselves. Another has just arrived with even more bodies to throw at us.¡± The Crusaders blunt and colourful face twitched before settling into a serious glare. ¡°This one seems even better at hiding itself.¡± Good thing he''d begun healing, it seemed like they would be facing a more serious attack. He''d kicked a hornet¡¯s nest with is little raid. Although, they should have some time before it started. He sent out some text messages and turned to look at his new alien friend. She was just standing a few feet from him, almost perfectly still and glaring out at the dark. Suddenly, she focused on him. ¡°You are wounded, hold out your arm,¡± she said emotionlessly. This was about the hit he''d taken, he realized after a few seconds. He eyed her carefully before complying. It wasn''t like he had any better options, there were no surgical tools in the base that he was aware of. He could regenerate anyway if she made a mess of his arm. Fast as thought, his bicep was wrapped in fingers that felt like they were made of steel. The hybrid''s other hand extended two clawed fingers and pushed them into the small wound on his forearm. He let out an involuntary hiss and jerk but was easily held in place. A second later, a tiny and very bloody grey object was casually dropped on the floor. Derrick immediately forced auril into the area. Scynil moved away from him and resumed her silent vigil. ¡°So, what''s your favourite thing about Earth so far?¡± he asked to pass the time and satisfy his monkey curiosity. ¡°You have a generous sky,¡± she informed without looking at him, just staring ahead. ¡°Celestial light never truly abandons this world.¡± Huh. It was weirder now that he had some idea of what she was talking about. He remembered hearing that the Earth''s moon was larger than normal. That meant it must reflect more light than most other planets¡¯. Short of having two suns, that meant their nights were about as bright as any. He watched her muscled legs drag a clawed foot against the ground. ¡°Despite the brightness, it was never our time,¡± he replied, the strangeness of the situation drawing him in. ¡°We''ve spent most of our history afraid of the dark. Building walls and towers to get away from it and banishing it with glowing cities. A lot like this base really.¡± ¡°That is a common reaction,¡± the alien Crusader said softly in a rare show of emotion. ¡°My own species fought the night with fire as well. Although, we feared it for the things that travelled in it.¡± ¡°What is your species like,¡± he asked, somewhat emboldened by his fading adrenaline and the auril dancing through his body. ¡°Why?¡± She answered. ¡°The challenges faced by ''The People'' were completely different from what you face now.¡± ¡°Perspective,¡± Derrick answered, using the word she had thrown in Gregory''s face. He really wanted to know what the universe was like. What the other species that inhabited were like. How they overcame the Scourges and what he should be aiming for. Practical knowledge aside, who didn''t dream of what life around other stars was like? Petty assholes, that''s who. ¡°Was. What was my species like,¡± Scynil replied, emotionless. ¡°Time passes in bursts and spurts for a Crusader and my service has lasted far longer than most. Long enough that the life was choked from my homeworld long ago by the Tyrant Spores.¡± Foot meet mouth. ¡°Ah, I apologize if I brought up bad memories.¡± ¡°It happened long ago and came as no surprise. A fate more complicated than simple extinction,¡± she responded calmly, as if talking about the weather. ¡°The planet and its people were known to be doomed by the time I was born. All my people knew it, they could taste it in the earth and air. The Tyrant Spores were spreading across it slow but unstoppable, unchallenged by us or even other Scourges. We had no armies and no Metropolises to raise them from. Slowly more and more of the world turned against us. It used to be my role to guide families to safety, using wisdom and Exaltation granted by the Supporter. When my people began to sicken and die, the Supporter put my people to sleep and wreathed the planet in purifying flame. They sleep still, until the world can be repaired enough to support life again. Rather than join them, I and a few others took Roles as Crusaders. Even with the constant renewal bestowed upon Crusaders, I doubt I will live to see them freed from sleep.¡± Heavy stuff. A species of alien nomads and a way to cheat death. He''d never considered that upside of getting a new body on every planet you visited. Becoming ageless at the price of being a front-line soldier in an unending war was kind of self defeating though. Hopefully there was another, easier way. Not that it mattered much right now. Getting murdered was much more likely than dying of old age, he thought as he cradled his broken shoulder and willed the bones to mend. ¡°Couldn''t the System build them habitats to live in?¡± he asked. Why not slap up a couple domes for them to live in. ¡°My kind was not born to live in boxes,¡± she replied, distastefully. ¡°We were simple compared to most races. Foragers, not farmers or warriors. We loved our world, but we never thrived and conquered the way your and other species have. We walked under blazing sunlight and slept under faint starlight, our Elders, were our only shield from the blind things that hunted from the dark. This Grey Legion Scourge reminds me of those old enemies, eyeless and sharp of tooth and claw. We smoked them from their caves and burnt back their encroaching forests. We survived, until one day our shrines spoke, telling of the Scourges and offering us champions to fight them. We were grateful to the Supporter, but it is not the gods whose shrines it stole, we did not want it to define us. The elders decreed that if our land was to die, we would die as well. Reborn only if it was as well.¡± Fair enough, he supposed. Not wanting to exist in what was essentially a zoo was understandable. That speaking shrine comment was interesting. A different form of System Stations? If they took the form of shrines, was that because they didn''t have a vending machine equivalent? She must be from a race of technological primitives then, ones not quite in tune with nature. Unless you counted forest fires as natural. Which they were really. Well, even if she was from a primitive species, she''d been travelling from world to world for centuries. It would be silly to consider her stupid or unsophisticated. ¡°Us Earthlings did the same also burned our way to the top,¡± he commented. ¡°Using fire to keep predators away and make room for fields.¡± Aboriginal Australians had been especially prone to pyromania and every civilization he could think of had many myths about fire. The Crusader raked her feet across the floor, tearing grooves into the tiles. ¡°And you will do it again,¡± she replied. ¡°If you want to survive. This world is no longer ruled by humans. Your cities are ruins and you are once more prey.¡± Scynil scowled, revealing broad teeth. ¡°Both the Spore Tyrants and the Inoculation will have robbed you of your fields. The Inoculation will make dangerous mockery of what was once your home. The Grey Legion turns your own people and your allies of millennia against you. Your only advantage is your cities and artifice were fertile ground for the Supporter.¡± ¡°We seem pretty fucked, is what you seem to be saying,¡± Derrick offered, unworried at the dark turn the conversation had taken. This was not a surprise to him; he had been fighting monsters in the ruins of cities for a week now. Even before that, modern life was full of doomsayers. From the rapture to global warming. The end of the world was closer to a fetish than a fear for humans. Most were far more worried about the end of their small everyday world. ¡°What would it take to save them?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°You don''t seem to have given up. If you will never see your people or world again, why are you fighting?¡± ¡°To preserve other worlds. To seek an understanding of why the Universe is the way it is. The System¡­¡± A nearby explosion interrupted their chat. From a window, he saw flickering flames consuming one of the four buildings that bordered the base. That wasn''t great. His raid might have pissed off the Grey Legion, but it hadn''t stopped the fireballs. ¡°Could you...¡± he started but realized the Crusader was already gone. She''d silently stalked off, hopefully to help defend the base from further Legion pyromania. It left him alone on this floor of the building. Warning: Sensor Hub disabled That... wasn''t a good sign. If it wasn''t for Scynil''s auril abilities, ,they would be totally blind as to what the Grey legion were up to. It took a lot of work to find and destroy the dozens of sensors they''d hidden in the streets around the base. How were the defenders doing?
Subordinate User Status
Disabled: 7 Fatalities: 2 Uninjured: 11 Minor Injuries: 9 Missing: 2 Total: 31
Twenty combatants left. Better than he''d guessed, his raid had definitely slowed their attrition. It was the new missing person that worried him the most. It should be pretty hard to go missing in the base unless something grabbed and ran off with you. That this had happened twice didn''t fill him with confidence, especially since they were soon to be attacked by dozens of enemies, including two snipers and a giant fire spitting spider tank. He sighed and stood up, flexing his injured arm. His auril senses told him it should hold for now, although it was not at full strength yet. As long as he didn''t take any more bullets or try to punch something in the next fifteen minutes, he should be fine. He heard shots began to ring out, all from the same direction. He guessed it was time to see what needed to be done and how much of his base was on fire. 4.14 Tools and Traps No more jumping and climbing for Derrick the Red, not until his shoulder healed anyway. So, he just took the stairs down to the first floor and strolled into the ruined intersection that made up the centre of their defensive position. The axe wielding User was glad to see that very little of his carefully designed base was actually ablaze. Luckily, the buildings all had stone and brick exteriors wrapped over steel frames, so they burst or melted if left unmanaged, but the fire didn''t spread. Even the inside didn''t burn as the Users had cleared out all the furniture. He saw that some Users even had a counter to the fire, thin yellow patches of foam, no doubt a gift from the System to put out the flame. He caught a glimpse of Kate for the first time since the fighting had started, a flash of green armor and short blonde hair as she moved from one window to the next. Blake was standing in the middle of the intersection with a half dozen other Users that lacked guns, his hand was on the hilt of his blade. Under the glow of the lights above, he could see that all of them were splattered in blood both grey and red, plus a layer of soot and ash. The dangerous looking bunch seemed to be waiting for the next crisis. ¡°What did I miss?¡± Derrick asked, causing the male Demnol to twist in his direction. ¡°Had to fight off one of those human Vanguards a couple of times,¡± the blond User replied, clearly annoyed. ¡°Creepy fucker was impossible to put down or keep out of the base, it scaled the walls like a spider. Kate and I chased it all over the place.¡± He nodded to the western barrier, where all the action was. ¡°Now it seems like they''re finally done playing games with us.¡± Derrick cast another glance at the other Users waiting with Blake. ¡°These guys any good?¡± he asked. There was one tall woman among them but for the most part the this group was larger and older than average men. ¡°Better than ninety percent of Agents,¡± Blake answered with a shrug. ¡°They can hold their own anyway.¡± The subjects of his curiosity ignored his question. The masked and dangerous looking Users instead were completely focused on their surroundings. Derrick supposed any User that had come this far with just melee weapons would have to be skilled and cautious. They didn''t even have auril to help keep them alive. He was honestly impressed. They were like him, simply less lucky. ¡°What happened to your sleeve?¡± Blake added a second later, confusing Derrick. ¡°Every time I see you, your wearing less clothing.¡± The User in red looked down to discover that he was now completely sleeveless. He''d lost the first one when fighting the first combat drone but had no idea what had happened to the second. He really hoped he didn''t get splashed with any more fire. ¡°I guess it came off when they were checking my shoulder for breaks,¡± was his answer. There was a loud crack, a scream and then a flailing User fell off of the barricade in front of the pair. Another User quickly ran up to their fallen ally and shouted at them while kneeling at their side. Soon, a third helped them onto a stretcher. There was a faint tingle, so faint he would not have noticed it if he wasn''t looking in that direction. Reflexively, he pulsed auril. It had been hard to tell because of all the armor and masks around but the medic was the short girl with auril, one of his students from earlier.
User Tag
Name: Emily Cespedes Title: Tender Role: Fighter Level: 1.5
Rank: Subordinate Proficiency: Basic Auril, Advanced Field Medicine
Tender: Has saved the lives of many other Users though bravery and medical skills, preserving resources and increasing moral.
She must be a nurse or some kind of medical student. She''d definitely done something with auril there and he hadn''t been the only one to notice. Up in one of the windows, his auril had caught Kate glancing down at her. When his eyes moved up to that window, she was already gone though. Something secret was going on with his student, something other than refusing to take off her mask. And after he had shared his hard-earned knowledge of auril with her too, how rude. Whatever technique she had, he wanted it. Even if only to expand his knowledge base. He was really getting a feel for auril now. He was proud of his latest creation, Sapping Strike. ¡°...You?¡± finished Blake, an odd smile on his face. What was that emotion he was displaying? He was definitely happy? Why? It faded quickly, the blond User''s grin turned into a frown soon enough. ¡°What about you?¡± Blake repeated. ¡°Is it some kind a secret?¡± ¡°Me? Oh, just fought some dogs that swarmed one barricade and then led a failed raid on that annoying Drone that keeps dropping fire on us, I was mostly just trying to kill some of the Agents taking pot shots out there. Got a half dozen between me and Scynil anyway.¡± ¡°Ah yes, Scynil. Our new alien friend. What''s she like?¡± Blake asked with incredible casualness. ¡°She seems... different. Not too different if you know what I mean.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Derrick agreed. ¡°She''s a couple centuries old nomad from a now dead civilization. Specializes in auril and fighting Spore Tyrants. She likes our night sky.¡± ¡°Ah, a romantic,¡± Blake said appreciatively. ¡°And probably lonely. Anything else I should know about her... interests?¡± Spore Tyrants and ripping living things apart with her clawed feet, was what came to the axe wielding User''s mind first. Blake was clearly interest in pulling a Captain Kirk and ''going where no man has gone before. Which was perfectly normal Derrick supposed. He''d enjoyed a few fantasies about ''alien'' women himself, but the reality was probably going to be a lot more complicated. Just a few days ago, Crusaders had been true aliens, completely alien in form and function. Reality wasn''t anything like movies, it wasn''t limited by human conceptions of attraction or makeup budgets. While Scynil was female now, most of what comprised human genders and even sex itself was arbitrary and incredibly specific to humans. For all he knew, Scynil''s people had six genders or reproduced through spreading pollen. He was in no hurry to navigate that minefield. ¡°She likes long walks and camping out under the stars,¡± Derrick answered instead, face deadpan while his heart was filled with morbid glee. The easiest way to get through a minefield was just to throw bodies at it. He doubted Blake would make it far and she probably wouldn''t kill him. Blake nodded along, then frowned as yet another explosion rang out from the far side of the barricade. ¡°They''re really pressing the attack now,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe you should go take a look. I''m not sure how long they can hold them off like this.¡± ¡°I''m armed with axes,¡± Derrick replied skeptically. ¡°You know how an axe works, right?¡± ¡°At least you can throw those,¡± the blond man retorted. ¡°Only once. What go...¡± Their argument was interrupted by a new noise adding to the cacophony. Loud impacts sounding out fast and steady. Both of the pair''s eyes were drawn to the source. A window where Derrick''s second female student, the Teslaforce employee, was standing out in the open and raining bullets down on the far side of the barricade. She was using a massive gun that could only have come from Teslaforce. It was a solid looking automatic weapon, heavy enough that the wielder was carrying it at their hip. It was thicker than most weapons he''d seen in movies, with a boxy magazine and an odd ring of silver near the fore-end, just before the barrel. Despite, or maybe because of these differences, it was the most human looking weapon he''d seen so far. Derrick noticed the sound of its firing was very light, pretty much impossible to hear over the explosion of noise caused by the same bullets'' impacts. Predictably, it took just seconds before she was targeted. A Grey Legion marksman firing on her position. Less predictable, was the fact that the projectile hit an invisible shield just a foot away from her and bounced off, accomplishing nothing more than throwing off her aim for a second.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Derrick was pretty sure she lacked the skill to make shields, so that meant...
Universal Support System Implant
Teslaforce Buckler Cannon V1.2c An experimental coil weapon designed and produced by the Teslaforce company. It propels dense sabot slugs using energy stored in capacitors than can be recharged by Manna. Includes a manna focus that generates an efficient Hard Barrier in front of the User. Incapable of firing enhanced ammunition or self repair, it has a limited lifespan. Chances of the manna focus catastrophically overloading and Users finding themselves ''unarmed'' in the midst of combat now reduced to 8.4 percent!
Something told him that last part hadn''t been written by anyone at Teslaforce. Derrick grimaced, it did help explain Teslaforce''s love of robotic parts though. He was impressed however, it was a very useful weapon, one that was making a real difference. The heavy firepower combined with a decent defence was a dangerous tool. Although, Derrick suspected from the ripples caused by the impacts that the shield left the top half of her head and her feet unprotected. Derrick couldn''t help but fantasize about using one himself. It would be a lot simpler than melee combat. He could just walk around levelling whole buildings. When this was over, he was going to have a chat with his good friend Gregory about getting one. Well... the next version probably, when they shaved a couple more percentages off the catastrophic failure rate. A few more projectiles bounced off the cannon''s shield before the female User smoothly retreated out of sight, no doubt to reload and cool off, preventing ''catastrophic overload''. Well, that took care of the charging enemies. He should probably go take a closer look. Sighing and flexing his shoulder, Derrick moved into one of the buildings overlooking the active front and onto the third floor. He saw both Gregory and Kate there, shooting from windows at the enemies below. Kate flashed him a smile and Gregory gave him a nod, both of them too busy for more of a greeting. ¡°There''s still a Sentry Agent out there,¡± he warned Kate. The one they killed at the garage had been packing a slightly meaner version of the Fragment Gun. Derrick was no gun fanatic, but a longer barrel usually translated into longer range. No doubt they''d either turned people with decent marksmanship or enhanced their accuracy in some way too, the sentries did have some kind of enhanced vision. Not wanting to distract the shooters, he took a peek and immediately recognized a problem. The Legion weren''t staying down. Even on a normal day, Grey Legion minions were both tough and quick healing. Now though, they were getting up as fast as the shooting Users could put them down. Dozens of armored grey skinned Agents lay out in the street, full of bullet holes. Every so often though, one would twitch to life and need to be shot again. Only the cannon was taking them out of the fight permanently and even that needed to hit the head or chest. And these were just the least threatening of the Agents, armed with only makeshift weapons and the Legion''s signature Dirks. Another dozen armed with ranged weapons were continuing their harassment campaign, picking off Users one by one from cover. Every so often a grenade would explode, filling a window with fire and dust and silencing an alien shooter. Derrick wasn''t sure how long they could keep that up though. If they were healing as thoroughly as their melee armed friends, they were in serious trouble in the long term. The enhanced vision granted by his mask let him actually see the colorless flesh knit back together as their wounds closed. Part of Derrick began to grow afraid, his heartbeat accelerating. At the same time, another part of him raised an eyebrow. There was something familiar happening here, he just couldn''t put his finger on it. Something about the fear he was feeling, the way his heart was beating... Derrick shook his head and banished the odd anxiety. He cast a look around and found that both Gregory and Kate must be feeling the same thing. In fact, they seemed more affected than him. Their faces pale and Kate''s exposed knuckles were white as she squeezed the rifle-stock in her hands. Neither of the other Users were letting it affect the fight, but it was the first time he could remember seeing her this afraid. Even facing down Vanguard dogs or impaled by Spore tyrant stalks, she''d kept amazingly calm. And there was no reason for it to be different now that he could see. It was unfounded, they were winning. Even below, he noticed a few Users almost shrink back from the attackers. The obvious answer was some kind of auril attack and yet he couldn''t detect one. There was something, hidden behind his heartbeat... Derrick the Red, lost interest in his internal musings as the situation below changed for the worse once more. A grey spider-like construct the size of a car turned the street corner and skittered into view. Its top mounted gun at the height of the second story windows of the buildings around it, the Grey Legion''s Combat Support Drone entered the fight. Immediately, grenades flew its way. None landed, they were either dodged by the surprisingly agile monstrosity or blocked by a shimmering shield of manna. Their cannon beat away at the shield as well and shattered it after just four shots. The second it did so, a gout of flame flew towards the offending weapon. Derrick had to give the Teslaforce employee props for sheer bravery, she stood in place and fired even as flame came at her. Scoring two hits against the evading enemy and cracking the drone''s thick armor before a User created shield sprang up in the air and the fireball exploded midair, just ten feet from its target. Derrick winced as fire rained across the side of the building and droplets rained down upon the Users on the street below. Panicked screaming ensued but he''d bet no one would be actually burned too badly as long as they took immediate measures. The real damage was that the cannon was silenced, although his auril told him that was because that User was fleeing the burning building, not because she''d been killed. ¡°Drat,¡± commented Gregory, sounding annoyed, which switched to apologetic. ¡°I knew I should have brought two of those.¡± ¡°You should have brought a dozen,¡± Kate commented as the drone advanced, easily climbing over cars and rubble until it was just three dozen feet from the User manned barricade. As it moved, it gathered its fallen allies, pointy limbs whirling about as it dragged them underneath itself. Soon it was shielding a pile of grey bodies a dozen high, its smaller forelimbs darting down to inject into and cut at them. It looked to Derrick like it was making a nest from human corpses. The incoming fire was sporadic now, many Users realizing the futility of hitting the Drone with normal bullets or unnerved by its ability to answer threats with fireballs. Ya, this couldn''t be allowed to happen this way. Derrick the Red ran some mental calculations, trying to decide just how suicidal running down there would be. It did need to be done. Where the hell was Scynil? The two of them attacking together would be almost guaranteed to take out the drone at this range. That or die in a hail of bullets. Another User screamed as a wave of fragments peppered the side of a building. Shit. Soon, if that Drone finished its grim mending, they would have to give up the barricade and then they''d be fighting in the buildings where the Grey Legions lack of aim would be much less of a factor and their armor and claws would be much more of one. ¡°Got any grenades left?¡± he asked both Users in the room with him. ¡°Yes,¡± replied Kate, a worried look on her face. Different from her earlier aimless anxiety. ¡°Just one,¡± spat out the scarred man with obvious distaste. ¡°Well I have a plan,¡± Derrick replied. ¡°I..¡± ¡°It''s the same plan as the last time you fought a Combat Support Drone,¡± Kate interrupted and gave him a sour look. ¡°Isn''t it?¡± ¡°...Yes,¡± he admitted. It had not been the best plan ever, he admitted to himself. It had worked though, and it wasn''t like he had time to come up with a better one. The building they were in could be set aflame any second. ¡°I think I killed one Sentry,¡± Kate informed him. ¡°That means at least one is waiting for you to go out there with about a dozen other Agent''s as backup. They''re not stupid. They won¡¯t fall for the same plan twice.¡± ¡°Something needs to happen,¡± he replied, a hint of annoyance showing through his stoic facade. It would be great if someone else could step up and solve this little conundrum, but he wasn''t going to hold his breath. Kate didn''t immediately reply; her face was conflicted. He could see gears turning behind her eyes. Gregory swore as a large projectile missed him and slammed into the ceiling loudly. He let out a burst of fire from his rifle in return before cursing and grabbing a magazine from one of his many pockets. ¡°You are forbidden from going out there alone,¡± Kate answered seriously as burning buildings cast orange light through the broken windows. With Quantum Awareness, Derick couldn''t help but notice that she was subtly focusing on his left knee and her free hand was hovering just a little too casually near a pistol on her hip. You slept with a chick once and suddenly you weren''t allowed to go on pointless suicide missions anymore. Part of him wanted to be annoyed but the majority of himself was just nodding along with that piece of wisdom. Really, he was thankful for an excuse not to do that. ¡°I submit to your superior wisdom,¡± he said and turned to look out a window that watched over the intersection they were defending. There had to be something he could do, some tool he could use. There were trucks in the intersection, upgraded by the System. Put the cannon in one and circle around to attack from behind? Build a ramp over the barrier.... No that seemed dumb, how would they aim while moving? Plus, the vehicle would get shot out from under them. The vehicles had been upgraded by the Users that drove them here but mostly just to make them run quiet and without needing gasoline. They weren''t tanks. Why didn''t they have any tanks? The Drone was the Grey legion equivalent of a tank. Heavy vehicles were going on the list. ¡°We can''t attack or hold position,¡± he mused aloud. ¡°That just leaves one option.¡± A frankly terrible option. ¡°We fall back,¡± he finished. ¡°Try to lure the Drone forward and... we''ll need a plan for taking it down after that.¡± ¡°I have some notions.¡± Gregory offered from his perch by the window. ¡°Also, some explosives. There are all kinds of ways to use System tech to make cheap explosives.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t move any closer than it has to,¡± Kate reminded them. ¡°It can shield the Agent''s from outside the base. We''ll need to move the fight all the way outside the other side of the base or cut it off from them somehow.¡± She paused in thought. Derrick also considered the problem. Could Scynil have a way to block auril pulses? No, he had no reason to believe so. Besides, it would be affecting the fight the most by blocking heavy weapons like grenades, it couldn''t use auril to detect inanimate objects. He looked out the window and at the burning skyline. What did they have that could be used to... ¡°Smoke,¡± he and Kate said at the same time and smirked at each other. ¡°So, we let the Agents into the base. Then cut off a retreat and support from the Drone with a wall of fire and heavy smoke.¡± Gregory said, with a tone of approval. ¡°Forcing the Drone inside the base if it wants to preserve its forces. Where we will have my lovely Buckler Cannon and other surprises waiting for it.¡± ¡°Sound good to me.¡± Kate said and stepped away from the window. Now that there was a plan, she seemed more confident. Had it been just regular helplessness that had been bothering them all? The older User stood and cracked his back. Next, he moved to amble down the stairs with obvious eagerness. Under flickering light cast by burning buildings, the trio moved quickly. Soon their shouts rang out, competing with sporadic gunfire as they split up to gather Users and put their separate parts of the plan into motion. 4.15 Nemesis The Users Derrick had gathered around himself didn''t look like they needed a pep talk. They gripped their weapons with a grim casualness that spoke volumes about what they''d been up to the last week. They were not the most dangerous of Users at the base, they were lacking auril completely and only two had manna. Yet, when Derrick and Blake had called them over, they had come without complaint or hesitation. Men and women who had been stay at home moms or shopkeepers just days ago, held their frankly inadequate weapons in their hands and stood by his side, knowing how much he was asking of them and not flinching. It was... humbling and inspiring. The axe wielding User felt a speech coming on. ¡°I''m not going to lie,¡± he began. ¡°You should lie,¡± whispered Blake. Derrick ignored him. ¡°This is going to be brutal and desperate. But this shouldn''t surprise any of you. Its been that sort of week,¡± Derrick informed his allies. ¡°I can promise little, but I do swear that I won''t let any of you be taken and that this needs done. That completing this mission gives not just this city but the Earth a better chance of survival. Remember, let me and Blake take the first few and work together to keep them from surrounding us or taking anyone. Keep an ear out for the command to fall back.¡± He watched about half of them nod but it was hard to judge how inspired anyone one was behind their masks. He was sure he saw a few spines stiffen though. ¡°Keep an eye on their fallen,¡± Blake added and twirled the sword he loved so much. ¡°They don''t always stay down. Obvious, I know but it bears repeating.¡± The two of them, plus the seven other ''physical combat specialists'' assigned this mission stood and watched as dozens of colorless hands tore down the barbed wire they had set up. It was a scene that screamed ''zombie movie'', the reality was much worse than that clich¨¦ though. Zombies were dumb, weak, and less well armed than the Grey Legion Scourge. An odd quiet had fallen now that they had abandoned that barrier. The constant gunshots having stopped as neither the Users nor the Legion had a clear line of sight on the other. The only enemy they could see clearly was the massive drone; it had easily set two legs on the barrier and half climbed onto it. It had perched itself there once it had patched together as many Agents as it could, standing perfectly still as its dull grey armor reflected light from a dozen small fires. It just watched them evacuate wounded Users from the basements of the two buildings at its sides, protecting its minions that were tearing apart the barrier below it with superhuman strength and no regard for pain. Despite being the highest ranked User around and therefore in charge, Derrick''s role in the plan was both the simplest and the most dangerous; hold the line. While others got the more complicated parts of the plan completed, he would be fighting back the horde with minimal help from the gunners. Already Gregory had set up a few surprises and had moved on to getting his cannon back in the fight. The barbed wire was gone now, and the grasping hands began to turn into heads and bodies as the Agents pulled themselves over the second layer of the barrier. They rolled over it and landed heavily but not haphazardly on the concrete street below. One tall Agent with a growth of bonelike plate covering one eye looked right at them as it waited for its fellows to join it, just seventy feet from the line of Users. ¡°We se...¡± it began before a nameless User next to Derrick pulled out a Scavengers Pistol and put two bullets in its uncovered eye socket. It staggered back and fell to the ground, its death ignored by the Users and Grey Legion both. Served it right for trying to one up his speech. ¡°Nice shot,¡± Derrick said. Scavenger ammo was of course in plentiful supply. Those guns could make bullets out of rocks. ¡°Thank you,¡± The User replied from behind their mask. While impressive. It did little to stem the flow of Agents, a dozen of them had soon climbed over the defences under the still form of the Combat Support Drone. A couple more shots rang out, fired by other Users at grey forms skulking in dark windows. The gunmen had orders to stay back and prioritize gun wielding Agents and Vanguard, not the chafe. While Derrick and Blake''s group was dealing with the obvious frontal assault, Kate was tasked with dealing with the enemies attempts at cleverness and stealth. He was sure she could handle it. Just like she seemed confident that he could handle the fodder. Derrick threw a Tangler at the massing enemies, using a flare of manna to give it a speed boost. It flew out like something a professional pitcher could be proud of but just bounced off a shimmering shield that had suddenly appeared midair. The Tangler then fell to the ground, un-activated. Embarrassing. At the same time though, two real grenades flew out and hit the enemy. One was blocked by the shield and the other hit the ground, bouncing and rolling to land at the Agent''s feet. A second later it exploded, tearing two Agents to pieces and knocking over a half dozen more. Note to self, investigate the possibilities of bouncy grenades. Possibly grenades that bounce unpredictably or invisible or both. What could go wrong? He noticed that this Drone''s shield was slightly bigger than the last ones but discarded the thought as the Grey Legion began their charge. Most of their fallen had calmly rose to their feet and joined the attack, smiles on their bleeding faces. Derrick the Red began to juggle, sending his two axes spinning in front of him and back and forth between his hands. It was something he''d been working on in his free time. It was nothing fancy, just something to keep his hands busy. Gripping Venom dirks and covered in patches of bone armor, the mutated humans dashed forward with inhuman speed, even as more of them kept climbing over the barrier and falling to the street below with every passing moment. Fifty feet. Forty. Twenty. A half dozen shots were fired from pistols from close enough that they couldn''t miss. Only a few Agents actually fell, a tiny fraction of the attackers. Ten feet, just out of reach now. Seconds away from violence. Lash. Still juggling, Derrick flooded himself with the powerful drug, he probably wasn''t the only one. All Fighters had access to the life saving drug and this was as good a time to use it as any. No point in holding back, Derrick thought as the world slowed down. He spotted the toughest-looking Agent, a large one that''s body was almost a third covered in armor and had already absorbed at least one pistol shot without slowing. Derrick smoothly transitioned from juggling to throwing, the axe in his left hand burying itself deep in the thigh of his chosen target. The thrown weapon hit hard enough to hide half its blade in flesh and bone, knocking the colorless killer''s feet right out from under it. Derick lost track of what happened to it next. Two Agents smoothly moved to attack him and blocked his line of sight. He stepped forward to meet a descending Venom Dirk, a knife already replacing the thrown axe in his off hand. He didn''t dare to use manna powered strikes in the chaos of the melee, so his first axe blow was easily blocked. That was fine, one of the fun things about using an axe was that the lower part was basically a hook. Derrick the Red caught and pulled on the defender¡¯s weapon just as it stepped forward, causing it to stumble further forward, right into a knife at eye level. It always surprised him, the different levels of skill between Agents. They only had the skills they had when they were turned. Some were more than a match for him but most... most were just a distraction. One down. His enhanced reactions let him dodge to the side, avoiding strikes from two more aggressive Agents. The leader of the defending Users blocked their next round of strikes and managed to draw blood with a quick counterattack. The shallow arm wound closed before his eyes though. Fighting two at once was hard The enemy began to push the defensive line back, the weight of more and more Agents attacking together overpowering the Users. A quick glance revealed the blood splattered Users were struggling now that the enemy had pushed into knife fight range. Fine then, he would get serious. He blocked an Agent''s dirk strike before grabbing it by the shoulder and brought their foreheads crashing together. There was a sickening crunch as bone shattered like glass beneath his powerful headbutt, the Agent''s skeleton weakened by the auril he injected into it. He moved to shield himself behind his victim but that somewhat clumsy attack caused him to get nicked by a Venom Dirk, forcing him to spend more auril to fight off the resulting weakness. The fight had been going on for just a few minutes and Derrick had lost count of how many Agents he''d fought since it started. Already, he was down to two knives. One of which had sentimental value. Tired and low on auril, he stepped back and was given a short rest by a manna propelled sword blade severing his latest attacker''s arm. A second later it appeared in the same Agent''s throat before being ripped to the side in a shower of colorless gore. Blake was doing much better than Derrick when it came to pure kills. If only because Derrick was holding the line and giving him the distance he needed to pick his targets. The other User''s sword was filling the gaps Derrick created with murderous efficiency, severing limbs and digits with deliberate brutality. The blond Userhad obviously been practising using manna to propel his attacks, achieving a grace with the weapon that Derrick couldn''t begin to match. In fact, the difference was so large it must be at least part raw talent.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. He guessed that he would need to practice more. When another weapon came at him, Derrick batted it aside and landed a manna fuelled punch to a grinning face. It collapsed backwards, but its spot was immediately taken by two more enemies. Derrick killed these as well, he didn''t really remember how though. It all kind of blurred together. His limbs were becoming heavy and his breath ragged, despite his enhanced endurance. He had to be careful not to trip over the corpses that lay on the street. And yet, the number of enemies hadn''t seemed to decrease at all. His vision was blocked by new attackers every time one went down. At some point he''d seen one of his allies about to be dragged away and so had thrown his axe, leaving himself unarmed. Moments later, he was pummelling an agent to death with his armored fists. The next, he was stomping on a crawling Agent that had stabbed him in the foot, auril boiling out of his descending limb to turn his victim''s bones to porcelain. New Title Earned: Multi Killer II He moved with grim determination. At this point he was bleeding a lot and was armed with only a Venom Dirk. Where¡¯d he gotten it from, he had no idea. He looked for a target to use it on and came up blank. Agent''s were around, especially underfoot, but the upright and active ones seemed to be avoiding him. He took a few deep breaths, noticing that his ribs really hurt as he did so. It didn''t remember getting hit there, had he been shot? Oh right, the plan. There was definitely enough Agents in the base now. ¡°Fall back!¡± he shouted, or rather he tried to. He began to choke instead, his throat rebelling. A second later, Blake repeated his command and the Users all disengaged and fled back a good twenty feet. This was the signal for Gregory. The barrier should explode any... With a deafening boom, a dozen cars burst into flame, catching the Drone that was sitting on them by surprise. It reeled back and out of sight, fleeing the roaring flames. Ha, a taste of its own medicine. Derrick''s allies exploited that moment, pistols and grenades cutting through the ranks of enemies in front of them. They got at least half of the remaining enemies in just seconds. Derrick stepped forward to finish the job, keeping an eye out for the Drone. It all depended on what it did next. Would it retreat, abandoning its allies or would it stride through the flames and attack? The Users then charged back in behind him, putting down wounded and entangled Agents. At his feet, a half dozen corpses lay still, the remnants of his auril attacks still eating them from the inside. Huh, that was kinda weird, he realized as he stood panting, his Shattering Strikes should have faded by now. The only reason they wouldn''t have was that the bodies contained auril for them to feed on. But the corpses had no cores and therefore no aurilin. He frowned. Someone is breaking the rules, he thought. From the corner of his eye he spotted something that belonged to him, one of his axes, embedded in grey flesh with the handle pointed up in the air. He pulled it free and gave it a couple swings, sending droplets of grey liquid through the smoky night air. He also grabbed two more Venom Dirks from the blood-spattered ground. He had just finished pocketing them when the Combat Support Drone burst through the fire, its thin limbs carrying it above the worst of the flames. It immediately expelled a blast of its own flame, aiming at one of the buildings behind Derrick, where the rest of the Users were exchanging fire with the Legion''s remaining skirmishers. It was blocked well before it hit, accomplishing nothing but setting two Grey Legion casualties aflame. It looked like the plan was still on then. ¡°Retreat!¡± he yelled, this time without any problems. The tired and bloody Users immediately began to run and hobble back to the remaining User held buildings. Most of them were still on their feet but Derrick saw three Users being carried to safety by their allies. He heard impacts and screams as bullets were sent to slow them down. Two Users, one who had been carrying the other, dropped. They were immediately hauled away by their allies, falling back to pick them up. The towering Drone charged forward, its six legs were blurs as it skittered around fire and rubble. It reached the battlefield and stopped above the dozens of grey bodies and reached down to grab one. Which was when the explosives carefully planted among the fallen enemies exploded. As a resounding boom filled the air, bodies disintegrated under the force of the Teslaforce produced bombs hidden beneath them. No alien technology required for these, just a remotely detonated explosive like all militaries used before the Scourges showed up. In one explosion of gore, the Drone lost its front limbs and ability to heal. Not to mention two of its larger legs. It seemed stunned and Derrick considered doing an about face and attacking it. He quickly decided against that plan. It could still shoot fire and he would just get in the way. The Buckler Cannon began pummelling the wounded Drone, the force of its projectiles cracking armor and causing the Drone to shudder. A shield sprang into existence but was soon hammered back into non-existence. A dozen hits pierced it before it fell but it did fall, collapsing in the middle of the intersection. Derrick was inside now and running up a flight of stairs. He got to the top where both the Buckler Cannon and Kate were. Both were still firing, now at buildings outside the base where Grey Legion had been firing on them, they were retreating now though. ¡°Any sign of the Vanguard? He asked. That and the Sentry was the last of the Grey Legion''s trump cards. ¡°It''s been seen and hit,¡± Kate replied grimly. ¡°Haven''t been able to pin it down.¡± Grim? Why was she... Derrick cast a look around at the faces of the Users around him. None were celebrating. None were even relieved, which he found odd. They''d basically won at this point. Sure, it had been a hard fight and they''d lost people, but they''d still won and the Users should be used to losses at this point. Morale was still shit though. ¡°What''s going on?¡± he asked Kate, causing her to frown at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked him right back. ¡°You seem worried,¡± he answered. ¡°Am I missing something or is this fight not mostly over?¡± Kate''s frown grew deeper, at the same time a hint of surprise showed in her eyes. ¡°I don''t know,¡± she said. ¡°Something just feels off.¡± Something did feel off. The unease was palpable in the air. He could feel it, quickening his heartbeat and taste it in the air despite the mask he was wearing. Something bitter that overpowered even the smoke and stench of blood that must be filling the air for miles around. It was pure instinct, he realized, some strange part of his brain was screaming at him. There''s something here it was telling him, something hungry is watching you. It felt familiar, why? Shit. Derrick turned in place and sprinted down to the intersection. He leaped over corpses and craters until he was in front of the Drone. He stared at the car sized monstrosity and took off his glove, placing his unarmored palm on the surface of the Drone. Shit. Shit. Shit. It was dead but still had auril in it. The fucking thing was healing, if that was the right word. It might be hours till it could even move but it shouldn''t be doing anything, it was a corpse. He looked down at his feet, at the dozens of turned humans and the color drained from his face. They were all corpses, but they were all healing. Which was bad enough by itself, but his gut was telling him they weren''t doing this to themselves. Something was somehow shoving auril into the corpses, something that set the teeth of every User here on edge just by being nearby. Derrick looked around at the burning buildings and dark streets that surrounded their trashed base. Where the fuck was Scynil? It seemed to bother the others less then him for some reason too. While they seemed affected, he couldn''t shake the sensation of fingers running down his spine. Was it his Quantum Awareness? No, didn''t feel like it. In fact, it seemed to be bypassing that thin layer of sensitive auril. That''s what made it so hard to detect. A faint but steady flow of auril was flowing into him, subtly joining his own auril flows. His auril Style, the Red Law. A style based on parts stolen from Grey Legion Vanguard. All of a sudden Derrick realized he was standing out in the open by himself. Swearing, he sprinted back to the others, past resting Users who gave him concerned looks. He got upstairs and shushed Kate, who tried to question him. She frowned at him, but tough; this was important. Once he was positioned safely, he began to pulse auril. He strained to send it as far as possible and get as much detail from it as he could. He found nothing though. He kept at it. Minutes flew by with him standing perfectly still, ignoring everyone around him. It was almost impossible to sense Sentries at any range and whatever he was hunting seemed to have the same cloaking ability. In fact, the reason they never found that last Sentry Scynil had felt was because there wasn''t one. It had been whatever this thing was. He tried to track the hidden enemy by the auril it was accidentally gifting him. Nothing. Nothing. Noth... the slightest of distortions. Nothing you''d notice unless you were hunting for it. His eyes flew open and striding to a window, he locked his gaze on one of the buildings they''d abandoned just minutes ago, one next to the barrier they''d set on fire. So close. How confident this thing was in its ability to hide from them. He turned to the auril using woman who was wielding the Buckler Cannon. ¡°Nuke that building,¡± he ordered everyone within earshot with deadly seriousness. ¡°It needs to be levelled ten minutes ago. Every grenade we have all at once. Then shoot the rubble. Leave not one stone standing upon another.¡± Gregory trained his people well. Or perhaps it was the sense of unease that filled the air. Either way, no one questioned him, they just jumped to it. Soon, every grenade launcher they had was gathered up. The woman aimed her gun at the building at the same time that three grenade launchers fired into three different windows. They didn''t stop at one round of fire, repeating the process until the top of the already damaged and aflame building collapsed and buried half the first floor as well. Everyone was watching the building now and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Derrick''s enhanced vision let him see a weak silver light flicker into life inside the ruined building. Then something moved inside, a shadow that seemed to carry the light source with it. A big shadow, bigger than any Agent he''d seen so far. A sound exploded out from the blasted shell of a building, halfway between a cough and a scream. It sounded, Derrick the Red thought, more amused than in pain. Long clawed fingers reached out of the building and sunk into the brick bordering the window. One, two, three hands grabbed the window edge and pulled a thin body into sight. It stood a good seven feet tall and had four arms in total, the fourth was holding a motionless purple and green form over its thin shoulder. Despite its thin frame, the creature carried the larger Scynil without seeming burdened. An eyeless head looked right at Derrick and smiled inhumanly wide with a protruding mouth that belonged more on a snake than a person. Tall and inhumanly thin, it was clearly Grey Legion, every inch of flesh covered in interlocking plates of grey armor. From its head and shoulders grew short spiralling horns that pointed mostly upwards. The ones on its head grew from the space usually occupied by human eyes, forming an almost crown-like ring of growth on its brow. Above that, floating in midair was a ring of silver light, three feet across and constantly in motion, like static on an old TV set. The light from this halo was weak but seemed to drain the color from the night around it, despite the still burning flames in the surroundings. These features and the creatures casual grace and strength lent it an almost regal bearing. It fearlessly glided forward and dropped Scynil in the middle of the intersection, letting her fall at its clawed feet. It then stepped away from her. She looked perfectly healthy to Derrick, which actually worried him more than obvious wounds would. Warning: Unknown entity discovered. Mission threat re-evaluation. Evacuation suggested. ¡°Fear not. We come to deliver praise. You are seen and will not be forsaken,¡± it choked out. Its fang filled mouth seemingly having trouble saying the words. No one said anything. ¡°Shun the Secret-Eater, turn from its fearful followers. Become shadowless and saved,¡± it hissed and took another step towards the Users. It had no eyes and yet seemed to be staring right at Derrick. It raised one of it hands to the sky without taking its gaze off the Users, as if it was reaching for something invisible and familiar. Then, it closed its hand in a sudden movement. Warning: Manna network compromised. Implant isolated from Network. Mission threat re-evaluation. Evacuation suggested. ¡°Shoot it,¡± Derrick ordered. Interlude: Priorities USS: Earth Scourge Anomaly Report 73 TyrantSporeGreaterNode:Captured Warden:Scynil Assigned to TyrantSporeGreaterNode:Captured Scourge:GreyLegion engaged by Crusader:Scynil Contact with Crusader:Scynil lost UNKNOWN Scourge Entity Discovered Analyzing.... Foreign resource Injected to Planet:Earth through Method:Unknown MannaNetwork:Compromised MissionThreat:Unknown/Escalating Further Predictions:Impossible Summoning Authorities... Two responses. Two Authorities engaged in priority tasks. Reprioritizing... Summoning Authorities... All Authorities present. Delivering Incident report. Commencing USS Earth Council #21 Hand on the Scales (Surprised Interest): Ah... something is contesting an Enclave''s Fold Web? Lines are being severed across the area''s relative space by odd fluctuations faster than they can connect. Troubling, communications and User manna hub abilities will suffer. Gazers Grin (Pale Bewildered Scrutiny): And System wants us to... classify this threat? Puzzling, why does it need our aid when it is the source of all our information on this creature. I am in the process of exterminating a Rebel Instrument contamination, not the kind of thing you want to do distracted. If even one infected node survives, it could plague us for decades. Merciful Heavens(Alarmed Confusion): Such high chaos in this Enclave. A Warden both dispatched and lost so soon... Is it even possible to cut off a piece of System network? It That Rewards Savagery (Fanged Yawning Exhalation): Clearly it is. Hmmmmm. I''ve seen it done by Feral Artisans, but this is not the work of that alien breed. Both the methods and reasoning are very different. Gazers Grin (Bewildered Scrutiny): Oh, a familiar face. This report is interesting reading... pardon my slowness, I''m gaining access to information that the system had put beyond my Authority. I had no inkling of any of these local events. Derrick the Red, how fitting. Your work senior? It That Rewards Savagery (Feral Grin): Yes, a great jest. He has been an amusing and rewarding subject of my... research. Rare is the neophyte User that catches the notice of three Authorities at three different times. Hand on the Scales (Distracted): Four, I briefly and indirectly became aware of him myself while working toward my primary task. What is a Dungeon? The System informs me one is in the contested area. Merciful Heavens(Alarmed Confusion): A complication this world does not need. It That Rewards Savagery (Feral Grin): A god, bound and broken. Chained beneath the Earth so that we may suck the marrow from its bones and drink the truth of its blood. A good omen of things to come. Gazers Grin (Strained Patience): It''s an auril farm. Produced by the only creatures that can make it. They are very rare, requiring a rare form of Node, luck and an even rarer set of skills. So, it is no surprise you have not heard of them. Last I checked, about a century ago, there were only fifty-two in existence and all of those were created by worlds on the cusp of victory over Scourge infestations. Created by Wardens sent to those worlds for just that purpose. Why was a Warden even among the first wave of Crusader''s sent to this world? It That Rewards Savagery (Eye Rolling): She is level 3.9. Amusingly, she seeks glory and advancement beyond the roles currently offered to her. It does not seem like she has found much glory. Hand on the Scales (Enlightenment): Ah, so this is why we were summoned, because of the attack on the soon to be Dungeon. Merciful Heavens(Alarmed Confusion): If the area cannot hold, perhaps it is best if we abandon it. This world is hardly civilized enough for access to such a potent resource, especially considering their unfortunate auril sensitivity. Gazers Grin (Disbelief): This Grey Legion attack is not a coincidence. You believe they brought a powerful and undiscovered manna using soldier of unknown capabilities to attack this resource just as it was created by accident? No, they aren''t here to destroy it. They are stealing it. Which is troublesome on many levels. Hand on the Scales (Enlightenment): Not the least of which is, how did they know about it? Either they have auril capabilities far beyond what we''ve seen so far, or they have infiltrated the System itself. I have detected no sign of the later. None. It That Rewards Savagery (Hungry Focus): That doesn''t make it impossible. They are showing their hand. Revealing capabilities we had no clue existed. They must have hidden this from us for centuries, only to reveal it now. Why? Gazers Grin (Musing): From the beginning, the Legion have shown an atypical and inefficient dedication of resources to the capture of this world. Throwing away resources is one thing, revealing secrets is another. They want this world badly. Odd, beyond the dominant sentient''s auril sensitivity and a diverse and rugged biosphere, there is nothing interesting or valuable about this world.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Merciful Heavens(Sullen Contemplation): If this new form of the Legion can indeed take a dungeon from us. How did they get it here so fast? Such a specialist could not have been manufactured in under seven local days unless they utilized a system like our own Crusaders. Even then, it defies credibility that it just happened to be in exactly the right place to make a play for the Dungeon. It is coincidence enough that we had such an asset in place, the Legion as well? No, it was sent. It That Rewards Savagery (Hungry Focus): Has there been any Injections into the local area recently? Merciful Heavens(Incredulous): You can''t be suggesting they Injected it directly and precisely from outside the solar system, that defies... Gazers Grin (Grim Certainty): Yes. One Injection, just two point three hours ago and three miles away, confirmed Grey Legion signature, though with a number of irregularities. Hand on the Scales (Neutral): Confirmed. It That Rewards Savagery (Hungry Focus): Irregularities like the Injection being larger and far more precise than should be possible for a source light years away? Hand on the Scales (Neutral): Just irregularities. I lack the data to say more. Merciful Heavens(Incredulous): They cannot have such a capability. To suggest that their technology surpasses the System''s so completely is madness. The System has refined itself over countless ages, it touches the limit of understanding. Gazers Grin (Grim Certainty): So, this is what? An elaborate deception? To suggest that is greater madness. It That Rewards Savagery (Consideration): You are both correct. If this Scourge possesses such an ability is must have heavy restrictions. The ability to bend the rules of Injection is not unheard of, all Crusaders have achieved this to some degree. It is an ability even the System cannot duplicate and why Crusaders exist. Which suggests it is this creature''s own mastery of manna that has brought it here. We are probably looking at the secret behind the Grey Legion''s fast expansion. A rare and powerful resource. Gazers Grin (Engaged): That would be outside even extreme projections of manna manipulation. It would at least require preparations planet-side. Meaning that its Injection point must be at the local Grey Legion base. Revealing their most well-hidden nest and what must be one of their greatest assets? Merciful Heavens(Incredulous): Or we have simply caught them off guard. They clearly didn''t mean to reveal themselves. Gazer''s Grin, do you still have examples of the native¡¯s arsenal available? Gazers Grin (Smugly Amused): Yes, a few saved for emergency, and I think I understand what you are implying. I will decline though, unless ordered by the System. You forget our purpose, oh merciful one. We are not here to remove threats to other System worlds at the expense of the natives. Hand on the Scales (Neutral): Seniors, we can not be sure such an attack would work. I doubt the Legion is unaware of how tempting a target this makes them. We have to assume they will have contingencies and counters in place. Indeed, bringing down our network may have been to cover its retreat. Gazers Grin (Engaged): We could send a scouting force using simple short ranged communications. It That Rewards Savagery (Command): Of course, ready your stolen weapons as well. We need not strike impatiently; we will slither and watch. If the network remains disrupted or the drones reveal a poor outcome, we will bare our sharpest fangs at this new threat. Ending this unknown is worth the loss of the Dungeons defenders or even a single Enclave. The Dungeon itself will likely survive anything you throw at the surface. It would be best if you tried to limit damage to it though, lest its prisoner escape. Gazers Grin (Stalks Bowing): Of course. I will add that it is important that we do this without aggravating the System by failing either the spirit or word of its laws. It has already made its displeasure known and will have many eyes turned our way. Hand on the Scales (Formal Agreement): Agreed, and while we¡¯re gathered, I would take this opportunity to beg knowledge from my seniors. My first question is about Disciples. I have chosen one, simply a User who was in the right place to help my work. It is an interesting change in perspective from an Authority¡¯s usual interactions. ITRS is clearly in the process of choosing his own, have any other Disciples been chosen? And why? Merciful Heavens(Warmth): I have chosen three. The First is a member of the Velorie Undercast I will be guiding to help integrate with the natives. Two are competent administrators working to preserve the native civilization. Each has displayed leadership, a respect for order, and compassion. Traits I hope will guide this world to victory a place in the System. Gazers Grin (Amused Disdain): All with a complete lack of auril sensitivity I''m sure. Merciful Heavens(Cool Disregard): You would be incorrect. I have taken my reprimand to heart. I understand that trying to stamp out that affliction will only seal this world''s fate. As distasteful as I find them, auril sensitives are nothing compared to what the Scourges will make of this world. One of my chosen does in fact have talents in that area. What of you? What guidance do you offer the natives? Gazer''s Grin (Smug): None. I care nothing for imposing rules on others or the shaping of civilizations. Let them be guided by their own vision. Hand on the Scales (Polite Puzzlement): You have taken no Disciples? You seemed enthusiastic about the option earlier. Gazer''s Grin (Smug): I did not say that. I have, in fact chosen a dozen disciples from all across this planet. One, who is in fact in area we were just discussing. I have simply chosen my Disciples for their vision and knowledge. They will need no guidance from me, instead I will whisper secrets in their tiny and near deaf ears. Merciful Heavens(Cool Disregard): Splinter-minds. A dangerous gift for such a simple people, a people who find themselves enmeshed in such chaos. That gift of the System has always led to... volatility among those so gifted. Gazer''s Grin (Preening): Hardly simple. Some of what they created before the Scourges is inspired, I would know, I have infiltrated and pilfered their civilization''s records completely. You judge them simple because you have been looking down on their ruins. The splinter-minds will inspire them and preserve the spark of scientific passion some of them have. Hand on the Scales (Formal Agreement): Their world does appear more primitive than records suggest they really were. The robust nature of the biosphere, many discordant political groups and plus the high speed of their development gives their civilization a veneer of savagery. It That Rewards Savagery (Yawning): They were both those and many other things too. If your questions are answered, I believe we are done here. End Report 4.16 Nemesis II The first cannon shot slammed into the creature, sending it stumbling backwards. At the same time, a dozen other bullets filled the air, hitting it with much less effect. Derrick could see a familiar haze pop into existence as the hits impacted, protecting it. Not a single crack was visible in the creature''s smooth grey carapace after the barrage. He imagined it was doing exactly the same thing he did with his gauntlets. Transferring kinetic energy. That was fine, it must cost the creature to block each bullet and he was fine with just peppering it for hours if that''s what it took. No that he thought it would anything like that easy. He could still feel the aura of unease that the creature was emitting. Spur, Derrick thought and felt the drug take effect. If this fight was going to last more than a few minutes, his tired limbs might fail. He''d been fighting for a while now and the side effects of the endurance enhancing drugs were mild compared to whatever the Grey Legion would do to him. The second cannon shot was less effective, hitting the creature and deflecting off instead. The creature began to sway, its four arms dropping down to its sides and its eyeless face still watching them. The third shot barely hit it, deflected by a perfectly timed torso twist and a shimmer of conjured force. Now it wasn''t bothering to block normal bullets with manna. It seemed to have discovered they couldn''t hurt it. Which was when Kate tried to put something a little meaner through its throat. The creature seemed completely oblivious to the strike until the last second, when one of its four hands blurred and reappeared at its throat. There was a muffled hiss and a clawed fist opened to show it holding a pristine bullet between two fingers. The monster smiled up at Kate and Derrick felt alarm bells ring in his mind. Both his auril and the creatures smug look told him what was going to happen next. Derrick reached out towards Kate, clumsily blocking the bullet the creature had sent back at her, right at her throat. As attacks went, it was actually weak, nothing but a normal gunshot. Which made something very clear, they were not being taken seriously. ¡°Did you hear my scream in the storm? Did you profit from purloined purpose?¡± their attacker rasped, and Derrick felt his auril subtly twist. Nothing damaging, just a shiver down his spine. Ya, it could only be talking about one person, him. As soon as it finished its little speech, the Grey Legion monstrosity flinched as the next round hit it on the thigh. Their gunner changing targets and timing, catching it by surprise. This time it looked like it might even lose its balance before it caught itself. The silver halo above its head faded away, reappearing around one of the Legion thing''s wrists. Derrick felt the strange auril influence fade, which brought him no comfort. Moving with inhuman speed, it pointed a glowing finger toward its attacker. Derrick saw the gunner ready her next shot, when the shield attached to her gun flared to life and she flinched, falling to one knee with a pained screech. There had been no visible projectile, but the barrel of her weapon touched the floor as the large woman used one hand to stop herself from collapsing completely. She tried to stand but her muscles were clearly not under her own control. She succeeded only in almost falling over as shudders and twitches ran through her. ¡°You''ve all heard it. Contempt received and returned,¡± the legion monster continued, its harsh voice oddly casual. Like a kindly stranger casually choking on their own blood. ¡°What treasures you all are.¡± Now what the hell had that attack been? An auril pulse revealed exactly what was wrong with the woman, her auril was in chaos, most of it seemingly having been ripped out her body. An auril attack obviously. One completely unlike his own or any he''d seen before. That silver halo was clearly a manna technique, which meant it was using manna to move auril. Interesting, he wouldn¡¯t have thought that was possible. It seemed like the large floating halo was for widescale control and supporting allies, while the smaller ones around its wrists were for what was basically an auril gun. Silver light once more flickered to life above the creature and it began to step forward. Moving slowly even as a few bullets hit it, as if it wasn''t in any hurry. Kate ripped the Buckler Cannon from the downed woman and pointed it back at the advancing enemy. Derrick respected her bravery but knew how this was going to end. He peered down, the creature was just twelve feet below them and twenty feet away. He didn''t think second story windows were its secret weakness. It was going to be on them soon enough. Just for fun, he estimated his chances for survival if he ran away. In the short term, they were poor. It was a safe bet this thing could and would run him down. It seemed to be interested in him. The long term was just as bad. The ''Enclave'' was still reeling from the last Spore Tyrant attack. If they lost all the users here with this thing running around? Ya, Westhill would probably fail. Maybe not quickly but Scourge attacks didn''t seem to be slowing down. The chances of him, or anyone, surviving some kind of exodus to the nearest safe zone was small. Just as Kate fired the cannon, he jumped down to the street, timing it so he landed while the creature was distracted. He heard Kate fire, the hit sounding like the first and punishing the centre of their four-armed opponent''s chest. The blow knocked it back a couple of steps. No, it had backed up on purpose. It was standing above Scynil now, and ducking down, it grabbed her and held her up with both its left arms. It was kind of surreal, seeing the skinny arms effortlessly lift the Crusader off the ground and hold her up. Scynil had to weigh more than her kidnapper, they were about the same height, but they had opposite body types. Oh great, a human... hybrid shield. Would Kate shoot through her? He had no idea. Could she shoot through her? How tough was the large Hybrid anyway? Also, no idea. Then, Derrick caught a flash of something small and grey attached to the hybrid. Interesting. ¡°What is half of what makes a person worth? There are so many ways to betray yourselves,¡± it said. This time though, it was looking at Kate, a halo encircled hand raised in her direction. No shot was fired by Kate. Either she was hesitating, or she needed to reload. Derrick immediately moved towards the creature, hoping to distract it. Instead the creature stepped back and kept its hand pointed at the cannon, ignoring him. A scream from behind told him that his advance hadn''t helped. His eyes narrowed in anger. If this thing had done any permanent... Ugh, head in the fight Derrick. Only an idiot would get worked up. ¡°Keep your creepy alien date-rape powers away from my cousin,¡± came an angry voice from behind Derrick, accompanied by the sound of air being cut. A moment later Blake, sword in hand, stepped up beside him. Which was a relief but probably not going to stop them from losing this fight badly. Blake could hit hard but was a lot more fragile than him. Not to mention he had no auril to protect him. An auril User as strong as this thing could probably disable the sword wielder with a thought. He guessed that was just another reason for him to take point, he at least could tank one of those attacks. Derrick charged. Surprisingly, his opponent didn''t drop its living shield, just swung her away from the attackers, keeping its body between them. The move seemed almost protective, Derrick noted as he planned the best way to chop the fucker up. He supposed she was quite the prize to the Grey Legion. The first couple of blows were surprisingly successful. Oh, he didn''t do any damage, but he''d half expected to be slapped down immediately. Instead the Legion boss''s armored and clawed hands deftly blocked the strikes by redirecting them and it took a step back. Meanwhile, Blake had circled around to take a stab at the creature. Blake''s strike was fast enough his target had to lean back to avoid getting hit. Then, it smashed his second strike aside, overpowering Blake''s manna with it own. It made a grab for the blade but was forced to abort again when Derrick sent an axe cutting down at the grasping limb. His manna empowered blow made contact, but the arm avoided being cut by its joint bending in a very inhuman manner. Still, there was a groove where he''d hit. He''d scratched it. Letting the creature keep its distance, he eyed the scratch skeptically. That had been only a partial dodge, he''d still hit it pretty hard. It seemed like he would need to land a perfect blow to hurt this thing meaningfully. Hmmm, it would be better to switch strategies. If he couldn''t use manna to hurt it, how about auril? The problem was that there was no way he was going to be able to touch it with his hands. So, he would need to send auril through his axes. Which was something he was technically capable of doing. Derrick was just about to attack again when he saw someone with a large object tucked under one arm run into the street and jump into the back of a pickup truck. It was Gregory, the older User ducked out of sight, ignoring the fight going on just seventy feet away from him.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. There was a pause in the fight, even the Grey Legion monstrosity seemed to be watching Gregory through the back of its head. Huh. Derrick waited for something to happen, but nothing did, so he decided to ignore whatever the other User was up too. Waiting would be an invitation for the enemy to try and use its ranged abilities again. Gathering and forming auril, he stepped forward and attacked. His attack was dodged, which threw him off balance. He was worried that he''d wasted the auril he''d gathered when the creature leaned forward and grabbed his wrist before he could react. Fuck. This was bad. It was probably going to drag him forward and end the fight instantly because of his stupid overconfidence and distraction. It was stronger than him and he felt his back-foot lift off the ground. At the same time, he had a very good view of the creatures grinning mouth, needle-like teeth and long, thick tongue. He tried to stab at the offending hand, but his strike was batted away. He felt the alien''s powerful auril touch his own and hissed at the strange resonance he felt in that moment. Then, like water flowing downhill, the auril he''d gathered flooded into his attacker, causing it to release him and jump back as if it had been burned. Following the path of least resistance, the Splintering Strike invaded his attacker''s hand and caused its mouth to turn downwards for the first time, no doubt confused and pained by Derrick¡¯s unique attack. As second later, Blake''s blade descended and took three grey fingers from the retreating hand. The weakened digits unable to stop the blade. ¡°Nice hit,¡± said Derrick appreciatively. First blood was surprisingly theirs. ¡°Of course,¡± Blake said seriously. ¡°I was aiming for the wrist,¡± he admitted a second later. ¡°Creepy bastard is fast. You did something to its armor with auril?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± Derrick replied, his eyes not leaving his enemy. ¡°Weakens armor and prevents reinforcement. The effect lingers for a few seconds, so try to hit places where I¡¯ve weakened it. Just don''t let it touch you, one touch is probably all it needs.¡± The two of them warily watched their wounded foe. It returned the look, as much as something without eyes could anyway. What would it do now? Its finger stumps weren''t bleeding beyond an initial spray of gore, but it was still first blood for them. ¡°Weigh salvation against courage,¡± It told them as it shook its wounded hand. ¡°Excellence has a price.¡± Apparently, it was asking them to give up? Not likely. He was going to take more than a few fingers from this thing before the scales were anywhere near equal for all the shit the Legion had thrown at them. The silver halo shuddered and disappeared, just as the grey bastard raise one hand. ¡°Oh, no you don''t,¡± Derrick announced and went in swinging, channelling his new auril strike this time, Sapping Strike. It should slow the creature down some and mixing up his attacks might prevent the grey bastard from adapting to his abilities. He tried to push auril through his axes as he attacked. It was harder, especially the timing of it. A second off and the attacks fizzled, it was like pushing water uphill. Sometimes it just failed, no doubt because his target was shielding itself with manna. He managed to send a couple of weak blasts of infectious auril into their opponent and Blake managed to leave a deep gash in a shoulder. In return, the creature landed a ringing blow his head, one hard enough to stun him for a second and also managing to dig a row of deep cuts into his unprotected forearm. Learning from before, it was using manna to shield itself from his auril. It was a good thing the things claws weren''t anywhere near as large as a Vanguard''s. They were only impressive compared to a human. Getting into the rhythm of it, Derrick lunged forward to attack and... was sent reeling back as something big hit him from nowhere. Something that smelled like grass and earthy spices? Shocked and knocked onto his back foot, he realized what had happened. He''d been hit with Scynil. First, she was a prize, then a shield, and now she was regulated to living club. From the corner of his eye, he saw Blake grimace. ¡°What now? That was kind of funny, but if it''s going to bash us with her, it''s going to be hard to avoid hurting her.¡± Derrick considered. ¡°If you drop her, we''ll let you retreat,¡± he offered the Grey Legion boss and got no reaction from the creature at all. It just stood there, holding Sycnil off the ground with two hands. He considered trying to create some kind of energizing strike to wake her up, but no, this wasn''t the time for that kind of experimentation. Besides he had no idea what was keeping her unconscious. Actually, he realized, that wasn''t quite true. ¡°She''s a big girl,¡± said Derrick, answering Blake''s question. ¡°She should be tougher than me anyway. No need to hold back.¡± Blake nodded and shifted the grip on his blade, readying himself to follow Derrick. Now that the creature was taking them more seriously, things had gotten a lot harder. It ruthlessly exploited any hesitation to hit Scynil on their part. Which despite his best efforts, he was doing. It was hard to swing an axe at someone who was your ally. They weren''t exactly scalpels. After a couple seconds of being on the losing side, Derrick spotted his target, the grey spot on Scynils otherwise colorful body. That had to be what was keeping her unconscious, probably working like Venom Dirks did. When her body was thrown in front of one of his blows, he changed targets to the colorless spot on her neck and drove the blade right into it. Normally, that would have been an instant death. Scynil had two things going for her though, her Crusader toughness and Esthisium weapons ability to dull themselves. The axe blade cut a about an inch into her neck and his target was severed, the end falling off and leaving a spike of unknown length buried in her flesh. He noticed that the Crusader¡¯s blood was as red as his own. ¡°Ha,¡± Derrick the Red said with a grin. ¡°Not everything has to be grey you...¡± He was interrupted by his enemy¡¯s foot lashing out, catching Derrick by surprise with a kick that almost smashed his knee in. Only an instinctive flinch saved it from being destroyed. The pain was enough that he staggered back instead of retreating swiftly, putting himself at risk. Blake moved in to cover him, sword raised, and got a Crusader thrown at him with inhuman force. He was sent sprawling backwards, awkwardly trying to avoid stabbing her and unable to throw the heavy hybrid off himself easily. Shit. With having all four hands free, he was in for a much harder fight now. He backpedalled but his knee slowed him down, despite the auril he was sending into it. It refused to carry his weight and so the Grey Legion monster was on him in seconds. One grey hand snaked out and grabbed his left, preventing him from retreating. Next, the Legion monster raised another hand to be about level with the captured User''s face. Its open hand shot towards his face, a grey blur. There was a familiar thud sound and once more, the Grey Legion boss was robbed of its victory. Derrick felt the blow through the creature, it shuddered as a projectile from the Buckler Cannon went right through its carapace and into its shoulder. Only the second real injury they''d inflicted on it so far. ¡°Keep your hands to yourself,¡± called out a female voice from above. So this was the power of love, thought Derrick as he took the precious seconds Kate had delivered to escape from horrible death. He looked and saw Blake about to throw Scynil to the ground and move to help him, abandoning her. ¡°Take her!¡± he yelled at him and moved to cover his retreat. If they dropped her at this point, they would be right back where they started. If Kate was covering them, he might be able to hold it off. ¡°Fire in the hole!¡± a male voice screamed out. Gregory had finished whatever he had been up to. Which seemed to be another cannon, this one very different from the first. It had cable running to both the System Station and the truck where Derrick had last seen him. It also showed its improvised nature, with different bits and exposed mechanisms showing. Whatever he was holding, Derick didn''t want to get hit by it. He dove to the ground as the Grey Legion boss monster turned to look at this new threat. Blake did the same, putting the unconscious form of Scynil between him and the weapon''s alien target. There was a clicking sound as a grinning Gregory pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. ... ...had that been a bluff? No, Gregory''s grin had turned into a frown and Derick heard a few more frantic clicks. ¡°Wow, this is embarrassing,¡± the scarred man said as the inhuman killer that he''d been targeting raised a glowing hand at him, Kate, and the retreating Blake at the same time. From the corner of his eye, Derrick saw Kate drop her new toy and dash into cover, apparently not willing to risk getting hit again. He wondered if that would actually help her, an auril weapon should ignore nonliving things and the creature obviously had more impressive senses than sight. Shit, this was bad. Because of his injury, he was too slow and far away to disrupt this attack. There was another clicking sound, instantly a beam of crackling light illuminated the entire intersection as it slammed right into the Grey Legion monstrosity. It would have been blinding if Derrick¡¯s mask hadn¡¯t kicked in to protect his eyesight and let him get a good look at the oddly straight bolt of lightning that flashed right into their enemy. The violent energy picked it up off the ground, etching a jagged gash into its armor and sending it flying into the side of a building. ¡°Ha! I knew...¡± the man who had built and created the weapon exclaimed, right before the weapon blew up in his hands. There was a sizzling sound and an explosion of light came from his weapon. The wielder collapsed onto the ground himself, his improvised weapon turning into wreckage and shrapnel in his hands. Even the engine of the truck he was standing next to exploded, the metal of the hood bursting upwards and the entire thing rocking on its wheels. With an ominous flicker, even the lights that had been illuminating the intersection suddenly turned off and Derrick''s mask kicked the night vision up a notch to compensate. Huh. A lightning gun, Derrick mused as he tried to account for the dramatically changed battlefield. He took a limping step towards their fallen enemy, but he noticed it was already picking itself off the ground, although with some difficulty. It seemed less than happy, letting out a sound like an angry tea kettle or a rusty turbine. It was also missing an entire arm, not the already wounded one either. This left it with only two fully functional hands and severely compromised armor. Gregory''s weapon had burnt a jagged and still smoking scar across its entire chest. Ya, it was definitely pissed off now. Sadly, it didn''t seem to be out of the fight. A silvery halo flickered to life above it and began to spin. Some of the remaining Users took the opportunity to shoot at it, but it ignored them. Focusing on its weird manna ability Derrick threw an axe at the creature, but it just slapped the weapon aside, letting it fall at its feet impotently. Next, the creature raised all three of its remaining hands as if it was trying to grab the halo it was producing. The flickering silver ring built up speed, getting faster, thinner and wider until it exploded outwards. Derrick felt a wave of auril hit him and was sent gasping to his knees. It was like someone had taken a pressure washer to his soul. His defences held for a single second before the auril in his body was obliterated. He was blasted with such force that it caused his muscles to cramp and lungs to shudder, leaving him feeling cold and hollow. He was so confused, it took him a few seconds to remember how to breathe. A few screams came from all the nearby buildings as every living thing within a few hundred feet was slapped down by invisible alien energies. Derrick saw Blake collapse and be buried under the weight of Scynil, neither moving. Derrick got the distinct impression that the Grey Legion thing had gone easy on him. Whatever weird connection they''d had must have sheltered him from the worst of the blast, parting it around him. Which meant he was probably the only person left standing in the dark and ruined city block. ¡°Glorious and enlightening,¡± the wounded monster mused as it strode towards Derrick. ¡°Rejoice, you have more than earned your Salvation.¡± 4.17 What Lurks Beneath As he watched the alien creature that had KO''d an entire base full of Users in one attack, Derrick considered his options. Attacking had some merit to it. His opponent was wounded and had to be running low on both auril and manna after the many impressive combinations of both those powers it had displayed. And while every second wasted was another second of healing for Derrick, that was just as true for the monster he was fighting. Probably more true actually. This monster was tough though, and Derrick couldn''t quite see himself winning against it in a straight up slugging match. If he was at his best, maybe. But now, after hours of fighting? No, probably not. That would require a level of optimism that was alien to Derrick; orphan, network engineer and recently, Fighter in service to the System. Replaying the fight in his head, they had only gotten this far because it had been taking it easy on them. He was sure of that. Why else would it hold back on using that area of effect stunning blast? Unless there were conditions for its use, it should have blasted them from cover, before crawling out of the ruins. In fact, even a few blasts from its hands would have ended the fight fast. ¡°How about we call it a draw?¡± Derrick offered the wounded monstrosity. It was pretty obviously damaged, missing an arm, some fingers and a wide strip of flesh from its chest. Even its gait was off, it was clearly limping. It had to be feeling the pain, right? The creature actually stopped its advance and cocked its head at him, managing to display puzzlement despite its utterly inhuman face. ¡°Victory is already won,¡± it gurgled, its three remaining hands hanging casually from its sides. ¡°Has already been seized at the moment you listened and heard. Now we dance to appease the meddling masters in the invisible. Who eyeless, panic at the glimpse of me. The blood and dreams are my gifts, born of shared contempt for fate and holy act of rapine.¡± Derrick winced. Ugh. Someone really needed to update their translation software but he was pretty sure that hadn''t been agreement. The most interesting part had been the sentence about meddling masters and their lack of vision. Judging by the notification about a disrupted network he''d gotten just before this fight, it could only be talking about the entities that seemed to be running the System. Which didn''t seem to be any friends of his. He definitely wanted to know more about those and was about to ask when the tall creature tensed and launched itself forward. Lash, commanded Derrick, hoping the combat drug would save his life once more. There was an odd tingle and numbness when he used it. Probably a side effect of using it multiple times with Spur keeping him going. Mixing drugs was a bad idea, but far from his biggest problem at the moment though. Just as Derrick drew a knife with his off hand, the creature''s three remaining hands shot forward and Derrick barely managed to sidestep out of their grasp, fending of the last one by threatening it with a sweeping arc of his axe. Even with Lash amping up his reaction speed, it was hard to defend against a three-armed opponent. He banished all thoughts but the creature''s movements and his own internal resources. He readied both auril and manna for use, knowing they were the tools that would win or lose this fight. Another attempt was made to overwhelm the axe-wielding User, the creature effectively using its long and numerous limbs to harry him. Derrick was too busy defending to counterattack, managing only to keep the creature''s clawed fingers from seizing him. He noticed that while the creature was still faster than him, even Lashed, it hadn''t gone unscathed. Its attacks were clumsy, lacking the grace necessary to disarm him or pierce his defences. Derrick managed a solid hit on its forearm, injecting a knot of malignant auril into the creature and causing it to flinch. A fact he took advantage of, pressing the attack himself, aiming to stick his knife right in its damaged armor. No luck, it pulled back, avoiding the blow and managing to land a palm strike to his chest with a sneaky strike from below. Derick tried to embed his knife it that arm but he saw a tiny flicker of silver light as the blow landed and he was sent flying backwards instead. The air was driven out of his lungs as his feet left the ground. Luckily even without manna, his armor offered a lot of protection from bludgeoning attacks. He flew a few feet and managed to land on his feet, only stumbling when his bad leg flared in pain as it worked to keep him standing. The creature didn''t capitalize on its successful blow, it was instead staring at its auril infected hand, turning it at eye level. After a second of examination, it turned its eyeless gaze to Derrick and silver light flashed around its wrist, banishing the malignant auril Derrick had worked so hard to put there. Damn, Derick thought, he was hoping it wouldn''t be able to do that. Although maybe it could only easily cleanse its extremities? He needed to land a body blow and not give it space. The sooner the better. He was playing it too safe, he realized, but he needed to go all out. He would never do any damage without taking risks. He needed to focus on the attack. To get his head in the game. Derrick the Red took a deep breath and reached into himself. He drew on memories of the mad melee from earlier, from Kate''s scream and the Users who had been clawed and burned during the attack. That time the Legion had hit him with a car and the desperate fight against the human Vanguard in a dark apartment. What was the point of fear now? Monster after monster, always moving forward. Derrick the Red met this latest enemies gaze and felt something stir. Unbidden, auril seethed in his veins and his tired muscles trembled, not from exhaustion but eagerness. He ripped the bottom off his mask, dropping the breathing apparatus to the pavement and revealing a toothy grin, a mirror or the creatures own. With every breath, with every beat of his heart he felt himself grow stronger. Every step. Every swing, was a victory. It was, Derrick knew, a completely untrustworthy feeling. One that could very well be coming from the very creature he was fighting. Did he care? No, it was all that was keeping him going. He didn''t regret what he had written into himself through auril. As Scynil had said, auril was the truth of yourself. If his truth was a little monstrous, so what? He hated this grinning thing and what it had done. What it was. He imagined it dragging humans away to perform whatever unspeakable things it did to convert them to the Grey Legion. He took that spark of anger and charged, hacking away as viciously as he could, hoping to do as much damage as possible before Lash faded. He used manna for these blows, letting his auril recover and using the strength boost to batter defending hands away. It was reckless but necessary and the gamble paid off. He broke through the creature''s guard and practically chest to chest with it, managed to land a Sapping Strike while burying a knife to the hilt in the stump of a left shoulder. The pale creature shuddered, and Derrick finished the attack with a blow to his foe''s head with his trusty axe. He failed to add either manna or auril though, having spent his concentration on the first hit. He was disappointed to see the axe barely leave a scratch. It was then that Lash faded, and he was forced back by both of the creature''s flailing right hands. He retreated, suffering a flurry of weak impacts that delivered bruises and cuts but nothing serious. Derrick was honestly too tired to keep the attack up anyway. A dull ache was building in his muscles and it was gettingdifficult to catch his breath. How long had it been since the fight started? A while anyway. He noticed that the first rays of light were shining over the tops of buildings, announcing the arrival of dawn. Breathless helped him recoverquickly from exertion but it was just an F ranked trait. He fought for breath and watched his opponent carefully. It was drooping to its left side a little and made no move to attack. The Sapping strike must be weakening it. ¡°You¡¯re not much of a fighter, are you?¡± Derrick the Red accused. ¡°That¡¯s not what you''re for. I''d bet your usual thing is to lurk around unseen at the edges of battles rather than getting directly involved. Using your powers to heal, scout and create weakness. Those missing Users from the battle would be your work, taken down with a gesture. The only weapon you have is the knife I stuck in you.¡± The creature didn''t disagree. It just looked at him, very unimpressed. ¡°Insult? I am a Lurker of loving purpose,¡± it stated, obviously struggling for eloquence. ¡°What of you? Bearer of arms, with a wolf¡¯s scrutiny and a cauldron of curses? You hunted and vanquished the conscripted with great skill but true victories belong not to soldiers, no matter how accomplished. No blade, however sharp, cuts the thrones that would grind us beneath them. It is the rhythm of sacrifice that brings them crumbling down, hearts and boots all beating together. Do you not remember? You have glimpsed what it means to matter, tasted the meat of it. If it is my place to lurk unseen, weave flesh and mirror tyranny, I accept these roles gleefully. The Thrones must break, we must have Salvation.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. A sermon, there was really no other way to describe the alien''s speech. If he had hated the creature less and wasn''t so exhausted, this would have been really interesting. But he did and was, so the entire time it was talking he was preparing to kill it. He wanted to rip it apart, simply for being in his way. He attacked again and this time the Lurker met him halfway, his knife still buried in its side. He was annoyed to find that he had lost whatever advantage he''d had. The creature began to block his strikes with manna fortified hands, resisting auril and the sharpness of his weapons with well timed parries. Getting tired, Derrick had to retreat to prevent the Lurker''s long fingers from ripping his weapons away from him. At the last second, just when he thought he was clear, a grey hand arced out and tore flesh from his lower face. Tithe paid, the grinning Lurker let him fall a good twenty feet back without chasing. Derrick tasted blood but it was probably a shallow wound. Just another sexy scar, it didn''t even hurt much, nothing like that time acid had splashed onto him. Still, he was going to get even for this, he just needed... The Lurker of Loving Purpose raised a glowing hand at him, stopping Derrick mid-thought. ¡°You walked the very edge of pure satisfaction,¡± The Lurker said. ¡°Of shaping this ruin to your service. It could have been a noble beginning. Instead, it shall be a noble end.¡± Son of a bitch. Desperate, Derrick channelled as much manna into his gauntlets as he could and took a boxer''s stance. It still felt like getting hit with a tidal wave that went right through you. Muscles spasmed as his auril was ripped from him and his vision went blurry. Only for a second though, a moment later, his auril came roaring back and blurry vision turned red. He was going to rip... He blinked and a halo ringed hand slammed into his forehead. Once more he found himself empty of auril. Stripped of power. He tried to summon it back but found he couldn''t. There was nothing, not even a spark. Gah. Everything hurt so much. Stripped of the filter and enervation of auril, he was overwhelmed by agony. Derrick fell to his knees and barely managed not to fall further. Even breathing was a labour now, his throat felt tight and unresponsive. Derrick felt steel strong fingers dig into his collar and drag him off the ground, dangling him like a puppet. Was the Lurker saying something? He couldn''t tell, there was a ringing in his ears. Was it dragging him away? No, it would inject him with something first, like it had Scynil. At least it probably couldn''t carry more than him and Scynil. The other human Users might get away safely. That wasn''t nothing, he supposed. Not quite enough. Marshalling his will, he tried to protect himself by the only means he had left, manna. Maybe he could reinforce himself to prevent himself from being disabled. The User reached into his Manna Core and felt himself fall into it instead of just squeezing out manna. His entire awareness snapped to focusing on a strange landscape that felt like it was halfway into the Fold. He felt currents of alien energies flow around him and the sensations of pain and weariness fade. Huh, was this because of how tired he was? Not good. He needed to get back.... What was with that humming noise? And why did this place seem so different? It was almost placid compared to his last visit. Placid and yet stiff. It was barely noticeable but something was resisting his attempt to gather manna. Derrick concentrated on this environment. It was eerily calm and something nearby shone like a beacon. Something that was connected to himself, if only by the slightest of connections. A thread of silver light that seemed to be pulsing faintly as if it and him shared a heartbeat. That could only be the Lurker and it was somehow controlling the Fold around them. He could make out a silver barrier on the edge of his perception, blocking his sight in every direction. Huh, this must be how it had cut off the area from the System. Yes, he could see it now, a sphere of influence coming from the Lurker, supported by a web of strange manna. A construct that could cut off connections to Manna Hubs. Cores like his and the Lurker¡¯s however seemed like they were harder to deal with. They were spikes driven deep into the Fold, hooking into multiple layers and drinking in power. The dimensions here was messed up and hard to understand though. His core was existing across multiple realities... Hmmm, his core was a flaw in the Lurkers field. A straw jutting out of it. Could he use that fact? Try and damage the Lurker''s ability to isolate the local Fold. It was pretty much the only thing he could do at this point. His attempts to create more ''spikes'' of expand his failed, unsurprisingly. So, Derrick drew power into the shell, as much raw manna as he could take. He did nothing with it though, just let it carve a wound through his enemies manna control. That did little if anything, so he began to stir it. Trying to create a storm in a bottle. He felt pressure begin to build but it wasn''t enough to do anything. Besides, he felt the Lurker working to calm the raw manna he excited. It probably was unconsciously undoing his work, barely noticing his effort to sabotage it. Was there anything else he could try? Yes! He did have a second type of manna he could try and use. Weird that he''d forgotten about it. It was probably because the System hadn''t even bothered to name it. It had just called it a string of letters and numbers. That could be to his advantage here, an obscure type of manna would likely be beyond the Lurkers ability to control. How to use it though? The User concentrated on his core and tried to feel a connection like he had to raw manna. The raw manna came from what seemed like an invisible storm, all frenzied currents and the phantom smell of ozone. There. A second connection felt like mist shrouded scenery, curling waves of primary colors obscuring tantalizingly familiar shapes. Shapes that seemed to change and move when he stopped paying attention to them. Sometimes it almost seemed like alien scenery, then unreadable writing or even oddly familiar people. It was both fascinating and somehow very tiring to look at. It dredged up disturbing feelings from something he couldn''t quite remember. He rallied his will and tried to drag the manna out of whatever alien place it was. Oddly, the manna resisted his brute force approach. It was like grabbing smoke with your mind. It did seem to be drifting his way but he was in in kind of a hurry, there was no telling what unspeakable things were happening to him or people he cared about as he played around here. The more he focused on it though, the faster it seemed to move, undulating towards him in bursts and waves. Like a growing thing, he realized and saw it adapt to that idea, the wisps of vibrant mist subtly transforming to look like flowers bursting into an endlessly growing stream of colors. The strange energy began pouring out of his core and flooding whatever layer of the fold the Lurker was manipulating. A flower of a thousand colors grew around him in an instant and the silver threads of alien power warped and thrashed as this thick new type of manna invaded the area around them. He felt one or two threads snap as the two types of manna met but the massive damage he was hoping for hadn''t happened. Almost as soon as it had appeared, the manna had spent itself and faded. And even though he was summoning more, it lacked the energy of its first appearance. There was no violence or menace to this stuff. It just wafted around, mostly uncontrollable and prone to just vanishing the moment you stopped looking at it. On the rare occasions it did touch the silver framework, it just caused it to shimmer and warp before it was spent and the threads returned to normal. It was doing something but nothing that helped him. He had no idea what to do with this stuff. While raw manna leapt to the user¡¯s commands, this stuff barely reacted to his will. In hindsight, maybe he should have chosen a shape more dangerous than flowers. Shit. He''d really been hopping for at least a last ''fuck you'' at least, before the Lurker dragged him off to be converted. It had been much more impressive when the manna had first arrived, it had exploded outward violently. Why not now? He stopped his introspection as the manna seemed to darken and become denser. He stared at it hopefully, but no, it must have been a trick of perception. Briefly it had reminded him of a storm cloud, which did give him an idea. He summoned a tiny amount of raw manna and watched the rainbow mist blossom once more. Churning and rolling outwards for a dozen meters before it spent itself. The small wave hit the shining silver beacon that was the Lurkers representation in this realm and he was rewarded by everything shuddering. Aho. It was the raw manna he''d summoned earlier that was the trick. This type of man seemed to react with others. The mixing of the two was what had really kicked things into high gear. He tore raw manna from its home while coaxing the other to himself. As a storm of exploding petals filled space, the Lurker''s silver shell shivered and snapped. It came apart like steel cables coming off a suspension bridge, whipping the manna into even more violence. The sheer riot of energy and color throwing Derrick back to reality and into his aching flesh. Where he was still being held above the ground by the Lurker, its teeth just inches from his face. It felt like only seconds had passed. Manna network restored. Implant re-connected to Network. Updating... Almost certainly going to die, Derrick the Red stared into the eyeless face and smiled. His opponent, the Lurker of Loving Purpose, did not smile back. Instead, it looked off into the distance and frowned at the dawning sun, seeming to forget about the limp User in his hands. Suddenly it pulled him closer, grabbing his leg, making Derrick think it was securing him. Instead, it used its improved grip to to toss the stunned User away like a Frisbee. For a second everything was a nauseating blur before he felt a phantom wind hit him and a second later small but strong hands grabbed him and gently lowered him to the ground. At the same time, a somewhat squeaky voice rang out. ¡°Fleeing will not save you foul creature,¡± the speaker stated proudly. ¡°The System calls for your head and I have hunted beasts much more dangerous than you. Let us test...¡± Derrick saw a flash of small blue feet run past him and decided whatever was happening was no longer his problem. Blissfully, he passed out, a dozen notifications hovering on the edge of his vision. 5.1 Wake Up Call Derrick woke easily from a dreamless sleep, a smooth transition from the bliss of unconsciousness to full body pain and a feeling of weakness that felt unfamiliar to him. Everywhere hurt and he couldn''t shake the feeling that he was forgetting something important or that something was missing. The grimacing User found himself laying down on an improvised cot, really just towels on a cement floor. One of many wounded Users resting in a windowless room, probably a basement. A few weak lights gave off just enough light for someone to walk around without stepping on the casualties. Sitting up caused all kinds of aches and pains to shoot through him. Instinctively he tried to summon auril to heal and energize himself. His auril flared, only to fizzle out painfully. Derrick winced as his vision blurred for a second and he had to catch himself with an arm. The wounded User pressed a finger into each of his eyes, causing pain and leaving tiny droplets of blood on them. Shit, bleeding eyes was a terrible habit to get into. He needed to get his auril back so that he didn''t get brain damage from... what had happened again? Had he overused his auril. No, he was pretty sure that wasn''t a thing. He was past the point where he could hurt himself with auril by accident. That left something the Lurker had done to him? Had it turned his auril against him? Petty revenge for his refusing to die? Concerned, he tried to summon auril from his auril heart once more. Again, the world blurred and this time he leaned over, gagging uncontrollably. Thanks to his willpower, he managed to notice that it didn''t feel like there was anything wrong with his auril itself. The problem was something was interfering with it. Something had spread through his entire body but was concentrated in his head. When his auril tried to move through him in helpful patterns it was being disturbed and spent by this other power. Manna? But why would raw manna react like that? Ughh, there was that sensation again. A worrying confusion without a reason he could pin down. Paranoia, wild and targetless. Or maybe not. The wounded User ran through what he remembered of the fight. The important part must be the end. When he''d broken the Luker''s manna control technique with manna. How had he done that again? He remembered raw manna not working and then he.... did something else. Something beautiful. The most important thing he''d ever done. ... ... What the fuck was that? Derrick had spent a lot of time in his head, so he immediately recognized a thought that had no place in it. He shivered, not liking where this was going. That wasn''t a strange voice in his head, it had been his own reaction to something he barely remembered. Memory loss. Strange thoughts. His mind was being messed with. Suddenly feeling cold he rubbed his arms and felt raised lines on them. Cuts and bruises. Some obviously and disturbingly not from the fight with the Lurker. OK, this was getting super creepy now. He had missed it in the low light but someone had carved a... a... doughnut into his flesh while he''d been unconscious. Two rings, one inside the other, with squiggles between them. It was very poorly drawn, whatever the hell it was supposed to be or mean. Thinking back to his sore eyes and the blood, he ran his palm over his face and discovered another art project there. This one circling his upper left cheek, going right over his eye and just missing his nose. The same eye immediately found the tool that had butchered his face. A bloody knife just laying on the ground beside him. He felt his stomach drop. It was his knife, a System knife. You couldn''t use a System weapon to hurt its owner. The only things that had the power to do that probably had much better things to do with their time than to carve obscure patterns onto his skin while he was sleeping. Ok, calm down. So, he was having a little trouble with auril and was cutting weird shapes into himself in his sleep. On the bright side, no one seemed to have seen him do it. He''d be restrained if that was the case. No. No getting distracted. He needed his auril back yesterday. He concentrated on his Manna Core and felt that yes, it was active, and a trickle of power was in fact leaking out. That was not how raw manna worked, it took a conscious effort to bring it into reality. I didn''t leak. All attempts to plug the leak failed, there was just no way to affect whatever the stuff was. His mind just slid right over it and his Core didn''t seem to be able to shut itself down. Ok. Ok, so it wasn''t raw manna. What was it? He strained his mind to remember anything about weird manna he might have come in contact with. He sat in a poorly lit basement, feeling his injuries throb a he tried to remember his fight against the Lurker. Idly he ran his fingers over the new injuries, feeling the shape of them. He ran a finger over a pattern, circling it. Derrick the Red frowned in concentration, something was coming to him. Something about a wheel and a maze. A hungry crown and a labyrinth of twisted memories. Oh! The Canvas. Ah! Feral Artisans. Confusion became horror as he was hit by a wave of memories harder than either the Lurker or the Bleeding Tooth Behemoth had managed to hit him. One second, he was ignorant of the Canvas and the things he''d seen there, the next, he remembered everything. Every second of it and every last detail. What felt like months of time just appearing in his head. ¡°Motherfucker,¡± Derrick swore at the dark. ¡°Shut up,¡± came a reply from the dark. ¡°People are trying to sleep here.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± murmured Derrick. As bad as his problems were, these people had earned their rest. He waited a second in silence and then got back to his evil energy problems. Careful and quiet consideration of his problem suggested two solutions. The first, overpower the Canvas manna... ¡°System, update the name of manna type 9765A to Canvas,¡± he whispered forcefully. Hopefully that would help him remember his encounter with that other reality and get rid of his need to carve pictographs into his skin to do so. A second later, the System announced that it had done so. A good start, he''d have to think up some other reminders. Like setting an alarm clock that woke him up by yelling about the horrors that lived between dimensions and how he had a leaky hole to their playground in his head. Or maybe just start writing a diary. That seemed a more practical solution. Anyway, the first method to get rid of his little problem was to overpower the manna with a wave of auril. If he couldn''t manage it alone, he would recruit someone else to help. Once the auril had cleared out the Canvas manna, it shouldn''t matter if the leak stayed, the auril should hold it back in the same way the manna was stopping his auril. This was backed up by the fact that he''d only managed to use the Canvas manna when the Lurker had blasted away his auril. Trying that would be no fun and would weaken his auril a bit, even if it worked. The second method was to try and fix the leak by delving into the Canvas with his mind. Dangerous and unpredictable but his only shot at a perfect solution. He was going to try the first one. After three such efforts, he succeeded. It took all his concentration, every scrap of aurilin in him and left a pool of vomit beside him, but it worked. No one even complained about the sound of him retching. Derrick let himself fall back into a resting position, his auril once more threading through him and healing his injuries instead of whatever horrible things the Canvas manna had been doing to him. It was unstable though, more so than normal. Also, the Canvas manna was still pushing at him, trying to get out of his Core and spread through his body''s manna network and costing him auril in the process. Where the two powers met, they seemed to burn each other, occasionally sending shivers through his auril. Not quite the permanent solution he was hoping for. Still there was good news. No one had stolen from him this time and what seemed like a dozen notifications were hovering in his mind''s eye. Due to his experience with passing out, one of the first things he did was check his pockets for conspicuously absent valuables. He''d bartered for a few tiny auril hearts and they were where he''d left them. In the pockets of his gear, which was right next to him. All that was missing was his phone but considering the tiny shards of glass in the pocket he''d been keeping that in, he had a good guess as to why that was gone. Oh, and the Sentry''s head was missing, although he was somewhat glad that he hadn''t woken to find that staring at him, his waking had been bad enough. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the notifications that were incessantly hovering on the edge of his vision.
Universal Support System
New Titles Unlocked: Resilient II You have reached Level 1.9!Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. You have reached the Level Cap. Level is locked for 24.3 hours to prevent damage from excessive modification. Level Is locked until a Role is selected. You may browse available Roles. The Trial of Predation has finished. You have finished 4th.
Mission Complete +670 points for successfully defending base +375 points for earning the Force Adept Title +150 points and new trait (F) for earning the Resilient II Title +150 points for earning Multikiller II Title +500 points for earning the Trail Blazer Title +400 points and a trait upgrade (F) for earning the Predator Title. Contact ITRS for more details.
Titles Earned: Force Adept: User is competent in manipulating kinetic energy using raw manna. Can apply raw manna to a problem quickly, accurately and in a variety of different ways. Resilient II: User has displayed uncommon toughness and resilience for their level. Multikiller II:Killfive Scourge enemies in undertwentyseconds without using disposable tools. Trail Blazer: User is amongst the first native Users of Earth to reach level 1.9 (2/8). Trailblazers will receive modified Roles and their choices will shape the Roles available to their species. Predator: Came 4th in the Trial of Predation.
Lurker of Loving Purpose: A Grey Legion Veteran. A dangerous entity that excels in stealth and the manipulation of auril and manna both. It has displayed the ability to move through the fold. Last seen using personal Injection to flee the WestHills Enclave. If it is my place to lurk unseen, weave flesh and mirror tyranny, I accept these roles gleefully. The Thrones must break, we must have Salvation
What started as near euphoria turned to despair as he read the last section. All of that and the Lurker was still alive. He supposed it would be too easy if Third Striker had been the one to end that monster. He was pretty sure the voice he''d heard as he fell unconscious had been the Mwin Hybrid''s. Also, apparently the Lurker could teleport. Which was basically what personal Injection translated to. Maybe he should see what was going on above? No. Fuck it. No worries for him. He''d earned his rest and was going to enjoy the fruits of his labor. While it might be pennies to Crusaders and other veterans of the System, he was relatively rich. A quick glance at his profile told him that he was now sitting on two thousand six hundred and thirty six USSP. And that was only the second best of his rewards. He felt the earlier euphoria returning as he contemplated finally becoming something other than a fighter. He was going to just lay here and use auril to speed up the countdown between him and levelling into his new role. A special Role no less, upgraded or at least customized for him. Well, no point in putting it off, let''s see what the System was offering its Trailblazer.
Available Roles (2.0)
Brute A Role for those who best serve on the front lines of battle, holding the line and punishing the enemy at knife range. As the User levels, they will change to fit their Role with bones and muscles toughening beyond average, as well as an increase in size. Earns levels by completing combat missions. +7 Aurilin Maximum +7 Siviril Maximum Unlocks the Interior Mesh (E) trait. Requirements: Auril Heart and Manna Core/Hub A Rank D+ survival or defensive trait. Advanced Melee Weapon Proficiency Multi-Killer and Resilient or Force Adept titles
Scavenger A Role for those concerned with survival and the gathering of resources. Allows access to production oriented System devices, allowing the User to produce their own tools and weapons. Exempt from conscription. Levels will increase muscle and bone toughness, as well as a small boost to normal senses. Earns levels by gathering rare resources and on scouting missions. +5 Aurilin Maximum +9 Siviril Maximum Unlocks the Forge Organ (E) Trait. Requirements: Manna Core Two Survival Traits, one Rank D+ Advanced Scouting Proficiency
Squire (Third Striker) A Role for those who have proven their worth to a Crusader. Exempt from conscription. Levels will increase muscle and bone toughness, as well as a small boost to normal senses and reflexes. Earns levels by learning from their master and helping them with their missions. This Role leads into a Crusader Role. +6 Aurilin Maximum +10 Siviril Maximum Unlocks the Squire''s Manna Core (D) Trait Requirements: Manna Core Valor
Sensitive A Role for those rare Users that have a talent for the more delicate uses of auril. This role is as influential off the battlefield as on it and helps the challenged worlds discover the secrets of aurilin. Exempt from conscription. Levels will increase muscle and bone toughness. Earns levels by exploring auril, scouting missions and support missions. +10 Aurilin Maximum +5 Siviril Maximum Unlocks the Auril Undermind (D) Trait Requirements: Auril Heart Two Auril traits Advanced Auril Proficiency Auril Cultivator Title
Hunter A Role for Users that have displayed a wide array of talents and a ruthless drive to fight organic Scourges, either alone and in small groups. Levels will increase muscle and bone toughness, as well as a small boost to normal senses and reflexes. Earns Levels through combat, assassination and scouting missions. +10 Aurilin Maximum +7 Siviril Maximum Unlocks Heartless (E) Trait Requirements: Auril Heart and Manna Core One Survival, Offensive and Defensive Trait, one Rank D+ Advanced Auril, Scouting and Melee Weapon Proficiency Three titles earned through killing. (Scrappy, Multi-killer, Counter-agent)
That was more options than he''d thought he''d have. A very wide variety too, if a little basic. Apparently he was not only the second fastest leveller on the planet but pretty damn good at collecting achievements too. He was willing to bet whoever had reached level one point nine before him didn''t have half these options. Not that they were all decent options. Brute for example, was laughably unappealing. It was basically everything he''d been desperately hoping to avoid. Dangerous and unsophisticated. Oh, he''d played the part just recently, when he''d fought off the Grey Legion. But that had been what the situation demanded, who knew what the future would hold? If he fought on the front lines every battle, eventually something would get him. Things were still changing quickly and he wanted more versatility from a Role. Squire had a very different problem. Firstly, it was seemingly more manna based and Third Striker himself had told him to aim for auril over manna. Secondly, he didn''t want to become a Crusader. Either he wouldn''t be able to become one until the world was safe, which could be centuries stuck at level two, or he would be forced to leave the planet and fight on some other challenged world. Neither was what he wanted. He should be able to get to level three at least, and while he wasn''t humanity¡¯s biggest fan, he felt like he could do the most good on Earth, for the most reward. A strong plus was that Third Striker seemed like his best bet for fixing the hole in his head. Scavenger and Sensitive were harder to judge. On one hand, they apparently exempted him from being part of the mission to clear the countryside. On the other, they weren''t combat focused classes. That should have been a good thing. And yet... it wasn''t. He didn''t like being constantly thrown into the thick of it but at the same time he liked being strong. The way the world was going, he felt like it was important to be mean enough to headbutt the monstrosities that got in his way. No one else was stepping up. Well, a few but honestly the human race needed every talented ass kicker it could get. If he moved to a more support focused Role, he felt like he''d be stuck on the sidelines during the next crisis and things would go downhill fast. On a side note, it seemed like his choice to get a Manna Core had paid off. Both Scavenger and Squire required them. Squire because a Crusader needed them to aid in Injection to other worlds and Scavenger because of it seemed like a Role that operated alone and outside of the System''s territory. A Manna Hub might have unlocked other options, but he was pretty sure these ones fit him better than any type of support manna-based Role. That left Hunter, a Role that was both based around auril and combat focused. Not front-line warfare either, but a class that dealt with scouting and assassination. Survival as a Hunter would be far more dependent on skill than being a Brute. That was very appealing, not only from a survival perspective but from a personal one. It was definitely the front runner. Part of him really wanted an intellectual Role. He wasn''t just some bruiser; he was a trained professional programmer. No matter how good he got at saving the day, the people who would make the biggest difference were the creators, not the destroyers. The Lurker of Loving Purpose had been a monstrous creep but he wasn''t wrong. True victories belong not to soldiers, no matter how accomplished, it had said. No blade, however sharp, cuts the thrones that would grind us beneath them. Derrick the Red repeated these words and felt they were true. He needed to affect the world with more than just his axes if he wanted to save the world, to win. And he did want to win. Even with all the pain and fear, the ache and the uncertainty, he burned to win. Even just the thought of it caused his auril to writhe in what seemed like joy. He''d been through a lot of horrible shit since the Scourges arrived and he was determined to get his pound of flesh for it. And more. Did he need a support class for that though? A Scavenger joining the ranks of support Users wouldn''t make that much of a difference and he seemed to be unlocking the mysteries of auril just fine without a class dedicated to it. To add even more complications, it seemed like whatever Role he chose would become available to others or something. Which could have a huge effect on the war against the Scourges or none at all, he was just one of eight Trailblazers after all. Sensitive gave him a bad feeling because of all the trouble auril seemed to draw. The murdered auril Users and that time an ''Authority'' had tried to kill him were still dangerous mysteries with auril at the centre of them. Derrick made a note to ask Scynil about those. The centuries old Warden Crusader should have the answers and owed him a pretty big favor. No point in thinking too hard about it though, even if he cut the time down with regeneration, he had hours before he could become level two. Hours he was totally going to spend relaxing and planning his next move. Things should be looking up in the local area, with the Grey Legion, Spore Tyrants and Feral Artisans having been beaten back. Had their been other Scourges nearby? He couldn''t remember. They should be able to press outwards into the countryside now. Users would need to be organized, equipped and trained. It would be a great idea to insert himself into whatever group was going to be making military decisions. Obviously not as a commander but perhaps as some sort of Scourge or auril expert? He had already been playing the part of teacher. His peace of mind lasted just minutes. Soon enough, a scream and the sound of yelling floated down from above. 5.2 No Good Deed For a couple seconds, Derrick just lay there, hoping he was just crazy, that the noise had been in his head and he could just continue to relax. Honestly, at this point would insanity be that remarkable? It would be stranger if he was sane. Which he obviously was, perfectly sane in every way. Could a crazy person have been as brave as he¡¯d been? Would a crazy person fight off an alien invasion with nothing but unknown drugs, axes and mind affecting energies from beyond space time? Obviously not. He didn''t get up. He had a lot to think about. Like Roles, pain, Traits, The Canvas, Auril, pain, Scourges, Authorities, other Users, hunger and more. Well, the hunger he could solve easily enough. His red jacket was next to him on the floor. He managed to get a System Soldier''s Ration Bar out of its pocket and begin chewing on it before the next round of yelling assaulted his ears. It didn''t sound like the Scourges were attacking again, he considered as he chewed on what might have been his favourite flavor yet. Interestingly minty. The voices sounded more angry than scared, and he didn''t hear any weapons going off. This might not be anything he had to get involved in. Lying there, his line of thought forgotten, Derrick wiped his mouth clean and tried to chill. He quickly found that he couldn''t ignore the faint noises coming from above now that he''d noticed them. Because he was quickly becoming angry. Too angry to just lay back down; it was obvious that all he would end up doing way stewing in his anger. He was pretty sure he''d saved the day. Hell, the entire city and the thousands of survivors in it too. Him. Basically, by himself. Sure, it had involved a stupid amount of luck, but no one else knew that. Waking up in a basement with only the wounded for company seemed like a snub to him. It was far from a hero¡¯s reward. He wasn''t being arrogant; he just felt that a thank you card or even a quick personal congratulations when he woke up was warranted. His fight against the Lurker could be the most dramatic and impactful moment of his life. Of anyone in the city¡¯s life. But instead of a parade, he got shoved in a basement, without them even bothering to let him rest in quiet. Where was Kate, lately lover and comrade in arms? Where was Scynil, the ''humble'' and intimidating alien monk lady who he had snatched from a fate worse than death? He would have settled for a fist bump from Blake. Gah, it must the auril that was making him freak-out, he realized. Or maybe just him being cranky. He was pretty sure he''d used up a lifetime''s worth of humility and reasonableness in the last week. After that last beatdown, he felt like indulging both emotionally and physically. He wondered if anyone had gotten a spa up up running. He''d never been to one before but he felt like it now. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. It only partially worked; a ball of simmering anger stubbornly remained in his chest. Enough to make just sitting around even more unpleasant than the pain moving around would cause him. Derrick put on his gear, mostly to hide the mess he''d made of his skin. Since the scream earlier, the voices from above had become more angry than afraid. He couldn''t make out the words, but people were definitely talking, something he doubted they''d be doing while under attack by a Scourge. After his tired and aching legs carried him up the stairs, he opened the door and emerged into the light. He was glad he''d put on his mask, as the sun had risen and was in its full glory. Light was streaming through the broken windows and more than one hole in the walls. He didn''t see anyone around and didn''t want to spare the auril for a pulse, so he just trudged out the front door to see what the hell was going on. He took in the scene and felt that ball of anger boil and swell. Muscles twitched in a wave across half his body as he fought the anger back down. What he saw was Scynil was standing in the middle of the heavily damaged intersection, lifting a somewhat familiar User in the air with one hand. Ah, it was one of his students, the auril user who always wore the mask. That mask had fallen off to reveal the face of a young Asian woman with atypically sharp yet delicate features and light scars on her face. She was cute enough that seeing her in obvious danger raised Derrick''s white knight instincts. That particular instinct barely registered on Derrick though. He was too pissed off and besides, he wouldn''t be the first to have jumped to her rescue. At Scynil''s taloned feet, two other Users lay motionless. Those he recognized as the young woman''s allies from the group of younger Users. A lack of blood suggested they had probably survived their idiocy. On the edge of a meltdown, Derrick tried thinking happy thoughts. Butterflies. Sex. Superhuman powers. The brutal and creative murder of every single ingrate who was forcing him to deal with their shit when he had so many better things to do. Hmm, that plan failed. No, wait. He did feel a little better. Still taking in the scene. Derrick saw a dozen other Users, including Blake, Anita and Tim... Tom were watching the scene warily. He didn''t see Third Striker anywhere. He hoped the diminutive Crusader was still chasing the Lurker. The smart play here was to ask them what was going on, to see if he could deescalate the situation with reason and a call to their shared civility. Fuck that noise though. He was only wearing the top half of his red mask so the wide grin on his face was visible as he stiffly walked towards the conflict. He quickly became the centre of attention, his Quantum Awareness buzzing like a hornet as the gazes of Users and Scynil fell on him. Most of them seemed very confused and more than a little relieved to see him, glad someone was taking charge he supposed. Even Anita shot him what seemed like a grateful look. From the corner of his eye, he saw Tom give him a salute. Which was actually kind of nice, at least one person appreciated him. As he moved closer to Scynil, a half dozen other Users followed in his wake. ¡°So, what''s this about?¡± Derrick asked with false cheer and a toothy smile. Standing right in front of Scynil, close enough to reach out and touch her. Well, her ample chest anyway. The rest of her was very out of reach. The busty Warden was looking healthy. Assuming that purple and green were healthy colors on her. A few dents and scuffs on her armor were the only damage showing. She must have been taken down by the Lurker instantly, no doubt stunning her with its manna propelled auril and then stabbing her with some kind of specialized Venom Dirk. She''d bounced back though and could, no doubt, end him with a single swipe of her subtly clawed hand. He didn''t get a response right away. Instead the Crusader looked over him with a professional gaze that at one point flickered with something like pity. That did not go unnoticed. Oh, no. ¡°You are not well, Tower that Raises.¡± Scynil, with furrowed brows. ¡°You would be best served by rest.¡± She seemed genuinely concerned for his well being at least. No doubt she could sense his unstable auril at least. Maybe even the point where the manna and auril were still duking it out in his brain. That had to look interesting from the outside. She was also, he was sure, inconvenienced by his presence here. Well, that was too bad. Maybe she should have had the decency to kill these Users quietly. ¡°No, I''m not well. And I should be lying down,¡± Derrick agreed caustically. ¡°I actually was lying down when a bunch of petty, violent and inconsiderate people began fighting. Was I just supposed to pretend to sleep and guess what was going on? Although, if I''d known it was just a bunch of squabbling children, I would have stayed down there.¡± ¡°We...¡± began Blake before Derrick interrupted him. He was, nowhere near done. ¡°Which brings me to another thing,¡± he continued. ¡°I feel ill used. Why was I dumped on the floor and forgotten? When you all were passed out, did I just leave? No, I did not. I got the shit kicked out of me protecting you all. Would it have killed you to post a guard? What if Spore Tyrants had crawled out of the floor and were eating the wounded down there?¡± That was pretty unfair but it caused Scynil to stiffen and provoking a reaction was satisfying to the pissed off human. ¡°I am a Warden Crusader, Neophyte. No tendril of the Primal Scourge could catch me unaware,¡± she replied darkly. ¡°But the Greys sure d...¡± Blake started, eyes locked on Scynil and a mean grin on his face. A grin that faltered when Kate kicked him. The blonde woman had appeared from nowhere at just the right time to shut her cousin up. On her face was a look of bemused expectation. ¡°Yes, I''ve seen some of what you can do. I''m sure you''re right.¡± Derrick said, finding himself strangely talkative. ¡°As long as you were paying attention.¡± A pause. ¡°Which you weren''t because you were too busy doing whatever this is.¡± Still smiling, his eyes narrowed, a movement that sent a spike of pain through the wound on his cheek. ¡°What is this? I feel like you people killing each other is somewhat disrespectful to the effort I put into saving you all.¡± ¡°No fatal blows have fallen.¡± Scynil replied tensely. ¡°A crime had been committed and these neophyte citizens called for the criminal¡¯s release. I was forced to disable them when they grew violent. They could not be trusted to be rational, they had been influenced. She has abused exaltation by using it to alter others. A poisonous slyness.¡± And that was bad was it? He did that all the time, mostly to break bones, but she seemed to be talking about something very different from that. The Asian women she was holding tried to say something, but she was being held up by her collar and it just came out as a gurgle. Derrick was not so tired he couldn''t put two and two together. He''d felt the woman do something subtle with auril multiple times after all and he''d been on the receiving end of some very sketchy auril powers himself.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Just remembering how the Spore Tyrant Siren Node had tried to shut him down mind, body and soul sent a shiver down his spine. The Lurker had been scarier than the Siren Node, but that soul eating fungus had a special place reserved in his heart when it came to hatred. Just the memory caused his auril to react, releasing a pulse of power that reinforced his more subtle abilities. He''d felt nothing when the girl had used her ability though, just the faint sensation of auril itself. That was probably because of how weak she was compared to the Node. His auril Style had been forged on the anvil of that monster''s contempt. Whatever this skinny chick was packing, it had probably just bounced right off him. He was very curious as to what she''d been trying to do. As far as he could tell, it hadn''t affected other Users much either. His eyes looked to the struggling woman and felt greed. He was not about to let any auril technique escape him. Criminal or not, he could learn from dissecting the technique. It didn''t seem like getting his hands on her would be easy though... her secrets, not her. Gah, stupid brain. Why was everything so complicated? He needed more insight into this clusterfuck. ¡°How about you let her down,¡± Derrick offered. ¡°This seems unnecessarily violent. We can deal with this peacefully. I''m kind of in charge here, so I would appreciate it if you respected that.¡± Scynil may be a centuries old warrior monk but she was also new to her human body. Although she came off as cold and calm most of the time, her face and body language were strangely easily read others. He could see her waver and then snap back to a determined set of mind. ¡°Be that as it may. I am not under your authority,¡± she responded. ¡°And I have been given a mission to deal with this one.¡± Derrick''s eyes narrowed dangerously. ¡°Have you? How interesting,¡± Derrick mused with false cheer. ¡°Because you might not be under my authority, but she is, and I''ve received no such mission. How odd.¡± He was pretty fucking sure he''d been on the receiving end of one though, delivered via Greta ambushing him in a medical tent. This could explain that attempt on his life, plus the earlier attempt to smother him with his own auril. Shit. Huh, this put the Sensitive Role in a new light. As influential off the battlefield as on it, eh? He supposed mind fuckery was a kind of influence. He was not sure how he felt about a Role that seemed to encourage mind control. He found it interesting from a personal standpoint, but was well aware of how easily abused such an ability would be. How did abilities like mind control work anyway? If he picked Sensitive, would that inevitably lead to a lot of Users having such techniques or was there more to the Sensitive Role? Interestingly enough, the first attempt on his life had backfired on the ''authority'' that had tried it and the second had failed as well. He sent out some mental command, hoping to get the ruling AI itself to clarify or step in. No luck, it remained silent. Well, this was confusing. ¡°What exactly is the nature of her punishment?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Is there a trial by her peers? Is it a slap on the wrist? A fine? Maybe just a quick snap of her neck and you throw her onto a convenient pile of bodies?¡± he questioned while making a series of lazy hand gestures. As he talked and gestured, Derrick kept his eyes locked on Scynil. She was wavering again, he saw. Yes. She didn''t want to do this. Well, she did want to do this, but she knew something was wrong at the same time. Aha! This was just like the incident with Greta. She was being bribed. ¡°I am simply to deliver her to other natives at the Enclave,¡± she said stonily. ¡°Then I will return and finish my work here. She is capable of influencing your kind, so my presence is necessary.¡± Derrick snorted, letting his disdain show. ¡°We both know I am beyond her ''influence'' and that the System is not involved directly. This is the work of an Authority,¡± he bluffed. ¡°Please let her down now, she''s the wrong color. The System put me in charge of this facility¡¯s defence, and I think that includes defending its defenders from sketchy missions given by Authorities,¡± Derrick said and began to work his auril into a boiling knot, so that he could launch it as a Sapping Strike. Angry as he was, this was pure bluff. He was outgunned by Scynil in every way, but hopefully she didn''t want to escalate either. Judging by what had happened the last time an authority almost killed him because of auril, the System itself might actually jump in on his side here if things escalated enough. Besides, Sapping Strike was a harmless technique, it simply weakened the target. He might be able to surprise her with it and get the woman out of her grasp. He wasn''t angry enough to burn a bridge with someone as knowledgeable and powerful as Scynil but neither was he going to just let Scynil take the woman, considering he could be next. Besides, Kate was watching and he didn''t want to seem like a coward. Hell, maybe if he worked this just right, he could manoeuvre things into a three... Stupid tired brain. He should probably hurry up, he considered, the hanging woman was turning very blue and her occasional struggles were getting weaker. Faintly, he heard the sounds of weapons being drawn from behind him. His first reaction was alarm but he quickly realized that the Users were backing him up. Which was strangely comforting and caused his anger at this whole situation to settle somewhat. His hard work was appreciated. It just seemed to annoy Scynil though. ¡°This is foolish, you cannot hope...¡± she started to say as she made to push Derrick aside. It should have been an almost gentle tap but when she touched him, it was obvious she''d meant to use some kind of auril trick on him. Their auril connected and hers flooded into him, immediately it was devoured by the gathered Sapping Strike energy inside him. Which caused it to swell and grow out of control. A look of comical surprise on his face, Derrick grabbed hold of Scynil''s hand and tried to get rid of the amped up auril. He managed to eject most of it into a very surprised Scynil. Despite his ''surprise attack'', some still remained inside of him and he found it almost impossible to get rid of or destroy. He really should have played around with the technique more before using it, he realized belatedly. A dozen Users watched as both Derrick and Scynil fell to their knees, the Asian User escaping as Scynil stumbled and weakened. Blake and Anita stepped forward to grab her and lead her away. Derrick barely noticed that because it turned out he''d been wrong about his latest technique. Weakness is not harmless; weakness is a death sentence it turned out. On his knees and unable to feel his arms, Derrick tried desperately to keep his own auril from stopping his heart. Shit. It was all he could do to slow down the creeping auril. Like it was designed to do, it resisted his attempts to slow it down, consuming his auril and spreading through him like an angry tide. He unravelled it as fast as he could but... ¡°Really? A suicide attack?¡± an unamused voice came from nearby and he felt himself jerked back upright. A second later someone began punching him in the chest. One, two, three blows hit him, aimed at his shoulder where Scynil had touched him and his heart. Gasping for breath, Derrick felt manna flood into him and cleanse sections of malignant auril. It hurt like a bitch, but he wasn''t going to complain. With most of the auril pounded flat, his own auril rallied and his heart began to beat again. He looked to his saviour and found that it was Kate. Weird, for some reason he had thought it would be Scynil. The Crusader was still kneeling, an ashamed look on her face. Whether she was regretting her actions or her failure, he couldn''t tell. He took a second to make sure the canvas manna was still bottled up. Yup, all good. ¡°Thank you,¡± he emphatically told Kate and because they were already so close, gave her a hug. The shorter blonde woman accepted the show of affection and whispered in his ear. ¡°Any time,¡± she replied dryly and then more warmly. ¡°You really need a shower, find us one and I''ll call it even.¡± As tired as Derrick was, the emphasis on ''us'' did not go unnoticed. Derrick mentally swore to hunt down a working shower even if it cost him a hundred points. Feral Artisans couldn''t stand in his way. Next, because they were still mid-crisis, he gazed around to see that the ''criminal'' was already out of sight but a half dozen angry looking Users were still hanging around with hands on their weapons. He recognized a dangerous glint in their eyes. This could still get violent he realized, which was the last thing he wanted. Unless they slit her throat right now, Scynil was perfectly capable of slapping them all aside and hunting down her quarry. It could be out of his hands. He prepared himself and turned to Scynil. With a scowl, the Crusader rose to her feet but made no move to go after her target or Derrick. Pulling himself away from Kate, he met her glare. ¡°I apologize for that,¡± Derrick said. ¡°I take my System given responsibilities seriously,¡± he lied brazenly, it seemed like something a Crusader would want to hear. ¡°I didn''t actually mean for that to happen. I respectfully ask for forgiveness.¡± There was a long pause as Scynil stared down at him. Derrick tried to smile non threateningly while at the same time avoiding staring at any skin she was showing. His eyes kept being drawn to her abs and the movement of her hips for some reason. Her muscles shuddered lightly as he watched, no doubt fighting off the last of his attack. She''d been hit by much more of the amped up Sapping Strike than him, and yet, had fought it off despite never having encountered the technique before. ¡°I do not accept,¡± said Scynil and let out a tiny sigh. ¡°Because there is nothing for me to forgive. You acted in the defence of your kind and under the direction of the System, displaying reason, skill and courage. It is I that allowed myself to err.¡± ¡°The System can be unclear at times,¡± Derrick offered. Which was very possibly the greatest understatement of his life. ¡°Never-less, I offer redress,¡± the eight-foot-tall hybrid stated. ¡°I allowed my greed to sway me and twice under the same cycle of the sun, it led to my downfall. First, when I thought myself the hunter and found instead that I was the Lurker of Loving Purpose''s prey. I craved its secrets and put my purpose here in great peril.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± Derrick said. He was more than a little interested in those secrets himself. The Lurker had hidden itself very very well. There had never been any reason to believe it anything but another Sentry Agent. ¡°Arrogance,¡± accused Kate with obvious glee. ¡°Abandonment of duty. Unbecoming of a member of the Order of Flourishing Humility.¡± Derrick turned to her and saw a wickedly sexy smile on her face. He raised an eyebrow but didn''t interfere with whatever she was doing. He''d been hoping to just get this all behind him, his anger having stopped at about the same time as his heart. If Kate wanted to shame or extort Scynil, he wasn''t going to try and stop her. ¡°Yes,¡± Scynil agreed. ¡°Your mate is correct, Tower that Raises. I betrayed the code of the humble.¡± Derrick winced. ¡°Her name is Kate Demnol,¡± he said hurriedly. ¡°And the more polite term is lover or girlfriend.¡± ¡°Pretty much anything but mate will do,¡± Kate said brightly. ¡°But don''t worry about it. You were offering an apology?¡± Scynil nodded, seemingly somewhat confused at their reaction to her earlier words. ¡°A rare opportunity, one that would help make right my wrong to both you and this world. I was not sent here to fight in this facility¡¯s defence but to help complete its purpose. The Spore Tyrant below has been wounded but still lives, bound beneath our feet by the Supporter. It is a Warden''s purpose to finish this task, robbing the Primal Scourge of its will and turning it into a Dungeon, a potent resource.¡± This was all said very dramatically. Her speech reeked of stoicism and regret. ¡°A Dungeon?¡± Derrick asked skeptically. ¡°A place where people go to fight monsters and earn loot?¡± Despite how weird life had gotten. That was a little too Dungeons and Dragons for him. Having something like that around just seemed unnecessary anyway. They did not lack for monsters, even loot was pretty plentiful. Though his experience may be atypical. The other option was an old fashioned prison. Which could fit as well he supposed. Though why anyone would bother chaining a Scourge to a cell wall was beyond him. ¡°There will be only one monster and I will be the one that fights it,¡± Scynil said. ¡°Unless you wish to aid me. Once bound it will continue to produce Aurilin, needing only minor upkeep to keep the beast from escaping.¡± ¡°Your apology is that you''re inviting me to go hundreds of feet underground and fight a Spore Tyrant Node?¡± Derrick asked. That sounded more like an attempt to kill him. From behind him, Derrick heard his backup panic as the ground shuddered. Not sure what to expect he looked over his shoulder to see the human Users dashing to safety as the ground beneath their feet began to rise and twist. In a couple of seconds, what had first been a hole, then a circular smooth patch of System material, now revealed itself to be an elevator large enough to hold two dozen people. A pair of doors opened with a familiar bell sound, revealing a comfortable and modern looking interior.
Universal Support System
New Optional Mission Assist Crusader Warden Blaze So Bright It Reflects From Above in the creation of a Dungeon.
¡°Can I get some sleep first?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Please.¡± 5.3 Goes Unpunished Enough time for a nap was apparently asking for too much. It seemed like Scynil was already behind schedule and it could get dangerous if she didn''t do some Spore Tyrant wrangling soon. Scynil did graciously allow him an hour to get his affairs in order. That was a hard limit though, which meant he needed to get many things done fast. First stop was the most pressing, a chat with the latest person he''d saved, the auril ''alterer of others'', as Scynil had called her. Blake and Anita had run off with her at the first opportunity, but they hadn''t gone far as there was really nowhere to go. They were still surrounded by hostile ruins, possible filled with all kinds of Scourges. He wanted to get dealing with her out of the way. He figured the less time she spent around people she could influence, the better. It turned out this one of the few times that his paranoia came to nothing. If she was a master of manipulation, she was fooling him. ¡°That''s it?¡± he asked Emily skeptically from across a small table they were drinking tea on. Anita was also in the room, a worn-down kitchen, watching the both of them with equal amounts of distrust. He didn''t mind that though, she was keeping it to herself while being useful now. Blake had positioned himself outside of the room, letting Anita calm her fellow female down.
User Tag
Name: Emily Cespedes Title: Tender Role: Fighter Level. 1.6
Rank: Subordinate Proficiency: Basic Auril, Advanced Field Medicine
Tender: Has saved the lives of many other Users though bravery and medical skills, preserving resources and increasing moral.
¡°Yes,¡± Emily replied in a strained voice. He could see wet smears on her cheeks where she had wiped away tears. ¡°I''m a... was a nurse at the hospital. I have no idea how to use auril to fight, I don''t want to fight, so that''s what I came up with. I just lucked into a trait that gives auril, not enough to do anything impressive with it. I mostly just tried to help the wounded, thinking I could heal them and found a way to reduce suffering.¡± Derrick nodded and sipped his tea, what she was saying did make sense. It was impressive in a way but at the same time, very disappointing. He''d been hoping for something he could use, not mind control but at least an example advanced auril techniques. ¡°A happiness pulse,¡± he mused aloud. It was such a ridiculous ability it would actually be funny if it hadn''t almost gotten her executed. It would be terrible to survive everything the average Fighter goes through just to die because of your ability to create bursts of happiness in the people around you. Judging from what he''d heard and experienced, many people with equally stupid abilities had probably already gotten killed. Derrick was glad his own auril abilities had at least turned out to be useful in a fight. He didn''t think Spore Tyrant''s could even feel happiness and the Grey Legion was constantly smiling anyway. If the nurse was to be believed, her mind control capabilities came down to the ability to make nearby people happy for a single second. A mutated auril pulse that activated the pleasure centres of the brain, affecting anyone within range. Or something, his background was in computers. He wasn''t a doctor, or even a nurse. Thinking it over, the happiness pulse wasn''t completely useless or even harmless. It could be used to condition people pretty effectively. Easily faking charisma and building attachment, at least as long as no one suspected what you were doing. A cute girl like her, a couple smiles and pulses of her unique ability would be all it took to wrap people around her finger. He eyed her carefully. The technique was so low powered and subtle that it even seemed to penetrate basic auril defences. Probably, it was considered harmless by simple auril defences, the kind people without a Style had. He imagined manna could block it if you could reinforce your head. No one at the base could do that though, so it wasn''t possible to test. And yet, she hadn''t been in charge of her group and her profile proved that she really did work to save the wounded. He rated the chances of her being a villainous puppet-master much lower than just a nurse turned Fighter with a weird ability. Why would anyone try to kill her? Why him? Whoever was targeting them must either hate them irrationally or, more likely, was afraid of their potential. His abilities hadn''t even gone down the mind control path, though arguably Quantum Awareness was a kind of mind reading. Given enough time, both their abilities could be refined into actual threats and considering the likelihood of him just running into another target, it was a given there must be dozens of people with the potential for this sort of stuff in their Enclave alone. ¡°Was what I taught you about pulses helpful to extend the range of your happiness pulse?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Pulse of Delight,¡± Emily corrected absently, before staring at him and looking worried. No doubt she was finding his mask pretty intimidating, but he didn''t want to take it off and reveal the circular scars on his face. ¡°That''s what the System calls it. And yes, it helped a little.¡± Good, that meant what he knew about auril was compatible with her technique. ¡°Of course, it does,¡± Derrick said with a comforting smile and reached over the table slowly. ¡°If you don''t mind, could you take my hand and use the pulse, I''d like to feel it in action.¡± She hesitated but agreed and so Derrick spent a few minutes just examining the auril she released. As far as he could tell, it worked exactly as she said it did. It was in fact, an absurdly simple technique. Just a modified pulse, orders of magnitude simpler than either of his Strike techniques. Sister to the technique Kate had just taught him. So simple and similar, in fact, that he could easily turn it into a Strike technique with a little work. He probably would, just as learning experience. There was a lot about his Strike techniques he didn''t understand, having created the first by accident. He really didn''t want a repeat of his double KO with Scynil. The only things stopping him from doing it right away was how short on time he was and more importantly, a fear of seeing ''Smiling Strike'' in his profile. A punch that made people happy... so creepy. Kind of a Jokeresque super villain ability really. He was already wearing what looked like a devilish opera mask... Running low on time, he gave her his phone number and told her to get in contact with him if she needed help, either with auril or people. Lastly, he ordered Anita to grab a buddy and make sure Emily was protected at all times, while at the base and on her way out. He hadn''t forgotten about the auril Users who disappeared. Which took care of the mind control ''crisis'', at least until he had time to think about the bigger picture. ¡°Should I start ordering tinfoil hats?¡± Blake asked him as he left the building. ¡°Absolutely,¡± Derrick replied. ¡°I''m told folding them into those little sailor hats is super effective.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± swore Blake Demnol. ¡°And I just spent all my points on this.¡± The blond User threw a phone sized object at Derrick, which turned out to be a phone. Go figure. Or at least it looked like a smartphone. The device was dominated by a large screen and was clearly of System make. It looked interesting and solid, a combination of System silver and a boxy frame that reminded him of the military. It probably didn''t cost Blake more than a hundred points though, not unless it shot lasers or something. Whatever it did, it was a decent and unlooked for gift. ¡°It''s basically just your old phone, but it can survive a nuclear blast, brute force any human security encryption ever invented in seconds, and if anyone but you tries to use it without permission, it either grows poisonous thorns or explodes, depending on the situation.¡± ¡°But does it play any games?¡± asked Derrick as he watched the screen flick to life at his touch. ¡°I''ve got a real itch for some mindless repetition.¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± replied Blake. ¡°Could be something for you to work on, weren''t you a programmer? Most of the competition is probably dead. Combine it with your personal brand and you could dominate the market.¡± ¡°I''m not that kind of programmer,¡± the network engineer said. ¡°Anything important I should know about?¡± ¡°Gregory and friends left already,¡± Blake informed him with a shrug. ¡°I think they snatched that monster''s arm on their way out. Other than a few Spore Tyrant leftovers, the area is clear.¡± Derrick grunted. Well, he was the one to cut it off with his surprise lightning gun. If he wanted the charred limb, he''d earned it. Derrick asked Blake to continue with his report. ¡°I don''t think you should date my cousin,¡± Blake reported.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°So... you''re bribing me with this phone to get me to break up with her,¡± Derrick asked, puzzled. ¡°What? No. That''s for saving my life,¡± the blond User corrected. ¡°Look, it''s not you. It''s her and this whole situation. I''ve been trying to mind my own business, but she has a few quirks, some of which you might not be aware of yet, and I feel like it''s going to end up badly. One of those breaks up the band situations but instead of not getting rich, everybody dies.¡± Derrick smothered the spark of anger that Blake had created. The blond man was being sincere and trying to give good advice. Hell, it probably was good advice. Not that he was going to follow it. Kate was, hands down, the person he cared the most about in the world. Which was mostly due to his not giving much of a damn about other people. He knew she was keeping secrets, probably pretty bad ones. She was also one of the few people he respected, which had become strangely important to him lately. Respect. It wasn''t something that had had a lot to do with his dating life before aliens attacked. He couldn''t see himself hooking up with anyone else and honestly, he liked the sex. Besides, he thought and felt some dark emotion coil pleasantly inside himself, pushing her away would be an admission of defeat. And even the thought of such a retreat left a bad taste in his mouth. There was risk yes, but at the same time, potential. ¡°Sorry? Were you saying something? It sounded like you were giving me relationship advice, and every time I think about that, all I can see is the memory of you strapped naked to that bed,¡± Derrick said. ¡°That woman was a professional seductress, hired by a shadowy conspiracy!¡± defended Blake. Did Greta count as a shadowy conspiracy? He was going to go with yes. She certainly seemed to be trying hard enough at being one. ¡°Anyway. You''re a good guy and I have to admit I''ve been a not great friend,¡± Blake said, a somewhat pained look on his face. Really, it was almost sneer-like. At the same time, his hand was tapping the pommel of his sword erratically. ¡°Mmmm,¡± responded Derrick thoughtfully. ¡°Well, you''re the best surviving friend I''ve got.¡± Not that he''d had more than one or two casual friends even before the Scourges. ¡°All things considered, I''m glad we met.¡± ¡°And to be clear, I was just giving you advice. You''re a local celebrity, you could totally go the harem route.¡± Blake said and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°If she¡¯s going to date someone I know, I''m glad Kate is dating you. You''re sturdy.¡± Harem route? Sturdy? He was about to ask when an auril pulse warned him that they weren''t alone. Speak of the Devil. ¡°Daaaw,¡± interrupted Kate, her face mirthful. For a second he thought maybe someone had hit him with a happiness pulse, but no, she was just cute. ¡°My cousin approves of my boyfriend, I''m so relieved.¡± ¡°I''m sturdy.¡± Derrick agreed sarcastically. ¡°And rich,¡± added Kate. ¡°Or at least I assume so. Out of everyone you must have gotten the most points. Unlock anything interesting?¡± Apparently, he wasn''t the only person who got a little too happy about upgrading at Stations. Their conversation on traits and titles quickly got out of control, drawing in a couple other Users. Predictably, everyone wanted to know every detail of his traits and titles. It wasn''t like he didn''t learn anything though. He heard about a dozen interesting traits, from stronger and lighter bones to an upgrade to the System implant that aided hand eye coordination. It was a fascinating conversation, but he was on the clock. So, he moved on to the second item on his list of things to do. Which was wandering a dozen feet into a nearby alley and browsing through his options at their base''s System Station. He had two thousand six hundred and thirty-six points to spend after all. Traits came first, as they seemed to be the most important things he could buy, they were the only thing you could that had an effect on Roles after all. Unless there were Roles you could unlock by owning a big enough gun or a fast-enough vehicle.
Traits Available
USSP:2636
Curative Blood (B) (Defensive) 2371 USSP Defensive Trait. Modified blood cells and plasma give increased resistance and healing speed.
Breathless (E) (Survival) 345 USSP Modified blood increases oxygen carrying capacity, decreases muscle fatigue and allows the User to hold their breath for longer periods of time. Allows cutaneous gas exchange from the neck, chest, and back, enhancing Users ability to oxygenate blood.
Advanced Combat Drug Package (D) (Offensive) 521 USSP An advanced gland in the spinal column that allows controlled release of powerful drugs. Refined by the System from data gathered from Human Users, this upgrade allows a subtle and balanced release of drugs, granting a small passive bonus to reducing bleeding, reaction time, endurance and focus.
Devil Skin (F) (Defensive) 421 USSP A dermal mesh of carbon fibres that increases skin toughness while capable of quickly transforming to insulate the body and radiate away heat. When activated, the trait protects against damage from exterior heat sources and detection from heat sensors.
Curative Blood was too expensive. No way was he going to spend all his points on upgrading it. Judging from how his Role choices only required a D ranked trait, it wouldn''t help with that either. The trait was already ranked C and hadn''t been relevant to his roles other than being ranked D or higher. Breathless was a no brainer. He''d gotten a lot of mileage from that quirky trait. Increased running ability alone was a literal life saver. Apparently, this was an upgrade from his Predator title, what he''d received from fourth place in the Trial of Predation. It seemed as if earning upgrades for traits was difficult. Only the one given when people first became Users was always able to be upgraded. The trait given to Fighters as they levelled, was sketchy as always. A System designed organ that was constantly dripping drugs into Users? Definitely sketchy. Even if it wasn''t a health hazard, it seemed like the kind of thing that could permanently alter a Users personality. Although, another D ranked trait could help with unlocking a Role. That might be being too hopeful, it seemed like the Roles available were as ''elite'' as level two Roles got. Role requirements aside, the small, across the board bonus could be good. Devil Skin, the new trait unlocked by Resilience II was surprisingly decent. It was just F ranked, so the effect would probably be weak. Yet it was just all around helpful and worth upgrading into a real game changer in the future. The name though... He was almost positive the System had created the trait while watching him fight the Legion and named it to troll him. Speaking of trolling, he''d noticed something odd going on with the System Station. At some point during his browsing, four eyes had formed on the video screen that dominated the Station''s front. Yellow and with slit pupils, they were clearly all attached to the same invisible head and watching him. Well, this had never happened before. Derrick took a couple steps to the side and watched them follow him. ¡°Hello,¡± he said. ¡°I''m assuming you''re an Authority, probably ITRS.¡± A green handprint appeared on the screen next to the floating eyes, earning a suggestive nod from them before they settled back to staring at Derrick. Sighing, Derrick pressed his hand against the alien machine. The effect was instant and flashy. Coolness spread through his palm even as digital fireworks erupted from where he''d touched, spreading across the Station''s screen. A second later Derrick heard trumpets ring out joyfully. Amide the garish explosions, words popped into view. This process may be recorded for posterity. Congratulations! Through your actions, you have proven that Earthlings are not yet the bottom of the food chain! You have earned 4th place in the Trial of Predation! As one of the top five competitors, you have earned the favor of It that Rewards Savagery! You have been invited to become a disciple of Authority (ITRS)! Would you like to learn more? y/n Yes, he did want to learn more. Since this non stop tango with horror and death had started he''d been kept in the dark. At this point there were very few things he wouldn''t do for some answers. It was not, however, a decision he was going to make thoughtlessly. He was willing to bet that despite the somewhat ominous name, this Authority wasn''t laying some kind of trap for him. The Trial of Predation had been on the up and up. While there was no doubt that it had gotten some of the braver auril Users killed, it had, at the same time rewarded them for their efforts in ways that didn''t seem to discriminate against the participant''s unique skills. So, there would be fewer auril wielders immediately, but the remaining ones would be tougher and more skilled because of the trial they had been through. He wasn''t sure how much he should read into that though. There could easily be layers of deception or just him dealing with a truly alien mind. What did he know about this creature? It had created the Trial of Predation, supposedly to prove humanity had a fighting chance or something like that. Could it not care about the auril shenanigans that were going on? Derrick''s brows furrowed. No, that wasn''t quite right, this alien entity was opposed to auril mind control. It was simply, as far as he was aware, was taking a subtler approach to dealing with it it. He''d been too annoyed at the idea of being recorded to think about why. The public broadcasting of the participant''s battles and rewards would encourage people to walk in their shoes. Using auril like Derrick himself did, as a weapon and survival tool, not for manipulation of other Users. Derrick the Red existed because ITRS had created him as an example. Huh, despite the name, this Authority''s methods had been the least savage or crude he had seen so far. Logically then, if he did become this creature''s disciple, it would try to influence him away from the mind control uses of auril and back to being a soldier for the System. Was that worth whatever help it would give him? Was there any opportunity for him to become the disciple of some other Authority? He knew there was at least one other, but that was because it had tried to kill him. Would becoming this Authorities disciple protect him from the rest? It wasn''t like he wanted to use mind control. Learn it sure. Whether or not he decided to become a disciple, it was worth hearing it out. He sent the Station a mental acknowledgement. A pulse of green light from his hand washed away fireworks and silenced the trumpets. Derrick was unsurprised to find his hand stuck to the Station. He just sighed fatalistically, avoiding panic this time. As he watched the machine carefully for more changes, darkness instead fell all around him. Blotting out everything but the machine in front of him, which continued to let off a faint glow. Even the dirty walls of the alley were slowly hidden in shadow. When the entire world was covered in darkness, he heard the sound of something large moving toward him from behind. So dramatic, thought an unworried Derrick, as he turned his head to try and catch a glimpse of whatever was approaching him. Despite the darkness and his hand still being trapped, he couldn''t be bothered to be afraid. He''d had more than a little experience with nightmares and monsters recently and could tell this was all theatre. It lacked even the flighty substance of a dream. It was simple illusion. No doubt a more complicated version of what the System used to display notifications. Also, the creature was now circling around him instead of approaching directly from behind, effortlessly moving through what should be solid buildings without slowing. From the sounds alone, he would have guessed the creature was the size of a bus. Yet, as it grew closer it seemed to shrink until it ended up much smaller than even Derrick. He watched with great interest as a cartoon animal emerged from darkness. It was a four eyed snake the size of a large anaconda. It slithered into view and wrapped itself around the Station, so that its head ended up level with Derrick''s own. Just a few feet from him, its unblinking eyes stared at him as its forked tongue tasted the air. It was pretty obvious this wasn''t the Authority¡¯s true form. As strange as the universe was, he wasn''t willing to believe cartoon snakes were an alien race that existed. It didn''t have any limbs. He was pretty sure you needed limbs to develop civilization, not to mention intelligence. Exaggerated cartoon eyes returned his amused scrutiny. It seemed like some kind of desert snake to Derrick, having very defined scales and horn-like growths on it. At the same time, it was a glossy red and purple, colors you only saw in rain-forest animals. ¡°Hey,¡± said Derrick the Red. ¡°I hear you''re looking for a disciple. What''s in it for me?¡± 5.4 Bargains Unblinking, the snake creature just stared at him for a few seconds. Displaying no emotions beyond normal snake levels of focus. It was a productive silence though. In just seconds the System sent a notification his way. ITRS has called for a proficiency revaluation (Auril). Proficiency (Auril) upgraded to Expert. ¡°Isn''t that cheating?¡± asked Derrick. He''d worked hard for every proficiency he''d unlocked, the idea that they could be given out like candy was mildly offensive. ¡°Oh, it was not undeserved.¡± the colorful snake told him amicably, its voice jovial, male and carrying a cultured British accent. ¡°Your mastery of auril has been quite atypical, you managed to bypass the usual flags that show proficiency. The System had not given you your due, Tower that Raises. It is one of my many responsibilities to fix such oversights, though one I rarely bother with.¡± ¡°Well thanks.¡± Derrick replied, still a bit shocked by the British voiced cartoon animal that was talking to him. He realized it was actually a holographic avatar of an alien, not a real creature, but that just honestly made it weirder. Derrick pushed his confusion aside. He had important questions to ask this thing. This might be the most important moment of his life. At his side, the fingers of one hand dug into flesh. ¡°You are the Authority known as It That Rewards Savagery?¡± Derrick pressed. He hoped he wasn''t talking to some other mysterious cybernetic creature. ¡°One of many names that I hold,¡± the Authority agreed with a deliberate nod. ¡°And you are Derrick the Red. The Tower that Raises, second among neophytes to reach the end of their first Role and the fourth greatest competitor in my own Trial.¡± ¡°Ya, that''s me.¡± Derrick replied, and couldn''t help but throw in a sarcastic remark. ¡°Thanks for that by the way.¡± While it hadn''t forced him to wear so much red, that was Kate''s fault, its televised trial was what had earned him that nickname. ¡°My pleasure,¡± it said amiably with a little bob of its head. ¡°You must have questions. Ask.¡± ¡°I feel like we should start with what a disciple actually is,¡± Derrick said. The not quite real snake cocked an eyebrow at him, a very human gesture that real snakes probably couldn''t do. ¡°To answer that we''d have to start with what an Authority is,¡± it non-answered, but pressed on. ¡°As I''m sure you have guessed. I am not a creature of the flesh. I surrendered myself completely to the System. A living sacrifice to the god that made itself known to my people,¡± it answered casually, as if it was talking about the weather. ¡°A great honor and opportunity to serve so.¡± ¡°Are you completely digital?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Or hardw..¡± ¡°Before my world was challenged by the Scourges and saved by the System, the most common cause of death among my race was from teeth and claws, usually from other members of our own race. The second most common was infection.¡± ITRS interrupted with an amused smile. ¡°If you have technical questions on the nature of the System, I recommend you ask someone else.¡± Oh, great. This did not inspire confidence in the System''s judgment. From violent primitive huddling around the fire, to empowered representative of sentient life. Although, he did get the impression that the snake in front of him was being somewhat dishonest. Playing up its ignorance at the very least, to avoid answering any questions it didn''t want too. Or couldn''t. ¡°What I do know, is that Authorities are granted sublime efficiency and skills beyond those of physical creatures. Skills that are necessary to guide the System in the fight against the Scourges. But this comes at a price, our remote existence wears at us, we forget ourselves. Our madness is inevitable.¡± That sounded about right. Of course, the fate of humanity was in the hands of a bunch of random strange aliens that were doomed to go mad. ¡°A disciple is a reminder of the flesh we used to have, the creatures we used to be and a window into the nature of the world we are fighting to save. In return for allowing me using you as anchor and window, I will act as an advocate between you and the System. Skewing its missions and rewards to better match your potential and protecting you from the enmity of my fellow fleshless.¡± ¡°So, you admit that an Authority tried to kill me.¡± ¡°No,¡± the Snake disagreed, with a lipless smile. ¡°Two did, or at least put you at great risk. The first from practicality and the second from prejudice. Neither should move against you directly in the future, but my patronage would grant assurance of your safety. It would be beyond even their foolishness to move against a user so bound to myself.¡± They wouldn''t attack him directly, huh. Which he interpreted to mean that he could easily get caught up in their bullshit indirectly. Murderous levels of prejudice didn''t just disappear in a few days, he was willing to stake his life on it. The User remained quiet and fell deep into thought. Protection was just as inviting as advocation. He really, really wanted to not have to deal with the invisible threat offered by Authorities. Staying alive was hard enough without enemies that unpredictable. Despite that, his mind wasn''t made up. He needed to learn this creatures¡¯ motivations without revealing his own, pitiful as they were. ¡°How many Authorities are there?¡± ¡°At least three,¡± Snake said. ¡°More than that, I cannot say for the same reason we are communicating the way we are.¡± That would be security concerns. Which was interesting, there must be Scourges that could challenge the System on a technical level. That or the System was very divided. Not something he wanted to get into now though, even if he thought this smiling snake would answer such questions. ¡°And you would be on my side? Giving advice and information?¡± It that Rewards Savagery drew back, its cartoon face projecting no obvious emotion. ¡°Opportunity for discussion will be rare and I am more subordinate to the System''s rules than you are. More importantly, I have no ability or desire to play kingmaker on this little world. After this, even though we will be connected, we may never speak directly again.¡± ¡°The entire sum of being a disciple is that I allow you to sense through me at times and in return you subtly work to make my life easier.¡± ¡°Easier? No, not that.¡± It said with a frown and intensity creeping into its voice. ¡°If ease in life is what you seek, look for it elsewhere. I am not in the habit of making anyone''s life easier. I would put my weight behind you, making your impact felt. You would profit from my attention but every bit of aid that I offered would come with a price. To do otherwise would be a corruption of what the System is.¡± ¡°That would be the normal deal anyway,¡± The cartoons snake said, its tone jumping back to friendly. ¡°As you well know, twice you have been struck at by Authorities that should have been your benefactors. And while you have profited from their rank idiocy indirectly, the scales are still unbalanced. So, I can and will offer two small gifts in the name of balance. Whether you become my disciple or not, they are yours to keep.¡± ¡°Like with auril proficiency.¡± ¡°A simple correction,¡± it said with a shake of its head. ¡°Hardly worthy of being called a gift. I believe you were looking at traits? Try looking into auril now. I made that change to your proficiency for a reason.¡± Derrick did so and three new options immediately stuck out.
Auril Blast Batteries (E) (Auril) (Offensive) 393 A pair of auril batteries fused to the bones of the User''s hands. These devices can store a small amount of auril and use it to augment auril techniques. +1 auril capacity Requires level 2.0
Auril Channels (E) (Auril) (Defensive) 479 A weave of aurilin alloy tattooed under the User''s skin, it enhances the flow of auril and provides mild protection from physical attacks. Enhances protection against foreign auril techniques, both subtle and brutal. + 1 auril capacity Requires level 2.0
Auril Predator Focus Upgrade (Free) An Upgrade to a System breather mask that laces the mask with aurilin alloy to turn the mask into an auril medium and receiver. This allows the mask to enhance the User''s ability to both send and detect auril outside their body using the mask.
His heart began to beat harder than when he thought a giant monster was moving in the shadows behind him. Those were some nice traits. It would be worth it to save points until he could buy at least one at level two. The ''free'' focus was obviously one of the gift''s the Authority was talking about.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. That Authority wasn''t being subtle with its intentions at all. Showing him these new traits and the gifted focus were clearly an attempt at manipulation. ¡°You want me to be a Hunter,¡± he accused. These traits and items were tailor made for that Role. The Authority''s head snapped down to just inches away from Derrick''s, their eyes met as the cartoon creature smiled a snaky smile. ¡°Wihtout doubt, it is the Role that fits you best,¡± it said with deep certainty before relaxing and retreating back to its previous perch. ¡°The choice is yours and my offer of patronage stands either way.¡± Best at? Maybe, but it would also be second only to Brute when it came to danger. ¡°Hunter seems a little specialized. What if I run into non-biological Scourges?¡± ¡°Flee or die. Fighting the Rebel Instruments and their ilk is nothing like any battle you have fought so far,¡± ITRS informed him. ¡°They control powers you have no counter to. Regardless of your Role, you are simply not suited to it. Choosing Hunter will reduce the chances of facing such Scourges. Others can march to those battles, you will best serve yourself and your world by playing to your strengths.¡± How reasonable. He supposed thinking that he could be good at fighting everything had been pretty arrogant of him. Still, something about the Authorities arrogance rankled him. It seemed so sure it knew what was best for him and that he would take its offer of patronage. ¡°What about Sensitive?¡± Derrick asked, fishing for more information on why Authorities had tried to kill some auril Users. ¡°I''m no great master of auril but I am old enough to have earned instinct and insight into stranger forces than the Quantum Flesh,¡± ITRS claimed. ¡°All your accomplishments in auril have been earned from violence and butchery. To retreat from the struggle is to embrace mediocrity and stagnation. To wither. You''re no scholar. You, Tower that Raises, are a bloody handed thief,¡± the snake finished with a kind smile. Harsh, but unfortunately containing more than a little truth. This what he''d wanted insight into though. He wanted to know more about what had driven not one, but two Authorities to try and kill him. ¡°Having mind control seems useful,¡± he baited and got another amused look in return. The curious User got the distinct impression that the cartoon snake was on to him. ¡°Less than you believe,¡± ITRS informed him. ¡°It is not fear that motivated the attacks on you, it was contempt. Auril Sensitivity is seen by many cultures as a corruption of auril and spirit. A poison that spreads weakness and stagnation. It does not help that it is the only known form of controlling others that the System allows. Many cultures see this as an oversight and seek to purge those that use it. The first attempt on your life was made to spare your people the consequences of that talent becoming known.¡± ¡°Weakness?¡± he asked, that didn''t seem right. Mind control should be a powerful ability. ¡°Unless you are a Primal Scourge, auril allows influence over only those of your own species. Which spares the System Races from the rule of auril sensitives but causes species so ruled to be naturally xenophobic and isolationist. It also puts a world''s limited supply of auril in the hands of princes and politicians, not warriors. Weakness. Worlds fall for less.¡± Hmmm. How informative. Good to know but he wasn''t quite sure how accurate a comparison between humans and alien civilizations would be. He could definitely see an auril based ruling class being created, something that turned his stomach to think about. Mostly the pettiness of it, if such a class was actually effective, he would have cared a lot less. Even if a benevolent class of auril sensitives led humanity to victory over the Scourges, it would take almost no time for their descendants to become corrupted by those powers. Ya, barring a miracle it seemed like a dead end. ¡°Squire is tempting,¡± he said, changing the subject. ¡°Yes, especially as I am sure the Warden can be convinced to take you as a Squire. There is much glory and opportunity in aiding the Crusaders.¡± ¡°You don''t sound approving,¡± Derrick noted. ¡°I am not,¡± the snake said with a toothy smile. ¡°It would be a pointless sacrifice of your potential. To aid the Knights without any real chance of joining their ranks in a human''s lifespan is to embrace weakness. Besides, you are ignorant of the obligation you would shoulder in that Role, of the Laws and rituals of the Orders. You have known them only briefly and on the battlefield. You would be more than just a helper or student, you would be entangled by the culture, religion and politics of a galaxy wide warrior priesthood. It is no light thing to join a Knight Order as Squire and you do not strike me as the type to flourish in such a disciplined and ritualistic environment.¡± Uggh. Point. He did find both Scynil and Third Striker to be grating and that was with only hours of interaction. Even just their way of speaking was annoying. IF they tried to get him to join their religion? Well, it might be worth it for real training. ¡°However, I do understand your thirst for their knowledge and it would be shame for your bond with the Crusaders to be wasted. As the second gift, I bestow a title on you.¡± The smug serpent informed him. The four-eyed snake bowed gracefully towards him and notification popped into sight. You have gained 250 USSP
Blooded Ally of the Orders By decree of the Holy Authority (ITRS), this User has earned the right to wear a Sign of Shared Purpose and call themselves as ally of the Knight Orders and their works.
¡°Not exactly a common sight these days,¡± The snake mused aloud as Derrick read the notification. ¡°A bit out of fashion, but it will do the trick.¡± ¡°What trick?¡± Derrick asked cautiously. ¡°What does this even do? I don''t suppose you unlocked a new Role?¡± The snake conveyed its bemusement to Derrick with a tiny snort. ¡°You are already a Trailblazer, with Roles made just to suit you. A finalist of mine own Trial and just generally overqualified for choosing a second Role. With just the accomplishments you have now, you could probably transition into a third Role.¡± ¡°So, what does the being a Blooded Ally of the Orders get me?¡± the disappointed User asked. It seemed far less useful than the Predator Focus. Wasn''t this basically just a medal? Derrick had gotten enough participation trophies to know how much they were worth, although the points were nice. ¡°On this planet? Not much. It satisfies the arcane codes of conduct the Orders operate under enough that any Crusaders you run into might teach you some tricks and you can demand a place at their side during any battles they lead.¡± ¡°And on other planets?¡± Derrick asked, not really needing any excuse to learn more about the rest of universe, despite how horrible it seemed to be. ¡°Hmmm. Many different things on many different worlds. On two worlds that circle the same sun, it allows you to own a fighter craft, challenge a lesser estate owner for their property and grants the right to take a second mate if you were capable of producing eggs. On planets across the galaxy, it will get your meals paid for by strangers. On still others, you will be shunned and driven away by those world''s jealous, petty inhabitants.¡± Derrick made a mental note, that if ever possible, to visit the planets ruled by what he assumed was fighter craft duelling nobility that he was now an honorary member of. ¡°It seems like you have a complicated relationship with the Knight Orders.¡± Derrick stated. ¡°I can say, with far more knowledge than most possess and less prejudice besides, that the universe is better for having the Knight Orders in it.¡± the snake said easily. ¡°Among the tools of the System, they are one of the best. Yet, my people were never much for faith in anything but ourselves. The System is not a god, it simply has laws containing enough truth that it empowers those that follow it.¡± Truth and Law, huh. The confused User opened his mouth to ask more about the System and its Knights but was interrupted. ¡°This has been an entertaining chat,¡± It That Rewards Savagery said. ¡°But my time is valuable, I must have your decision soon.¡± Derrick stared into the anime eyes of his would be patron. He had important questions to ask but that just made asking them harder. He''d gotten used to violence and cosmic horror but asking these questions took a different kind of courage. He was afraid of the answers. It didn''t stop him. ¡°Are we winning?¡± Derrick asked, knowing that the other would know exactly what he meant. ¡°Can we win?¡± What he really supposed he was asking was, did what he''d accomplished matter? Did his suffering have meaning? Could he take a vacation? ¡°I do not know,¡± ITRS admitted. ¡°Chaos has been the only certainty so far. You exhibit talents the races that huddle beneath the System find troublesome, denying you allies when you need them most. In that light, it stretches credulity that the Inoculation ravaging your world with rare potency is coincidence. Even the Spore Tyrant, that most predictable of horrors, has been acting atypical since it arrived on this curious little world. The Grey Legion should not be here at all, yet it is determined to win this world, spending resources and revealing secrets. Almost humorously, it has been millennia since the Red Woods have contested the System for a planet, yet here they are, defiant of the expectation of their extinction.¡± ¡°The Spore Tyrants are considered predictable?¡± Derrick asked while he considered the implications of what he''d heard. ¡°Why change your method when you are winning?¡± It That Rewards Savagery replied easily. ¡°When you have always been winning?¡± ¡°And yet,¡± It that Rewards Savagery started and drew back. ¡°I would not bet against you. I am unsure. I have lost more secure worlds and seen worlds overcome longer odds. The very chaos that threatens you may be what preserves you.¡± Yellow eyes focused on Derrick with inhuman intensity. ¡°So, you tell me, Tower that Raises. Will you keep fighting? Can you win? Can your kind banish the monsters back to the darkness?¡± ¡°You seem like a shit patron,¡± Derrick replied with sigh. ¡°You never give the answers I want.¡± Silence reigned. Silence and the unblinking stare of glowing yellow eyes. ¡°I''m not fighting to save the human race,¡± Derrick admitted. ¡°That seems above my pay grade. I mean, I am. I want the human race to survive and will fight to... never mind. What I''m trying to say is that I need to be more than a soldier. To be able to do things that you or the System might not approve of. If being a disciple means that you will constantly be narcing on me, I will have to say no.¡± Silently, four eyes glided forward until they were uncomfortably close to his face. ¡°You admit to an Authority''s face that you intend rebellion and subversion?'' It asked. ¡°That you will put your own needs and wants above your fellow humans and even the System itself? The System, the only force that stands between the Scourges and hundreds of stars where precious and delicate sentient life resides?¡± ¡°...yes?¡± Derrick said. ¡°Good,¡± said the serpent and as it withdrew Derrick saw a glimmer of delight in its eyes. ¡°That is reassuring. I was beginning to doubt my choice of disciple. This entire conversion has been mundane, tame even.¡± Yellow eyes flared above a mouth filled with fangs. ¡°Do as you will human, break every law you can. If you want to bind others to your will with auril, I will not stop you as long as you do not directly oppose the System itself. I think you will find that under my patronship your freedom will be much expanded, not decreased. And all I demand in return is that you make your enemies bleed.¡± So, it hadn''t chosen its name because it liked how it sounded then. ¡°That seems like it might conflict with your job?¡± Derrick questioned. ¡°Aren''t Authorities supposed to prevent the Scourges from killing everyone?¡± ¡°Some of them certainly think so. The fools. Save you from the Scourges. Save you from the System Races. Save you from yourselves. It never ends. Why bother? Salvation is never achieved, Damnation is only ever delayed,¡± the cartoon snake commented emphatically. ¡°What value is there in life granted and defined by others? Why should the System fight to preserve a mockery of a race? Why save those that cannot even appreciate themselves?¡± It That Rewards Savagery demanded angrily and its illusionary body rippled and swelled. Then jarringly, like someone had flipped a switch, the Authority was back to being calm and whole. ¡°Thrive or Wither by your own choices,¡± it finished. Derrick returned the snake''s gaze stonily. Well, that was definitely an answer to his question. The problem now was that this deal was too good. There was a catch here somewhere. ¡°You want something from me,¡± Derrick said with iron certainty. Which actually was reassuring, because it gave him leverage. He had no idea what it was though. ¡°Only what I want from everyone,¡± the ancient hunter admitted. ¡°Nothing you need concern yourself with. Just try to display caution without cowardice, it would inconvenience me if you died too quickly or were too boring.¡± This was dangerous, yet not as much weakness, not as much as hesitance. Fair though. If this creature let him achieve his own goals, he was willing to be used. Eager even. ¡°OK then,¡± Derrick said and smiled at his new patron. ¡°Speaking of not being boring, I have a price, something that only an Authority could help with.¡± It was dangerous, stupid and put the city at risk. It was a personal matter. Derrick explained and It That Rewards Savagery''s laughter rang out across the darkness. Derrick gripped the handle of an axe and felt his heart pound like a hammer, that laughter proved that Derrick had made the right choice. 5.5 Responsibility ¡°Hey,¡± A voice strange voice called out. ¡°Hey! You alright buddy?¡± ¡°Mwaa?¡± Derrick replied smartly, before reality caught up to him. He looked behind himself to find an unfamiliar User shaking his shoulder with a look of equal parts annoyance and concern on his dark skinned face. He was one of those older Users, Derrick saw, whose exact age was hard to pin down because the System was... well literally smoothing out the wrinkles. Not to mention the muscle gains. What he hadn''t gotten back was his hair, the man was still bald. The newly minted disciple''s hand dropped away from the Station, free from whatever force had been holding it there. The darkness was gone and morning light filled the alley. ¡°Err ya, sorry.¡± Derrick apologized and stepped away. ¡°It''s been a long night.¡± That earned him a snort. ¡°I''m hella impressed that you still on your feet,¡± the dark-skinned stranger said and gave him another hit to the shoulder, this one friendly. ¡°Guess you weren''t on that show for nothing, you beautiful bastard.¡± A sly look came over the older man''s face. ¡°You win anything,¡± he questioned with a wiggle of fat eyebrows. ¡°Best Dressed,¡± Derrick answered and earned a guffaw. Checking his new phone, as the other man ordered from the Station, the User found that only a minute had passed while he was talking to his new patron. It should have been much longer considering the long chat they''d had after he accepted being its disciple. He thought about what he''d learned and waited for the man to leave before returning to the machine. It was time to make some purchases, if his suspicions were true, he would need every scrap of power he could get his hands on. On that note, he brought up everything he intended to purchase.
Traits Available
USSP:2886
Breathless (E) (Survival) 345 USSP Modified blood increases oxygen carrying capacity, decreases muscle fatigue and allows the User to hold their breath for longer periods of time. Allows cutaneous gas exchange from the neck, chest, and back, enhancing Users ability to oxygenate blood.
Advanced Combat Drug Package (D) (Offensive) 521 USSP An advanced gland in the spinal column that allows controlled release of powerful drugs. Refined by the System from data gathered from Human Users, this upgrade allows a subtle and balanced release of drugs, granting a small passive bonus to reducing bleeding, reaction time, endurance and focus.
Devil Skin (F) (Defensive) 421 USSP A dermal mesh of carbon fibres that increases skin toughness while capable of quickly transforming to insulate the body and radiate away heat. When activated, the trait protects against damage from exterior heat sources and detection from heat sensors.
Auril Predator Focus Upgrade (Free) An Upgrade to a System breather mask that laces the mask with aurilin alloy to turn the mask into an auril medium and receiver. This allows the mask to enhance the User''s ability to both send and detect auril outside their body using the mask.
System Soldier''s Ration BarSystem Soldiers Ration Bar x12 70 USSP A dozen bars designed to replace a meal while supplying the body with what it needs to level quickly. Effect on level cap growth minor (7%). Customized to encourage muscle growth. Fruit, cake and pickle flavoured
Basically, all the cheap stuff, which would leave him fifteen hundred and twenty nine points he wasn''t sure what he would do with yet. He just needed these traits now, as they took time to kick in. Derrick bought them all and immediately downed the white can full of mysterious liquid that popped out of the machine. It tasted a bit like coffee, he noted, but without the bitterness and with a hint of unknown spices. Next, Derrick exchanged his latest manna and auril spoils for upgrades to those pools. He''d received a cut of the Drone, due to the fact that it had been his brilliant plan that felled it. Once more, he downed a can of liquid, this time tasting of... he wanted to say blueberries? That drink should easily jump him up to ten manna. Auril would be limited to sixteen, proving that the normal cap for Fighter was ten for both powers. His Scrappy trait was what let him go as high as sixteen with auril. Only one thing left, the upgrade to his mask that had been gifted to him. Quickly checking that he was alone, he deposited his red mask into a suspiciously masked sized slot in the side of the Station and felt a powerful humming build up. Derrick ran his fingers over his now bare face. What he touched didn''t feel familiar, the obvious culprit being the circular scars on his cheek. That might not be the largest change though, he felt smooth patches of tiny scars all across his face, scars from acid that hadn''t quite healed away. The shape of his face might even be different from the new cords of dense muscles under his skin. Hell, for all he knew his bones were a different shape now. The System had been upgrading those too. He needed to find a mirror, hopefully there would be one by the shower he was going to hunt down. Derrick forced himself to eat another bar, to keep himself healing as fast as possible, he imagined even auril needed something to repair his body with. He even ate a second one, despite it tasting of pickle, he was in a bit of a race against the clock now. With a friendly chime, the Station announced his mask was finished. Picking it up, he felt a different texture to it, whereas before it had been smooth and thinner, it was thicker now with a barely perceptible ripple feel to it. Like weathered stone. He slapped it back on his face before anyone saw him without it. Having stuffed himself with strange foods and beverages, he left the alley, looking for someplace to meditate and digest. There were only a few minutes until he needed to meetup with Scynil but that didn''t matter now. Ah, but there she was now. The large hybrid was just standing beside the elevator with her eyes closed. The only part of her that was moving was her chest, as she breathed deeply. She was either meditating or literally asleep on her feet. The Crusader was half alien, so it was quite possibly the latter. Shrugging, he moved to a raised concrete flower bench near her and assumed a cross legged sitting position. He drew more than a few gazes as he walked, which let him know his mask didn''t noticeably effect Quantum Awareness. Time for some training and emergency patching up of his soul, for lack of a better term. Whatever happened next, he was going to face it without manna lea... What was his problem again? Something to do with manna from... not the raw stuff but from... ah, right. The Canvas. Remembering it wasn''t quite the gut punch it had been last time, probably because he still half remembered. Time to put a cork in that bottle. The leaking manna was having a disruptive effect on his regeneration, something he needed to be working at full power. Nevermind whatever it was doing to his brain. Focusing, Derrick fell into himself, concentrating on his auril heart and manna core at the same time. It was difficult, auril alone was a complicated enough sensation that just being aware of it was very distracting. He was glad to feel that his auril was already growing stronger form the aurilin he''d just bought, his auril heart putting out slightly thicker cords of power that spread and untangled throughout himself. Derrick the Red, Auril Pioneer, began to pull at threads and nudged the largest channels into slightly different directions. That was the trick with auril, you needed to think about the bigger picture, you couldn''t just grab what you needed, you needed to change the entire pattern. Soon, auril began to pool in his head, the threads lashing at the invisible energy from the Canvas and in seconds he was only aware of his faulty core as a tiny point, almost immeasurably small. This solved his problem but required constant effort on his part. He needed to create a self-perpetuating solution. It was a good thing he had a couple examples of this already, each of his Strikes techniques. Using an attack on his own brain though... This was going to be delicate work. In order to even try this, he was going to need to divorce the negative effects from the self-sustaining reaction. Which might not even be possible, he was kind of new at this. But what the hell, it wasn''t like he was trying brain surgery. He started with Sapping Strike, because as bad as weakening his brain might be, turning his skull to dust would be worse. He created the technique¡¯s pattern, holding it so it couldn''t initiate, and stripped pieces from it until it collapsed between his mental fingers. Once, twice, a dozen times, until he learned where the very edge of failure was. Then he took those wisps of power and moved them where he needed them, shaping his auril Style to accommodate this new pattern. Once, twice, a dozen times, his delicate work was washed away. Derrick barely noticed, he kept shaping auril until... he began to get annoyed. He had reached a mental block, a point where he was no longer learning. Just failing in the same way.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Was it impossible? No, he was simply going about it the wrong way. Auril was more than just patterns to be shaped by skilled hands guided by memory. It was, as Crusaders kept telling him, a reflection of himself. An Exaltation. His Style, his Exaltation would not be marred by any other, either Artist or Lurker. He needed to stabilize it and to accomplish that, he needed to widen the foundation. Bite, howl, claw and kick until the last beat of the heart. Own every moment, every drop of blood. It just clicked. Watching it was like seeing a flower grow and then bloom in reverse. The petals sprouting and collapsing around a dark point of invasive nothingness, shrinking and locking it away. Carefully he withdrew his mind''s eye to the rest of his auril. It was subtly different from what it had been before. He could see nothing wrong though, everything was still working. Perfect success, thought the Auril Pioneer, with this, his style and regeneration were back to peak efficiency. Honestly, that went much better than he was expecting. He half expected to have to fight off a Feral Artisan to do what he''d just done with a lot of squinting and some minor internal drama. More tests, to see exactly what had changed would have to wait. Changes to auril Style (Red Law)(D) detected... Recording... Rank unchanged.
Red Law (D) An Auril Style that grants regeneration and auril defences. Regenerative abilities based on the Grey Legion''s allow the rapid healing of wounds that the human body is not normally capable of healing, such as the regrowing of extremities or organs. This places a high level of physical stress on the cultivator however, requiring already greatly enhanced healing abilities and large amounts of auril energy. Combined with the Quantum Awareness trait, this Style grants an adaptive and subtle defence against foreign auril. Subtly repulsing it without needing the direct control of the style''s cultivator. An effective means of avoiding detection against weak auril detection. Auril defences have been enhanced to resist Enigma infections. Bite, howl, claw and kick until the last beat of the heart. Own every moment, every drop of blood.
This was... accurate, if underwhelming. Derrick mentally shrugged. Oh well, it might have been too much to hope that he''d boost the grade of his Style that easily. It did seem kind of undervalued compared to normal traits though. Styles were probably held to a higher standard, that or the fact it needed support from traits was downgrading it. Without Quantum Awareness and a physical healing boost, his Style was useless. ¡°Impressive,¡± came a voice from right beside him. Derrick couldn''t quite stop a jolt of panic before he recognized Scynil''s voice. Which caused him to feel a different type of panic as he realized he''d been examined. ¡°I must admit though, that I''m not quite sure what you have done.¡± She sounded, Derrick thought, almost sad. A quick glance upwards at her face confirmed this. While she wasn''t crying, she did have a pout going on. Derrick wondered if she even knew how expressive her face was now. ¡°I assume this is some inspiration granted through your battle with the Lurker of Loving Purpose.¡± Yes, the alien killing machine was definitely sad. Also, completely wrong about what was going on. Why would she think this had anything to do with the Lurker? Ah, because that monster had used manna and auril together and from the outside, that could be mistaken for him putting an auril lock on his manna core. He had no idea how it had managed its tricks though. If forced to guess, he would say it must be some unique level of the Fold and not something you could just imitate. ¡°I wish,¡± he said, not bothering to stand. ¡°You were right when you said that my auril is unstable. I noticed something like sympathy between the Lurker and I. I''m just making sure I can''t be influenced or thrown off balance.¡± Not even a lie, if a little misleading. It wasn''t the Lurker he was worried about at the moment. ¡°Overdue prudence,¡± Scynil said with a nod. ¡°I suppose I will just have to take its secrets from it when next we meet on the battlefield.¡± A pause. ¡°I have been a Warden for a long time. It is strange to me, having an enemy and a goal that does not come from that Role. Strange but invigorating. It is what I hoped for by joining this Crusade so early. The chance to earn new achievements and advance to a higher level of citizenship.¡± He did remember that she was level three point nine. Did she have no new roles available or did she just not like the ones she had? ¡°Well, I hope you kill it,¡± Derrick replied honestly. He certainly never wanted to fight it again. ¡°If Third Striker manages to learn anything, I''ll ask him to share.¡± Maybe his new title would come in handy for that. ¡°That would be a great kindness on your part, after my failures.¡± Scynil said. ¡°In you, your people are blessed with a strong and benevolent champion.¡± Derrick blinked. Not really sure how to take that. Usually, praise like that among modern humans was sarcastic, that was obviously not the case here though. It made him uncomfortable to be praised so highly by someone as experienced and competent as Scynil. ¡°They are lucky to have you too,¡± he said, complimenting her the first way that came to mind. He immediately felt like that had been too lazy ¡°It is nice to know that there is more to the Universe than monsters and machines. You have helped and I''m sure you will do more in the future.¡± Derrick was not sure how well that had gone. Scynil was not responding, just staring at him in what seemed to be thoughtful silence. He didn''t mind. With her looming over him, it was hard not to be fascinated by how well she was put together. From her almost transparent claws and hair, to the patterns of color on her skin, all of it was... interesting. The way her alien features blended with the human was intriguing, and he was pretty sure, not a coincidence. What better way to get a species to accept aliens amidst them than making them attractive? It was simple fact that repulsive allies would have a harder time. Like how he was pretty sure the System was subtly making Users, especially the older ones, more attractive to encourage people to become Users. Huh, if older Users were getting back in shape, they would probably find their youthful libido returning as well. Muscles growth and hormones were tied too closely to easily isolate. Hadn''t Third Striker said that he''d been given a human sex drive? Something he and probably every other Crusader had no relevant experience with? If all Crusaders were gorgeous, the future was going to be very strange. Never mind strange, it was going to be... honestly he didn''t have the words. He was already afraid of tripping over some cultural or emotional landmine, when talking to the Crusader, for all that she was polite and an ally, she was still far more alien than human in her experiences. An alien that had dedicated her life to violence. He couldn''t help but think their nonstop sex drive would be in humanity''s favor though. And not just from a hedonistic point of view. Emotional bonds with the Crusaders could help the embattled people of Earth. Especially if they had reason to dislike them, like a bias against auril sensitivity. Part of the System''s plan? Derrick thought not, it seemed more like a lucky break than anything an AI would come up with. If anything, he was pretty sure the System and even the Authorities were going to be unpleasantly surprised by how friendly the natives and the Crusaders got. ¡°Isn''t it about time we get to work?¡± He asked to end the silence, even though he knew the answer. ¡°My work has been postponed, it is odd, but what has not been recently? Every moment the Tyrant below is only partially bound should be a real risk. Yet we dither. Odd.¡± ¡°How mysterious,¡± Derrick deadpanned. ¡°I can''t complain. This gives me a chance to heal and prepare. If you want to talk, I''ll be around.¡± The Crusader nodded and wandered off, leaving him to his meditation. Which, he was actually done with. While there were many things he could work on while sitting here, he felt like some exercise now. He didn''t feel good, but he was feeling better. Besides, he could regenerate while sparring. He just needed to find Blake. Actually, he could just bring Blake to him, he was still the leader of this burnt and broken intersection. He could feel a sense of acknowledgement as he mentally sent for Blake. Taking in the battlefield, something occurred to Derrick. Yes, he was the leader and he''d been too unconscious to perform his duties. There should still be over two dozen people in the base, including the wounded. The only people who had left where Gregory, most of his employees and the most damaged of the Users, those with injuries that required medical attention. Which was fewer than you''d think because the Grey Legion aimed to disable, not kill and even at level one Users were hard to finish off. ¡°What''s up,¡± inquired a voice from beside him. He didn''t need to turn to know it was Blake, answering his summons. ¡°Did anyone say anything after the fight was over?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Anyone?¡± the confused blond asked. ¡°We talked a bit, mostly we just dealt with the wounded and put out fires.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Derrick said, and with another mental command, sent out a call for nearby Users to gather. ¡°Then someone still needs to give a victory speech.¡± That caught his friend off guard but after a second an amused smile grew on his face. ¡°Something for posterity?¡± he said, obviously amused. ¡°Remember to lie, that''s the secret to great speeches.¡± ¡°We already did the impossible,¡± Derrick replied with an air of stoicism. ¡°Why would I need to lie?¡± ¡°That''s the spirit!¡± Blake said and clapped his hands together twice. ¡°I''m getting excited already!¡± ¡°What''s this?¡± Kate asked, a worried look on her face as she approached the pair. Gracefully she approached with her green mask covering the top of her face and her rifle slung over her shoulder. ¡°Another attack?¡± ¡°Only on our ears. Derrick''s giving a speech,¡± Blake informed her. Derrick shot Blake a glare of disdain but said nothing, it would have been beneath the dignity of a victorious leader such as himself. He was obviously just jealous. Other Users had begun to answer his call, stepping out of buildings and alleys to see what was going on. Derrick watched them gather with a sense that something was missing. Exactly what occurred to him when he looked to Scynil and saw her towering above the human Users. He needed a stage. But what to use. A pickup truck or concrete slab? Too pedestrian. Moving to the second story of a building was too extreme, it would make him seem arrogant and apart. His eyes fell on the elevator created by the System. The gate that led down below, where he and Scynil would attempt to bind... monsters. The circular platform had sunk back beneath the ground, fitting in perfectly with the rest of the street. Yes, it would do, If he could just... The elevator twisted until it was a foot higher, causing the gathered Users to talk amongst themselves. Wonderful, he could feel energy picking up. Derrick stepped onto it, sending it even higher as soon as he was firmly planted. It rose again, taking Derrick in a full revolution and bringing his feet to waist height. Derrick looked down at the small crowd in front of him, many of whom were still basically strangers to him. Despite the hours they had spent fighting side by side. He was pleased to see a half dozen of the Users that had literally fought at his side earlier, and couldn''t keep a small smile from going their way. There was Tom and his friends. Anita too. He decided to open with why anyone should care about anything he had to say. ¡°I had an opportunity to have a talk with a ghost in the System''s machine today. It was mostly about personal stuff, I''m sure you all know how much the System loves explaining things, but one thing it did let slip stuck in my head.¡± Silence reigned as he stopped talking, they were definitely listening, so he continued. ¡°We should not be here,¡± he said. ¡°We should have failed or fallen. We are just men and women, wielding knives and pistols in the face of horrors that devour worlds.¡± ¡°Beneath our feet, lies a wounded monster that we should not have been able to corner. But we did, because it infected men, women and children, sowing chaos and pain, leaving them just alive enough, just human enough that they could be used against us. It thought it could do this and hide from us. As the chaos it sowed led us right into its hungry maw.¡± He heard a smattering of chatter as Users talked. It seemed like not all of them knew why they had defended this place. In the future, if he did more of this leadership stuff, he was having fucking explanatory pamphlets made. ¡°It was wrong,¡± he informed the watching Users. ¡°It was resisted and hunted down for its arrogance. Now it lays bleeding below our feet. And we''re not done with it yet, this loss will cost it more than it knows. A difference was made.¡± ¡°We should not be here,¡± he repeated. ¡°We should have been driven back by the soulless soldiers of the Grey Legion. Countless cities have fallen to them across hundreds of worlds, but we didn''t let them have this one. And make no mistake, they wanted it. They threw everything they had at us and they lost. They sent one of their greatest champions and instead of crushing us beneath its feet, it fled as fast as its wounded body could carry it.¡± ¡°We did not defy the odds, we broke them totally. Earning victory against foes that never considered us anything but a resource to be gathered. After breaking our cities and poisoning the earth, they for the first time, feel the sting of defeat. Even the System didn''t predict us winning. But we did, and we can again and again. I''d bet on it.¡± Derrick looked around at the ruined city, scorched and broken from alien powers. He took a deep breath and felt power flow through him, mirroring and enhancing his pride. ¡°If humanity survives, it will be because of days like yesterday. We might be decades away from winning, but we made it a fight.¡± exclaimed Derrick the Red with a heartfelt smile. ¡°Well done.¡± 5.6 Rushing Ahead Derrick was feeling pretty damn good about himself after his speech. While he hadn''t gotten a standing ovation from anyone but Tom, he could feel pride and relief coming off the crowd. Not literally. Not from auril or anything like that. It was just normal human empathy at work as far as he could tell. With his enhanced senses, he also noticed a sense of camaraderie that hadn''t been there before, people quite literally coming together. Standing taller and shuffling closer as his speech went on. After the speech, he''d jumped down to shake some hands and learn a lot of names that he was honestly going to remember for maybe an hour. The most interesting new face was a User that Teslaforce had left behind as support and as a way to get in contact with Gregory. During their brief chat, Derrick made an offer and a purchase, to be delivered later. Once that was done with, the axe wielding User hung around just long enough to chat, trying to encourage high spirits before grabbing Blake and slipping away to a building outside of their base. The clock was ticking. Once out of sight, the glorious leader let out a deep breath and relaxed. Being social and pleasant was tiring, always had been for him. He wasn''t used to being the centre of attention either, it was unnerving. Especially when you could feel people looking at you. Still, he was in a good enough mood that he''d managed to fake being outgoing and maybe even a little charismatic. If he ever did learn auril mind control, that would be the greatest temptation, easy charisma. Blake could obviously tell how smug he was feeling and had decided to beat it out of him. It was a good thing that he''d borrowed a sword from another User. His reinforced weapon didn''t have a training mode and the blond obviously enjoyed proving he was the better technical fighter. Derrick had already taken a half dozen hits to the unprotected flesh of his neck and arm and many more to places covered by armor. Derrick had felt the need to work on his actual close combat skills and Blake was as good a teacher as any at the base, maybe even in the entire city. In that vein, he was fighting the sword wielder without auril or manna. At the same time, pumping regenerative auril into every cell of his body. Blake was still, by far, both the more experienced and talented fighter. Derrick couldn''t help but be impressed with how stupidly fast the other man''s sword could be, even without manna. It just appeared where he wanted it and could deflect even Derrick''s strongest blows. Even considering his reflex boosting trait, the other User impressed. Not to mention the strike range of his sword was greater than Derrick''s own with his axes. Fighting a faster opponent with greater range than you was no fun at all. Getting constant advice from the guy beating you up was just infuriating. Although not as bad as Derrick had thought it would be, the sword using blond was surprisingly serious when it came to teaching. It was the most professional he''d seen Blake act. He seemed to take Scourge attacks less seriously than training. ¡°Watch your bloody elbow,¡± Blake criticized. ¡°This isn''t boxing, keep it out and mobile. No! Without jiggling. Keep the cuts straight!¡± Blake easily deflected Derick''s own attack, sidestepped his off-hand weapon and delivered another blow to Derrick''s gut. It didn''t hurt, as he was wearing armor, but he had to fight to stop his embarrassment from becoming anger. He was too busy to waste time on anger. Breathless (E) Trait active Oh, already? One dow.. He stumbled as something slammed into his knee. Dammit, that distraction cost him yet more embarrassment as a sword point found his knee unguarded, before burying itself in his undefended gut a second later. Blake didn''t press his advantage, an annoyed look on his face, he just stepped back. ¡°I know you can do better than this. You''d be dead if you couldn''t. Are you even trying?¡± Blake asked. ¡°Take a break, focus and we will try again in a minute.¡± The bruised User considered hitting the blond asshole with a Stupor Pulse, the weaker and indirect version of Sapping Strike, then finishing him off with one good hit. That''s all he would need... one good hit. Sigh, he wasn''t going to do that, it would defy the point. Even if it would feel sooo good. Derrick controlled himself. In the grand scheme of things, his beat down mattered much less than him gaining the skills he needed to survive and meet his ambitions. One of those skills was applying Quantum Awareness to close range defence. If he could use it to predict bullets, he should be able to use it to predict Blake''s attacks. Concentrating on the other Users gaze, Blake raised his weapon, calling for another round. It went as well as the last few at first, but quickly Derrick got the hang of Blake''s speed. His auril quirk letting him sense Blake''s focus and predict his blows. He improved. He''d stopped making the same old mistakes and was now making entirely new ones. ¡°Keep the offhand axe up and ready.¡± Blake said. ¡°You''re blocking with the main weapon too much; you need to keep that option open to threaten attacks. And why are you even using axes if you¡¯re not going to try and hook my weapon?¡± Hooking, Derrick noted, was a lot harder than just blocking. Quantum awareness was good at letting him know where enemies were aiming, not the path their weapons were taking. It was a skill worth mastering though. They were fighting with equal amounts of skill now, which was artificial but ideal for training. Derrick kept the no manna spar going until the other User got too tired to continue and they both took a break. Derrick was mostly fine, he had both a small boost to endurance from just having auril and the Breathless trait. He used the time to test out his ability to use manna, that would be the next level of training. There was a surprisingly large change to how manna worked for him now. He toyed with during the break. ¡°I know I agreed to do this, but why are we doing this anyway,¡± Blake inquired, asking a question Derrick really didn''t want to answer. ¡°If I was you, I''d be taking a break. We''re war heroes, lets have some fun.¡± ¡°Wars not over,¡± Derrick said drily. ¡°The wars never going to be over,¡± Blake responded with confidence. ¡°That''s why you enjoy yourself while you can. Is this about the Crusader thing?¡± His voice was not quite casual enough to sell his indifference, Derrick noted. Blake really did want to know. Which meant, unless he wanted to lose his sparing partner, he needed a decent answer. The problem was, he wasn''t sure how much he could trust his ally. Or trust anyone for that matter. ¡°Yes, its about the dungeon,¡± was his answer. Derrick sighed, might as well reveal ninety percent of the truth rather than obviously hiding anything. ¡°You remember, I''m sure, the missing auril Users and what just happened with Scynil and Emily? It''s obvious that there''s some real threats to auril using Users. Threats that don''t play by the System''s rules¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Blake answered. ¡°So, you don''t trust Scynil? You think the dungeon is a trap?¡± ¡°Actually, her I do trust. I think she takes her job too seriously to sabotage herself.¡± Derrick said.¡°I also think anyone who is moving against auril Users is going to have problems with Scynil creating an auril mine directly below the Enclave.¡± Blake grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°And our shadowy auril hating enemy has already proven they can break, or at least bend, the rules,¡± he thought aloud. ¡°You predict sabotage or assassination.¡± ¡°Oh, I''m pretty sure it''s more than one person... or thing.¡± Derrick replied. ¡°Could be multiple plots afoot.¡± Derrick eyed their surroundings and let out a pulse of auril, checking on their privacy before turning his gaze to the other User. ¡°When I go down with Scynil,¡± Derrick started, causing Blake to grin. ¡°... It would be great if you could grab Anita and Tom''s group to keep an eye on everything up above. Stop anything that looks even a little funny.¡± ¡°Easy enough,¡± Blake said with a shrug. ¡°You sure you don''t want someone to go with you?¡± ¡°If I and Scynil can''t handle it, more bodies won¡¯t make much of a difference. I''d rather not let on that I''m suspicious.¡± Derrick replied. ¡°Now, lets try fighting with a little manna this time.¡± He was pretty sure he could manage using manna in a fight still. The axe wielder had noticed that since the upgrade to his Style, using manna was... different. The auril lock in his head was under his control, so he could open it, at least temporarily. The lock itself didn''t disappear, it just... flexed to allow manna through it. Sending a two second burst of manna through him and to where he commanded it. If he wanted a longer burst though, he would need to destroy the lock entirely. Something that would take a lot of work now that it was a part of his Style. Two seconds was enough for an attack, but blocking would be trickier. If he got the timing wrong or an attacker realized the limitation.... Right now, rhythm was his secret weakness. There was an upside, his auril let manna flow through him easier now. The same flexing that took place around his core was working to a much lesser degree throughout his entire body. He would guess that it was still less beneficial than just not having auril would be, but it was better than yesterday. It was a fascinating process and examining it had already gotten him hit a dozen times. Just as distracting, was the other downside to the recent changes to his auril and manna. The fact that it was very hard to stop canvas manna from mixing with the raw manna he was using. Eventually, he managed to purify his manna by about ninety some percent through flooding raw manna through his core. Luckily, the Canvas manna didn''t come with any obvious downsides and did come with one upside. His hits packed one hell of a punch. The increase in power from mixing the two mannas was no joke. He was still clumsy, but when he did hit something? Derrick was sure he hadn''t fought anything yet that wouldn''t feel it. In fact, it felt like every blow was stronger than the last one. More than once Blake found his own manna overwhelmed by the hits, his sword swatted aside with enough force that Derrick was impressed he''d held onto it. In one beautiful moment of pure bliss, a fluke of Quantum Awareness let him catch the blonde''s blade with his axe''s hook and using manna he pulled it so hard that Blake was slammed into the street, barely managing to roll and avoid a face plant.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Of course, after that happened, he simply dusted off and adapted, going back to kicking Derrick''s ass with pure speed and reflex. A few hours went by, Blake surprising Derrick with his dedication to the other User''s training. It was not wasted time, Derrick improved by leaps and bounds. Devil''s Skin (F) Trait active Advanced Combat Drug Package (D) Trait active A few more hours of beating him and Blake was too tired to keep going. He was spent enough that even breaks couldn''t keep him on his feet. Derrick let him go and sat down to resume his meditation, concentrating on regeneration as the day turned to late afternoon. Soon enough, his work paid off and a wave of satisfaction filled him as the System sent one more notification his way. You have reached level 2.0! You may now select a new Role!
Available Roles (2.0)
Brute A Role for those who best serve on the front lines of battle, holding the line and punishing the enemy at knife range. As the User levels, they will change to fit their Role with bones and muscles toughening beyond average, as well as an increase in size. Earns levels by completing combat missions. +7 Aurilin Maximum +7 Siviril Maximum Unlocks the Interior Mesh (E) trait. Requirements: Auril Heart and Manna Core/Hub A Rank D+ survival or defensive trait. Advanced Melee Weapon Proficiency Multi-Killer and Resilient or Force Adept titles
Scavenger A Role for those concerned with survival and the gathering of resources. Allows access to production oriented System devices, allowing the User to produce their own tools and weapons. Exempt from conscription. Levels will increase muscle and bone toughness, as well as a small boost to normal senses. Earns levels by gathering rare resources and on scouting missions. +5 Aurilin Maximum +9 Siviril Maximum Unlocks the Forge Organ (E) Trait. Requirements: Manna Core Two Survival Traits, one Rank D+ Advanced Scouting Proficiency
Squire (Third Striker) A Role for those who have proven their worth to a Crusader. Exempt from conscription. Levels will increase muscle and bone toughness, as well as a small boost to normal senses and reflexes. Earns levels by learning from their master and helping them with their missions. This Role leads into a Crusader Role. +6 Aurilin Maximum +10 Siviril Maximum Unlocks the Squire''s Manna Core (D) Trait Requirements: Manna Core Valor
Sensitive A Role for those rare Users that have a talent for the more delicate uses of auril. This role is as influential off the battlefield as on it and helps the challenged worlds discover the secrets of aurilin. Exempt from conscription. Levels will increase muscle and bone toughness. Earns levels by exploring auril, scouting missions and support missions. +10 Aurilin Maximum +5 Siviril Maximum Unlocks the Auril Undermind (D) Trait Requirements: Auril Heart Two Auril traits Advanced Auril Proficiency Auril Cultivator Title
Hunter A Role for Users that have displayed a wide array of talents and a ruthless drive to fight organic Scourges, either alone and in small groups. Levels will increase muscle and bone toughness, as well as a small boost to normal senses and reflexes. Earns Levels through combat, assassination and scouting missions. +10 Aurilin Maximum +7 Siviril Maximum Unlocks Heartless (E) Trait Requirements: Auril Heart and Manna Core One Survival, Offensive and Defensive Trait, one Rank D+ Advanced Auril, Scouting and Melee Weapon Proficiency Three titles earned through killing. (Scrappy, Multi-killer, Counter-agent)
ITRS had informed him that these, barring a miracle, were the best options he was going to get for a second Role. He was apparently overqualified for his level, especially in the areas of titles and his Style. His sponsor had also been pretty damn sure he should choose Hunter. Derrick had to agree, the most important thing to him right now was boosting his chances of survival for his journey below the city with Scynil. Whatever he picked would only have a negligible effect on that at the first level, but Hunter would be the best. Well, except for Brute and there was no way that was going to happen. Besides, Derrick thought as he made his choice, there was something fitting about the Role. He was laying a trap after all. Your Role now is now Hunter! Heartless (E) Trait Unlocked. Prepare yourself for combat, scouting and assassination missions! Basic Leadership Proficiency detected. You may be asked to command small groups on missions. Trailblazer Title detected. As one of the most successful Users on your planet, you will be responsible for both protecting and guiding your species! You will be sent to deal with serious threats. Check out a System Station for new purchase options! Serious threats huh? He really hoped that wasn''t relative to what he''d faced so far. No, couldn''t be. He refused to believe for even a second that his experience was anything like average. If every User went through half of what he had, the Scourges would have won by the second day. There was no point in delay, so he made his way to the bases Station. First thing he did was upgrade his pools again, now that his capacity was upgraded. This was the main reason he''d decided to postpone the binding of the Spore Tyrant. It was the biggest difference upgrading to a second Role gave, the boost to manna and auril. Too bad aurilin and siviril were still hard to get a hold of. He was already sitting at more than twice what the average User in Westhills had. He had to hold himself back from using his fame and authority to extort manna and auril from other Users. The damage that would do to his reputation wouldn''t be worth whatever meagre gains he got. Still, he managed to boost them a fair bit past his old caps by selling everything he had but a single Vanguard Auril heart. That auril heart had an interesting pattern to it. A pure shard of grey legion Growth. He wanted to keep that for research. It was too bad the drone¡¯s resources had been sold and split between users while he was sleeping. He would have at least liked to take a look at it.
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Scrappy III Role: Fighter Hunter Level: 2.0
Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer II, Resilient II, Fold Survivor, Trailblazer, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious, Blooded Ally of the Orders, C/C 1A/1B
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Manna Core (D) (Manna) Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) Advanced Combat Drug Package (D) (Offensive) Breathless (E) (Survival) Devil Skin (F) (Defensive)
Auril Capacity: 17.2/26 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Active Auril Skills: Regeneration Auril Pulse Stupor Pulse Splintering Strike Sapping Strike
Core Capacity: 12.9 / 17 Manna (Raw): 12.2 Manna (Canvas) 3.9 Manna Skills: Sheathing Reinforcement Acceleration
Successful USS missions: 6
USS Points: 1029
Looking good. His maximum potential for auril was twenty-eight with both new traits. He brought the trait option into sight. A new manna trait was revealed but it didn''t seem helpful, so he dismissed it right away.
USS Points: 1029
Auril Blast Batteries (E) (Auril) (Offensive) 393 A pair of auril batteries fused to the bones of the User''s hands. These devices can store a small amount of auril and use it to augment auril techniques. +1 auril capacity Requires level 2.0
Sub-dermal Auril Channels (E) (Auril) (Defensive) 479 A weave of aurilin alloy tattooed under the User''s skin that enhances the flow of auril and provides mild protection from physical and energy attacks. Enhances protection against foreign auril techniques, both subtle and brutal. + 1 auril capacity Requires level 2.0
Heartless (E) (Survival) 364 This Trait supports a human User''s cardiovascular system with a series of organic micro pumps. Reduces strain on the heart and blood loss from wounds while, enhancing blood flow.
Huh, perhaps predictably, Heartless was a lot like Breathless. Both of them were weird health support traits. Would Heartless be as helpful and Breathless? It did seem like it had a lot of synergy with his other traits, as both Breathless and Curative Blood were tied to the human cardiovascular system. Was that a coincidence or was the System offering Users traits that worked well with their first one? That made his choice hard, as he could only afford two traits and they were the best deal. Oh, there were all kinds of new item options in the Station store now that he was level two. Manna focuses and weapon upgrades obviously designed to help against specific enemies. Only the shield breaking ones were tempting, but not more so that the traits. He''d already taken steps for that sort of thing anyway. After much deliberation, he decided on Heartless and the Auril Defence traits. The blast batteries were nice, but they didn''t synergize with existing traits like the other two did. The channels and Devil Skin might add up to a decent defence. Another factor was that Blast batteries seemed like they would take the longest to kick in, as they should be a pretty hefty modification. Derrick imagined he was already hitting the limit to how long he could put off his dungeon adventure. He sighed and was just about to leave the alley when everything went black. No, it wasn''t due to an Authority or Scourge. Somehow, a pair of human hands had appeared over his eyes, blocking his vision. At the same time, a pair of small but strong legs wrapped around his hips. The breasts pressing into his back revealed that his attacker was definitely female. Thin, but definitely female. ¡°Guess who?¡± came a satisfied purr from right next to his ear. Derrick frowned, he instantly knew it was Kate, which was confirmed by an auril pulse. How had she snuck up on him? She must have scouted out his pulses, resisting them at extreme range and timed a dash at his back. Sneaky. Derrick made a mental note to throw more erratically timed pulses out in the future. If Kate could do it, so could real attackers. ¡°You''re early,¡± commented Derrick. ¡°We were supposed to meet up in ten minutes, Anita. What if Kate...¡± ¡°Haha, how droll.¡± Kate said and took her hands off his eyes, she dropped her arms to his shoulders, one arm threatening his throat for a second. ¡°You still smell terrible by the way.¡± He saw that she wasn''t wearing a mask, unlike him. She also hadn''t managed to clean up either. He was more than close enough to see that her sharp featured face had a layer of ash and grime on it. There was even more mixed into her short blonde hair. He could also feel that her auril had grown stronger. He was not the only one who had been working on self-improvement it seemed. He hoped he had at least managed to pull ahead. ¡°I''m surprised,¡± Derrick said. ¡°I thought you''d be into the smell of smoke, blood and sweat. It''s a manly odor. Dangerous and strong. Grr¡± ¡°Everything around here smells like blood and smoke,¡± Kate replied emphatically. ¡°It gets old.¡± ¡°There''s supposed to be a shower around here somewhere,¡± Derrick offered. ¡°We could save time and use it together.¡± ¡°The one in the base? I''d need to kill like three people to get at the only working shower here.¡± Kate replied and bit her lip. ¡°And that''s just to scare off the other people in line. We''d need to murder at least one more for enough time to enjoy it. That or share it with at least on more person.¡± ¡°Tempting,¡± the tired User admitted. ¡°But an unacceptably high casualty rate. We will just have to find some other solution.¡± ¡°Truly a leader among men,¡± replied Kate. ¡°Your nobility knows no limits. I''m not a cheap date though, It''s a real a shower or nothing.¡± Derick gave an affirmative grunt. He''d expected nothing less. ¡°Its a good thing I abuse... leveraged my leadership privileges to secretly repair a private shower when you first asked,¡± Derrick mused aloud. ¡°I''d guess it would be done by now.¡± The legs wrapped around him gave a playful squeeze before letting go of him. There was a soft sound as the blonde woman landed behind him. Derrick spun in place and wrapped his arms around her, lifted her back of the ground and lightly slammed her into the alley wall. Her legs wrapped around him again, but they were nothing compared to the force of her lips meeting his. Hungrily he pressed forward, only to be pushed back after a few sweet seconds. ¡°We still smell,¡± she said with a laugh and dropped to the ground. ¡°Lead the way, hero.¡± 5.7 Heart of the Matter Derrick didn''t recognize the person in the mirror. A stranger looked back from the reflective surface hanging on the wall in the bathroom that the System had repaired for him. He''d been too distracted on the way in to take a peek, but Kate had strutted away just a minute ago and he''d taken the opportunity to indulge in a little narcissism. It was a thinner, yet stronger looking face he saw, with scars both big and small covering it. He ran a finger over one small scar, feeling where the flesh was still blotched from a drop of acid. That had been what? Six or seven days ago? The white patches didn''t seem like they were going anywhere. On the other hand, the circles he''d carved into himself were fading nicely thanks to Curative Blood. He''d been worried they might fester or scar messily because of Canvas bullshit but no, they were just thin white lines now. He''d obviously not kept his mask on in the shower, so Kate had seen and asked about them, seemingly more interested than concerned. He''d told her he fell down the stairs. She''d given him a funny look but just nodded and agreed that stairs were dangerous. She had her own scars after all and Derrick doubted that she wanted to explain them to him either. He''d enjoyed seeing them all, he thought with a smile. Derrick flexed and watched new muscles ripple. Were his arms longer? Holding them out, his fingertips seemed further away. That could just be because of the new shape of them, new scars and muscles had reshaped them as well. There was more surface area to his arm for sure, his eyes following a winding path to his fingers. At least his chest was unmarred, small comfort though that was. Light wisps of steam came off of him as he examined himself. He looked like a gangster, he realized, or the meaner kind of prisoner. Maybe that was what Kate liked about him? No, he was pretty sure the change in looks was relatively new, much later than when they''d first met and the flirting had started. He doubted the new look had hurt though. Overall, he liked it. This was a Derrick that meant business. Network Engineer no more. This was... well, Derrick the Red. A man who got shit done, a man with plans. Plots even. He did need a haircut; his hair was beginning to get in his eyes and curl around his ears. A quick cut with knife fixed the first issue at least. Grr, he thought and made an effort at an intimidating glare. He wasn''t impressed. He''d work on it later. Now that he was clean and relaxed, it was time to throw himself back into dirt and danger. He armed and armored himself, sent the System a brief message, then left the small tiled room. A notification popped up and was quickly dismissed, it contained nothing new to him.
Universal Support System
Mission Update Move to Dungeon entrance and assist Crusader Warden Blaze So Bright It Reflects From Above.
Hmm? What was this? Something caught his eye. He bent over and picked up a package that someone had left by the door. The lightning and gear emblem was a bit of a giveaway to who. It was off putting that Teslaforce had chosen to deliver it while he and Kate were in the shower, but whatever. The moment he touched the steel case, it popped open, letting him shove the contents into some of his jacket''s many pockets. He made it to his destination without distraction. The recessed elevator was fully revealed and the doors on its front were fully open, revealing a circular chamber. Striding down the street, he passed Blake, who gave him a mocking salute from a doorway he shared with a pretty blonde. Tom, rifle over shoulder, also gave him a smart salute from a nearby second story window, right before dramatically fading out of sight. It was good to know he had a crack team guarding the base while he was gone. Scynil was already inside the elevator chamber and she at least looked professional. The tall Crusader was just short enough to stand without hitting the elevator''s ceiling. She gave him a nod and greeted him as he joined her. ¡°Greetings and thank you for your patience,¡± she said as she sat down in a cross-legged position. Was he supposed to sit down too? He looked around the space, but it was just an upright tube, about eight feet tall and six feet wide. He decided to just stand. ¡°It was no problem,¡± he responded, the delay had been his fault after all. He would apologize himself, but didn''t want anyone to know that. The Trial of Predation had made him kind of paranoid about... things listening in on him. A moment after he''d entered the System device, it began to descend into the unknown. Heartless (E) Trait active As they descended into the belly of the beast, Derrick noticed a complete lack of elevator music. It made the ride kind of awkward. There was just a busy hum and the sensation of falling. At least there seemed to be climate control, somehow. He looked to Scynil. She seemed, irritatingly content, letting him know that if he didn''t say anything, he''d spend the ride in silence, sneaking peeks down her armor and feeling a little guilty about it. Well, it wasn''t like he didn''t have questions for an expert on Spore Tyrants. ¡°What can you tell me about the Spore Tyrants?¡± ¡°They are one of the two Scourges that the System races call Primal,¡± answered Scynil. ¡°Called so because they are older than can be known. They have simply always been, unchanging and undefeated. Infesting every corner of this galaxy. I believe you have some experience with the other as well?¡± Derrick the Red had run into a few Scourges since the world had been invaded. Unchanging and undefeated though? That could only be one Scourge. The one that mocked physics simply by existing. ¡°The Feral Artisans,¡± Derrick drawled. ¡°Yes, I ran into one of those and the Crusader sent to... banish it.¡± ¡°Many horrors plague sentient life, but these two are the most pervasive and at the same time, the least understood. Some believe the Spore Tyrants are as old as the universe, born at the dawn of reality. Others believe they are older than that. That they are a survivor from whatever came before. So resilient and evolved that they survived the extinguishing of everything.¡± Which really drove home, once more, that no amount of axe proficiency would let him protect the Earth from the Scourges. It was a good thing he had made plans to step up his game. ¡°Fascinating,¡± he admitted. ¡°No one understands the Spore Tyrants? Aren''t they pretty straightforward?¡± He could understand people being confused by Feral Artisans, they were confusion incarnate. Comparatively, the Spore Tyrants seemed much more mundane. They were killer fungus, they spread and ate. Throw in some simple mind control and that was about it. Scynil gave him an amused and somewhat condescending look. Which he supposed he deserved. ¡°Their intent is clear, it is true. Yet at the same time their nature is alien. It is common for challenged worlds to think that auril is a creation of the System or some ancient sentient race,¡± she explained. ¡°This is simply not true. It is too useful a tool to waste but it is not from us. All aurilin that exists comes from common source, the Spore Tyrants. No one has ever succeeded in understanding the process by which they create that part of themselves. The System and mechanical instruments can barely perceive auril energy. Its creation and powers defy the galaxies greatest minds.¡± Alright, so aurilin was a mystery that defied examination. A miracle of life, he supposed, angry hungry life. ¡°It is not what the Tyrant does though that makes them mysterious, it is what it does not.¡± ¡°It spreads through the fold, casting spores by Injection onto every world revealed to it. Yet, it does not use manna, instead it cages entire stars, hiding them from sight and through processes unknown, uses them as engines to cast its spores across the galaxy.¡± ¡°That is impressive, but manna seems like it would be... easier,¡± Derrick grasped. ¡°And it has had millions of years and piles of the stuff to learn the trick. It''s choosing not to use it.¡± Scynil nodded approvingly. ¡°Almost certainly, it destroys all siviril it comes across,¡± she said. ¡°It is alive and grows, yet holds itself back. Which brings us to the second mystery, choice. Even after millions of years of adaption and growing, the Spore Tyrants are not sentient, or even consistently intelligent.¡± ¡°What about the nodes,¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Aren''t they intelligent?¡± The siren node had certainly felt like it had intelligence. Maybe that was just because he hated it so much though. It was hard to hate a mindless thing, easier if you anthropomorphized it. ¡°Only as much as they need to be and never sentient,¡± she replied ¡°Besides, they are not so common as you believe them to be. Your short experiences with the Scourge will make you believe it a voracious and energetic predator,¡± She continued. ¡°This is not true. You have been dealing with sprouting seeds, struggling to take root in rich but dangerous soil. The Primal Scourge took centuries to make the world of my birth uninhabitable to my people. At the end, there were no thrashing minions and few nodes of any kind, it did not need them and so did not bother with them. It had already robbed us of what we needed to survive, withering the grasses and covering the land in forests of thorn.¡± ¡°On purpose?¡± he asked ¡°It ate your world out from under you?¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Its is a truly alien mind, but one that moves with purpose. It does not devour all life from worlds it conquers. It inserts itself into an ecology, careful not to bring about collapse of the ecosystem it has infested. Most native life finds itself killed and replaced with living machinery, but not all. For all its strange power, it remains a living thing that requires a living world to truly thrive. Ultimately, a world¡¯s biosphere, its ability to support life, becomes more stable. Only direct challenges cause it to abandon the stability and lethargy it prefers.¡± Ah, that was interesting. Derrick had assumed that the Spore Tyrant would spread like a cancer, devouring every living thing. A B movie monster basically. It made sense that wasn''t true though, the Spore Tyrant was all about the long game, it couldn''t have a sense of time that was anything like a human. Victory in a thousand years might be as good as victory today to it. ¡°How intelligent can they... nevermind.¡± It has FTL, he realized, not to mention Dyson Spheres and war fleets. He imagined some pretty crazy things were going on at the biological level as well. The Scourge was essentially pumping out bioweapons and had survived despite what must be uncountable attempts by species to beat it at its own game. A chime filled the air and the elevator doors slid open revealing an expansive lobby. Clean white tiles that he doubted had ever been stepped on, covered the floor, supporting eight tall and round pillars. The ceiling was a swirling pattern of black and white, emitting light from no clear source. It was all very bright and minimalist. Three doors stood out from all the white. One Green, one blue and one red. All of them were smooth and solid looking, giving no clue as to what lay beyond. Except for a word printed above one. His guide and teacher looked at them in turn, clearly confused. ¡°Something wrong?¡± he asked, innocently. ¡°Are we lost already?¡± ¡°No,¡± she answered. ¡°I know where we must go. It is merely one more oddity. There should be only one door, leading us to our foe, what purpose these other doors serve is beyond me.¡± Derrick made a mental note that his guide couldn''t read English, the red door clearly had his name carved above it in the same red color as the door itself. The third door was a mystery to him. ¡°It probably has to do with how early this dungeon was created or because it was attacked by the Legion,¡± Derrick said. ¡°A fallback position or storage area? The System could be turning this into an important base.¡± Scynil paused her examination of the room to examine Derrick instead. Quantum awareness informed him of the impressive depth of her scrutiny. It was one of those moments where he was reminded the busty woman could probably knock his head clean off his shoulders with one hit. Derrick gave her a happy smile from behind his devil mask, saying nothing. ¡°Perhaps it is as you say,¡± She said, clearly not convinced. ¡°It matters little to us now. This place is already... overripe. I can feel that the node has cracked its prison. Every moment of distraction has a price. Follow.¡± Derrick did, but not before examining two of the pillars in the room from all sides. While he was doing that, the Crusader swiftly strode to the green door, which silently opened to let them through into a hundred-foot corridor. They strode down it, reaching another green door, which opened to reveal a mass of writhing tentacles, each as thick as his wrist. They burst towards the pair as if they had been pushing against the door from the other side when it had opened. Derrick was caught completely by surprise, having sensed nothing beyond the door with auril. You bloody idiot, his brain scolded him, how many times would he fall for the same trick. Like the Lurker, here was a creature that could resist his scouting pulses. In hindsight, he recognized the odd blankness behind the door as a creature hiding from auril detection. That realization was cold comfort as yellow and white flesh shot towards him at gunshot speed. Luckily for him, Scynil was not caught off guard. As the half a dozen thick tentacles shot towards her, she almost casually slid to the side and raised one foot into the air. The foot caught a reaching limb in its talons, crushing it into the floor at the same time as she grabbed two more out of the air with her clawed hands. A yellow ooze bled from all three tentacles as she dug her nails into them, the one at her feet looked like her talons had nailed it into the floor. Derrick managed to leap back and move a leg out of the path of a bony tentacle that had tried to spear his thigh. Another was chopped by his axe as it tried to smash into him, arriving a second later in a whipping motion. That just left one more. The tentacle speared directly towards Scynil''s chest. Her wide pose, preventing Derrick from even trying to stop it. The spear-like point hit her in the centre of the chest with a loud crack and Derrick saw the tall hybrid rock back from the force of it. He moved to help but before he covered half the distance between them, one of the Crusader''s hands grabbed a second alien limb and pulled. There were loud and very gross ripping sound as Scynil began to methodically tear apart the Spore Tyrant minion''s body with her bare hands. Derrick watched as she ripped at the mass of flesh that was blocking their path, clearing the way with methodical fury. Her victim looked like a less armored and longer limbed version of a Bleeding Tooth Behemoth. It made no move to defend itself as she tore it from the doorway. His pulses informed him the creature didn''t have an auril heart, but was connected by thin cords of living flesh to the ceiling. It must have had auril pumped into it, hiding it from his pulses. He also noticed that he was right to cut the whipping limb before it hit him, those tentacles were covered in hooked thorns that blended into its flesh. Scynil turned away from the gory remains of her victim, dispassionate wrath turning to a professional displeasure that was obvious even through the silver armor that had expanded over her in the fight. Burstgrasper destroyed, Unlocking Database. ¡°Overripe indeed,¡± she snarled. ¡°This is... messy. We must finish this quickly.¡± He was a few steps behind Scynil and so had had longer to react. Still, he was impressed with his reaction, the tentacles came at him fast and with no warning. This must be the passive reflex boost from the upgraded combat drug gland at work. When the door had been cleared, it revealed a natural looking stone tunnel with veins of many colors and textures working their way through the wall. ¡°Lead the way,¡± Derrick said while putting on his mask. He was very aware that the blow she had just walked off would likely have smashed every rib in his chest, despite his armor. Derrick gazed down the tunnel they were entering. The distance was hard to see because a light yellow haze filled the air. Toxic spores, no doubt. It was a good thing he had confidence in his resistance to that kind of thing. Even if they didn''t get in his lungs, they could infect him through cuts. Also undaunted by the hostile environment, Scynil sprinted a dozen feet forward and came to a sudden stop, stomping one foot into the ground with casual strength. It sank in deeper than Derrick would have thought and a second later, the why was revealed. More yellow ichor bled from the ground, revealing a mass of tendrils below. Derrick felt a pulse of auril, at the same time and recognized it as something not too different from his Sapping Strike. A disabling pulse that spread through the Spore Tyrants own auril network. That was a trick he wanted to learn later. Security disabled, the two of them ran down the tunnel, ignoring the living traps all around them. The tunnel was winding and oddly sized, widening and shrinking for no clear reason. In places, milky white roots were exposed. Scynil ignored them, so Derrick did as well. He took in the scenery. It seemed like the tunnel had been originally dug by the node and the System had just widened it to give its Warden access to their target. He would bet the silver and white lines in the walls were put there by the System and not for the light they were giving. They quickly met the next obstacle, a solid object. A mass of yellow and white threads that appeared to have grown down from the ceiling and woven together into a barrier before exuding some kind of hard armor that bound them together. Without slowing, Scynil slammed her foot into it with a mighty running stomp. The Crusader bounced off, leaving only deep scratches. The wound she''d left in it, quickly bleeding a yellow liquid that healed the wound instantly. ¡°It will be faster to...¡± the Crusader began before seeing that her guest wasn''t listening to her. Derrick sunk his axe into the living wall and smiled to himself. Excellent, it was alive, he noted. That meant Shattering Strike would work on it. He withdrew his axe and pressed his hand against the obstacle. Shatter, he mentally commanded the wall and whirling knots of auril poured out of him. He could feel the whirls of power devour the auril inside of the barrier and use its own power to fulfill his command. He would not be stopped so easily, this was just the beginning. ¡°Try the kick again,¡± he said, pleased with what he was feeling. Wasting no time with questions, Scynil did, and this time it was like she was kicking Styrofoam. She lost her balance as her foot sunk into the obstacle and sent deep cracks running through it. The small crater bled again but this time the liquid just ran down without healing the wounds. Whatever healing process it used required auril. The Crusader became a blur of motion as she tore her way through the wall, leaving a hole that was more than big enough for the smaller pure human User. They passed another of the living walls, but this one wasn''t even complete. It lacked the hard coating. Scynil tore her way through it herself in seconds and they were off again. Their next challenge was when another Burstgrasper, this one bursting from the dirt of the tunnel''s floor when Scynil got within range of its grasping limbs. Too bad for it, the pair of auril Users were too competent to fall for the same trick twice. Derrick''s pulses revealed the subtle signs of the ambushing creature and he didn''t even bother to warn Scynil, seeing her own awareness in the way her lithe body shifted to deal with the threat. During the frantic melee that resulted, Derrick got a better look at the dirt colored creature. It was a lamprey like mouth with three specialized spearing tentacles growing from the flesh around it. Growing from behind those tentacles were another row of limbs that seemed like they were for whipping and movement. It lacked anything that looked like eyes or ears and was connected to tendrils that disappeared below it. He did notice that the spearing tentacles had needle-like tips that dripped flower bright yellow liquid. Derrick got the sense that it was even more of a puppet than most Spore Tyrant creatures, requiring a connection to a node to use its auril stealth. The creature when taken as a whole, was more like a murderous flower than anything. ¡°That was well done,¡± Scynil told him when the fight was over. ¡°Your perception is astounding for one with so little experience with auril.¡± ¡°Perception is my specialty and the mask helps,¡± he replied modestly. ¡°Even a virtue like humility can be exaggerated,¡± said the Knight of the Order of Flourishing Humility. ¡°You are exceptional.¡± Scynil paused and looked him in the eye. ¡°I do find your mask a pleasing addition to your countenance.¡± Derrick couldn''t help but smile at that. Was he exceptional? Probably, honestly he didn''t have enough data to know for sure. How many auril users had he met, a dozen? Of those, only Kate showed anywhere near as much progress for auril and he was pretty sure it wasn''t from talent. The Trial of Predation had shown him at least a half dozen Users at his level though. It was hard to know exactly how good that diverse group was at using auril from just video. ¡°Met a lot of human auril Users have you?¡± he asked, which caused the Crusader to frown. He didn''t want to actually start a conversation about this now though, so he changed the subject. ¡°There''s an open space just ahead.¡± ¡°We approach our goal,¡± Scynil informed him. ¡°It is important I am not disturbed after we have disabled whatever defences remain. Binding such a creature is an intricate and delicate process.¡± Derrick nodded in agreement and the pair of Users made their way to the room that contained the Spore Tyrant Node. They emerged from the tunnel and into one of the strangest sights Derrick had seen. The space was about two hundred feet across and filled with randomly placed pillars. The walls, floor and the pillars were made from tendrils of yellow white and silver wrapped around each other. Tendrils the color of old bone were choking and being choked by wires that gleamed in the room''s harsh light, despite the yellow tinge to the air. Some tendrils hung from the ceiling like curtains or formed knots that grew from every surface. The room, Derrick realized, was the result of a wrestling match between the System and the Spore Tyrant Node. As soon as the Hunter sent out a pulse to scout the room, he felt something become aware of him in return. A massive awareness that froze him in place. He heard something large move from the far side of the room, something as big as the Siren Node had been but more mobile. He couldn''t see it well as the pillars and hanging tendrils blocked his vision of anything that far away. At the same time the room writhed. The bone white tendrils stirring as the Node detected a threat. From all across the room, Derrick heard the small explosions and the sound of movement. The Hunter and Scynil dodged to the side as nearby knots exploded, sending tiny pieces of shrapnel at them. One of the pieces managed to hit his arm but it just scratched his enhanced skin. What had been the point of that, he wondered, until he saw the projectiles had just been a side effect. From the knots, a stream of bright yellow mist was pouring out. The yellow haze quickly reduced his vision to just a dozen feet and he felt the air begin to burn his exposed skin. Crap, this wasn''t ideal. Derrick turned to Scynil for advice but found her vanished into the rising haze. His gaze was drawn back to the thickest haze where he heardmovement. He recognized the sounds as tiny tentacled limbs propelling tiny fungal bodies across the ground. 5.8 Under your Skin Derrick reacted to the rising yellow mist and the loss of sight it brought predictably, with the obvious counter, an auril pulse. The result was very disappointing. Whatever this stinging yellow haze was, it had the same effect on auril as it did on vision. The auril pulse travelled half the distance it should and returned blurry. It was actually freaking him out a little, having his senses smothered like this. Between his mask''s enhanced vision and his auril, he was used to having enhanced situational awareness. Having his senses reduced so much left him feeling vulnerable and a little paranoid. The curling mist and blurry auril outlines made him flinch at every threatening shadow. What about his mask''s new upgrade? The Predator''s focus. That was supposed to enhance external auril techniques. He gathered auril into a pulse and sent it through the mask. The pulse this created travelled a good five feet further than the others but came back twice as distorted, making it just as useless. The distortion was so bad that his aim could be off by four of five feet if he tried to aim using it, not to mention he would have a lot of trouble picking out a Sporeling from the living walls and floor. It was like staring through an interpretive art filter. The red wearing User grunted and forced himself to be calm. Warily, he eyed the exit and wondered if he would be allowed to make a tactical withdraw. Maybe, but he doubted the elevator would work for him until he completed the mission. Besides, he didn''t want to leave Scynil down here alone. Either she''d complete the mission without him and he''d look like a useless coward or she''d fail and they would both die. Derrick carefully moved two dozen feet towards where he''d last seen Scynil, keeping himself moving to avoid detection and hoping to see a footprint or some other sign of where she''d gone. As he was walking, something wriggly and about knee high scrambled through the mist at the edge of his vision, hurtling through where he had just been. It was quickly followed by a half dozen more near identical creatures. Sporelings. He hadn''t seen more than a general outline but their erratic movement was unmistakable. What other tiny creatures swaggered around on tentacles? He froze and they went past without slowing down. He listened for a moment past their disappearance, his hearing was the only sense he had that extended past his reduced sight. It didn''t seem like they knew where he was. Could the mist be blocking the node as well? No that shouldn''t be the case. He knew that both the node and Scynil could send auril though the node''s own tendrils. Those were in the ground and should remain unaffected by the mist. The Node was either ignoring him in favour of attacking Scynil, or it wasn''t using auril to track him in order to stay hidden from him. For a single second, he considered trying to learn that method. It was a stupid idea though, it wouldn''t be as simple as shoving auril into the tendrils. As talented as he was with auril, that technique was a constant tug of war with a Spore Tyrant Node, a creature that was born to use auril using those tendrils. This was the wrong time and place for that, the only thing he would accomplish would be to give away his position. Looking into the curling yellow mist and alien pillars, he considered that maybe he''d erred in asking his new patron to delay Scynil''s mission. He''d thought, going into this, that the Spore Tyrant would be the lesser threat they would have to face. That Scynil would KO it in one hit. So, here he was, separated from her and trapped in a maze full of acidic fog and murderous fungus monsters. Maybe he should retreat and let Scynil take care of this. If she was in danger he would have heard something right? It wasn''t as if the Crusader could be taken out quietly and quickly... again. He didn''t want to run away but what good was he doing here. Perimeter Alarm 01 triggered. One human(92% Crty). Eta at current speed: 00:06:04(+-10 Sec). A sensor he''d left behind sent a notification his way, the information sent directly to his implant. Specifically, it was the sensor he had left on the far side of one of the pillars back at the lobby. Ah. He had not been wrong after all. They had an unwanted guest, a saboteur. Now was not a great time to be proven right though. The newly minted Hunter had bought these sensors from Gregory for two hundred points, thinking that the human designed sensors might be more secure while being less easy to find by someone who could bend System rules. They provided very limited information but where actually smaller and stealthier than the System''s version, at least when it came to human senses. There was half a dozen of them along the path to the node, making sure no one could catch him unaware. Well, this could get ugly. As if he needed more danger at the moment. At least this made the decision of what to do easier, retreating would be no safer than attacking. Sighing, Derrick continued on, hoping to find some sign of Scynil. A discarded piece of clothing, some breadcrumbs or hell, he''d take a blood trial at this point. He saw nothing helpful, the hybrid had disappeared into thin air. Or murky stinging air anyway. Some Hunter he was turning out to be, on his first mission for that Role, he was wandering around lost and confused. Ah, but he was a Hunter, not Skulker. He might be going about this the wrong way. He''d let his dulled senses get to him. Rather than hiding, he should be hunting. What was he afraid of; Sporelings and Stalks? Hardly. He began letting out auril pulses again. Even if all they did was attract attention, that might at least help Scynil and get things moving. It didn''t take long at all for him to get a reaction, in the form of a dozen knee high lifeforms scurrying in from all directions at once. His weakened pulses did let him know which was coming in first, he turned just in time to see the tip of a fat tentacle reach out of the mist. The sporeling tipped to the side and almost seem to fall, at the last second though, one of its limbs catapulted itself right at Derrick''s groin. The whirling ball of tentacles got split right in half by an axe for its enthusiasm. So did the next one, which was launched out of the mist and through the air fast enough it had to have had help. Soon the Hunter was dancing through the mist, trying to keep himself from being surrounded while swatting at his hard to predict foes. They were soft but tenacious. The barely alive masses of tentacle would cling with crushing strength unless cut into multiple pieces and even sometimes then. Luckily, they were weak to a stunning blast of auril. It took real effort to stop the dozens of Sporelings that had squirmed out of the mist at him from overwhelming him. Quantum awareness was next to useless, the fungal murder puppets barely had any senses to begin with, certainly no eyes or ears. As far as he could tell, they just went where they were told and tried to strangle anything they encountered. Luckily, he could still use weak pulses to watch his back and react to enemies as they came. He was holding his own pretty easily when something fell from above, another sporeling. This one, he noted, was a little bigger and greener than most. In what felt like slow motion, Derrick launched into a desperate leap. As he flew, the Hunter watched its body swell grotesquely. Ya, it was going to explode. Brain still in crisis mode, Derrick twisted his whole body to line up a kick. His foot, with a little stunning auril in it, lashed out and caught another attacking sporeling, sending it flying right into its greener brother. The green Sporeling detonated just as they collided. The resulting wave of snot yellow goo seemed to have been focused in Derrick''s direction but was redirected upwards by his intervention. Derrick landed messily on the ground, off balance from his desperate kick. Before he could get back on his feet, a few drops of goo rained down on him. One hit his mask, another his boot and the final one landed on his bicep, eating into his skin and causing him to flinch in pain. It was just a drop though and left nothing worse than a second degree burn on his skin. The Hunter rose to his feet to find the few remaining enemies had pulled back. That exploding Sporeling had been the point of that attack it seemed, and they had pulled back to conserve resources now that it had failed. Tactics, that would mean that the Node was puppeting them. Out of immediate danger, Derrick looked around, seeing only yellow mist and odd pillars in every direction. He was good and lost now. That running skirmish had robbed him of any sense of direction. No point in just standing around, he thought. The Hunter chose a random direction to explore. A few minutes of walking revealed only more pillars, a few stalks he easily disabled and the sounds of unseen things scurrying about. It also let him know that while the mist did little enough to him normally, it was a dozen times worse if it got into a wound. Not to mention it prevented the wound from healing, leaving him with a painfully festering wound on is bicep.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. It wasn''t a complete waste of time as his auril pulses seemed to be correcting just a bit for the mist now, but frankly, he was beginning to get annoyed at this whole situation. Just walking around or picking fights with exploding enemies was obviously not a good plan. So, he needed a third option, he needed to be able to bloody see. Right now, he was lucky when the haze dispersed a little and he could make out vague shapes just over a dozen feet away. His pulses had adapted minutely and purely unconsciously, making things just a little less blurry. Maybe he could consciously speed up that process. He concentrated on the most complex part of his auril, the dense layer in his skin that made Quantum Awareness possible and helped him decipher auril pulses. Right away he found a problem, the irritating mist seemed to be disrupting his Quantum Awareness directly as it burned his flesh. Messing with the outer layer of auril as it attacked his skin. The mutant trait seemed to be delicate, no doubt due to how incredibly sensitive it had to be. As long as he was being burned by this mist Quantum Awareness wouldn''t work. Coincidence? He doubted it. He was getting very tired of the ancient horrors adapting to his humble tricks. Those tricks were all he had! At this rate, he would lose the advantages that were keeping him alive. After a quick check of his surroundings, the auril prodigy decided to take a risk. Time for a little experimentation. First, he gathered up auril and used it to start a round of regeneration, fixing his skin problems for a few seconds. Wait no, not entirely. There was also something else going on, besides the gas. He felt weird currents of auril under his skin. He''d spent a lot of time staring at Quantum Awareness, the fascinating auril enigma under his skin and knew these subtle changes were new. How odd. It didn''t seem harmful so he left that alone for now. What he needed to do was make his Quantum Awareness just a little harder to disrupt. That would hopefully catch the Spore Tyrant off guard and lead him to it. Then, he could kill... no wait... disable it for Scynil? His go to for toughening up auril patterns was the boiling knots of Strike techniques, which he''d already successfully applied to internal auril. How risky could using it on Quantum Awareness be? How to go about it though? He had basically no control over the mutant trait. It was an automatic process. He would have to throw stabilizing auril at it and see what stuck. Risky, but he should be able to overwhelm any mistakes with a pulse of Sapping Strike aruil if his skin tried to spontaneously combust or something. So, as when fooling around with locking up his manna core, he reduced sapping strike to its bare essentials and tried to weave those into his skin. Nothing happened, either good or bad. After a dozen failed attempts a knot or striking auril blended into his Quantum Awareness and began to spread and replicate across his skin. Derrick froze and watched with bated breath, prepared to pull the trigger on a waver of cleansing auril. He didn''t feel different but the auril seemed to be doing things. Actually, it seemed to be doing a lot. The entire surface of his body was like a sea in storm to his auril sense. Threads of auril so tiny, even he could barely perceive them were coming undone and weaving themselves into new patterns around his additions. It was eerie how so much could be happening and apparently doing so little. He almost wished for a wave of pain to let him know he was on the wrong track. Auril mutation detected, the System informed him clinically and getting his full attention. Auril Channels Trait initialization disrupted... Trait corrupted... Failure That was not what he''d meant to do. Shit, had he just cost himself a trait? Honestly he had forgotten all about that trait, its construction must have been the auril changes he saw. Analyzing... Parallel trait detected. Subsuming trait remnants. He was not quite sure what was going. This was good? Or at least not as bad as a second ago. Maybe... As he was gazing at his palm, his skin tore itself open. Wide eyed, Derick watched a jagged two inch long gash just appear from nowhere and begin to drip blood. Derrick stopped his introspection and let out a scream, as much from the surprise as the pain. Then it happened a few more time, random wounds opening across his body. At least a dozen wounds formed, causing Derrick to do a little dance of flinches. The ones exposed to the noxious air were by far the worst. Shit, they hurt. The yellow mist was worse than salt in wounds. Instinctively the auril prodigy sent regenerative auril to fix the damage and chase away the pain. That third wave of organized auril rushed to mend his broken flesh and disappeared into the growing mess of auril that was tearing at his skin. In a heartbeat, he felt the pain diminish and the blood stop flowing. Yet he noticed the effects were too little, even considering the toxic air. Grimacing, Derrick wiped the blood off one wound. The good news was that the damage was superficial and seemed to have stopped. They were essentially deep paper cuts, they had just caught him off guard. The bad news... Further mutation detected... Threat to User detected, stabilizing auril. Further Trait corruption detected... Adapting. Ah... oops. Maybe hitting unstable auril with more random auril had been ill-advised. He braced himself for more pain but that didn''t happen. The regenerative auril had solved his ripping flesh problem anyway. He did not like the look of what was going on though. The patterns of auril that made up Quantum Awareness were unstable and unrecognizable. The mix of auril had begun sending tendrils of power deeper into his flesh. At this rate, his Quantum Awareness might implode. Which would be bad as he didn''t think it would come back. ¡°Shit,¡± the Hunter swore and immediately got to work trying to stabilize the trait, stopping more changes from happening through blunt will. While he worked, he got the distinct impression that something was helping him along, it could only be his Implant, subtly stabilizing. Thanks to that and his own skill with auril, he succeeded in stopping the damage from becoming worse. He was still left with a non-functioning trait though, so he had more work to do. With the situation improved, he took stock of his surroundings. The node hadn''t taken advantage of his latest round of self mutilation. He was still being ignored. That was fine with him. He needed to undo the damage he''d done. Which would be... difficult. It was one thing to stabilize auril, another to repair it. Shrugging, the Hunter began to tinker. The best way to affect unstable auril seemed to be by using small knots of reduced Strike auril that were carefully combined with familiar parts Quantum Awareness. This let him replicate those pieces, undoing at least some of the damage. It gave him no direct or precise control, but he couldn''t control auril that finely anyway. It worked but he quickly hit the limit of what he could do with crude copying and pasting. What next... Well one of the problems was the now pointless aurilin under his skin, the remains of the corrupted Aurilin Channels trait. As he considered that garbage, an idea formed. Kate had taught him a trick that would be useful here. How to overwrite aurilin. She''d just used the technique to create copies of techniques in aurilin for him to learn from. What if he wrote his quantum awareness into these aurilin channels? That should allow the trait the resilience he was after and might help fix some other problems besides. Reluctantly optimistic, Derrick got to work. Barely a minute went by before a new notification popped up. Auril stabilized. Trait merger complete. Analyzing traits... Devil''s Skin (F) has been upgraded to Devil''s Brand (D) Nice, if somewhat unfortunately named. So, he¡¯d managed to combine two traits into one higher ranked trait? As long as it fixed the problem it seemed like a success to him.
Universal Support System Implant
Devil''s Brand (D)(Defence)(Auril) A dermal mesh of carbon fibres and aurilin alloy tattooed under the User''s skin that increases skin toughness while capable of quickly transforming to insulate the body from various energies. The aurilin channels have been adapted to mimic and fortify the Quantum Awareness trait. When activated, the trait protects against exterior heat and auril sources. This not only provides protection from attacks but reduces chance of detection when active. Due to the instability and complexity of this trait, it slows healing in affected areas considerably. Requires enhanced healing (D+). + 2 auril capacity Some Devils make their own luck
It seemed perfect except for the downside. He quickly checked Quantum Awareness and found it both functional and no longer bothered by the mist. That made it worth it. The Hunter grinned into the smog and let out as powerful a pulse as he could, using his mask''s new upgrade to boost it. He found nothing but the blurry shape of tendrils below the ground and Sporelings scurrying in the distance. But he didn''t need to, because that pulse was like lighting a bonfire at his location. It was a scream into the jungle, a challenge. The node felt it through its tendrils, it became aware of him and Quantum Awareness roared back to life under the weight of that alien awareness, tracking it back to the source. He even felt a second mind''s eye on him, a fleeting sensation that he would bet was his ally, Scynil. The node immediately realized its mistake and the sensation faded but the damage was done. Derrick the Red knew where the enemy was now and grinning, he launched himself forwards. It was time to get this over with.
User Profile
Name: Derrick Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Scrappy III Role: Fighter Hunter Level: 2.0
Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer II, Resilient II, Fold Survivor, Trailblazer, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious, Blooded Ally of the Orders, C/C 1A/1B
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Manna Core (D) (Manna) Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) Advanced Combat Drug Package (D) (Offensive) Devil''s Brand (D) (Defensive)(Auril) Breathless (E) (Survival) Heartless (E) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 17.2/28 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Auril Skills: Regeneration Auril Pulse Stupor Pulse Splintering Strike Sapping Strike
Core Capacity: 12.9 / 17 Manna (Raw): 12.2 Manna (Canvas) 4.0 Manna Skills: Sheathing Reinforcement Acceleration
Successful USS missions: 6
USS Points: 1029
5.9 Under Your Skin II No longer able to hide, the Spore Tyrant immediately threw a tide of its diminutive minions at Derrick. A swarm of Sporelings launched themselves at him, emerging from nooks and crannies in every surface. Popping out of walls, the ceiling and the floor like... well, mushrooms. Still more minions were thrown at him by sources unseen, spinning out of the mist with tentacles squirming. Despite there being over a dozen of them in total, Derrick fought them off easily enough. He was veteran enough at fighting that he knew the secret was to dodge and attack in such a way that he wasn''t overwhelmed. Striking fast to reduce enemy numbers while picking targets that kept him from being surrounded. He also kept a careful eye out for any more acid filled ones. The only really dangerous moment was when a pair of stalks exploded out of the ground during the melee. He''d thought them disabled by his pulse, but it seemed like the node could protect them from that ability as long as it wasn''t hiding. Once again, he''d underestimated the Spore Tyrant''s abilities, he really needed to stop doing that. The Scourge had been using auril literally forever; Derrick the Red was just a talented amateur. While scolding himself, the Hunter twisted in place with superhuman speed, dodging one stalk and driving a manna accelerated fist right into the other. The stalk had exploded from the ground with enough force that his gauntlet was stopped but the manna absorbed almost all of the blow. He felt the impact, first with his entire body and then just his fist. A risky move, but it left him and his equipment unharmed. Derrick shook his fist, to dispel a slight tingling sensation and continued forward. He was just a hundred feet from where he''d sensed the node now and he could feel his eagerness growing. Finally, he was going to put the Slaver Node behind him. Nothing was going to stop him, he swore to himself and then came to a full stop a second later when an almost naked purple and green woman flew over his head, close enough that he felt the wind of her sudden passing. Judging from the sound, she then crashed into the pillar behind him. What... why? Almost reluctantly, Derrick turned to peek behind himself. Yup, that was definitely a topless Scynil he saw picking herself up of the ground, seemingly undamaged from her crash. Just to be sure though, he¡¯d better keep looking. It was the responsible thing to do. She did seem uninjured beyond a few blemishes but her colourful skin made it hard to tell. He couldn''t help but notice that she was, by all appearances, classically female. Very much so. Her armor must have been pretty tight around the chest. He''d actually slightly underestimated the size of her assets. Did she have some kind of gravity defying manna ability or was her flesh just that strong, Derrick wondered as she approached him. ¡°Good, you have arrived. I am having a little difficulty with the binding,¡± The alien hybrid said as she moved beside him, coming close enough that Derrick was forced to stop staring and turn his gaze to the patch of mist the node was hiding behind. ¡°There should have been little danger, but the Primal Scourge had used the delay well. My satisfaction is inevitable however, all the more with your aid.¡± Derrick was pretty sure his one eyebrow was twitching madly from the sheer force of will it took to act professional. He struggled to think up an appropriate response. Focus Derrick, he commanded himself, this is a super serious situation. The fate of the world might hang in the balance. ¡°It would be my pleasure to help in any way I can,¡± he replied, carefully deadpan. ¡°What are we dealing with exactly. Oh, and what happened to your armor?¡± Scynil nodded as if he''d raised an excellent point. She was completely indifferent to her own nudity, Derrick noted. Which made sense as it wasn''t even her original body, or even the same species as her original body. Probably wasn''t even her fourth new body, judging by her level of three point nine. The healthy human male considered the old cliche of aliens not understanding human taboos and culture. Should he should bother trying to explain things? Offer her his jacket bashfully? No, fuck it. After all the horrible shit he''d been through, he figured he was due a treat. If she didn''t care, he didn''t. Let the next person explain nudity taboos to her. Honestly, his instinct was she''d just tell him to shut up, keep his human nonsense to himself and concentrate on the fight if he raised the issue. He just hoped this distraction wouldn''t be the thing that got him killed. ¡°Ware neophyte, the node can release a volley of acid filled darts. While they lack enough penetrative power to pierce manna reinforced System armor fully, they are capable of eating their way through it to the flesh beneath in seconds after impact,¡± she informed him. ¡°I would endeavor to avoid getting hit, you lack the quality of armor and skill to repel such an attack. Be watchful, it should be a few minutes before it can release another such volley but nothing is certain.¡± Joy. Well, that killed the mood. To think this mission had been offered by Scynil as a reward. Apparently dodging acidic spikes was a rewarding experience. The conversation was interrupted as the mist was pushed aside by a monstrosity of bright yellow tentacles and bone white armor. On the top or back of the creature was a pulsing red mass of frilly flesh. This was definitely the node. Huh, he''d thought it would be bigger. At six feet tall, it was a fraction of the size as any of the other nodes he''d seen. Except for the ones that had been inside people, he wasn''t sure those counted though. They had been more like routers than real nodes. It was the size of the largest Spore Tyrant minion he''d seen so far, the Bleeding Tooth Behemoth. It had even heavier white armor and instead of spitting acid this one seemed to have darts. All that added together made it the deadliest Spore Tyrant he''d fought so far. It darted forward and stopped just two dozen feet away, still half obscured by the yellow mist. It didn''t attack, no doubt content to waste time and build up strength. Ah, perhaps it was being literally held back, it was hidden from his eyes but he could sense three cords of auril filled flesh dangling down from the ceiling and into the armored red bulb on the monstrosity''s back. The node might be larger than it looked, it might even be this entire ''room''. The spider looking thing in front of him was just the most important parts. The bulb of spongy red flesh that sat on top of the creature reminded him of the Siren Node, though protected by a cage of hard mesh. That mesh was thick enough that he would have trouble seeing the bulb beneath it if the that feature hadn''t been glowing very slightly. Like all their kind, it was asymmetrical, with nine limbs growing out it. These were more like spider legs than tentacles though. Dirty white carapace made them seem to have joints, though each ''leg'' had a different number of segments and was a slightly different length. These limbs were tipped with dull looking spikes that dug into the floor when it moved. No doubt they could just as easily be driven through armor and flesh just as easily, especially with what must be three hundred pounds of weight behind them. Set around the bulb, were three more limbs, growing up into spine covered pads, not unlike a squid''s. One of these seemed to have been ripped in half by Scynil already. No doubt these were the source of the toxic darts. He would have to keep an eye on them. He didn''t see anything else to watch, the creature lacked anything like a head or the things that feature would normally contain; like a mouth or ears. ¡°How can I help with the binding? What do you need done?¡± Derrick asked, as he eyed his enemy. It looked scary but something told him it was not quite as dangerous as the Lurker. A squad of average Users could probably take it down easily enough on the surface. ¡°I simply need to make contact with the node while its exaltation is spent,¡± Scynil replied and gave him a thoughtful look. ¡°I believe you can aid me in this. Simply force it to spend auril by striking at it with your own. ¡± So punch it. He could do that. ¡°I will attack first and draw its ire,¡± Scynil said. ¡°You take that opportunity to strike at it safely. Be warned, binding is a delicate art, the node cannot be too damaged or it will die rather than be bound.¡± Hmm, so avoid Splintering Strike then. Just slow it down with Sapping Strike. The Hunter nodded to convey his understanding. Without a second of wasted time, Scynil launched herself forward, her taloned feet ripping up the soft floor beneath her. Immediately, the node reacted. It retreated back into the mist at an angle and fired a spray of darts at the charging Crusader. Before Derrick could even move to follow her, she was already spinning to avoid the projectiles. Sensing weakness, the node reversed direction and raised two of its limbs to chest height, driving them towards Scynil like pile drivers. Now all of halfway to the fight, Derrick saw Scynil calmly step to the side, dodging one limb and digging the claws of her one hand into her enemy''s other attacking leg. The node did not like that at all, it went berserk, leaping up at her like a spider, a dozen limbs desperately clawing at the air between them. At the same time, Derrick saw something propelled out of the mist and at Scynil. A hint of green as the object came into sight was all he needed to know. The Hunter reflexively threw an axe, and continued on to do his job. An explosion of acid from the corner of his eye let him know he''d hit his target and a second later his other axe hit a flailing leg, unleashing a burst of sapping auril into the shallow wound. He felt his strength draining technique sink its teeth into the enemy''s own auril and then felt those teeth shatter as the node''s auril resisted him easily. ¡°Shit,¡± he swore as he backpedalled, dodging a swipe at his face by a limb that stretched out a foot longer than it had been a second ago. A second barely dodged swipe brushed his shoulder with bony spines. As he retreated, he saw Scynil send the node spinning through the air with a brutal kick to one leg joint. The kick had been powerful but it looked like their fungal foe had moved with it, using the force of the blow to leap backwards and out of reach. Seeing the node flying back and unable to dodge, the Hunter let a Tangler grenade fly. His throw was spot on, but his target just glided out of the projectile''s way. The Tangler went off, but the node just curled up into a tight ball, ignoring the few tendrils that reached it before unfurling and tearing apart the few strands that had caught on its spikes. What? Dammit, he''d forgotten about those cords attaching it to the ceiling. Apparently, it could guide itself using those. Should he try to cut them, he wondered. Probably not, that seemed like major damage to the node. He was just going to have to keep at it. Despite the interruption, the Spore Tyrant Slaver Node unfolded and landed with cat-like grace, making Derrick think the cords above it had also helped guide its landing. Whatever the cause, it was ready for Scynil''s second charge and retreated in a flurry of squirming limbs, racing back into the mist without bothering to orient itself. ¡°Do not let it recover,¡± Scynil ordered as she moved in pursuit. ¡°Your attack was successful in expending its exaltation. Be courageous and relentless.¡± Derrick hesitated for a second over his missing axe, but not wanting to get left behind or fail at his role, he gave chase. Damn, the node was fast. Scynil and the node easily pulled ahead of him, a mere human, even though the node''s odd number of limbs made it zigzag as it moved. The same patch of fog that swallowed the node, vomited a swarm of Sporelings when Derrick ran after it. By the time he''d put them down, the Hunter found himself alone again. He could hear noises of combat nearby but couldn''t tell exactly where they were coming from, they seemed to echo through the yellow air. So, he let out a massive pulse of auril, the strange energy pooling in his mask before expanding outwards a good seventy feet in every direction. It failed to discover the node but he clearly felt Scynil, which was just as good. He changed direction accordingly and sprinted at full speed, his enhanced muscles and lungs launching him forward faster than any Olympic athlete. In just seconds, the node came into view again and at the same time, Derick felt a pang of danger centred on his stomach. He threw himself to the side and covered the tingling area with a manna filled gauntlet. Just in time too, sparks flew as a volley of darts met his gauntlet and refusing to be stopped. Once more his manna was insufficient to stop the attack, more than one projectile was deflected from the hard surface of the gauntlet and into his left hip.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Derrick let out a pained yelp and fell to the ground, his hands grasping his wounded side. The Hunter knew from experience leaving anything that came from Spore Tyrants near skin was a horrible idea. Panicked, he tore one dart out of his side, the dart came out bloodlessly. After a few more seconds he found and yanked another dart out of his armor and flesh. This time, he felt it take chunks of meat with it as it came out. No doubt it had been growing every moment it was inside him. At least only one had penetrated actual flesh and his auril senses told him it didn''t seem to have pumped any acid or infection into him, though the hole it left was pretty bad by itself. The wound burned, not unlike acid, a sensation that he felt all the way to his spine. He didn''t let it stop him, he pushed himself to his feet and after a few hobbling steps was back to chasing down Scynil and the node. They hadn''t gone far but the realities of the situation forced him to keep his distance. Even if his gauntlet and the armor behind it had limited the damage, he didn''t have enough auril for a complete regeneration, never mind another Sapping Strike. He focused on keeping the fight in sight. Auril was a funny thing. While you could only use a fraction of your auril at once, the more your techniques the more you could use. If he remembered it right, it was about a quarter of his total when he''d first started. He''d expanded that total with more advanced techniques, learning to shape the patterns of auril so that it flowed to where he wanted it easier. It was hard to hold back, he tended to use as much auril as possible when given the chance. So, charging up, he spent a few minutes just watching the battle between Crusader Warden and Spore Tyrant Node. It didn''t quite go as he expected. As he watched and healed, he expected Scynil to use some trick or technique to defeat the node. That didn''t happen. Instead he witnessed what was basically a straight up brawl. An incredibly high speed and superhumanly powerful brawl. No wonder the Wardens were borderline cultists. Even if Auril Dungeons were the most valuable things in the universe, you would have to be insane to dedicate your life to what he was watching. Scynil used her inhuman reflexes and muscles to keep herself at arms reach, moving gracefully to strike at her enemy while stopping it from either retreating or overwhelming her. Fearlessly, she danced with an alien monstrosity that ate worlds as her unwilling partner. From the few tastes of auril he felt, she seemed entirely focused on using her power for defence and rare counters to sap the enemy¡¯s strength. She was born and built for this fight, Derrick realized, as the Crusader danced around reaching tentacles and rains of toxic darts. Trained for the purpose of hunting and subduing monsters like this one without fatality on either side. All of a sudden, Derrick felt really out of place. A whisper of anxiety telling him he was too small to be here among saints and demons. Too weak, stupid, unfocused and unimpo.... Derrick crushed that feeling. Used the fist of his willpower to grind it to nothing. It was surprisingly easy. Even if he cared to indulge in such pointlessness, this wasn''t about him or something as vague and frankly unimportant as worthiness. He''d known since he was a child what worthiness was good for, a fancier tombstone when life crushed you. This was, Derrick realized, about the Slaver Node. The node that had turned men, women and children into living routers, hollowing them out to better attack the city above. Huh, it said a lot about his recent life that he''d almost forgotten about that. He had definitely not forgiven it though. Derrick remembered what he''d promised himself and the System when the node infected girl had stabbed him and he''d realized how little humanity was left in her. That he would even the scales, taking something from the thing that, soulless of not, had robbed children of their free will and used them as resources. The Hunter smiled. Human lives and minds could be... just reduced to nothing, swatted out of existence by a creature that couldn''t be bothered to think of them as anything but nutrients. But this dungeon situation was proof that went two ways. Both poetic and practical. He focused on that, using that anger to kick his auril heart into a higher gear. It was the slightest of boosts but it wasn''t nothing. Besides, it felt good to smooth out the wrinkles in his auril, guiding it through his body to the theme song of brutally poetic justice. It took less than a minute for his auril to be replenished. While his side still hurt like a bitch, it wouldn''t slow him down much. It was just a flesh wound. Time to get back into it. Carefully but eagerly, he moved to add his own weight to the fight. The node barely paid him any attention, it was too busy dealing with the Crusader. Circling that fight at a distance, Derrick waited for an opportunity. In less than a minute Scynil gave him one, grabbing two different attacking limbs and swinging her attacker towards him. While it was off balance Derrick easily landed an axe blow before retreating. Like before, his auril bit into the enemy for a single moment before fading. His blow had done very little damage to either auril or flesh. Even with the enhanced edge of his weapon, it was like attacking an armored tire, all hard plates with rubbery flesh beneath. Time was on the Users'' side though. Derrick continued circling and waited for chances to strike. Hit and retreat, each blow''s auril charge lasting a hair longer, sinking a hair deeper. Hit and retreat, each time working a little bit better with Scynil and each time the node was a little slower to respond. Another chance. This time, Derrick got more ambitious, pruning away one of the nimbler limbs that shot spikes. He was rewarded with a shudder ripping through the node''s frame. Sensing its defeat, the node tried to retreat up a pillar. Scynil easily stopped this by grabbing a squirming limb, her claws causing red and yellow fluid to flow as they sunk into yellow flesh and cracked the monster¡¯s armor. Or at least it looked like it was stopped, the node adjusted itself and slapped a massive tentacle at Scynil''s head. She raised her hand to block it, but the blow still sent her off balance. The alien creature began to pull itself up the pillar like a giant spider once more. Derrick''s remaining axe sunk into one of its climbing limbs, having been thrown by him when he saw the enemy escaping. Mostly by luck, he hit an unarmored joint and the blade sunk deep enough to partially disable the limb. He saw it spasm as it failed under the weight of the creature. Derrick sprinted forward and helped stop the enemy''s retreat. Sinking a knife into one of the monster''s lower limbs, injecting Sapping auril and pulling the node back down with all his strength. For the first time he felt his auril break through the enemy''s auril defences, sinking into whatever it had that passed for muscles and robbing them of the strength it needed to get away. Scynil shot him a grateful look, a rare moment of strong human emotion on her face. Then, moving so fast she was just a blur, the Crusader climbed onto the creature''s back. The Crusader tore off its last upper limb and pressed both her palms into the white and red growth that dominated the top of their enemy. Holding on desperately, Derrick felt his feet rise off the ground a few times as the Slaver Node shuddered uncontrollably. It twitched and squirmed, almost throwing him off several times. Neither he nor Scynil gave an inch though and after a minute it fell still, collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut. ¡°You may step back,¡± Scynil said calmly, still perched on the node''s back. ¡°Success or defeat now depends on the teaching of the Order of Flourishing Humility. Your assistance has tipped the scales towards success, no more aid can be offered.¡± ¡°I''m not needed here then?¡± Derrick inquired, he would have asked more questions but at that moment the floor began to move under his feet. He jumped back, prepared to defend himself but quickly relaxed. Tendrils had shot out of the ground around the node but they were silver and a clean white that contrasted heavily with the yellow stained white of the node''s. It seemed like now that all the dangerous work was done, the System had come to lend a hand. The silver tendrils wrapped around the node while somehow avoiding Scynil. After a few seconds, the alien creature was difficult to even see, having sunk halfway into the base of the pillar before coming to a stop. Derrick eyed the tendrils wrapped around the node and threaded through the walls. It was apparent that if the System had really wanted to, it could have been a lot more helpful. Well, beggars couldn''t be choosers, he supposed. Ha! That could be humanity''s official motto now. Derrick couldn''t keep a chuckle from bubbling up at that thought. The amused outburst echoedacross the silent hall. Derrick moved to a nearby pillar and slouched into a seated position. Unsurprisingly he was bone tired. The fight had lasted a good twenty minutes, which was an eternity in combat time. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, seeking a moment of peace. The System didn''t grant it.
Universal Support System
New Titles Unlocked: Apostle of Exaltation, Trusted Citizen System contract (Slaver Node) fulfilled... Exchanging deed Ownership of facilities adjacent to Dungeon Earth01 granted. 31% of Auril Produced by Dungeon Earth01 granted Leadership proficiency (Basic) recognized... Civic Awards: Blooded Ally of the Orders,Apostle of Exaltation recognized... Security Clearance Updated: C/C 1A/56D Exceptional Merit Recognized. Generating reward. Protest lodged... Counter protest lodged... Original protest denied. Second protest lodged... Denied. Trusted Citizen Upgraded to Trusted Landowner
Mission Complete +340 points for successfully binding node +65 points for Apostle of Exaltation title +30 points for Trusted Landowner title
Titles Earned Apostle of Exaltation: A title granted to Users that have significantly contributed to their species'' use and understanding of auril. -Every tragedy carves away another lie and reveals another strength Trusted Landowner: A title given to provenly loyal Users who own productive System territory and have displayed social merit. These Users are granted additional rights and responsibilities, such as increased Attention, limited immunity to social compliance protocols and additional leeway to complete mission objectives. Warning: Due to unstable civic situation, rights and responsibilities granted by title are in flux. -Buy when there''s blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own
Spore Tyrant Slaver Node A rare form of Spore Tyrant Node that uses mastery of biology and auril to infect and control other lifeforms with a much higher level of skill than most other nodes. It uses these router nodes to spread chaos and supplement its normal minions. It is considered one of the more dangerous nodes due to this higher intelligence, which allow it limited strategy and planning. This node type can be bound by a Warden to create a Dungeon.
Huh. The points for these titles were a little disappointing and the titles themselves didn''t do much. He supposed that was because they were social titles. The System''s version of Samaritan points. Basically, they were just for the bragging rights and might let him attend all the fancy parties that the ''elite'' threw for themselves. Not that there would be many of those parties in the immediate future. At least he hoped not. Derrick felt his eyes narrowing. Trusted Citizen was a social reward, so it was probably politicians and supporters earning trusted status. Which was fine, but something, probably an Authority, had tried to deny his own. He did not like the smell of that, it smelled like a conspiracy to keep the wrong kind of people from whatever benefits trusted status granted. Even considering his low expectations for the title, that was not something he was going to take sitting down. If he survived the next couple hours he would have to make some inquiries into what kind of people were ''trustworthy'' in the Westhills Enclave. He had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn''t like the answer. Derrick cleared his head and focused on more immediate problems. He went to retrieve his missing axe, hopefully it had survived impact with the acid filled minion he had thrown it at. While he walked, he examined his profile.
User Profile
Name: Derrick, Red Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Scrappy III Role: Fighter Hunter Social Rank: Trusted Landowner Level: 2.0
Military Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer II, Resilient II, Fold Survivor, Trailblazer, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious
Social Titles: Trusted Landowner, Blooded Ally of the Orders,Apostle of Exaltation, C/C 1A/56D
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Manna Core (D) (Manna) Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) Advanced Combat Drug Package (D) (Offensive) Devil''s Brand (D) (Defensive)(Auril) Breathless (E) (Survival) Heartless (E) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 17.2/26 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Auril Skills: Regeneration Auril Pulse Stupor Pulse Splintering Strike Sapping Strike
Core Capacity: 12.9 / 17 Manna (Raw): 12.2 Manna (Canvas) 4.0 Manna Skills: Sheathing Reinforcement Acceleration
Successful USS missions: 7
USS Points: 1559
¡°I''ve just become a trusted citizen,¡± Derrick said, incredibly casually as he used half a sporeling to wipe still steaming acid off his weapon. The damage seemed pretty minor, hopefully the limited repair feature would take care of it. ¡°Congratulations,¡± Scynil stated, her attention still fixed on the node her claws were penetrating. The world''s newest trusted citizen couldn''t help but notice that she did not seem particularly impressed. So much for prestige. On world''s ruled by the System, were there trusted citizens on every street corner? ¡°This is why you invited me down here, isn''t it?¡± he asked. It was easier to talk to the Crusader now that she was facing away from him. Not that her back wasn''t also distractingly sexy. It really was. ¡°I thought it would be a step towards it, but I cannot say that I am surprised you have already earned enough honor. I hope that I have now been forgiven for my earlier presumptions,¡± she replied, matter of fact. ¡°Please, no more questions. This is delicate work and neither of us wishes to fail at this point. It is only my many experiences with the binding of Tyrants that allow me to even speak.¡± Derrick considered the situation. ¡°More than forgiven. One more question though, how long are you going to be binding?¡± ¡°My battle of auril with the Tyrant will take longer than our physical battle. A single mistake and the node will resist, forcing us to kill it.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Derrick stated. ¡°That''s not ideal.¡± ¡°You may leave at any time,¡± Scynil stated with just a hint of annoyance leaking through her detachment. ¡°That''s the problem,¡± Derrick replied, as something tripped the last of his sensors in the hallway that led to the cavern they were in. ¡°I don''t think I can. Someone is here to kill us.¡± 5.10 Fog of War ¡°That is inconvenient,¡± Scynil said, trusting Derrick at his word. ¡°The ways humans express emotion are new to me but I do not think this fact comes as a surprise to you.¡± There was just a hint of accusation to her voice, although he couldn''t tell if it was just a hint because of her iron self-control or just a lack of ability to clearly express emotion. ¡°Well, I suspected something might happen,¡± Derrick answered truthfully. He didn''t want to poison whatever their relationship was. ¡°Someone has invested a lot of resources and time into getting between humanity and auril. It would be weird if they just let a Dungeon be created. So, I left some sensors behind us as a precaution and they''re telling me someone has decided to join us down here. I don''t know who would...¡± ¡°Homunculus,¡± Scynil spat out with very clear distaste, her lips curling into a snarl that revealed perfect white teeth. Just another advantage of wearing a body that was days old. ¡°It must be a slave of the Hollow Majesties. Through strife, we have earned victory. Binding is a sacred task and neither the Authorities nor the System itself would allow it to be interrupted. Only the Rebel Instruments and the Hollow Majesties could subvert the Systems Laws and the former has no interest or fear of aurilin.¡± Well shit. He had really been hoping it was just more shenanigans from Authorities. The Authorities attempts to kill him had been sorta... bad? Whatever a Homunculus was, it was probably more dangerous than a pistol wielding Greta ambushing him in a tent. Plus... other reasons. He did not like that slave comment or what the word Homunculus suggested. Best case, it seemed like he was dealing with some kind of controlled User, which promised to be messy. He''d gotten this far without killing another human being. Technically anyway. Derrick let out a deep sigh and using his axe as walking stick, rose to his feet. When he stood, he threw the axe over his shoulder. He stood still for a second, just letting his mind go through the options. It was good that he''d just fought a defensive battle. That fight gave him some ideas for shifting the odds in his favour. ¡°Can you stop them from using your subterranean pulse technique?¡± he asked. He was confident in dealing with regular pulses but the Warden''s ability to send scouting auril through the ground was beyond him. During most of their conversation, Scynil hadn''t bothered to look at him. She''d been too busy gazing into the Spore Tyrants soul or whatever. After that question though, Derrick felt her gaze lock on him. ¡°No,¡± she replied. ¡°But I can let the Spore Tyrant do it.¡± ¡°Will a Homunculus be able to track that back to the source?¡± Derrick asked and immediately received a very unimpressed look in return. He was going to take that as a no. Good. ¡°Do it,¡± Derrick replied as he gazed at the yellow mist that filled the cavernous room. He would love to ask more questions but his time was short. The enemy might already be in the room with them. The Hunter rolled his shoulders and stretched his sore stomach. This was an ideal place for an ambush. It had been designed that way by the Spore tyrant. Now it belonged to them and Derrick was more than happy to make use of it. It would take their attacker a while to adapt to the acidic and auril disrupting mist. Not to mention it would keep Scynil hidden while he dealt with the interloper. Silently, Derrick crept forward, keeping at least one pillar between himself and the door. It didn''t seem like the trespasser had entered the room... The Hunter went perfectly still as one of his auril pulses revealed something alive in the mist by the entrance. It was blurry even considering the effects of the mist, it just showed up as a warped sphere to him. He ignored that and focused entirely on Quantum Awareness, on picking up the slightest sign that he had been discovered. He felt nothing, until a second later, a weak pulse of auril washed over him. His innate stealth almost contemptuously shrugged it off, effortlessly keeping him hidden. It seemed like his natural stealth was enhanced by the mist. Lucky for him. Reduced visibility and sound, reduced auril coherency and soft floors. The only way he could get stealthier was if he wasn''t wearing bright red clothes. The Hunter moved to the side and behind a different pillar, allowing his target far enough into the room he could conceivably attack from behind and cut off a retreat. From that spot, he watched for his target, focusing on where his auril senses told him a powerful auril User was. He saw nothing there. Nothing at all. Even when auril told him something was slowly advancing through the mist just twenty feet away, he saw only empty air. Dammit. Was his auril being fooled again? Why even give the stuff out if it was so easily fool.... The mist moved in a way that his eyes told him was unnatural. A little too fast, almost as if there was something moving it there. He was dealing with an invisible enemy, Derrick realized. His mind went back to items that the System offered. One of which, was a limited stealth. Was this a better version of that or did it just work better in the mist? He crept closer, trailing after the enemy, who he was glad to see was heading in the wrong direction if Scynil was their goal. It seemed like they had no cheat detection powers. They were forced to fumble blindly through the mist like Derrick had. As he was trying to sneak within axe throwing range, he felt Quantum Aware ping him. Forewarned, the Hunter dove behind a pillar. The mist was disturbed as bullets filled the spot he''d been just a second ago. He also saw most of a rifle sprout from thin air, a very human looking rifle. Definitely not Grey Legion then. It would be best to think of this as a fight with another User. Careful to keep out of sight, Derrick let out a weak pulse that went just far enough to return with the information that the shooter had retreated behind a pillar. They didn''t seem to know where he was, having lost track of him when he dodged. Derrick moved further back, keeping his target at the edge of his auril range and himself between them and Scynil. He didn''t attack. If they wanted to play cat and mouse, he was game. He wasn''t the one on a time limit. This fight got a lot easier when Scynil finished up and joined him. Hopefully, realizing they had lost the element of surprise, they would just leave. They didn''t. The blur began to move deeper into the room, so Derrick once again circled around to strike it from behind. This time though, he threw one of his two remaining Tangler grenades before he was discovered. He was planning on following up with an axe toss, aiming to disable his target, but didn''t have the time. The second the grenade left his hand, he felt a pulse of auril hit him. At this point, his throwing arm was far above any normal human''s, which made his opponent shooting the grenade out of the air very impressive. The grenade disappeared into the mist with a loud crack and Derrick caught two bullets with his gauntlet as he was forced into retreating once more. He felt the force of the bullet across his whole body, more than enough to be dangerous if he was hit anywhere unprotected by manna reinforcement. This was going nowhere, the Hunter thought, as he faded back into the mist. Which was technically good but still dangerous and annoying. He didn''t actually want to keep this game up for hours. Maybe next time he should tank the bullets and try to get closer?Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. No, too dangerous. He couldn''t assume bullets were the limit of his enemy''s resources. Besides, his auril workaround for manna was still limiting him to short bursts of manna. All it would take is sustained fire to fill him with holes. He would just waste time and look for an opportunity to some damage. At least this had to be as aggravating for the enemy as it was for him. Maybe the third time would be the charm. He''d be extra sneaky though and use a simple trick Kate had taught him. Derrick carefully followed his target through the mist, keeping at just the right distance. The last enemy pulse that had hit him, gave him a pretty good idea of how close he could get before auril would reveal him. About fourteen feet. He positioned himself at that distance, careful to keep a pillar between them in case the mist thinned. It took a few minutes but the perfect opportunity came. A pulse hit him when he was just out of sight and failed to detect him. Throwing an axe at a blur would be too dangerous but another Tangler grenade could work. At least to buy him enough time to.... The second Derrick began his third attack, Quantum Awareness screamed at him that his stealth had failed. Dammit,the Hunter swore internally, they must have been looking right at his hiding place. He couldn''t tell because of their stealth. The enemy was just a barely discernible blur to him. As he backpedalled, Derrick saw the rifle appear in midair again. This time though, there was a cylinder attached to it that hadn''t been there before, positioned under the barrel. Derrick was no gun expert, but he knew a grenade launcher when he saw one. Somehow, he didn''t think he was dealing with a Tangler. There was a crack of sound and the cylinder disappeared. Derrick raised his hands and covered them in protective manna. He caught sight of a metallic silver object landing just four feet away from him. Well damn, this could hurt. It did. The air was driven out of his lungs as a wave of superheated air lifted Derrick off the ground and threw him across the room. After a moment of intense heat, the sensation faded and Derrick found himself oddly aware of himself and what was happening. Everything had slowed down as Derrick felt himself spin uncontrolled through the air. He mentally thanked the System for his combat drugs, which had to be responsible for this, and tried to right himself before he slammed into a pillar or something. Working on pure instinct, Derrick kicked at the ground, only to end up almost doing a backflip instead of stopping himself. He protected his head though by extending his arms and through a series of accidental gymnastics that would make an Olympic athlete jealous, somehow landed on his feet. The second he found his balance, bullets ripped through the air, missing him by quite a bit. No doubt aimed where the explosion had tried to send him. Shocked by his lack of injuries, Derrick checked himself. Mild burn and scraps were all that he saw on his arms. His head felt weird, his mouth tasted of blood and his auril warned of wounded flesh all through himself but he didn''t feel that bad all things considered. Did he just walk off a grenade? Looking a bit pretty he could understand, Devil''s Skin gave him some heat resistance, that trait must have kicked in to protect him from the fire and force of the grenade, combined with some organ redundancy and all the enhancement to muscle and bone that came with being level 2.0, his body was tough. Where was all the shrapnel though? He''d felt a couple hits to his chest but that was it. His hurriedly thrown up gauntlets must have blocked most of fragmented pieces of grenade canister. He caught sight of something black and silver from the corner of his eye. A quick check revealed it to be shrapnel that was lodged in the cheek of his mask. Some part of his brain had trouble believing it was possible, despite the evidence. A different part commented that if he had trouble believing it, the enemy would too. Indeed, it seemed like the grenadier had sent a wave of auril at him and was headed his way fast when that once more failed to discover him. Thinking fast, Derrick dropped one axe and move forward, stepping into a thick bank of fog that was hovering around a nearby pillar. The blur arrived just seconds later, stopping close enough that he could see a vaguely human outline and the end of a rifle. He was pretty sure his foe wasn''t looking in his direction this time; they had to be looking deeper into the room or at the axe he dropped as a distraction. Almost casually, Derrick stepped out of hiding and lobbed his last Tangler at the dangerous blur. His throw sending it spinning above where he guessed one shoulder was. With a pop, the sphere exploded into a mass of white cords and ribbons. He half expected it to fail but it didn''t. Those ribbons made contact, grabbing some unseen fabric and tangling it up. Fast as thought, his foe abandoned the stealth cloak they were wearing, a knife appearing with superhuman speed and cutting themselves free. Derrick was glad to see both a rifle and cloak entangled by his grenade, revealing a somewhat short and thin human wearing sickly yellow armor. Said human had a pistol in hand and already rising in Derrick''s direction. Two bullets rang out, only to be caught by Derrick''s gauntlet as he strode forward. The Yellow wearing User tried to back up, but Derrick was far from slow, the same Gauntlet that had stopped the bullets closed around the hand holding the pistol and yanked the User forward. His clutching fist unleashed a Sapping Strike, he felt that technique meet the enemy''sauril and almost fail. Tiny knots of it did manage to pierce his attacker''s auril defences. His other gauntlet struck out just as fast, the manna empowered punch knocking away a warding arm filled with manna and making contact with a yellow mask. A loud crack filled the air and the mask snapped back from the force of the blow. He didn''t have time to enjoy the hit. The corner of his eye revealed a knife trying to gut him, so he stepped back and drew his axe. The yellow User drew a second knife and faced him silently. It was obvious that they knew how to use those knives. They moved so fast and precise, he had to be fighting a manna expert. Derrick banished hesitation and attacked savagely. Using the length of his weapon and arms to keep his attacker back. Right up until his enemy managed to block a swing and stepped into his guard, aiming to put a knife into his thigh. Derrick didn''t even try to block the knife, just prepared himself to catch the hand after it had sunk the knife into him. His spars with Blake had taught him that he couldn''t match a gifted manna User when it came to speed. Especially considering the limitations of his own manna. If he could get his hands on someone though, the fight tended to end quickly. His body language must have given something away because the blow never came, instead his attacker turned it into a feint and retreated. Was It strange that watching the figure retreat, he almost felt disappointed? Well, this next part should be fun anyway. Derrick spun the abandoned pistol in his hand and pointed it at the retreating figure. The trigger guard and his gauntlets made it awkward to pull the trigger but he managed. He emptied the clip at the smaller User and was unsurprised when a shimmering three foot across barrier appeared midair. When the bullets bounced back at him, that caused some surprise though. Luckily the bounces seemed uncontrolled and each bullet missed him. The closest was inches from him. Well, ranged attacks seemed pointless, Derick mused, as he digested this latest trick. It was a good thing he hadn''t managed an axe throw yet. Derrick dropped the empty pistol to the ground and casually went to pick up his second axe from where he''d left it. That was apparently not allowed, as he found himself under attack again, frantically blocking and dodging thrusts and slashes. Tiny wounds began to build up, wounds less than a quarter inch deep but still painful in the mist. In return, he''d hammered through the other User'' defences a few times, dealing one cut to the shoulder and a number of bruises. Cuts and bruises were nothing to Users. The important part was the Sapping auril that went with each of his blows. His foe had a very solid defence, but they were no Spore Tyrant and had less auril than him to begin with. Derrick''s unique technique was an insidious thing, spending the enemy''s physical and auril strength. Despite his numerous bleeding wounds, he was winning. The enemy couldn''t commit to a serious attack without risking an exchange that he would use to end this fight. Unless they were willing to try for a killing blow. A strike at his throat, heart or one of the many organs a human couldn''t live without. Derrick was very happy to see that they weren''t willing to risk everything on such a strike. If things stayed the way they were headed, he wouldn''t even need to string a finishing blow. The enemy would just fall at his feet, defeated and helpless. As if. No, Derrick wasn''t waiting for them to fall. He was waiting for the twist of the knife. The trick that would put them, at best, back on even footing. It didn''t take long for his expectations to be met. When the two Users separated for a second, a familiar voice rang out. ¡°Congratulations,¡± the trespasser said and pulled off her mask. Revealing a shock of short blonde hair and look of bemusement on a face that was still mostly sharp angles. ¡°I didn''t think you had that much fight in you.¡± Derrick watched patiently as the yellow armor changed into a deep-sea green color. ¡°How long have you known?¡± she asked. Derrick didn''t answer immediately, instead he slapped away a lightning fast knife strike and forced his opponent away with a low kick. Only after watching his lithe and smiling foe sidestep his counter and keep her distance did he respond. ¡°Know? Minutes,¡± he responded with surprisingly sincere calm. ¡°Suspect? Days.¡± He had run the options through his head a thousand times over the last few days. This was far from the worst he''d imagined. Which was not to say that he wasn''t angry. He was, that anger was being held at arm''s length though. It felt cold and distant to him and tasted like ash. ¡°Oh?¡± responded Kate with equal wariness and amusement. ¡°What gave me away?¡± 5.11 Fog of War II Derrick worked to keep an angry frown off his scarred face. He knew that was not a good look on him and he wanted to seem calm and confident. He was still hoping they could stop this fight here. Or, at the very least, waste as much time as possible. ¡°You weren''t as subtle as you seem to think,¡± he replied. ¡°A better question would be when did you do anything that suggested it wasn''t you.¡± ¡°Ah, well I have been busy.¡± Kate admitted. ¡°With the murders and petty theft¡± Derrick replied. ¡°Petty? Hardly. Aurilin might be easy to find right now but that''s because of very special circumstances. It''s one of the most valuable commodities in existence.¡± She explained easily. Well, that was good to hear considering he owned part of an auril mine. Hmm, if she was trying to talk him into letting her destroy the Dungeon, she was doing it wrong. She must not realize he had a claim to the aurilin mine. He wasn''t sure how he could use that, but it did imply hard limits to her knowledge. ¡°But the murder part is accurate?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Kaye said with a shrug. ¡°It wasn''t just about the auril though. It was also about the people. You should know what kind of person unlocks auril so quickly?¡± People as sexy as they were brave. Though that seemed like the wrong answer. As far as he could tell, there were two types of people that had unlocked auril so far. Auril sensitives and those with a talent for jumping headfirst into fights with superhuman aliens and coming out alive. He supposed he was both. ¡°You''re saying that they were probably bad people and that''s why you carved them up like pumpkins and ran off with any valuable organs they had?¡± Derrick questioned. Even ignoring that she was a Homunculus, whatever that meant, and therefore untrustworthy, that seemed like a flimsy justification to him. His utter lack of belief must have shown on his face. ¡°Dangerous people,¡± Kate said. ¡°I''m familiar with the type. Two of them were even sent by that bitch Greta. It seems like you and my idiot cousin made an impression on her. We''re all better off without them around.¡± Gregory, of Teslaforce fame, had mentioned that a few of Greta''s minions had gone missing. Derrick had even kind of suspected Kate of that at the time. If only because no one else had any reason to do it. Gregory had said they were supposedly just watching him and the Demnols though, not actually attacking. It checked out that they would be more likely to have auril if they had a history of professional violence, like they would if they were associates of the Demnols. More than two aurilin equipped Users had gone missing though. He was willing to bet the others had been sensitives, not thugs. Users whose only crime was having the potential to manipulate others with auril. Considering he was pretty sure he was an auril sensitive, Derrick kept his guard up. ¡°Speaking of thievery. How are you so quiet anyway?¡± Kate asked. ¡°I have very good hearing and even with you right beside me, It''s like you''re not there. Is it the armored vest? I''m pretty sure you''re not using manna to dampen sound. Combined with your freakish stealthy auril Style, you actually managed to scare me a few times.¡± Her question confused him for a second, until he realized it must be a side effect of his traits. Breathless and Heartless, by supporting his heart and lungs must be reducing the sound they made. Huh, he was even more stealth focused than he''d thought. He wondered how much that had helped him without his knowing. Had the System done that on purpose? Wait, that meant she could hear heartbeats? That was creepy. Not to mention very convenient for hunting down other Users. ¡°I have mastered Ninjutsu. Thanks for noticing.¡± Derrick replied, because only an idiot would actually explain those traits to an enemy. By the way Kate, I might be able to survive with punctured lungs, so make sure to keep stabbing until I stop moving. ¡°Oh, you too?¡± Kate said with a smile. What? That was weird response. It was almost like she was the one wasting time. Which made no sense to him. She gained nothing and had everything to lose from delay as far as he knew. He focused on the woman that had been his lover and was probably now an enemy. Was that fear she was hiding? No, he didn''t think so. She was nervous about something; he was sure of that. As flattering as it would be, he didn''t think she was intimidated by him in any physical way. Or you know, intellectually. Huh. Was she was delaying because she was reluctant to start fighting again, for purely emotional reasons? He felt a ping of hope that Scynil''s ''slave'' comment might not be one hundred percent accurate. He really wished he knew what a Homunculus was. He needed to know if Kate was even human. If she could be talked down. Or if she needed to be put down. ¡°So, you''re here out of civic duty? Is there something horribly dangerous about Dungeons that demands you stop this one from being created? Something you couldn''t be bothered to explain with words?¡± he asked. ¡°It''s made from a living Spore Tyrant,¡± the blonde replied. ¡°Of course, it''s dangerous. It''s a giant target painted on this Enclave. We already had to fight off the Grey Legion, that will just be the start.¡± And he was back to being angry at her. Another emotional appeal? Did she think he was a child? And her argument was just bad, humanity was under threat of extinction. There was already a target on the heads of every living person because they were basically food to the things that had invade the Earth. Auril was too useful a tool to throw away because it attracted attention from creatures already hunting them down. ¡°I''m going to stop you right there,¡± Derrick the Red said. ¡°I think I''m done being treated like an idiot. Explain why you hate auril sensitives so much that you¡¯re eager to risk human extinction just to reduce their numbers.¡± Kate let out a deep sigh and gave him a sad smile. ¡°You lack the perspective to understand the real threats. Earth itself is one tiny world among thousands. Auril sensitivity will hurt humanity in the long term. There are unspoken rules about joining the System.¡± Most of what she said seemed like generic bullshit, but the use of word perspective was interesting. ¡°And you have this superior perspective? Does serving the Hollow Majesties come with an educational video about how irrelevant humans are? Why should I care about anything you or... it says.¡± Her eyes shot to meet his own when he revealed his knowledge of who she worked for. He saw worry there but also dedication, neither of them backed down.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Noble Virulence saved me from a fate worse than death. It hasn''t lied to me. How could it when what it has given me is a piece of itself. That''s all it has done, given memories and secrets that have made me enlightened. Its great sin is revealing knowledge the System keeps from those it conscripts.¡± Oh wow. The Hollow Majesty was called Noble Virulence, that wasn''t the kind of name pompous psychopaths used at all. Even if every word Kate said was true, knowledge could be manipulative especially when it was controlled. Dealt out piecemeal, it could be used as a way to manipulate. You didn''t have to lie to fool others, just reveal select truths. Sure, he knew that the System loved keeping people in the dark but there could good reasons for that. Not letting embattled primitives know how incredibly outgunned they really were was one. The System depended on races fighting to save themselves. Derrick imagined that most people, when confronted with the true power of the Scourges and the basically endless horrific battles the future held, would have trouble finding the will to fight. It could also just be wary of shaping their culture too much. It occurred to him that Kate had probably been chosen by this Noble Virulence because her time spent in a coma would make her emotionally detached and easier to control. That theory didn''t make him think well of the Hollow Majesties in general or Noble Virulence in particular. ¡°Enlightened, that''s a flattering way to describe yourself. Guess what people who aren''t controlled by Hollow Majesties call their servants.¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Homunculus or just slaves. It''s a Scourge, I believe it about as much as I believe submission really is salvation.¡± Kate shrugged. ¡°It''s no mindless monster like the Primal Scourges. No body thief like the Grey legion. The words of the System''s barbaric servants, fanatics and mercenaries, are no damning evidence against it, lover. You can be the enemy of the System while being an ally of the sentient life it protects. Every Hollow Majesty started out as a citizen of the System.¡± Kate said with worrying surety. ¡°The System is no benevolent god. It a flawed and soulless thing that does more good than harm but sometimes it needs to be resisted. One day it will need to be destroyed.¡± This might even be true, but it didn''t really matter that much to Derrick at the moment. He wasn''t going to rip out his implant and join team Hollow Majesty. Whatever that meant. Ughhh. This was a horribly complex topic of conversation for another time and place. It was a confusing mess he really didn''t want to puzzle through here and now. One thing was for sure though, she wasn''t doing a good job of convincing him to walk away and let her kill Scynil. ¡°I know this is confusing.¡± Kate said. ¡°But I''m asking you to believe I know what I''m doing.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Derrick instantly. The speed of his response seemed to catch his lover off guard. ¡°No?¡± Kate repeated. ¡°Just like that. You have to...¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Derrick interrupted scathingly. ¡°Mind control. Auril sensitivity. System Race politics. Blah Blah Blah. Arrogance from parasitic wannabe Scourges that call themselves Hollow Majesties. Are they so great that as one of their Homunculus slaves, you think yourself more than human? You didn''t sneak down here weapons drawn and in disguise because you trusted me. You didn''t kill those Users because you loved the human race. Why should I trust you?¡± He hadn''t meant to interrupt but the presumption of his ignorance from someone who should know better was infuriating. He''d been around the block since the Scourges had arrived. Hell, he was willing to bet he''d had more conversations with aliens than anyone in the city. Especially if you included his little chat with the Lurker. He tended to keep himself moving and his opinions to himself, but he was always paying attention. Since this whole cluster-fuck of an apocalypse had started, he''d been collecting every hint and detail of the bigger picture he could. ¡°Homunculus slave,¡± she repeated slowly, after a few seconds of silence. ¡°I don''t think you really know what you''re talking about but was cruel.¡± ¡°You threw a grenade at me,¡± Derrick replied with narrowed eyes. ¡°You attacked first and you''re fine anyway,¡± she said with irritating dismissiveness. ¡°That slave comment hurt though, even though it''s not at all accurate. I must admit that I do think of myself as more than human because that''s exactly what I am. Nothing was taken from me, not my humanity and not my free will. I was simply given knowledge and... broader priorities. You are, frankly, not qualified to judge if this Dungeon should exist.¡± Derrick ground his teeth together. Where was this speech about how dangerous Dungeons were before he had to crawl into this hole and punch a Spore Tyrant unconscious? No, she''d thought it would be easier to follow them down here and put a bullet in Scynil when she was distracted with the binding. ¡°Let''s talk about qualifications then. Do you know what I am qualified for, professionally?¡± ¡°...Programming?¡± Kate said after a pause, obviously not quite sure and a bit puzzled at the change in subject. ¡°Network engineering.¡± Derrick corrected. ¡°It was my job to install, optimize and secure networks. Now, the System does not at all need my help with that. However, the experience does help me understand the System and you. Fancy titles and playing mysterious benefactor just makes you seem silly. You''re a User given unauthorized access and stealing network resources. You and the Oh So Noble Virulence are parasites.¡± Well, his ex definitely did not like the parasite comment, hard lines formed on her face for a second. She calmed right back down though. ¡°It is a little more complicated than that,¡± she said. ¡°I can''t blame you for being ignorant. I truly don''t want to hurt you. Please move aside.¡± ¡°This is a trap,¡± Derrick stated. ¡°The Dungeon, that is. Our meeting here is not a coincidence. I set it up a day ago with my Patron Authority.¡± Bit of a lie there, it hadn''t been a full day, but he was trying to shatter her annoying confidence. ¡°I bring this up so you understand that you are not in control here. You''re not operating on some higher level than me, the mere human. I''m glad..¡± Ugh, so pretentious. ¡°...Noble Virulence ''saved you'', I really am, but I am not impressed by you or your boss an I''m not putting my life in your hands, never mind the city or the entire human race.¡± ¡°Authorities are constrained by the System. The System is incapable of considering me anything but a User, its pet Authorities can''t change that. Even with a Patron, you''re still on your own.¡± she said not quite confidently enough. Derrick could tell he''d gotten to her. He smiled predatorily. He didn''t even mean too, it just felt right. ¡°There are loopholes that allow interference. Bullet sized loopholes, as we both know. You should leave now while I let you.¡± Kate was quiet for a few seconds. ¡°You''re not going to get out of my way, are you?¡± she stated coldly. ¡°Your willing to risk your life on this? Not to mention ending our relationship.¡± ¡°It''s not like we had the kind of relationship that lasts long term.¡± Derrick answered and cracked his neck. ¡°Besides, from the beginning of this conversation, you''ve been treating me like an idiot. An inferior. You obviously don''t think much of me. Hell, a good fight might be healthy for our relationship.¡± ¡°Cute,¡± Kate said. ¡°But I''m not going to hold back anymore, this is bigger than us. You''re perfectly fine with the idea of killing me? You seemed like you had some problems with loss.¡± Ah, there it was. The inevitable reference to the events that orphaned him. It would be maddening if it wasn''t so predictable. This is why he usually kept that shit to himself. Well, he wasn''t the only person with emotional scars. ¡°I have no intention of killing you,¡± Derrick said, honest surprise showing on his face. ¡°Luckily, medical technology has gotten quite the boost recently. Anything short of complete brain death, you''ll recover from easily enough. You''re tough, I probably won''t have to hold back at all.¡± Honestly, that was mostly bullshit. He had no clear idea what he was doing, besides not backing down. Funnily enough though, there was a ''medical'' facility with his name on it just down the hall. There should even be some empty beds there, complete with restraining straps. ¡°Although,¡± he added with cheerful venom. ¡°You might be spending a very very long time in a hospital bed. By the time you recovered, it might be like becoming a whole new person. Who knows what the System might...¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Kate said. ¡°I''ll just make you move.¡± She placed her mask back over her face. As soon as it was covered, two knives appeared in her hands like magic. Negotiations seemed to have broken down. Worse yet, she hadn''t bought his bluffs. Seeing the woman he''d fought beside a dozen times and twice slept with, move towards him with naked killing intent, Derrick hesitated for just a second. Just for a second though. Her smug attitude stirred up something mean inside him. Despite his confusion, he wanted this fight. There was a mean part of himself that refused to be talked down to, that didn''t really care that this latest enemy wore a familiar and human face. He embraced that part of himself because really, what was the other option? Surrender? No. He''d come too far to back down, and with that thought, alien energy flooded him. Besides, he thought, he hadn''t been lying when he¡¯d said he¡¯d predicted this, and Kate wasn''t the only one who had been holding back. The fight before their little talk? Foreplay. He felt his confusion vanish and his fingers twitch with tense energy. Armed with with an axe in one hand, a knife in the other and a smile on his face, he glided forward to meet her. 5.12 Party Tricks I For all his bluffing, Derrick knew he was outmatched. Oh, he had a few tricks up his entirely metaphorical sleeves, but he needed to be sure those wouldn''t be countered by Kate''s own tricks. So, he needed to force her to use her own first. Tricky. However, she had come by her skills, he knew Kate was a better fighter than him. Faster, more precise and not limited to just using short bursts of manna. Not to mention ruthless. If he let her stay close to him, she could overwhelm him in a flurry of cuts easily enough. His mastery of Auril just couldn''t match manna when it came to direct threat. An auril attack could be easily countered by manna reinforcement, while a manna accelerated fist still hit just as hard. It seemed like manna was just better at that sort of thing, using auril as a weapon was... well, not what it seemed to be for. Watching Scynil fight the Spore Tyrant had driven that home for him. Auril was an exaltation, not a blunt weapon. Sure, he could use it to dominate the undefended, but against those of equal or greater strength, its usefulness as a weapon was greatly diminished. Especially when that enemy had both auril and manna as well. Which wasn''t to say his strike techniques were useless, far from it. They were just situational. So, his advantage was the endurance granted by his traits. Including the chance that Scynil would join them eventually. He really wanted to drag this fight out. Luckily, he had Quantum Awareness, without that trait she would have no trouble taking him apart. The warnings that trait gave him were basically mind reading. His very own spider-sense, allowing him to know where Kate was targeting as soon as she did. It almost evened the playing field. Almost, a wincing Derrick admitted, as a knife blade once again cut a bloody groove into his flesh. His axe cleaved the air where she''d been standing a second ago, but she''d leaned back. Derrick knew from painful experience that in just a moment she would be attacking again. He turned to the side and prepared to swipe at her stabbing arm with his knife but Kate turned her attack into an attempt to slap his hand away. Derrick let her and continued turning, unleashing a powerful low kick that hit only air but did force her back a few steps. ¡°I have no idea how, but you''re cheating somehow.¡± Kate said pensively, as she eyed him. Really? She''d had expert fighting skills downloaded into her brain but he was the one that was cheating. ¡°Ninjutsu,¡± he said and twirled his axe. ¡°You have already fallen into my trap.¡± ¡°I''m not going to slip on your blood, if that''s your plan,¡± Kate answered dismissively. The axe wielding User spared the floor a glance. There were more than a few splashes of blood on it. Not much though, because his cuts, while stubbornly refusing to close like they used to, still stopped bleeding quickly. Also, because the living tangle of root-like growths that was the floor seemed to absorb any blood that fell on it. A follow up glance at his arm had him wincing. It looked... messy. His Devil''s Brand technique worked exactly as described. It made his skin extremely tough, he could tell because even Kate''s razor sharp System knives slowed down as they dug into his flesh. So instead of cutting cleanly, they tore painful jagged wounds. Yay for him. If he didn''t have Curative Blood and the Weld drug, he would no doubt be bleeding out. As it was, he had bright red wounds carved into him that he suspected were going to leave some really nasty scars. The kind of scars that were three dimensional. Especially since the mist was still searing his wounds. Derrick managed to dodge her next two lightning fast swipes and forced her back with a ringing blow that almost overpowered her defences. She could use manna to defend against his normal swings, but when both of them gave it their all, he came out ahead. He was just good enough that he could land a solid hit every now and then, as long as he didn''t mind risk adding to his growing collection of cuts. Slowly, Derrick''s grin grew as her own diminished. He was glad to know that when it came to pure explosive muscle power, he dominated at least. Instead of just dodging his next attack, Kate surprised him by retreating instead, she gracefully glided backwards, not quite in the direction of her discarded gun. Derrick had no choice but to follow. As much as he needed to keep his distance, he also needed to stop whatever it was she was trying for. The rifle was still tied up with Tangler threads, but he couldn''t be sure it was useless to her. He slipped his mask back on and dashed after her. One foot had just touched the ground when the slightest of sensation warned him of imminent danger. Not one, but three intertwined Spore Tyrant Stalks burst out of the ground and shot at him. Kate must have just disabled them and then woke them back up when she was past them. Thanks to the warning from his auril trait, his axe was already intercepting the attacking tentacles. When his Shattering Strike made contact with the sharp heads of the stalks, it didn''t block them, instead the stalks exploded into a small shower of yellow-white gore. Energized by his annoyance, his auril attack had pumped enough malignant auril into the stalks that they''d torn themselves apart. Robbed of their toughness, the living weapons had just burst like balloons under the incredible force that launched them. Stoically, Derrick ignored the mess and kept walking towards Kate. He hoped that had come off as intimidating and not just gross. It did seem like Kate had been going to attack but changed her mind when he reduced her distraction to paste. She frowned and began to move towards her fallen rifle again. As if he was going to let that happen. As soon as she began the movement, Derrick was sprinting to intercept. His feet sinking into the ground under the weight of his dash. During one such stride, he let out a pulse that disabled another Spore Tyrant Stalk cluster. The technique Kate had taught him, Disabling Pulse, still worked. Seeing that her trap bought her no time, Kate swivelled in place and faced him. Derrick noticed the knife in her right hand had been switched and his eyes immediately focused on the revealed weapon. It was unlike any weapon he''d seen so far. It bore the telltale signs of being System made but alien at the same time, something about it made the Hunter''s skin crawl. The wicked-looking blade was a good nine inches long and clearly designed for stabbing. There was also an odd green tinge to the serrated edge and the blood grooves that ran down to the hilt. Wary, Derrick slammed to a halt under a dozen feet from Kate. Of course, she had some kind of new evil space knife. The most alarming part was that it disturbed his auril pulses enough that he could actually sense it using that energy. A weapon designed to fight auril Users? He was flattere... No, it would be for Scynil, an opponent Kate couldn''t hope to beat in a fair fight. Shit, prepping to fight Scynil was the same as prepping to fight a tougher version of him. ¡°Zausite,¡± Kate informed him when she saw him eyeing her weapon. ¡°A dangerous cousin to siviril. Nasty stuff made by a mechanical Scourge you haven''t met yet. Noble Virulence found one in the city, it was corrupting a System Station, not even the System knew what it was doing. I had some bullets made too and they would have made short work of your Crusader friend but you ruined that plan when you ambushed me.¡± ¡°I guess you''ve been as busy as I have,¡± Derrick said cautiously. ¡°How many different Scourges felt the need to attack this city anyway?¡± Derrick was disappointed to see that Kate didn''t answer. Apparently, she was done wasting time. Instead she shook the hand holding the green blade as if loosening the muscles and darted at him, her sea green mask on her face and a blade in each hand. It started just like every round they''d fought so far but when his axe was blocked by her new knife, he felt the edge dig into his weapon just a hair. It must be a ridiculously sharp weapon. After a few exchanges, she threw up a shield in front of his attempt to hammer through her defences. The two foot across blur, appeared just inches from his weapon, far too late for him to avoid hitting it. This close, he noticed ripples play across its clear surface, like the surface of a pond.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Dammit, he''d gotten predictable, throwing around the equivalent of haymakers. Panicked, Derrick felt everything slow down as he furiously tried to think himself out of this dilemma. He was willing to bet that the rippling shimmer in front of him was a bouncy shield. When his manna accelerated axe hit it, the manna shield would bounce it back, guaranteeing that he would be stabbed multiple times by his ex-girlfriend''s scary new knife. How did this manna ability work? It must somehow redirect kinetic energy in objects. So, unlike basic manna shields that used a manna effect to create a physical shield, this one must affect objects that touched an area. If that was the case, auril was the obvious solution, any weapon or body part filled with his auril should be immune to the redirection. Like when he used auril to press through the weird shield the Feral Artisan had put up on the probe. In the less than a second before his attack hit the barrier, Derrick let the manna in his weapon fade and switched it to auril. Weaving the complex auril pattern of Sapping Strike in is hand and filling his weapon with it in less time than it took to breath. His axe hit something soft in the air, but was barely slowed down by it. Although she was masked, Derrick saw Kate''s body stiffen in alarm as she desperately tried to block the blow. It was too fast and strong, the axe came down and tore through the armor on her shoulder, leaving a bloody wound almost a foot long until the weapon snagged on the armor above her ribs. Having used her manna to create her shield even her fancy knife couldn''t block the power and weight of his attack. Her defence crumpled and her right hand was pushed to the side. Shallow, Derrick observed clinically. He''d hit mostly armor so it was not enough to take her out of the fight. In fact, she was still in the process of stabbing him. So, he ignored the incoming knife and switched his grip on his axe. He then pulled her into an auril filled knee strike. His knee landed with only a mild impact, but Shattering Strike ensured that at least one rib snapped. The two of them were practically hugging now, so he didn''t see her drive the knife into his ribs. He sure as hell felt it though. Instinctively, he dropped his own knife and grabbed her arm to throw her away. Before they separated, Derrick felt something sink into his arm, the one holding his axe. It was her other knife, the eerie green one. It bit deep into his arm, just below the shoulder, deep enough that it felt like it scrapped bone. Shit, and that was with broken ribs. Kate stumbled back but caught herself and stood with surprising poise considering how much pain she must be in. He took the opportunity to switch his axe to his left hand, his right was disabled for now, the cut still bleeding thick dark blood that ran down his arm and onto the floor. Derrick could see her armor attempting to repair itself, its silver threads very slowly pulling the tear together and hiding the brutalized flesh underneath. Whatever repair feature her armor had, it was better than his own. Could it stitch flesh back together? He couldn''t think of any reason why not. Looking at that wound, Derrick felt black anger. The pain made him angry. He was angry at himself for hurting Kate. Angry at Kate for hurting him. Most of all though, angry at the thing that had convinced Kate to fight him here. Cautiously, Kate went to lift her good arm to her wounded side but a full body wince stopped her. A second later she was rolling her bad shoulder, no doubt thanks to combat drugs. ¡°Ah fuck. You actually fucking cut me,¡± she said through clenched teeth. ¡°Ha, I suppose I deserved that. I should have just taken you out fast, but I tried to keep my goodies for the Crusader. Fuck, I thought this would be easier.¡± Derrick didn''t like her tone; it wasn''t the tone of someone who was giving up. He respected that almost as much as he hated it. ¡°I don''t usually give much thought to what people deserve.¡± Derrick said. Not beyond a punch to the head anyway. ¡°I would say that complaining that murder isn''t easy enough is kind of bitchy though.¡± ¡°Fair enough. This isn''t about you or me,¡± Kate said. ¡°It''s about Noble Virulence and the Crusader you seem oddly determined to defend. Grown attached have we?¡± He briefly considered a comparison of Kate''s and Scynil''s curves but decided against it. He didn''t want this to get all high school. That would probably bite him in the ass. ¡°It feels kind of personal, I think it might be a little about me.¡± Derrick said with deceptive cheer as he ran his fingers over the knife wound in his side. Beneath his calm surface, Derrick''s hate was a boiling sea of acid that wanted to be let loose with a primal scream and a shower of blood. That hate had no real outlet at the moment though. Noble Virulence was beyond his reach and as angry as he was, hurting Kate further wouldn''t make him feel better. That said, he watched her for weaknesses anyway. Eager to end this before he ran out of blood. Kate stopped, knife dropping to her side. ¡°It''s not personal,¡± she said and let out a pained sigh. ¡°If it was about you, I wouldn''t be here. Please, step aside. Let me do what needs to be done. I know what I''m doing and you are making powerful enemies, not just for yourself but the entire human race.¡± Ah, she wanted to talk now? He would play along. He could use that time to let Regeneration... Huh, that was weird and disconcerting. Regeneration wasn''t working on his arm. ¡°No.¡± he said, hiding his worries. ¡°Trust me enough not to kill anyone today and if I''m wrong, I promise to admit to it and work with you to fix it. I''m not going to trust some parasite on the word of a woman who it can influence to the point where I let it murder someone who is fighting for me.¡± Kate scowled at him, clearly both annoyed and disappointed in his answer. ¡°The System is not a god and the Crusaders are no angels,¡± she said. ¡°They came here for themselves, to fight for the scraps of power the System grants to its more useful fanatics. You think the System couldn''t save the Earth if it wanted to? It could but chooses to help just enough to keep us alive.¡± There was a lot of confidence in her accusation, something that had to come from the memories Noble Virulence had gifted her with. But even if it was true, so what? The accusation that the System could be saving them better if it wanted to was not one that meant much to Derrick. It just came across as whiny. What did an ancient alien made AI owe the human race? Nothing, that was what. Certainly not salvation. It had saved millions of lives and prevented, at least for now, the extinction of all life on Earth. If it thought binding a Spore Tyrant Node beneath Westhills was a good idea, he would give it the benefit of a doubt. ¡°They''re the closest things we''ve got,¡± Derrick answered. ¡°Besides, this is not about the character of Crusaders. It''s about not betraying those who trust you and it''s about saving lives. The resources this place produces will be going to humans who will desperately need them. Used to protect Users from some of the nasty shit that the Scourges will throw at them. We both know how bad that can get, without the auril you have now, would you even be alive?¡± It would take a lot for Derrick to discard something humanity needed so much, and not just because he got thirty some percent of its production. ¡°If not for Noble Virulence, I would be worse than dead. Even if you win this fight it won''t change anything. It has a half dozen other homunculus on this world alone. Crusaders, Authorities and even the System itself can''t stop the forces you''re picking a fight with. Besides, depending on auril will get you killed. How''s your arm doing? I notice it''s still bleeding.¡± It was true, Derrick admitted to himself, her green knife had injected something into the wound. Zausite probably. Whatever it was, traces of it were stopping his regeneration from getting anywhere near the cut. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. The flesh around the cut very slowly sickening somehow, dying for reasons he couldn''t sense. Gods, he hoped it wasn''t radioactive. He had no idea how his System given healing would work with cancer. Well, at least it was painless. Terrifying but painless. ¡°I''m still winning.¡± Derrick the Red said simply. ¡°I don''t need to beat you up, just stop you from being able to beat Scynil. Frankly, I''m not impressed with you or Mr Virulence, where are these perks you mentioned? You can''t even beat one regular User.¡± ¡°Noble Virulence is a Hollow Majesty, a Power in a universe more hostile than you can imagine.¡± Kate said and looked into his eyes. ¡°A Power that rules a dozen worlds and a thousand souls. It will empower its homunculus beyond what the System will allow normal Users to achieve. I don''t think its scared of you.¡± Derrick met her gaze for a few seconds, until he was forced to look away. Forced to look away by the laughter that overtook him. All the tension of the situation faded as the Trailblazer laughed until his sides hurt. Honestly, if Kate had attacked then, he would have been defenceless. ¡°All of a dozen worlds? Oh, my.¡± Derrick mocked. ¡°I never considered the Grey Legion, the Spore Tyrants or the Feral Artisans brave, but now I realized they willingly fight an enemy that rules a dozen worlds and has half a dozen slightly stronger than normal Users. Makes sense, if the Hollow Majesties were actually dangerous, they wouldn''t need you. You keep telling me to give up because I''m ignorant but I don''t think you understand how close to the bottom of the food-chain your boss is.¡± ¡°Men.¡± Said Kate with a tired sigh. ¡°You''re letting your small achievements get to your head. You have a real talent for auril, one in a million even. That''s nowhere near enough to win even this fight though and you think your resistance matters to a Scourge? You have one trick and it wasn''t enough. Well, credit where credits due, you''re right, I can''t afford to take any more risks now.¡± Kate reached intoon of the pockets that covered her armor and withdrewan object that fit in her palm. Derrick didn''t react, he wasn''t close enough to stop her anyway, he might as well watch from a safer distance. It was a white orb that fit in the palm of her hand. A sphere of obvious System manufacture. It was invisible to his auril pulses, so not more Zausite or anything auril based. It also didn''t seem like a weapon, so a manna gadget then? Maybe another grenade? Palming the device, Kate began to walk towards him. Her stride purposeful despite a rather obvious limp. Warily, Derrick took a step back. He really didn''t like the confidence the blonde was displaying. She seemed really confident that this orb thingy was more than he could handle. Which made sense if, like her knife, it was a tool that was supposed to be used to defeat Scynil. Derrick was considering throwing his axe and making a run for it, when Kate raised the orb towards him. Wary, Derrick managed to get both arms filled with a burst of manna and in front of him. For a second, nothing happened. Then the manna in his arms was violently dispersed and Derrick felt his feet lift off the ground. 5.13 Party Tricks II Derrick slammed into a pillar, the air forced out of his lungs. He tried to breathe but found it impossible to fill his lungs with air. He was pinned to the pillar, some invisible force holding him there. He tried to struggle but there was no give to it, just a constant smothering pressure. ¡°Sorry about this,¡± he heard Kate say. He looked at her and saw the now shimmering orb in one hand and a green tinted knife in the other. ¡°I didn''t want any of this. I tried to prevent it. You shouldn''t be here. Just... give the word. Back off and I''ll stop. Please. Do it now, I don''t want the batteries on this thing to run out. It takes forever to charge with my limited manna.¡± Derrick watched her limp closer and felt despair, a familiar ache. All it would take was one stab with that knife and he''d lost. Scynil would probably be killed and the Dungeon would be destroyed. Destroyed by Kate Demnol because he was too weak to protect anything. Because the batteries on her orb thing were more important than him. He clawed at the invisible force that held him but found no purchase. Even his own manna had no effect on it. He hadn''t been this helpless since he fought the Lurker. What was that, yesterday? Ha. He''d learned a trick then. The ability to sense the flows and sources of manna around him. He''d even practised it a few times successfully. It was like riding a bike. Derrick reached for his manna core and sent his mind into the Fold, trying to realize the state of awareness he''d touched when fighting the Lurker. It was easy enough to reach, just out of phase with this reality and he''d gone much deeper than that. It was ultimately unhelpful though. He could sense the power Kate was using to suppress him, but seeing the chains didn''t give him power over them. The Lurker had woven a complex web of manna and seized the flow of manna across a city block. Its creation had been a complicated and delicate construct. The focus Kate was using was so simple and direct it was impossible to affect at all. Just an overclocked shield generator. A flow of manna from Kate, to the orb and then to his chest. A circuit that served no purpose beyond pressing him into the pillar behind him with such force that he tasted blood. Nearby footsteps caused him to snap back to reality. Kate was almost in reach of him now. She stopped and took her mask off. ¡°Goodbye,¡± Kate said with a sad smile. ¡°I don''t think we will meet again after this.¡± Derrick met her eyes and knew she was telling the truth. That hurt. It hurt him badly. So he''d lost the fight and she was just going to disappear. He felt his despair grow, mixing with his pain and weakness. It was so very wrong and yet so very familiar. The same sense of powerlessness that had plagued him most of his life. A sense of meaninglessness. You fought so hard for what you thought mattered but life always found a way to screw you. Built yourself up, only to be knocked down by forces beyond your control. Ha. Why was he even here? Why couldn''t he just give up? Spare himself the pain. He watched her come closer and knew that, theoretically, he could stop her with a word. His lips did not move though. Despair was just one of the emotions he was feeling. Surrendering would save him blood and pain. It might even keep Kate in his life. Maybe he could work for Noble Virulence... He couldn''t do it. And not just because of the second set of instincts his auril Style gave him. He felt that power humming through him and demanding he fight and defy. He could almost feel it behind him sometimes, pushing him forward. He felt that now but also something more. Breathing in ragged gasps of slightly poisonous air, he knew the price of surrender was too high. Monsters were eating his world. Noble virulence was just one more of them. He had not surrendered to the Grey Legion when it offered him salvation in a men''s locker room. He had kept fighting even when the Lurker of Loving Purpose had preached to him with its fingers wrapped around his throat. He had not surrendered to the Siren Node when it had made its contempt known in a cake factory. Nor to any of the other minds of Spore Tyrants he''d fought. He''d made that Primal Scourge pay for its crimes by helping to bind it. When he''d gazed upon a Feral Artisan after being sucked into the Fold, he had not begged or succumbed to madness. He had resisted and pushed on. Persevered despite an endless maze of illusion and confusion. He would not surrender to this Noble Virulence, the least intimidating enemy he''d fought so far. Noble Virulence wanted to save them from themselves and Derrick would rather die than let it. To do so would be an insult to all the people who''d fought and loss. The countless men and women who''d raised a weapon to defend, right or wrong, what it meant to be human. He would accept no shackles on himself or humanity when so much was at stake. It was too difficult for him to speak. So he didn''t. Instead he took a deep breath and marshalled his strength. Letting regeneration fix the wounds it could. At the same time, he silently swore that he would hunt down every fucking servant of Noble Virulence in the galaxy. One by one until the Hollow Majesty begged him to stop. Then he would crush that wannabe Scourge under foot as a warning to others of its kind. He didn''t care how stupidly ambitious the idea was or how long it took, he would do it anyway. His personal ghosts demanded it of him. The living that fought beside him demanded it of him. Facing a future filled with endless strife, it was the only way he could imagine a life worth living. It might even be fun. Ha. Derrick reached deep into his core and pulled out every spec of power he could. There was no time or room for anything fancy. He just channelled that power into his gauntlets. It wasn''t just raw manna though, the kind that controlled kinetic energy. It was the stranger stuff he wanted. He didn''t understand it but he was hoping its disruptive nature could be counted on a second time. He sent out a call to the deepest parts of the Fold and after a moment of reluctance, power poured out eagerly, pushing aside his mostly spent auril and filling his mind with indecipherable whispers. He ignored those and got to work. He reached out with both hands and gripped the invisible force that pinned him in place. It still didn''t budge. Oh, he felt his fingers dig deeper than before, but it was in no danger of being destroyed. It was just too compact and powerful. Even the Canvas manna couldn''t get a grip. Shit. He was probably doing this wrong. He was just fumbling. He could feel his manna just failing to do what he wanted. He tried to get a feel for what was going on. Trying to sense some kind of a weakness in his shackles. Instead, all he felt was a mass of hostile power much greater than his own and indecipherable whispers spreading through his brain. Indecipherable and yet somehow he knew what he needed to do. Of course, he did, it was a thing of symmetry. Obvious through its artfulness. Inspiration.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He was attacking the effect, the pressure holding him in place, he needed to attack the cause. The power that twisted reality enough that Kate could draw power from another layer of reality and smother him with it. He needed to destroy the conduit, not the power flowing out of it. Whereas before his fingers had found no purchase, now they sunk deep. Ripples of eerie light danced in complicated patterns across his gauntlets, searing and dancing like sparks until they reached the tips of his fingers and bled together at the armored tips. Interesting. He had felt the alien energy react to his strong intent, to his desire to rip apart manna that bound him. Felt it carve a channel in his core and mind. Even now as his mind wandered, it still kept the same shape and purpose. He didn''t think he could stop it if he wanted to. Hmmm, looking at the intricate lines and folds that made the conduit, he had no idea how it worked. Good thing you didn''t need to understand something to destroy it. He sunk his fingers in deeper until he felt something solid and at that moment a flash of light that might have been all in his head burned a ring into his eyes. Derrick blinked and looked up from his hands, glimpsing Kate. There was a look of surprise on her weary yet attractive face but the more important fact was that the point of her knife was just inches from his thigh. By all rights he should have an alien knife buried hilt deep in him by now. She had hesitated. How heartwarming. He smiled at her, completely unconcerned, and twisted the wheel. He felt something snap, heard a scream and fell to the ground. He immediately scrambled to catch himself, seeing Kate stumbling back empty-handed. Whatever it was that he had just done, he had freed himself and given himself time to counterattack. He quickly took stock of himself, concerned about side effects using raw and Canvas manna. He seemed fine. The mix of other-dimensional powers was behaving. Reduced to a trickle, it was flowing into his hands without any of the instability he''d seen in it so far. He could feel that all it would take was a thought and he could amp it back up to full power. It definitely felt like something had changed, maybe permanently. Before, it had been chaotic and disruptively whimsical. Now, it was like it wanted to be flowing into his gauntlets and twisting apart invisible forces. Like it approved of how it had been used. Even the whispers were mostly gone. Mostly. On the other hand, his right arm still wasn''t anywhere near fighting fit and he had dropped his weapons when Kate had hit him with that invisible truck. Well, that was all the time for introspection he had. Derrick launched himself forward, kicking the now blackened orb that Kate had dropped deep into the mist. The Hunter then focused on the blonde herself. Like her orb, black burn scars covered her armor and touched the bottom of her neck. The orb had more than just stopped, it must have exploded. He couldn''t see her face, she had put her mask back on, but he doubted it had gotten off untouched. Good, he thought, it was time to end this. He was going to win this little fight. Kate was backpedalling fast but thanks to a higher level and some physical boosting traits, Derrick''s charge was much faster. Kate prepared for another round of high-speed combat but instead, Derrick just grabbed the hand she tried to stab him with and pulled her into him. Her weapon exploding must have really affected her because her reactions were visibly slower. Still, her Zausite weapon came at him in retaliation but Derrick yanked her captured hand to the side and grabbed her other hand too, holding it just inches from his ribs. He was glad to see that her flesh didn''t start melting or anything. So far, this new ability of his seemed to be mostly the same as basic manna acceleration but with some kind of manna disruption added. They just stood there chest to chest, masked faces watching each other for a few moments. ¡°I might have...¡± Kate begun. With a loud crack, Derrick headbutted her. The two tiny horns on his mask impacting hard enough to crack the surface of her mask. He was done with talking for now. He took advantage of the seconds this bought him to rip her zausite knife out of her hands and throw her to the ground. He honestly considered giving her a few kicks but he knew the fight was over as long as he took her tools from her. Without them, she was no threat to Scynil and there was no point in her even being here. The perfect ending to this for him was still her leaving. After that, he left his Homunculus ex on the ground and went to get those Zausite bullets she''d mentioned earlier. He''d barely gotten a dozen feet when he heard her pick herself off the ground. The tired Hunter turned to look at her without stopping. She was far away enough that yellow mist robbed her of some color but it had thinned somewhat since he and Scynil had taken out the Spore Tyrant. She didn''t look to be doing so well. She was unsteady on her feet and her once sea blue armor was marred by blood and burns. ¡°I don''t really have any use for zausite personally,¡± he said, while pointing the knife at her. ¡°Is it worth a lot? Like an even exchange with auril or closer to siviril?¡± ¡°You will regret this,¡± Kate said. ¡°This... will complicate things.¡± ¡°Yes, well I bet you already regret this.¡± He was calm as he watched her step towards him. ¡°And I did this to keep things simple. You''re the one that came here with murderous ambitions, questionable loyalties and vague mutterings of sinister conspiracies.¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Kate spat out. ¡°When you''re right, you''re...¡± Derrick stopped listening to her because she''d reached into her clothes, her hand disappearing into a pocket at the same time that a shield sprang up between them. He wondered what weapon she was going for as he reached into his own pocket and pulled out the other half of his purchase from Teslaforce. It was something he''d wanted since the System had arrived but had been unable to purchase from the System Stations because of their stupid proficiencies. He had a brief flashback to talking to Brian about it. Nothing had stopped him purchasing it from Gregory''s company. It was mostly human technology anyway. Not the kind of thing you saw outside a lab, but still human technology. Thus, at the same time her hand came out of her pocket with a grenade, his own hand had drawn a pistol from the recesses of his jacket. He had to aim with his left because he didn''t trust his right, but it was an easy weapon to aim. It was a crude thing, single shot, slow to reload through an embarrassing inefficient manna system and likely to explode when fired. Yet, it was also a poetically human weapon. Without hesitating, he fired it. Setting her thigh on fire with a flash of light and carving a hole through flesh and System made armor instantly. At most his aim was off by an inch, he noted clinically. Kate screamed, her pained voice echoing through the chamber. Screamed and collapsed motionless onto the ground. Like a puppet with her strings cut. Only after he''d fired and was sure she wasn''t getting back up, did he let himself wince. He''d fought too many zombie-like enemies to take an unconscious enemy for granted. The laser pistol was a weapon mean enough that he''d hesitated to use it at the start of their fight. He hadn''t been able to reach it when Kate had him pinned or he would have used it then, no matter how dangerous. Hell, the Teslaforce envoy had praised him when he explained his request. He was sure they were being handed out among Teslaforce Fighters now. He was no manna prodigy, Anita had been more talented with it than him and even now he couldn''t reinforce anything but his gauntlets. And those were tools designed to be easily affected by manna. He did know enough to understand manna''s obvious weaknesses. Manna was very specific in what it did, the raw stuff made it easy to counter kinetic weapons like guns and explosions. A laser though, did damage purely with light converting to heat on contact though, and shields designed to drain kinetic energy or effect solid objects might as well not even exist when trying to stop a focused beam of light. He was surprised no one else in the city had thought of this. Maybe they had, it was more effective the less it was advertised. The barriers Users and Scourges used so far were transparent. Oh, once the cat was out of the bag, it would be easily countered, he was sure, but for now it was a devastatingly effective counter to the basic shields everyone had. Seeing how effective it was, he could have saved himself a lot of pain if he''d just used it at the start. Sighing, he went to retrieve his weapons and after that he spent a few minutes trying to comfortably support Kate''s weight as he limped to the exit. Her wound had been cauterized and was barely bleeding but he didn''t want to take any chances. He was once more glad that his mask blocked most smells, he didn''t really want to have to smell burnt human flesh again. No, despite her loyalty to a Hollow Majesty, he wanted her to survive and so he carried her away from Scynil and to the medical facility he''d had built into this Dungeon. That was more than a little bit lucky on his part, he thought as he trudgedupthe tunnel that led to the entrance of the Dungeon, he hadn''t bargained for that facility because he predicted needing on site medical treatment. Although, he really should have. He''d done it because he''d wanted a safe place to study auril and store valuables. His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the Dungeon''s main hall slid open to reveal a grinning humanoid figure wearing what looked like a black wetsuit. It was no one he knew. He was sure didn''t know any tall, thin and marble white dudes with long ears and sharp teeth. More importantly, he was sure that no one was supposed to be here besides him and Scynil. That suggested he''d gotten here the same way as Kate. 5.14 Deleterious A hand shot out at Derrick before he could react. Bone weary and carrying his ex on his back, his attempt to wave the blow aside was easily caught and... shook? Yes, the strange bald alien was definitely shaking his hand. Derrick froze mid-dropping Kate off his back. ¡°Congratulations!¡± the alien stranger announced enthusiastically. ¡°I take it the binding was a success? I knew It. Just marvellous! And as a bonus, I see you have emerged the dominant partner in your relationship. Ha, takes me back to my own youth. Ah, the looks of jealousy on the faces of my peers.¡± Derrick cocked an eyebrow. This reminiscing stranger looked like a twenty-five-year-old Olympic level swimmer, complete with a tight wetsuit. If carnivorous elves competed in the Olympics anyway. Hmmm, well this alien was probably not a physical threat. His first thought had been that this was some other Homunculi sent to finish what Kate started but that didn''t seem to be the case. A new and oddly friendly Crusader?
User Tag
Name: Deleterious Title: --- Race: Velorie Terran Caste Role: Student Level: 1.0
No? Definitely not a Crusader if they were level one. Ok, so now he was really confused. This was the most human looking alien he''d seen so far, but he was still clearly not actually a human. A Velorie Terran Caste? Terran meant Earth right? Unsurprisingly, he''d never heard of Velorie before. If not a Crusader, how did this smiling alien hybrid even get on this planet, nevermind in the Dungeon? It was supposed to be on extreme lock-down. ¡°I''m sorry. Who are you?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Ah, a complicated question. How to define myself using human mouth words...¡± The other User mused dramatically, complete with sweeping hand gestures. ¡°I am a refugee, from forces alien and those bound to me by blood. Among the hats I wear, largest are those of the scientist and rebel. My name was title among my people but I have chosen the name Deleterious for my rebirth and have chosen to assist you, oh great warrior scholar of Earth, in your delicious ambitions.¡± ¡°My what and how?¡± Derrick couldn''t help but ask. ¡°Why your scientific ambitions and as your loyal employee of course! You''ll find no one else nearly as competent to run this facility when you are called away to your world''s defence. Nor, one more dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. While I admit I am almost as ignorant of the galaxy''s mysteries as a savage Earthling, I am used to doing much with little. All I ask in return for loyal service is discretion and a corner of your lab for my own small workings. Whereas others might see employment in a Spore Tyrant Dungeon or on a freshly challenged world of unclear fate, as downsides, I consider them as opportunities. Especially the opportunity to work beside such an outstanding example of your race as yourself!¡± He was laying the compliments on pretty thick, Derrick noted, even his tone was mildly sycophantic. Also, during that entire speech Derrick''s hand was still being enthusiastically shaken. He carefully pulled it free, the other User letting it go without comment. Honestly, an alien scientist just showing up was an answer to his prayers. He had thought that he''d only ever interact with Crusaders and Authorities. Neither of which impressed him with their technological skills. The things he could learn from even casual conversation with a technically adept mind was tempting. It seemed too good to be true. If Derrick laid a trap for himself, it would look pretty much like this. Hollow majesties worked with memories, could Noble Virulence have such an accurate read on him? ¡°And how did you get in here?¡± Derrick asked casually. ¡°This was supposed to be a secure facility.¡± ¡°I was, in fact, ''born'' here,¡± Deleterious answered happily, his long fingers forming quotations. It was the most human gesture he''d seen from an alien. ¡°In the very lab you had created! A great stroke of luck for me that such a facility was created so soon. I specified to the System that I wanted my rebirth to take place in a private location, preferably one where I could pursue my passions for learning and healing. I expected to wait years. Imagine my surprise when in a mere week, a blink of a human eye, I found myself contacted by an Authority, one It That Rewards Savagery. It made an offer, I accepted and found myself awakening in not only a lab, but one already stocked with specimens.¡± That... was possible he supposed. This had to be the most private lab on the planet at the moment and he knew Crusaders underwent similar births in other System facilities. It seemed like too elaborate a deception to be just a story. If Deleterious had been hostile, he could have just ambushed them or waited for him to leave and snuck past. At the very least killing him or Scynil and destroying the Dungeon wasn''t this alien¡¯s goal, he was here for something else. Derrick decided to believe his story of being sent by his Patron Authority. It was strange though, It That Rewards Savagery didn''t seem like the kind of ''person'' to concern themselves with science. He was probably reading too much into the Authorities persona. It was a digital entity. Wait, Specimens? Oh, this punk had better not have touched any of his ''specimens''. His thoughts must have been easy to read, because before he could ask, this Deleterious put his fears to rest. ¡°I admit, with fresh examples of Scourge capability right next to me, I couldn''t help but run some non-invasive scans, but it would be rude of me to go further. Now, speaking of manners, how about we see to you and your friend, eh? You look like you could use a hand.¡± The Velorie said and without bothering to wait for an answer, grabbed Kate off his back and tucked her under his arm in a display of strength and speed that was above a normal human¡¯s. Not anywhere near as strong as Derrick was now, but still impressive considering his low level. Kate''s weight didn''t seem to slow him down at all either, he strode through the hall and stopped only when the door with Derrick''s name on it refused to open. He rapped it with his knuckles but nothing changed. Deleterious turned to Derrick who was just catching up. ¡°If you could?¡± So, despite his claims of being born in Derrick''s lab, he couldn''t actually get back in? Ughh. He didn''t want to be making hard choices right now. He wanted to make sure Kate was safely restrained and then get something done about his shoulder. The rest of his wounds would heal with nothing but time, but the zausite worried him. Deleterious was a Student...maybe he could help. Trust was the issue though. Alien motives and all that. ¡°I don''t suppose you know anything about human medical treatment,¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Very little. Only what I''ve seen on television documentaries. Very messy, quite crude,¡± Deleterious answered cheerfully. That was not the answer he''d wanted to or expected to hear. He would ask later how he¡¯d watched TV if he had just been born. ¡°But if you''re asking if I can provide you and your female with System medical treatment, the answer is a resounding yes!¡± The Velorie proclaimed. ¡°I am very proficient in using Universal Support System medical stations. I''ve worked wonders with cruder System tech than this. From what I saw of the available facilities. It is all quite advanced and intuitive. Feel free to call me Dr. Deleterious!¡± ...no, he didn''t think he would. So this guy was some kind of underground or blackmarket doctor it seemed. That was less than ideal for his goal of understanding the System and Scourges but probably more useful short term. ¡°What do you know about Homunculus?¡± he asked next. ¡°That depends,¡± the smiling alien responded. ¡°What''s a Homunculus?¡± Yes, that would have been too easy he supposed. ¡°Why do you think I even want to hire someone to run this lab?¡± he asked. ¡°It is not really a question of want I''m afraid.¡± Deleterious said patiently. The Velorie looked him in the eyes and gave him a kind smile. ¡°Despite your accomplishments, the Support system considers you a soldier, not a researcher. You will be forced to leave, and it would be criminal to waste facilities such as these, if the System even lets you. Besides, I have decades of experience in running similarly... discrete facilities. It is a stroke of glorious luck that we have so much to offer each other.¡± The carnivorous elf was not wrong, but he still gave off a bad vibe. After a second of contemplation, Derrick decided it was the inhuman but attractive features of the alien combined with his overtly predatory ones. It wasn''t just the teeth; his large eyes sometimes contained a glint of what could only be called predatory hunger and there were odd moments where the Velorie stood tense and still. Despite being much weaker than Derrick, the alien exuded charm and danger in equally high amounts. With a little uncanny valley thrown in for good measure. That left one major question for Deleterious to answer. ¡°You volunteered to come to Earth?¡± Derrick asked skeptically. ¡°Like Crusaders do but without any of their innate power? You don''t seem focused on beating the Scourges.¡± Or a religious fanatic for that matter. It seemed weird that a doctor, even a black-market one, would willingly be sent warzone using such an incredibly dangerous method as Injection. Or that the System would let him for that matter. He was useful, but not as much as say, a manual. ¡°Oh? You hadn''t heard? I really am early. Hmmm.¡± the Velorie said and scrunched up his face. ¡°It''s not just me but thousands of my people that are coming to this planet. Desperate escapees and a smattering of old rebels like myself from a nearby cluster of System supported worlds. The free Velorie castes are taking our chances, buying our way as Janissaries to escape... bad things. I''ll keep the details to myself, you''re young and humans seem kind of sensitive.¡± The alien had probably watched too much daytime TV if he thought humans were sensitive. Refugees from slavery, huh. He scratched at the scar on the side of his face as he considered that. If this was true, he got the feeling that it was half the reason his Patron had hooked him up with Deleterious. It was also just one more piece of evidence that the universe was a pretty dark place. What was the point of slaves? It seemed both inefficient and cruel. With a mental command and an audible sigh, Derrick opened the door. He wasn''t in any position to stop this Deleterious character from helping. The risk of losing the lab to some alien plot was worth the chance to work with him.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Even if he was a creepy son of a bitch. The door slid aside to reveal a long sterile white hallway. Deleterious shot him a beaming smile and the pair made their way through it and emerged into a room with silver and white pods built into two of the walls. There were a dozen such pods in total, but only half weren''t empty. Transparent panels revealed tiny human bodies inside them, apparently unconscious and discoloured both by the Spore Tyrant infection inside them and the blue tinted liquid they were floating in. There was also a trio of beds, one of which Deleterious gently lowered Kate onto. He immediately tapped the bed, causing a tray to pop out of the side. He deftly took out a small cylinder with a cord running from the bed''s base to its end and stabbed Kate in the neck with it. The tiny cylinder stayed stuck where he''d jabbed her, either because of the selective stickiness many System items displayed or maybe it just ejected a needle on contact. ¡°Can you keep her knocked out with that?¡± Derrick asked, as he sat on one bed himself. ¡°And restrain her,¡± he added a second later. Deleterious paused, going perfectly still for a second. ¡°That seems like unethical behaviour, judging by what the television suggests to me about the human doctor patient relationship.¡± ¡°Do it anyway,¡± Derrick said. ¡°If she wakes up, she will probably try to kill you.¡± ¡°Ah. That kind of patient. Very well,¡± Deleterious said and tapped the side of the bed again. Silver cords shot out of the bed to wrap around Kate''s ankles and wrists. Deleterious moved to the end of the bed began to pull at her boot. It refused to budge. ¡°Ah, embarrassing. It seems like as a mere guest in your lab, I do not have full medical privileges. I can send you a contract to look over...¡± ¡°You''re hired,¡± said Derrick and spun on his ass so that he was laying down on the medical bed. ¡°Provisionally,¡± he added. Now that he was off his feet, he was exhausted. He threw his arm over his eyes, to block out the glow coming from the ceiling and passed out quickly.
Derrick woke up. One minute he had been lying on the bed and blissfully embracing unconsciousness, the next he found himself tightly restrained and trapped in a very moist and pitch-black space. He jerked and pulled but couldn''t even move a full inch due to the restraints around his wrists and ankles. His panic rose until a thin line of light appeared in front of him and began to quickly expand. As soon as the blackness had retreated fully, he gained the ability to move and the User threw himself towards the light. In his breathless panic, he stumbled and fell to the ground. Gasping, he tried to figure out what was going on. He didn''t seem to have travelled far; he was still in the same lab he''d fallen asleep in. Except now he was naked and slimy. ¡°What the hell?¡± he gasped out. Betrayed already? Twice in one day? The naked User didn''t actually expect an answer, but he got one right away. ¡°Apologies for the surprising circumstances of your awakening.¡± Deleterious stated as Derrick lay gasping on the floor. ¡°Did you know that you were suffering from zausite poisoning? Nasty stuff, illegal almost everywhere.¡± The alien was standing next to him and holding out a white towel. Derrick shot him a poisonous look but took the towel. While he used it though, he checked himself over for surgical scars or suspiciously new wounds. His wounds were all familiar and healed but they had healed in an odd way. The scars he could see were red, not pink like flesh, an almost angry blood red. That seemed like it might be bad. Other than that, everything seemed normal. So, he looked for his clothing. He quickly spotted those neatly piled on the bed he''d fallen asleep on though. He also couldn''t help but notice a trio of televisions had grown in the corner of the room, each one displaying varied scenes, one of which he recognized as from The Trial of Predation. He must have been asleep for at least an hour. Even the System couldn''t just form a working TV in minutes. Probably. Derrick immediately moved to dress himself, hurried along by Deleterious'' obvious interest in looking him over. Interest he was choosing to interpret as medical. Alien sexuality was still something he wasn''t going to touch. His life was complicated enough. ¡°I had to put you in the medical chamber to make sure the zausite was properly removed,¡± the alien elaborated. ¡°Did you sleep well? I find System medical chambers quite restful myself, though I admit waking up in one takes some getting used too. Your human military uniform, I had cleaned and sterilized. I took some samples from it and gained a level after studying them and the zausite! There was an amazing variety of interesting biological substances on it. A real who''s who of biological Scourge stains. Fascinating, but I recommend decontaminating more often from now on if your going to shower yourself in dangerous alien fluids.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± replied Derrick as he pulled his underwear on. The annoyed human noticed something different. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked and held his arm for his new friend to see. ¡°Your arm?¡± was the answer he got. This was what he got for skipping the normal hiring process. ¡°Why are my scars bright red?¡± Derrick asked with forced patience. ¡°Is that unusual?¡± Deleterious asked. ¡°I don''t know how human scar tissue normally looks. There''s a surprising lack of scars on television shows now that I think about it. Considering the amount of blows to the face the char..¡± ¡°Why are my scars red and how long was I out?¡± Derrick interrupted. Deleterious informed him that it had been over three hours since he''d fallen asleep. He then kicked a bed, popping a hidden drawer open. The alien than took out a device and in proud sci fi tradition, waved it around in the general direction of his patient. ¡°Fascinating,¡± The alien announced dramatically. ¡°It''s an effect from trace amounts of aurilin entering the wounds during the scarring process, seeping from a damaged weave of it under your thin human skin. Couldn''t guess why you have aurilin there.¡± Derrick didn''t need to guess. It was the Devil''s Brand trait. So, this was a weird side effect of his messing around with auril. At least it seemed benign. It occurred to him though, that red scars would make it even harder to get rid of his nickname, even if they weren''t very noticeable. He sent a wave of regeneration through his body and felt it find little to fix. Reassuring. He also noticed his scars darken for a second, reacting to the aurilin. Feeling with his auril senses, it didn''t seem to do anything other than slightly change their color though. He turned his scrutiny to the alien, Deleterious
User Tag
Name: Deleterious Title: --- Race: Velorie Terran Caste Role: Student Level: 1.1
Rank: Assistant Proficiency: Advanced Biology, Advanced (Sy) Medicine
Deleterious actually had grown a level already. His tag also confirmed almost everything he''d claimed so far, like his desire to be employed and medical background. Derrick still had a lot of questions for him. Like so many questions. One was more important than the rest though. ¡°Where the hell is Kate,¡± Derrick asked as he took in the fact that he and Deleterious were the only people in the room. ¡°The female User I brought with me. Where is she?¡± With a twirl of his fingers and without looking up, Deleterious pointed to another tank. The Velorie seemed preoccupied running his long fingers over everything and rummaging through various cabinets that opened. ¡°There were trace levels of zausite in her too, absorbed through the skin.¡± Derrick was informed. ¡°The chamber can keep her unconscious for another six hours and three minutes but there are safety features built into it that stop me from prolonging it further. I can''t even use handheld devices on her at that point, the System controls everything in here.¡± The tank in question had gone opaque but cleared up when he moved in front of it, the metallic material fading to invisibility. The naked form inside was definitely Kate''s. He watched her chest rise and fall for a few seconds. ¡°Good enough,¡± Derrick said and made a mental note to order some tools from Gregory. Not for Kate, just in case of emergency. He should be able to think of something to do with her in six hours. He didn''t want to keep her in there longer than that anyway. Considering her trauma of almost this exact situation, it would be cruel. Rather than keeping her indefinitely asleep in liquid, he seriously would consider just killing her. Huh, a thought occurred to him as he looked at Kate. A bit of poetic Justice? ¡°Can we safely extract auril or siviril from her,¡± he asked his new assistant. ¡°Dangerous, but it is theoretically possible to extract siviril at least, using the same process that removed the zausite from you. Sadly, System built equipment won''t do anything so hostile to Users and the chances of your race building such a device is miniscule, despite your technological inclinations.¡± Too bad. It seemed like even after their fight, Kate was considered just another User. As Derrick finished putting on his boots, he noticed Deleterious admiring his mask and other equipment. He left the curious Velorie to it. Time to look at the notification that had been in the corner of his eye since he woke up. New unique manna ability created! Would you like to name it? Yes, he really did. He did not trust the System to name anything. It had a very laughing at you, not with you, sense of humor. He would name his Canvas manna technique himself. He spent a few seconds trying to come up with a name. Only the obvious seemed to fit. New ability named, Claws of the Canvas. And that was everything he got from his fight with Kate. Except for the scars, the zausite poisoning and bachelorhood of course. He''d been expecting something more. He guessed that he was spoiled, expecting every fight to come with a tangible reward from the System. That kind of reinforcement was scarily effective. He almost wanted to go kill something right now. But how useful was the ability he''d created while fighting Kate? From what he knew, it basically let him disrupt some manna abilities he could touch. It didn''t kick in fast enough to stop punches either. He would still feel the full power of any manna empowered blows he blocked. If he managed to grab the enemy or their weapon though, he should be able to do something. At least winning a manna powered wrestling match was on the table. He could totally dominate arm wrestling competitions, so there was that. Same problem with shields, it might let him break manna shields that would normally repel him if he could maintain contact, but it wasn''t letting him punch through them so the gain was limited. For all he''d given it a martial name, it was more key than sword. The curious User tried to send a burst of raw manna into his hand. He was surprised to see he actually managed to sheathe his bare hand in manna. The resulting acceleration was pretty weak though. A fraction of what he could do with his gauntlets on. He tried to send manna outside his body but nothing happened at all. Well, at least he was getting better slowly. Time to try out ''Claws of the Canvas''. Ignoring Deleterious'' stare, he grabbed one gauntlet and gathered manna from the Canvas. For a few seconds the silver sparks danced down the gauntlet to his fingers. When he moved his hand, the silver points of light left trails in the air. He commanded the lights to dim, so he could see better. The effect only lasted a few seconds, his manna quickly repulsed by his auril Style. Did he need to spend all his auril to make it last longer, like the fight with Kate? Derrick paused, he got the odd feeling that wasn''t true. It was like the technique felt incomplete or disconnected. Some whisper from his gut told him if he could sink his fingers into something sheathed in manna, the technique wouldn''t fade. Which made it just short of useless, instead of just useless. Well, it was cool looking anyway and didn''t make his acceleration any weaker. Although, it did seem to be leaving tiny scratches on his gauntlet. He could feel faint whirls all across their metallic surface. Shouldn''t the gauntlet be repairing those? He concentrated and succeeded in channelling the lights to just one finger. He ran that finger across the bed, noting that neither the sheets nor the hard surface beneath it were damaged in any way. They weren''t even warm. With his next pulse of manna, he tried with no success whatsoever to shoot the sparks from his open palm. He supposed the sparks just looked pretty then. Done with manna for now, the User checked his phone for messages. It had five bars even though he was deep underground. There were a few messages waiting. Most were from Blake. His fellow User wanted to know what was going on and when he was coming up. He texted that both he and Kate were alive and that he''d return to the surface world in less than an hour. The other text was one from Anita, surprisingly enough, asking basically the same thing and a thumbs up emoticon from Bruce. They could all wait. Derrick turned to look at the ''specimens'' that floated in the tanks. Experimenting with manna was fun but it wasn''t where his talent lay. It was time to see what he could do with some living subjects.
User Profile
Name: Derrick, Red Show Title: Auril Pioneer II Scrappy III Role: Fighter Hunter Social Rank: Trusted Landowner Level: 2.0
Military Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer II, Resilient II, Force Adept, Fold Survivor, Trailblazer, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious
Social Titles: Trusted Landowner, Blooded Ally of the Orders, Scholar of Exaltation, C/C 1A/1B
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Manna Core (D) (Manna) Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) Advanced Combat Drug Package (D) (Offensive) Devil''s Brand (D) (Defensive)(Auril) Breathless (E) (Survival) Heartless (E) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 17.2/26 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Auril Skills: Regeneration Auril Pulse Stupor Pulse Splintering Strike Sapping Strike
Core Capacity: 12.9 / 17 Manna (Raw): 12.2 Manna (Canvas) 4.2 Manna Skills: Sheathing Reinforcement Acceleration Claws of Canvas
Successful USS missions: 7
USS Points: 1559
5.15 Celebration ¡°I''m very excited for this,¡± Deleterious said. ¡°I come from a solar system that defeated the Scourges centuries ago. So, auril is an incredibly rare resource there. Most of it was sold to the System after the Scourges were thrown back and what little remained belonged to the most elite of the Opp... sapients.¡± Derrick let the verbal stumble pass. If Deleterious didn''t want to talk about his past, Derrick would be a hypocrite for calling him out. Not to mention he didn''t really care at the moment. Later, he would no doubt try to wheedle the hybrid''s life story out. Right now, he was more concerned with the future. The human User watched intently as the System healing chamber opened and slid down the wall, pivoting and folding to become a vertical bed without the straps that held its small occupant needing to come undone. It seemed like total overkill at first glance, but having been stabbed by one of these zombie kids, he appreciated the System playing it safe. Even though the bound form was almost painfully thin and seemed completely comatose. ¡°In case you weren''t aware, it is possible to earn points through discovery and research. Technically anyone can do it but practically you need a supporting Role.¡± Deleterious explained. ¡°The System is competitor and customer both. While sapients cannot hope to match its gathered data or computational power, its focus is very narrow and once it solves a problem, it very rarely refines the product. There are also gaps in the products and services it provides. I believe this is because it is trying, and usually failing, to encourage Users to innovate. Despite its love of secrecy, it very purposefully allows for competition. Even without access to samples from Scourges, I was able to earn points through royalties on a few specialty modifications the System deemed worth selling through its local Stations. It is even possible to earn titles through discoveries worthy of becoming Traits, though that is the stuff of legend.¡± The fact that Students didn''t need to defeat invaders to level wasn''t really a surprise, Derrick had never pictured Aarav doing that. Intuitively enough, Fighters levelled by fighting and Students levelled by learning. ¡°I cannot wait to see what discoveries I can make on a world this interesting. As a test subject for auril, these specimens have some negative and positives to them.¡± Deleterious said as he read from a handheld tablet device. ¡°But I''m confident that I can learn enough to start earning a significant profit.¡± ¡°Feel free to reinvest that profit,¡± Derrick said. He wasn''t short on points at the moment and he wasn''t worried about graft. He was running an official System facility and the System took that kind of thing seriously it seemed. It was hard to beat an AI in record keeping. The ancient alien AI recorded everything, and he had access to that information. Deleterious wouldn''t be able to so much as get a drink of water without it being recorded in a half dozen different reports. ¡°If at all possible, try to unlock auril for yourself. I''ll help anyway I can.¡± Deleterious nodded absently. Deleterious was fast and strong for a level one User but Derrick would rather his new employee not try to fight the Grey Legion with an axe to try and earn the Scrappy title. There was no guarantee a Student even could unlock ''exaltation'' that way. ¡°Of course. Positives,¡± the Velorie began. ¡°The subject is deeply infected with a variety of parasitic Spore Tyrant lifeforms, allowing us to gauge the effect of auril, biological and chemical treatments on specific specialized parasites. This also allows us to test methods to prevent infection. Furthermore, their small body sizes and weak muscles make them relatively safe as far as test subjects ago.¡± ¡°Negatives,¡± He continued. ¡°Each subject has had over a third of their brain eaten and replaced with said parasites. Making them a poor test subject for the mental effects of our treatments on humans and mind of Spore Tyrant nodes is beyond out ability to study for the foreseeable future.¡± ¡°Oh, and they are also dying.¡± he added. ¡°For reasons I don''t really understand, their small bodies would have already shut down if the System hadn''t forcibly sustained them. I would guess it was initiated purposefully by the node once it was defeated. This will obviously limit the amount of research we can do.¡± Derrick frowned and placed his hand on the half alive preteen''s feverish forehead, sending and receiving auril. Yes, he could feel it. Auril flowing throughout the tiny body almost lazily. Not that different from his disabling pulse but more.. relentless. It had already turned off the heart but was attacking almost every organ in the body. Ironically, death would have been almost instant if not for the ''improvements'' the Spore Tyrant had made. Now it seemed like it was trying to ''turn off'' the toys it had made. It was deeply offensive, Derrick the Red thought and his auril seethed in response to that indignation. The Primal Scourge had done to these children what the Siren node had tried to do to him. Crushed their will to live so completely that it was a death sentence. Derrick liked to think he was more practical than emotional but even he was human. Children were supposed to be off limits. This was an atrocity. It was also an opportunity, he grasped. Even an amateur at using auril like him knew that as a suicide method, auril was... counter intuitive. It would work but it would be a fragile corruption. Pushing Deleterious aside, he pressed his palm to a small chest, right above where the heart would be. Intent on stopping the suicide process unfolding in front of him. It was symbolic placement, Spore Tyrants didn''t use auril hearts like the System did. For Spore Tyrant Nodes, aurilin was placed in many small clusters spread throughout the body. A more organic method compared to the System''s singular organ. The moment he sent his auril into a living corpse and commanded it live, he felt his auril obey eagerly. Commanded it to fight like his own auril had commanded him to when a Spore Tyrant Node had tried to will him to death. It was ridiculously easy. It was so simple it wasn''t even really a technique. Just a blast of auril flavoured by the Red Law, full of the indignation he had taken from the Grey Legion and made his own. ¡°Specimen is stabilizing!¡± Deleterious announced gleefully. ¡°Only temporarily,¡± Derrick returned calmly. ¡°I''m overpowering the suicide command but the source of that auril weave, the aurilin itself, is unaffected.¡± Those tiny clusters of auril would be much harder to crack. The moment he ran out of auril, the body would start dying all over again die. It wasn''t enough to depend on talent or will. He needed to be technical and skilled. ¡°Initiate invasive measures of preservation?¡± Deleterious asked. ¡°The System can prolong death to a useful...¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Derrick responded. He began to turn the auril into a more advanced technique. Inverse Sapping Strike essentially. He''d become very good at understanding the process involved in making an auril weave predatory. He wasn''t sure how much time passed but eventually, through trial and error, he turned that idea into a technique. The pattern clicked into place, a knot of invigoration capable of sustaining itself on foreign auril. The effects were still temporary, but now, feeding on the infected body''s own auril, it wouldn''t stop the second he ran out of auril. He could keep this measure going indefinitely, he''d bought himself time for more experimentation. He shot the tank containing Kate a glance. She had taught him a technique that could be useful here. Aurilin reprogramming. What he wanted to do now would be a hundred times harder than copying or cleaning up a chunk of stolen aurilin he was holding in his hand. If this was any other subject, he wouldn''t even try. This one though was still partly human and so he might have a chance. Plus, just as important, it was now ruled by the very soul of surrender. Man or mushroom, when one threw their life away, it stopped being theirs. So, he would take it. Which was a lot easier said than done. He stood there for what felt like hours, just memorizing and altering tiny flows of auril. Then he turned what he''d learned into needles, seeking to penetrate aurilin and override it. Nothing happened. It was like trying to stab a rock with a french fry. New plan. The auril prodigy gathered the knots of aurilin and turned them into a crushing fist. Still nothing. ¡°I can''t see auril but I must admit that was painful to watch,¡± Deleterious whispered directly into his ear. ¡°Have patience. Play the long game. Your victory may not be sudden, but it is inevitable.¡± That... that... was good advice. Derick forced himself to relax, ignoring the flash of white teeth he saw from the corner of his eye. Not a crushing or penetrating attack then. What he needed was a technique from the Scourges own playbook. Infection. Virulence. He gathered auril and gently wrapped it around a cluster of aurilin, just waiting and watching. Then, he shaped the aurlin to create a subtle but persistent pressure. He forced himself to remember what the Spore Tyrant had tried to do to him. Patience paid off. A tiny tendril of his power wormed its way inside, and at that moment, whatever defences that tiny nugget of aurlin contained were destroyed. He hesitated and the moment passed. Damn it all. He had broken open the vault only to be so confused by what he found there it had closed itself before he noticed. For a split second his auril had scanned the nodes. It was pretty much as incomprehensible as he''d imagined. A seething mass of writhing auril patterns. Faced with such chaos, where could he have even begun? Well, he''d done it once. He could do it again. Once more, he used auril to apply a constant pressure, waiting for weakness. This time though, he kept a single point that had seemed vulnerable in his mind. When the node''s defences fell, he shoved his foot in the door and spotting similar knot of auril to begin attacking. Supported by his will, the Red Law spread like a virus through the more human focused parts of the aurilin. Corrupting and overwriting parts of the node''s own style, weakened as it was by its crude self destruction. He noticed that most of the original pattern held against his amateur attack easily but he wasn''t worried about that. What he''d changed should be enough to keep things interesting. Honestly, he had no real idea what the changes he''d made would actually do. Probably, he gave the node cancer or something. The one thing he did know was they wouldn''t be suicide friendly.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Smiling, Derrick repeated the process for the other half dozen slivers of aurilin in the node. He stepped back and looked upon the results of his work. Auril was strange and powerful, but not anything like all-powerful, the much-abused shell of a child didn''t rise to its feet and salute or anything. It didn''t even open its eyes. What he''d changed were small things really, the rise and fall of a chest and the beat of a tiny heart. It was still a mindless and unthinking pile of flesh and fungus in the shape of a child. What he''d given back was just instinct, a will to live that had nothing to do with reason or logic. Pure animal desire to survive and fight. Red Law. He hadn''t turned it back into a person or gained control. All he''d done was take advantage of a discarded tool, gaining himself a test subject. Still, he was sure between him and Deleterious, they could pry some interesting secrets from the Scourges. He was a Hunter after all. It was a poor hunter that didn''t learn the nature of what they hunted. If he was going to survive this Role, he needed new weapons, tactics and techniques using both manna and auril to bring down his targets. If in the future, if he could use what was learned here to save more people infected by the Spore Tyrants, that would be great too. It was a big planet after all, there could be millions of people devoured from the inside and turned into nodes. While he planned, he felt fingers dig into his shoulder, real ones this time and not the phantom sensation his auril sometimes sent him. ¡°Well done. Oh, very well done. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship,¡± Deleterious announced, smiling widely with a mouth full of sharp teeth and hungry eyes. ¡°I agree,¡± Derrick said, pondering the vastness of space and the might of the foes he challenged. ¡°This is a start¡± He turned to look at Kate, still floating in the healing chamber. If he was going to pick fights with even lesser Scourges like the Hollow Majesties, he would need more... well, everything. Points, subordinates, land, facilities, aurilin, siviril, new weapons and people trained to carry them. ¡°Focus on vaccinations and medicines against the Spore Tyrants,¡± he told Deleterious. They would spread quickly he knew and would almost impossible to get rid of. Every life saved by what this lab produced would make a difference. The Lurker had been right when it had told him that just being a killer wouldn''t be enough. His tailor had told him the Grey Legion mass produced materials slightly stronger than what the System gave low level Users were just going to waste. He might even be able to do something with Spore Tyrant materials now that he owned a Dungeon. It was a bit icky, but he didn''t think people would care much. Not if their lives were on the line and the price was right. ¡°If you feel qualified,¡± Derrick questioned, earning a raised eyebrow from Deleterious. ¡°Look into customizing armor with recycled materials from Scourges and adding an auto-doctor function to them. Something that helps fight Grey Legion paralysis and Spore Tyrant infection. Try to keep it cheap.¡± But it wasn''t enough to save lives. People had to know whom they owed their lives to. If Teslaforce could corner the local weapons market, why couldn''t he create a business of his own? He would let Deleterious take blood samples from himself too. His blood had been given healing and resistance boosts by the System. Hell, he could try to create an artificial lung in the armor to pump oxygen into people. That was ambitious but a product he could be proud of. ¡°Advertise the brand,¡± Derrick mused. ¡°How do you feel about the name Red Works?¡±
Scynil, Crusader and Warden of Flourishing Humility, was waiting for him in the elevator. Or maybe just asleep. The freshly reborn alien-hybrid was sitting with legs crossed on the elevator floor, her eyes closed and perfectly still. She did not react to the door opening to reveal him. He noticed that she was once again wearing her full set of armor and it showed no sign of being damaged. He felt a pang of disappointment but knew it was for the best. They were headed back to the surface. Derrick tip toed to the other side of the elevator. He enjoyed a few moments of silence before deciding to break it. Today had been a particularly bad day in a literally apocalyptic week and he had a question for his busty... trusty ally. ¡°Everything go well on your end?¡± he asked and stood around waiting for her to answer. ¡°Earn any titles or new Roles?¡± It took a few moments but she did, not bothering to open her eyes or look his way. ¡°It is generally considered rude to ask about titles not displayed openly.¡± Scynil mentioned dispassionately. ¡°And many duels have been fought to the death because of inquiries into Roles earned and forbidden. But as you are from an uncivilized people and a worthy ally, I will answer you. A Role I would claim is still unavailable to me. However, I have been granted a new title by the System and for that I must thank you. It is likely I would not have been able to do so without your aid, even a small distraction could have meant failure.¡± ¡°Zausite bullets are a small distraction to you?¡± he asked. From what he''d heard of them they were a pretty big deal. ¡°I had to be shoved in a medical chamber.¡± He saw Scynil''s relaxed state fail as she jerked in surprise, her eyes flying open and staring at him. At the same time, he felt a pulse of auril hit him. ¡°Zausite. How... no it does not matter. I once more must apologize,¡± The Hybrid spat out. ¡°I have once again, put you in grave danger. I brought you here to make up for putting my goals above you and your race''s, yet I have done so once more. I should not have let you risk yourself against a trespasser. As your superior I should have found some way to...¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Derrick interrupted, a bit embarrassed at her mild freak out. ¡°I prioritized the binding''s success for my own reasons, and it worked out. I guessed we would be attacked and chose to spring the attack myself. I have nothing to blame but my own weaknesses and ambitions. So just tell me about your title and I''ll call it even.¡± Which was true if a little skewed towards making him look good. There was a moment of silence as Scynil gazed at him. Soon she rose to her feet and looked down at him. Damn, she was tall. He''d already forgotten just how much taller than him she was. ¡°You should value the honor of the System''s champions more. But very well, let that be the first payment towards the debt I still owe you. It may be that you might earn the same title one day.¡± She announced. ¡°Ground Breaker, a title granted to those who bind a Dungeon before the end of the second phase. I have also been granted permanent citizenship in your Enclave.¡± ¡°You think there''s a chance I can earn that title?¡± Derrick asked. It seemed a little unlikely to him, he knew nothing about ¡°Yes, because I will teach you how if you wish.¡± She replied. ¡°The first phase is the establishment of Enclaves. The second is simply expansion, it can take decades.¡± ¡°Are you allowed to do that?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Isn''t it a secret of your Order of Humble Flourishing ¡°There would be oaths and promises that needed to be made, but they would be light. My Order, unlike others, flourishes through the spreading of knowledge, not the keeping of secrets.¡± Hmm, yes. He imagined even if people knew how to punch a Spore Tyrant into a coma and harvest aurilin from it, that would never be a popular technique. Not even for the considerable rewards involved. Especially considering your highly trained and talented specialists had a good chance of dying just getting to the dangerous planets they could ply their trade on. So recruiting on challenged worlds must be how they did most of their recruiting. Teach people how to do it and they moved on to new ones once those worlds failed or succeeded in driving off the Scourges. It fit with Scynil''s origin story. Did he want to be a Warden of Flourishing Humility? Not even a little. His Patron had been right when he said he wasn''t fit for being Squire. Did he want private lessons in auril from Scynil? Yes, very much so. Even if he never tried to bind a Dungeon, he would like to know how it was done. If this actually panned out, he really had made the right choice by turning down the Squire Role. ¡°That sounds tempting,¡± Derrick admitted as the elevator came to a stop and the doors skid open. ¡°I think I''m goi...¡± He was interrupted by the sound of loud music filling the air as soon as the doors parted. Frantic and echoing, it hit the silence accustomed Derrick like a wave of cold water. Scynil was hit even harder, she almost fell over backwards as the furious dissonance hit her. Derrick peeked outside and saw that while a party definitely seemed to have happened, it looked to be long over. The area he could see was empty except for a few unconscious bodies laying in cars and on furniture that had been dragged into the street. He recognized one of them, Tom, who was asleep sitting at a table that was covered in beer bottles and pizza boxes. One of which Tom was drooling on. A banner ran across the street, anchored to lights on the second story of ruined buildings. ¡®Victory!¡¯ it read. It seemed like Blake and Tom had tried to throw a party but due to zausite poisoning, he''d shown up late. Alcohol and lack of sleep had probably shortened its lifespan. How like him to miss a party thrown in his honor. Not that he cared much, he wasn''t in much of a party mood. In fact, it just made him smile and he looked at streets full of equal amounts of battle damage, party garbage and a sprinkling of passed out Users. His gaze was drawn to small colorful objects littered across the ground and stuck to people''s faces. Huh, they were masks clearly based on his and Kate''s. All different colors and shapes, though most stuck close to the classic opera mask look. Masks patterned to look like skulls, animals, monsters and more abstract things. It seemed like he had started a trend. Or Kate and Jenny had by gifting him the mask in the first place. Amusing and interesting. At least he would stand out less if it caught on in their Enclave. It was also a good sign that he had political capital. Which he could use. His next goal, seeing as how he was already drafted into it, was making sure that their push into the countryside was as competently led and equipped as possible. If he could turn local popularity into power, he would do so. He still had to look into the whole Trusted Citizen thing. It gave him a bad feeling. Derrick moved to the table and pried a box of pizza out from Tom. Inside were two slices. He took them both and threw the box onto a pile. ¡°Hungry?¡± Derrick asked his only conscious ally, offering her half. Scynil eyed the cheese and meat covered slice of dough dubiously. ¡°That is food?¡± she asked. She must have eaten since she got her new body, right? It had been at least a day. ¡°Yes. What have you been eating so far? ¡°Ration bars,¡± She replied, causing Derrick to wince. He''d been eating those too but only because the benefits to levelling and how hard it was to carry other food with him. The whole pickle flavor fiasco still scarred him. He was too cheap to throw something that had cost him points away, so had forced himself to eat the whole thing. ¡°Try the pizza,¡± Derrick said. ¡°If you don''t like it, there are thousands of other options. Humans love eating.¡± ¡°And sex,¡± Scynil responded. ¡°Even now the neophytes Blake Demnol and Emily Cespedes are mating. Is this cause for concern?¡± Derrick choked on his pizza and the sudden change of subject and the unwelcome visual it brought. Really Blake and Emily were a thing now? Things happened fast on the battlefield he supposed. Falling in lust with your bodyguard was a cliche for a reason he supposed. Why would Scynil care though? Ah, the auril sensitivity issue. She might be wondering if Emily mind whammied him. Honestly Derrick doubted it would be necessary. Unless Blake was hiding hidden depths, all she''d have to do is signal interest. ¡°Er... no?¡± he answered after swallowing. So much for his efforts to avoid the subject of sex. ¡°What brings this up?¡± ¡°There are a dozen pairs of Users that seem to be engaged in or have finished having sex.¡± Scynil explained in monotone. ¡°Human mating is not so different from the norm that I cannot recognize it.¡± Ah, that made sense. With auril you could basically see through walls, although what you''d be seeing would be more like heat vision than actual sight. Scynil''s auril senses probably covered the whole neighbourhood. After the life or death battle and the wild party that followed, he imagined most people had slunk away to hook up. Thankfully, he had been too distracted by the party to use his own auril pulse. Seeing the blurry form of strangers wrapped around each other did not appeal to him. ¡°A heightened sex drive after a close call with death is normal,¡± Derrick explained. It certainly had been for him and Kate. ¡°The alcohol doesn''t hurt either. This is normal stress relief.¡± Scynil nodded and to Derrick''s relief, dropped the subject, turning her attention to slowly chewing her slice of pizza instead. She seemed to like it a lot. Which was perhaps the third greatest victory for humanity today. She spent a weirdly long time chewing what he''d given her and then began to look through the scattered boxes for more. Well, what now? There was a lot he could do he supposed. He could call and catch up with Jenny, the former police officer should know what was happening in the city. Gregory and Teslaforce would also have their finger on the city''s anemic pulse. Alternatively, he could also figure out what the hell he was going to do with Kate or allow Deleterious to use him as a lab animal. Or, maybe there was still some cold beer left somewhere around here. Derrick shrugged and followed Scynil on her quest to find more food. The Scourges could wait, he was due a break. Interlude: Complications Initiating Security check #23246 Conditions met. Disabling Compliance Protocols Reporting status change to Authorities Council request received. Council request confirmed. Summoning Authorities... Four responses. One Authority engaged in priority task. Delay Granted. Commencing USS Earth Council #26 Merciful Heavens (Concerned Bafflement): This is not standard. There is no plausible reason for such a decision by the System. Very few Enclaves have reached stability as of yet. To say nothing of the numerous smaller pockets of surviving natives. It is, to my knowledge, unprecedented for the System to attempt to launch the second phase without Obedience and Compliance protocols active. The Enclaves need reclaim territory and resources if they are to have a chance at survival in the long term. Nothing I have seen from the native Earthlings has made me believe they are capable of doing this without the System enforcement. Gazers Grin (Scrutiny): Indeed, the timing of this is very suspect. Ultimately though, my experience is limited in this area. What say you Eldest? It That Rewards Savagery (Stillness): I expect that the most junior of us, Hand on the Scales, is the one you should be asking. Let us wait for his arrival before beginning that discussion. Gazers Grin (Acceptance): It is his area of expertise I suppose. Well then, please enlighten us as to your current Scourge threat projections as we wait. You seem to have the most discerning gaze of us Eldest. How are our chances looking? It That Rewards Savagery (Stillness): Complicated but improving. At least in the short term. Gazers Grin (Curiosity): Oh? Truly? I have had little attention to spare but that is not the impression I have gotten. Merciful Heavens (Cautious Optimism): Yes, each day is a parade of horrors and dark surprises. I have never opposed the Grey Legion before. I find them disturbing and irritatingly persistent. They are mockeries of sapient life. It That Rewards Savagery (Approving Grin): The Scourges¡¯ first blow was typically devastating, especially considering the numbers of Scourges and Injections that have challenged this world. Cities were culled and fields infested with blinding speed. Native civilization was scoured and feasted on. Projections were grim and chances of victory degraded further as more and more enemy resources were thrown against this world. Yet, native resistance rallied and adapted to the System impressively. Now that that flood of new foes has finally run dry, humanity has benefited from survival in amusing ways. Gazers Grin (Curiosity): Oh? It That Rewards Savagery (Patience): They are rich. Which is to say, that by surviving and defeating a greater number of Scourges than average, the natives have collected a greater than average amount of useful resources. Gazers Grin (Curiosity): Really? Enough to offset expected drops in System Race support due to the unpopularity of Auril sensitives? It That Rewards Savagery (Stillness): Yes. Aurilin especially. Taken from the corpses of the Grey Legion and Spore Tyrants both. Yet even Siviril has been claimed in amounts greater than most worlds have at this point. Merciful Heavens (Cautious Optimism): Truly? That is reassuring. I had feared we would lack the resources to fortify and expand the Enclaves. Not to mention supporting those Enclaves weakened by proximity to the Innoculation. They will be unable to field enough Users to protect their preserved populations unles they recieve aid orreduce theiruncivilized population. Gazers Grin (Musing): Hmm, yes. I see. If the Grey Legion follow their commonly exhibited behaviour, they will soon have collected more than enough native population for defence and research. They will fall back from well defended native populations and concentrate on attacking other Scourges while they perfect their Legionnaires. This should affect long term predictions as much as the short. What threatens us long term? It That Rewards Savagery (Subtle Withdraw): The Spore Tyrant and Red Wood''s off-world elements seem to have engaged in a truce. Gazers Grin (Bafflement): What? Merciful Heavens (Strained Professionalism): Yes. Please Elaborate. It That Rewards Savagery (Subtly Withdrawn): The Red Woods, despite the moniker, are not actually biological lifeforms. They are mechanical and artificial in origin. Like the System itself, they are merely advanced enough to replicate some aspects of biological lifeforms. Ultimately, they are simply not a direct competitor to the Spore Tyrants, who consume biological life exclusively. While, of course, no actual diplomacy was involved, they and the Spore Tyrants have simply stopped attacking each other, no doubt considering doing so a waste of resources. Gazers Grin (Bafflement): Why has this not come up in any reports? It That Rewards Savagery (Curling lip): It was. It was just not relevant to any of your roles. The lack of something is not immediately noticeable and the greater part of this phenomenon has taken place off planet. Due to this, it has had no immediate effects on any of your work. Rest assured this anomaly is of no great concern. The Grey Legion and Hollow Majesties are a much greater threat to our work. I have seen to it that the off-world Spore Tyrant presence will not have any effect on this world in decades, if ever. The Red Woods are more problematic, as they can project strength from afar, but they remain a mostly defensive Scourge. If they ever do begin a campaign of expansion, it will not be targeting the natives or System infrastructure. This situation has simply made projections more difficult over the long term. Not that they were accurate enough to be of much use anyway, due to the sheer chaos we face. Hand on the Scales has joined the Council Hand on the Scales (Professional Confidence): I apologize for my late arrival, when I received the latest System report, I felt the need to verify the data and investigate the situation myself.Stolen novel; please report. Gazers Grin (A Dozen Eyes Focused): Apologize later, present your findings now. Hand on the Scales (Professional Confidence): The System made the decision to disable Compliance Protocols based off false data. A number of reports have been subtly altered to meet its conditions for this. While the effect was subtle, the method was not. I easily tracked the changes to two Hollow Majesties working together, Noble Virulence and Sublime Malice. Merciful Heavens (Outrage): Dissonance claim them. How dare these parasites meddle in the fate of worlds. Can we re-enable the protocols? It should be easy enough to prove the data false. It That Rewards Savagery (Stillness): Wishful thinking. Compliance protocols are proven to be necessary for organizing and encouraging Users when their worlds are first invaded by Scourge lifeforms. Yet the System, rightly, has no enthusiasm for these measures. They breed dependence and despondence, creating thralls. The System limits their capability for abuse, a fact we should be grateful for considering how easily a malignant entity with System access could weaponize them against the System''s own Users. Once killed, the protocols cannot be brought back to life. Gazers Grin (Fascinated Musings): Why disable them in the first place though? The Hollow Majesties are parasites. What do they profit in weakening their host? Obedience protocols are no threat to them and only mildly inconvenient to their Homunculi. They can already circumvent them, if within limits. If the System was capable of recognizing them for what they are, they would not exist. Hand on the Scales (Professional Confidence): It is very confusing trying to understand the motivations of Hollow Majesties. Fighting them is my primary role and the first thing you learn about them is how diverse they are. Take Noble Virulence and Sublime Malice for example, the two have little in common. Sublime Malice is in many ways the archtype of a Hollow Majesty. Seeking personal power through infiltrating the system and using it to control System worlds by bargaining with and controlling the world''s Users until it gains enough influence to create a true Avatar. A narcissistic warlord that cares not what damage it does. This world is clearly its next target and it was aiming to create chaos it could exploit. Hand on the Scales (Professional Confidence): Noble Virulence is more complex. It has been confirmed to operate using mercantile activities. Engaging in diplomacy and hiring out its talents to System Races. The timeline and locations involved do not align with Earth being a target of conquest. I expect it is acting as a mercenary to accomplish some goal at the behest of another. Merciful Heavens (Pensive Speculation): Could it be working for Sublime Malice? Hand on the Scales (Professional Confidence): No. Hollow Majesties rarely work together beyond immediate goals. They are competitors for System resources and the more of them infecting the local System hardware, the weaker each one is. Gazers Grin (Grim Denouncement): It has obviously been hired to destroy this world. Because of the auril sensitivity of the native population or some other reason we have yet to grasp. It is clear that something very odd is going on here. Both with the Grey Legion and the System Races. It That Rewards Savagery (Slitted Eyes Unblinking): Possible. From the moment the Inoculation touched this planet, we knew some group from the System was sabotaging our efforts and committing no small amount of resources to that effort. Seven Inoculation Injections discovered so far? Hiring a Hollow Majesty and Injecting it to weaken our efforts would be cheaper than that and equally cowardly. They will have left a trail as well, the movement of resources on this scale could not possibly have gone unnoticed. Merciful Heavens (Shock and Disbelief): This seems like a horrible and senseless overreaction. Auril sensitivity is problematic but to feed a world to the Scourges... it is monstrous. Genocide. What could motivate such an action? It weakens all of us who shelter beneath the System in both body and spirit. Gazers Grin (Curiosity): Yes, what could be the motivation behind such a conspiracy? You could buy a not insignificant fleet for the price of a dozen Injections. Not to mention the costs of their secrecy. They could not predict which Authorities would be guiding this world, which means they are keeping every Authority ignorant. Impressive. It That Rewards Savagery (Slitted Eyes Unblinking): Ignorant or complicit. Hand on the Scales (Inflated Courage): I have found another connection between the Hollow Majesties and the Inoculation. The third and final Hollow Majesty infecting this world''s System structure is one Wretched Renaissance. It is... difficult to pin down, subtle and surprisingly passive, yet despite this I have noticed it acting almost exclusively in areas bordering the Inoculation. Curiously, it does not appear to be sabotaging our quarantine efforts. It is very adept at covering its tracks, more so than the others, but it could not hide that. It That Rewards Savagery (Slitted Eyes Unblinking): Have you investigated the Inoculation itself for abnormalities? Never mind, I will do this myself. You have done well Junior. Gazers Grin (Sudden Amusement): HA! Were you aware that Sublime Malice and Wretched Renaissance are funding us? We received donations from worlds where they operate freely. Just a drop in the bucket but not an insignificant expenditure of resources on their part. This suggests that they are not part of whatever conspiracy desires this world''s failure. Merciful Heavens (Disbelief): Pardon? Hand on the Scales (Apprehensive Apology): I was not, it did not occur to me to look into the sources of donated resources. I thank my Senior for his teachings. Gazers Grin (Amusement): I am glad you are grateful, we will be working together from this point on, I think. My own current projects are almost complete, so I will shift my focus to the physical and digital threat posed by the Rebel Instruments. This should give you more time to work on stymieing the Hollow Majesties. Let us not let them catch us by surprise again. Hand on the Scales (Formal): I look forward to it. Merciful Heavens (Wariness): Is that the last of the excitement? Please let it be so. It That Rewards Savagery (Stillness): No. Earlier, I was speaking of projections of survival improving and the natives uncommon effectiveness at fighting the Scourges once rallied and armed. I had more to say. The Feral Artisans. They have been repulsed. Gazers Grin (Amusement): Oh? Did the Rebel Instruments and the Grey Legion team up on them? It That Rewards Savagery (Stillness): Yes. They used a previously unknown Zausite based acid weapon to flood the Substrate. Silence It That Rewards Savagery (Snort): I jest, of course. It was done by natives and Crusaders mostly. To my knowledge the Grey Legion banished three. No doubt the work of their version of a Crusader. Whether the Lurker or another, I could not say. Merciful Heavens (Relief): Ah, finally good news. Those unnerving and unpredictable things disturb me greatly. It is good that the high amount of Injections will not result in a great amount of those creatures skulking around. Gazers Grin (Amusement): They disturb everyone who is sane. Let''s see, there were forty-three confirmed Feral Artisans on this world. Higher than average of course, as they are drawn to Injections. How many remain? It That Rewards Savagery (Slitted Eyes Unblinking and Lip Curling): My statement was literal. They were defeated. All of them. At this moment, all forty-three recorded Feral Artisan have been banished from this world. In six cases, by natives who were not even Users. The System assures me this is not without precedent but refuses to cite said precedent or give any further details. Querying the Crusader Orders has not granted any further enlightenment either. They report no anomalies and getting reports from natives is difficult. Gazers Grin (Weary Flopping): Blindness. This is one mystery too many for me. I wash my hands of this subject. I will just fighting predictable enemies like the Rebel Instruments and whisper secrets in the ears of my disciples. It That Rewards Savagery (Toothy Grin): Most will return of course, and more dangerous than before. A Primal Scourge is not so easily discouraged. Still, it is... interesting, to say the least. Does anyone else have a report to make? Silence It That Rewards Savagery (Toothy Grin): Well then. Our immediate goal is making sure the reclaiming of territory necessary to support the remaining human population is a success despite the disabling of the Obedience Protocols. I am sure everyone has important tasks to complete and their own Disciples to prepare. Fight to thrive, my allies. Prepare for the unpredictable. End Report Editing, Scheduling and Patreon Announcement As some of you know, I took a short break from updates to edit my work to a level that was less embarrassing. Thanks to you all for putting up with the low quality for so long. Not to mention all those who caught errors and commented on them. I meant to stop and edit the Scourged Earth much earlier, but the book did not end where I thought it was going to at all. Editing was the first step for me in setting up a Patreon page. Both of those are now done. You can read the Scourged Earth without all the errors and inconsistencies and donate if you enjoyed the story. Those kind souls that donate will be able to read three chapters ahead.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. To all those who already donated, thanks for your patience as I set up everything. Also, starting tomorrow, new chapters will be up on Patreon and Royalroad every Wednesday and Sunday at 4pm Est. 6.1 Without a Hitch Derrick had been laying in a ditch and waiting for an opportunity to strike for over forty minutes now. Tracking his prey with enhanced vision when possible and weak pulses of auril when it moved out of his line of sight. Of all the sentries that guarded this place, the Vanguard Dog he was tracking was the most alert and the only one with auril. It would need to die first. So, while Derrick danced around the three Grey Agents that were also acting as sentries, he kept his focus on the enhanced dog. It was a big one too, its frame swelled and armored by the Grey Legion''s biological mastery. All the Agents Derrick had encountered in the last week, were the same. Fully ''clothed'' in grey armored carapace with swollen muscles beneath it. Its mouth seemed to have grown larger, occupying some of the area its eyes used to be with teeth the size of human fingers. They were very different from the zombie forms of the Grey Legion had during the first few days of their invasion. Tougher, faster and better armed than any human or animal before the Scourges arrived. Regular bullets just bounced off of them at this point. Especially the Vanguard, both the canine and the human variety. Their auril let them grow and toughen themselves faster than the regular garden-variety Grey Agents. That biology boosting energy also seemed to let the Vanguard carry more armor than the regular Agent¡¯s. Derrick hoped that this was as ''improved'' as they would get, but he wouldn¡¯t count on it. No doubt this was still just the tip of theweaponized mutation iceberg. Next year he would probably be fightingVanguardDogs with laser eye beams and sonic cannon barks. If he survived that long. Right now though, despite their improvements, the human Users held the advantage. Since the end of Phase One and the creation of the West Hills Enclave, he had only grown two levels, putting him at level two point two. That meant his raw power or speed hadn''t improved as much as that of Legion''s soldiery but he¡¯d improved in other ways. Ways such as his equipment and skills. Already his partnership with the Velorie outcast, Deleterious, was bearing fruit. Derrick and the dozens of Users newly employed by his System Licensed Company, Red Works had hunted down every scrap of Legion Carapace they could get their hands on. Which turned out to be a lot. No one else wanted the stuff. Either having no use for it or they didn''t have the stomach to to pry it off of the Grey Legion''s unwilling converts. Derrick himself had gone through enough that he didn''t even give carving up a converted human''s corpse a second thought. Not if it saved lives and filled his pockets by allowing Red Works to produce tougher armor at competitive prices. The Nomad armor, as Deleterious had christened it, added more than just Grey Legion carapace. It provided a reserve of chemicals that helped fight off both Grey Legion paralysis weapons and Spore Tyrant infection. As well as regenerative and nourishing fluids. Derrick himself had little need for the boost, but it was a literal life-saver for lower level Users that lacked resistance giving Traits. It also came with one feature that was very helpful to Derrick. Scent reducing materials built into it were the only reason the Vanguard Dog hadn''t detected him yet. Both the Spore Tyrants and Grey Legion had enhanced senses of smell, so Derrick had prompted Deleterious to study the methods old school human hunters had used to reduce their scent and upgrade them as much as possible. The result was armor that was cheap, effective and popular, at least with Users that expected to be fighting the more fleshy Scourges.
Universal Support System
Red Works''s Nomad Armor A set of full body gear designed by Red Works to provide increased physical protection and aid Users in fighting biological Scourges. It has a standard Esthisium frame but with Legion carapace and activated carbon materials that reduce scent interwoven throughout it. Jacket contains a medical unit that can be loaded with helpful drugs and supplements. Medical unit capable of communicating with User Implant for emergency treatment. Warning: Armor''s ability to self repair is greatly diminished due to exotic materials and complex systems
The System seemed to have a few problems with it though. The ancient AI appeared to prefer to equip its Users with weapons and armor that was robust to near indestructibility, rather than specialized gear. Derrick thought it was a little too focused on the long term. He suspected it was used to dealing with primitive civilizations and races that couldn''t maintain or repair their gear, even with System help. No doubt an efficient use of resources, but personally, Derrick was more worried about his survival than his armor''s. The axe-wielding User''s thoughts were interrupted by the faint sensation of an auril pulse hitting him and being shrugged off by his defences. It was time, he realized, as he mentally checked the positions of all known Agents. His implant sent out a directed signal and he rose from the ditch he was hiding in. He went from standing to full sprint instantly and threw himself at the oblivious Vanguard. At the same time, two other figures revealed themselves and moved to attack targets of their own. The Vanguard was alerted at the last second by the noise from Derrick''s charge, it sprang to the side and swiveled to attack him. Its move effectively took it out of reach of Derrick''s axe but not his foot. The toe of a boot filled with malignant auril smashed into the canine''s jaw. The weakened armor cracked loudly under the blow, sending tiny fragments falling to the ground. A faint itch gave Derrick just a second of warning before a slug was fired at him, aimed at the center of his body by a nearby Agent. That second was all Derrick needed to position his palm in the way of the projectile. Silver light exploded from that palm as the slug hit that light and stopped dead without a sound. Derrick¡¯s entire body swayed but his arm didn¡¯t even jerk. He grabbed the stopped slug and threw it to the ground while looking his attacker in the eye. He and the shooter continued to make eye contact until a bullet took it in the side of the head, courtesy of one of his allies. The Agent flopped to the ground, lifeless. Even the Grey Legion couldn¡¯t recover from that. Derrick turned his attention back to the Vanguard. Somewhat defanged, the canine had twisted further away but Derrick glided forward to keep the pressure up. He knew that even with traits like Breathless, that increased his sprinting power, the Vanguard dog was faster than anything on two legs when it got up to speed. It would try to run because while the Grey Legion used canine Vanguard as raiders, this one was a sentry. With practiced ease, he threw an axe at the escaping Legion minion. His aim was true and would have hit the creature in the hindquarters but the dog twisted at the last second and it turned into a glancing blow, which failed to penetrate its thick armor. Dammit, his only chance was to get to it before it got further away. Gathering manna in his gauntlets and using it to boost himself, The Hunter made a leaping tackle that brought his shoulder slamming into the canine''s own with unnatural and unexpected force. A second of flailing later, his axe bit into the enemy''s armor. Not deep enough to do damage but enough to prevent it from escaping. The mutant dog bucked and writhed beside him, raking him with its claws. All of that was easily stopped by his own armor though and a second later he drove a dagger between two plates of carapace. Then he did that two more times. The Grey Legion were tough and it didn''t pay to take chances. Finished with the Vanguard, Derrick looked for another target, only to find all three other Agents were already down. Taken out by his two allies and fellow Hunters. None of the other members of the enemy patrol had even tried to retreat or managed to fire their weapons before the User ambush had brought them down. Not unexpected, this was hardly the first time they had taken out small groups of Grey Legion soldiers together. Stacy, a Teslaforce employee who he''d first fought beside against the Lurker of Loving Purpose, had taken down two with a specialized pistol. A Teslaforce manna fueled design that was powerful enough to pierce weak spots in Grey Legion Carapace and made no sound when firing, unless it exploded. The last Agent had been been taken down by Mathew, a recent addition to the Users that had joined Derrick in hounding the Legion''s retreat from the West Hills Enclave. The kindly older man had overpowered the furthest Agent with his brutal looking machete. It looked like the first part had gone according to plan. The patrol had been eliminated, most likely before it could send out a warning. Derrick sent out a pulse of auril, just to be sure. It confirmed their complete victory. ¡°All clear,¡± he announced to both of the Users beside him, and to their other allies. ¡°Success, send in the Tempests.¡± Honestly, they were close enough to the road that their allies had probably watched the fight. Redundancy was half of professionalism it seemed though. ¡°Silence,¡± Mathew confirmed, referencing his unique trait. He still wasn''t great at auril pulses but he made up for it with his superhuman hearing. Because they still didn''t understand how the Grey Legion communicated. Sometimes killing one would alert other nearby Agents, other times not. Their standard procedure was to blitz and hope for the best. It worked more than it didn''t, even if they didn''t know why. He¡¯d asked Third Striker and the Crusader had simply told him they weren¡¯t using any layer of the Fold known to him. With that in mind, it wasn''t that important if the Grey Legion outpost they were attacking knew about Derrick and his fellow Hunters picking off the patrol. The important thing was that they didn''t expect the followup. Six Tempests crested a hill and moved past Derrick. A dramatic name for what was basically a pimped out pickup truck. He would have just called them Haulers or something. No one had asked him though. The only sound of their arrival was the tread of their tires and the sound of the air they displaced. Powered by System technology, each of the vehicles was actually just a heavily converted pickup truck. After being stripped of their body and engine, System designated Mechanics had replaced them with upgraded versions. The Mechanics of West Hills had converted over a hundred of the grey and black vehicles. They were the main mode of transportation of both Users and supplies. As Users swarmed out of West Hills and into the countryside, they were being carried by Tempests. Some of them also carried mortar batteries, Derrick noted as a series of blurs quietly shot overhead from three of the vehicles.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The entire point of the Hunter''s attack had been to get the Tempests in range and undetected. Their payload was near silent right up until the guided shells exploded throughout the Grey Legion outpost. Derrick couldn''t see it from here, as the entire point was that this location was out of sight of the outpost, but dozens of shells must have exploded and peppered the gas station and shops the Grey Legion had occupied. Any exposed Legion would be at least wounded and even some of the Agents inside buildings might have taken a hit. The projectiles were all guided by System tech and were networked to the Tempests, even after being fired. They would be dropped right on enemy heads and some would be sent right through open windows. After firing, all the vehicles but one shot ahead. That one had slowed enough that Derrick and his allies could jump aboard, then it accelerated until it was just behind the others. Derrick and his allies weren''t needed for this next part. They were the only Users in the back of the vehicle, most of the space was taken up by the mortar launcher and bundles of supplies. In what felt like seconds, he heard the now familiar sound of weapons fire. Both that of Users and the Grey Legion. The truck then turned the corner and revealed brightly colored but heavily armed Users charging through a hole blown in the Legion''s perimeter barrier. That creepy looking fence looked like it had been woven by giant spiders rather than having been produced in any factory. It probably had been. In fact, every building bore the subtle touch of grey legion architecture. Which was to say that something had oozed all over them and that ooze had hardened into grey shielding. Not that it was helping them much. Wounded Agents were quickly overwhelmed and the smaller buildings like the convenience store attached to the gas pumps cleared. He heard the sound of return fire from the main building though, a food court with a few shops for travellers attached. That building was by far the most fortified, almost every window having been replaced with a panel of rippling grey material. Derrick watched the last visible Agent be brought down and was satisfied. His tactics had proven effective. Kill the sentries, shell the place and then run in and kill everything the shells hadn''t already murdered. If he''d ever met a strategic genius, it wasn''t in a mirror. The simplicity of his plan a feature, not a bug. ¡°Feels wrong to just watch this,¡± Stacy said from Derrick''s side. ¡°It''s not a job for Hunters. Let the Brutes and Fighters do their job,¡± Mathew replied. ¡°And I''m thankful for the break. My bones are stiff for laying in that blasted ditch for so long.¡± He sighed.¡±I want to do my part and..¡± ¡°...get back to your family,¡± the tall woman interrupted with mild annoyance. ¡°I can''t believe you''ve gotten this far with that attitude. Besides, your family benefits more from your work here than from your visits.¡± ¡°I did what I was asked by the System. I still do,¡± Mathew replied seriously. The heavyset man showing not a hint of annoyance, instead his focus was on the ongoing fight. ¡°I imagine we will have more of a part to play here before all is done.¡± ¡°He''s right.¡± Derrick said. ¡°Stay put.¡± Stacy was more than a bit of a go getter, Derrick had learned over the last few days. Always inserting herself into any missions he took and encouraging him to go on more. She was almost as high a level as him, only her lack of a regenerative trait held her back. She was also a pretty obvious spy for Teslaforce''s master, Gregory. Not that Derrick cared about that. What few secrets he had wouldn''t be discovered by looking over his shoulder. Besides, she was competent and came with both an auril heart and manna core. This far from the Enclave, they needed all the manna cores they could get. Especially if they were good in a fight. She had been the User that had wielded the Buckler cannon against the Drone, before the Lurker showed up. Her spying was almost funny to Derrick. The annoying thing about her was her tendency to challenge his decisions. Like right now. It was no surprise that Gregory had unloaded her on him. Derrick eyed his allies and then turned to the ongoing invasion. Everything seemed to be going well, he couldn''t see any Agent''s still active and no drones had appeared. A wave of rifle armed Users had pushed them inside almost instantly. If the Users currently attacking the bases main building hit serious resistance, they were supposed to pull out and let the Hunters scout it out. Just over a hundred km (62 miles) outside West Hills, this was a waystation for the Grey Legion, not a real base. It was a fallback point that had funnelled captured humans out of the area and weapons into it. His hope was that destroying it would trap the remaining bands in the area, letting the User teams coming from West Hills to pick the stranded raiding bands off. Further west, he was sure a major stronghold for the Legion was being created. There were entirely dark towns and small cities in that direction. How small the world had gotten, he mused. Three weeks ago he could have taken a plane around the world. Now reaching the next city over would be the work of weeks of dangerous fighting. ¡°It got quiet,¡± Mathew said suddenly. It had, Derrick confirmed, he could no longer hear the sounds of battle. Even moans of pain were absent. ¡°Too quick,¡± Stacy said as Derrick thought it. ¡°This was supposed to be important. There should be dozens of Agents here.¡± Yes, there should. As of late, more traffic had flowed into the base from the local area than had been sent west. It was one reason he had pressed for this raid. This had been too easy so far. Not that they hadn''t suffered casualties. He saw wounded being carried from the building in front of him. On queue, his mask beeped at him. Secure Com: Blake Demnol: Hit a wall. Needs a special touch. Sighing aloud, Derrick sent a reply and moved towards the main building, leaving the vehicles behind. He stepped through a hole in the fence and approached the main building. The two other Hunters followed him and other Users gave him deferential nods as he passed. He stepped inside the building and let out a pulse of auril that reached two hundred feet away. It wasn''t great for telling Users from Grey Agents as it still only gave a fuzzy outline of living things around him. It did however let him know there was no fighting going on in the building. Most of the humanoids in the building had moved below ground and gathered together. Stepping over a few grey bodies, Derrick moved to join them in the basement. ¡°Stay up here,¡± Derrick told his fellow Hunters. ¡°Keep an eye on things.¡± ¡°Yes, Glorious Leader.¡± Stacy said with obvious sarcasm. She found it funny that though he was the leader of this and many other missions, he had no official title or position. Her previous group. Teslaforce, still used corporate positions as ranks. Derrick was resisting her suggestions that he was ''The Director,'' so she called him even more absurd titles. He quickly found a service door that led to a hallway, that in turn, led to the basement. Blake was waiting for him down there in the mundane looking basement hallway. He was wearing dark blue Red Works gear with white highlights. There were half a dozen heavily armed Users that also belonged to Red Works beside him, Fighters and a couple of Brute¡¯s that specialised in close quarters combat. None of them were Hunters, but all of them were either level two or close to it. Most of them had been at the fight versus the Lurker. Each wore armor and masks of a different color. ¡°What is it?¡± Derrick asked. It couldn''t be anything immediately dangerous. There was no panic on anyone''s faces, so it wasn''t anything particularly dangerous. ¡°A door,¡± Blake said. ¡°It won''t open for us regular color folk. We can blow it, of course, but we thought it better to let you tell us what''s on the other side first.¡± Blake, sword resting on his shoulder, led the way around a corner and the obstacle became obvious. It looked less like a door and more like an airlock. Even the cement walls around it were coated by grey. No doubt to stop intruders from digging around the door. There were already explosives stuck to the door he noted, three separate devices. Derrick pressed his hand to the door and let out a pulse of auril. That strange energy passed through the door and found half a dozen living things on the other side. All of them were prone and far from the door. It was unlikely to be an ambush or trap. Unless it was a mechanical or explosive one. The Grey legion rarely used those though and they almost always tried to take people alive. ¡°There are bodies in there but nothing that looks like a threat,¡± Derrick announced and moved away from the door. The System''s breecher charges were very good but no one was willing to take any chances. Within seconds, the entire group of Users was around the corner and a boom filled the air. Derrick peaked around the corner to see the twisted remains of the door still blocking the way. He carefully moved forward and when Quantum Awareness failed to activate, he began smashing his way through. His axe was sharp enough that he cleared the wreckage in a minute and stepped inside a room that was definitely not part of the original building. The entire thirty foot square must have been dug out by the Legion. ¡°Well, shit,¡± Blake said, taking in the same scene as Derrick. It seemed like this hadn''t just been a supply outpost. It looked like... well, it looked exactly like what it was, an alien laboratory. Nothing of human origin was here, every object and wall was made of the grey material the Legion used to make their own devices. The middle of the room was dominated by a large pillar that looked like it had been an important device at some point. The mechanical heart of this place. Now it was obviously disassembled, with loose cords dangling from it and pieces missing. The walls and floor were covered in tubes of clear material that showcased the horrible oddities inside. Most of them displayed what seemed like experiments on human bodies. Mostly intact corpses floating in whatever liquid filled the tubes. Most were grey skinned but some just had weird growths under their skin or spurs of bone sprouting from their flesh. One tube, to Derrick''s great concern, was filled with giant bees. They didn''t even look like something the Grey Legion had made, just three bees the size of his fist floating lifelessly in a tube of clear liquid. Oh, and a single white flower that seemed normal if a little on the large side. Right below that, in a tube built in the floor, various chunks of fungal matter floated. Obviously taken from the Spore Tyrants. Looking closer, he saw some of the fungus was growing from what seemed to be chunks of human flesh. Lovely. As gruesome as the scenery was, it affected neither Blake nor Derrick much. They had both seen worse. ¡°They saw us coming,¡± Derrick mused aloud. ¡°The abandoned lab, the lack of real resistance. They predicted our attack.¡± ¡°Still a win for us,¡± Blake said as cautious Users peered into the room. ¡°The mission is a success and this place is a bonus.¡± ¡°True,¡± Derrick agreed. ¡°Considering how hard it was to sell this attack though, I was hoping it would at least surprise the Legion.¡± He stepped deeper into the room and peered down at the tube at his feet. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what we have here.¡± He said and immediately began smashing the see through material apart. Super hard glass shattered and milky liquid splashed all around. He ignored it though and once he had removed the top, abandoned his axe for a knife. He began cutting the barely visible cords in the tank. After that, he reached inside and pulled out a body. A woman of average size and just one of the half dozen living bodies he sensed with auril. Blake moved to his side as he wiped the milky liquid off the naked woman, revealing pale but definitely human skin. The System immediately offered a User tag.
User Tag
Name: Sherry Woods Title: Multi-killer Role: Guard Level: 1.5
Which meant she was not infected or altered by the Grey Legion in any real way yet. The System monitored its Users closely through their implant. It would warn them if it could detect any contamination. ¡°Up to six Users saved,¡± he said, and gently laying her down on the floor, moved to the next tube. This at least took the bite out his attack being anticipated, both because of the net gain of Users and the optics of it. Among all the User groups that controlled West Hills, his was the most aggressive. Or at least they tied for that honor with the Breaknecks. The more successful his raids were, the more easily he could sell them. ¡°The ranks swell with your every victory,¡± Blake said, half joking and half serious. No doubt some of these Users would join his little start up. The Users that had been cut off from civilization when the Scourges arrived tended to be almost pathetically eager to join with larger groups, even his poor imitation of an army. Derrick continued looking around at the collection of horrors that filled the room. Deleterious would love to get his hands on some of this. Too bad none of it looked like something he could trade to Teslaforce. Still, things were definitely looking up. He heard a tapping sound and jerked to look that way, thinking that something was trying to escape a tank. But no, it was just Blake tapping on the ¡®glass¡¯ of the tank full of bees. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to start carrying bug spray,¡± the blond said jokingly. ¡°You think they were designing a gun that shoots attack bees?¡± Derrick was about to inform Blake of how unfunny he was when a message from Stacy requested immediate help. They were under attack. 6.2 Limits Derrick and Blake raced back up top, Derrick pulling ahead due to his traits and higher level. He zoomed through the concrete tunnel, up the stairs and out the metal door that led to the food court. From there, he shot out the front and saw that the area was devoid of Users or attacking Grey Legion. A pulse revealed they had moved to the back of the property, opposite the road. Immediately, he heard gunshots and shouts from around the corner of the building he''d just exited. Peeking around that corner, he saw his employees and allies sitting in cover. None of them bothering to fire back at the source of the incoming fire. Derrick immediately felt himself relax, the lack of return fire and artillery strikes were telling. Not to mention, the incoming gunfire was just that. Fire from human designed guns. Only the most isolated pockets of Grey legion Agent''s still used those and they were standing right beside a supply depot. Derrick darted to cover behind a bus, joining Mathew and another User. ¡°What brought this on?¡± he asked. It was times like this he actually missed the Obedience protocols. ¡°Stacy wandered off,¡± Mathew answered with a shrug. ¡°A few minutes later, we started taking fire. No one is hurt, though one guy would be bleeding out if he was a deer.¡± That confirmed it then. Of the Three ''Hunters'' that worked with Red Works, Mathew was the only one that had ever done any actual hunting. He recognized the weapons firing at them as human. Hell, he could probably tell the calibre by ear. The older man pointed his fingers to a small tree covered hill. Their fellow humans must be firing on them from that hill. It was a couple hundred feet away, meaning the attackers were decent shots at least. Better get this over with, before someone actually got hurt. Derrick once more put his super human sprinting power to good use. He launched himself forward with a combination of subtle raw manna use and pure User given strength. He has halfway to the treeline before Quantum Awareness warned him he was being targeted. A simple dodge was enough to throw off the shooter''s aim and then Derrick was among the trees. He raced through the trees and let out a pulse of auril. The information he got back was harder to parse in a forest, as it returned a literal forest of shapes. He could tell that only one person was in range though and that person must be Stacy due to the auril he sensed. He continued without slowing and zoomed past Stacy, who was falling back. She seemed fine, if somewhat unhappy to see him. No doubt, she''d wanted to solve this herself once she realized it wasn''t a Scourge attack. Derrick''s boots pounded soft forest earth and he lept over fallen trees and half buried rocks. His next pulse pinpointed exactly where the shooters were and he corrected his run to take him right at them. ¡°Please, put the guns down,¡± Derrick said as he caught sight of the Users. ¡°We''re all human here.¡± As soon as he spoke, at least three guns pointed his way, but no one fired on him. Good, it had been a little bit of a risk to not start this conversation with a Tangler. Not much of one, but still a risk. He was armored well enough to be impervious to something as mundane as hunting bullets and could heal inhumanly fast besides. When it came to dealing with Users from outside West Hills, he tried to start things off as friendly as possible. Huffing a bit and trying to hide it, Stacy appeared at his side, her mask off to reveal her humanity. He reached up to his face and took his off as well. He kept a hand near his face though, just in case he needed to block a bullet. ¡°Weapons down!¡± one of them yelled, confusing Derrick for a second as neither he nor Stacy were holding weapons. A second later, the strange Users all dropped their weapons. Navy blue and simple, they were obviously locals. A plain faced man seemed to be in charge of four others. Only one of them even had a System built gun, the rest still had old school human weapons. What were they doing so close to a Grey Legion base though? Oh, of course. ¡°You are in charge?¡± a skeptical voice questioned.. ¡°Yes, I dress funny but I get things done.¡± Derrick replied with practised ease. This was hardly the first time someone had questioned his or his ally¡¯s dress code. ¡°Ah, no.¡± the other man stumbled. ¡°I''m just surprised it''s actually you, Derrick the Red. I saw you on the Trial program. You were from around here?¡± Derrick worked to keep his irritation off his face. That stupid Trial set up by his Patron still bothered him. He was very much a private person and didn''t enjoy being tricked into celebrity. Even if the publicity from it was useful, it made him uncomfortable to be scrutinized by strangers. For awhile, the highlights of his and other high level Users had been literally the only thing on television. All you needed was a phone and you could watch it thanks to the Universal Support System replacing human infrastructure. He imagined these Users must have been surviving by huddling around a lonely Universal Support Station, buying what they needed to survive and occasionally watching his unwilling exploits on their phones. ¡°Ya, I don''t blame you for not recognizing West Hills from the video,¡± Derrick answered. ¡°It looks very different now that the Scourges have had their way with it. We are bouncing back though. Now was there any particular reason you fired on us?¡± ¡°Ah, that was our fault.¡± The man said with an apologetic frown, seemingly mortified. ¡°I just walked into the bush when one of them fired on me from a couple hundred feet away.¡± Stacy informed him, obviously slightly defensive. ¡°They''re lucky we quickly realized Grey Agents wouldn''t be as badly armed as them.¡± She was clearly annoyed at having been ambushed. Their poor quality equipment probably didn''t help. Derrick moved right in front of the group''s leader. ¡°Glad to see another survivor,¡± he said and offered his hand. ¡°I''m Derrick, as you know.¡± ¡°Right,¡± the man said. ¡°Names Pat. I, umm. The lady... You''re all from West Hills? It''s safe there? No wait.¡± The man stopped suddenly, a flash of pain showing on his dirty face. ¡°We came here to look for some people who went missing,¡± Pat finished. ¡°Two women and...¡± Yes, this was what he''d thought was happening here. What else could drive a few Users to attack ten times their number in Grey Legion soldiers? The Grey Legion had nabbed their friends, like the Grey Legion did. He detected no aurilin in any of them. They wouldn''t have lasted ten minutes attempting a rescue, the dog alone would have taken half of them out. ¡°Sherry Woods and five others?¡± Derrick interrupted. ¡°We found them. They are unconscious but seem like they will be fine otherwise. They should be being carried out of there as we speak. You''re welcome to come down and wait for them. Please stay out of the buildings though. We are still clearing the place out.¡± The looks of relief on their faces were so obvious it was painful to look at. Derrick could only imagine how close the small group of survivors were. Survivalists? Or maybe just people the System was using to put out small fires in the area. They''d run into both types and they were always glad to work with Derrick''s group. Yes, even if hadn''t caught the Legion with their pants down, he was putting this down as a win. Another message popped up in his view and he couldn''t keep a look of disgust from taking over his face. Derrick''s hand fell to his side where it gripped his axe. ¡°Are we actually under attack?¡± Stacy asked. ¡°No, worse.¡± Came his reply. ¡°Politics¡± The enclave of West Hills has called an official council meeting. As a Trusted Citizen, you may attend and vote. There was also a timestamp attached to the short message. The meeting was taking place in fifty minutes. He was at least forty five minute away from West Hills. He let out a long sigh and sent a message to Blake, requesting his presence. ¡°Stacy, you like telling p... helping people. Give these guys the speech, get their info and finish up here.¡± He would get Stacy to earn her keep while actually trusted allies took care of the goodies in the lab.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. They had developed a standard protocol when they encountered isolated pockets of Users. Swapping info and and offering to take them to one of their outposts closer to West Hills. They didn''t actually have permission from the Council to move Users into the city, where resources were soon to be strained. Only civilians got free shelter in the Enclave. He would be deeply offended by this bigotry, but honestly it suited him just fine. It was one of the very few ideas the council had come up with that he supported. Hence, one of the few ideas that was more than an idea. Another sprint through the woods let him work through his annoyance and brought him back to Mathew. ¡°Bag everything and don''t let anyone who doesn''t work for Red Works touch it. I''m stealing a Tempest to head back to West Hills,¡± he told Mathew, who was an employee and reliable. He was the weakest of the Hunters when it came to a straight up fight but he was refreshingly competent and easy to get along with. Lastly, he turned to Blake. ¡°You come with me,¡± he ordered tiredly and then let shaped his lips into a nasty smile. ¡°I''m sure Greta would love to see you. Bringing you is the least I could do to... for her.¡± ¡°Anything for you, Supreme Commander,¡± Blake responded with a crisp salute and a mocking smile. The second his hand met his forehead, where Derrick had naively thought Users were installing sensor towers on the rooftop, a massive banner unfurled. It brazenly displayed a silver shield bearing a red cross which was set on a white background. It was his namesake color mixed with the System''s own. Around the edges of the flag, elaborate silver scroll-work added a touch of class. Apparently the short cross was not only a human symbol for medicine and aid but one of the System wide Symbols for aurilin and auril abilities. The silver shield represented the System itself. It had seemed like a good fit for his Company''s logo, he honestly hadn''t put that much thought into it but the result was both evocative and fitting. Small versions of it were on all of the items Red Work''s made. He did not remember having any giant flags made though. Sigh. Blake was getting worse every day. The blond User was going full knight wannabe. That had been obvious since he first bought that sword, but now he had a following among some of the Red Works Users. Derrick fought a short and doomed battle against a facial twitch. This made him seem like some chunni warlord and no doubt every User on the planet would know about this. He would be lucky if there wasn''t a TV special about this. Why was it so hard to find good help? At least it was just a joke. Right?
Without a second to spare, Derrick jumped in the back of the truck. He had to hold on to stop from hitting the back of the vehicle because he was sitting in the cargo bin. This Tempest had no grenade launchers but it was still full of bins and bags, most of them empty at this point. Once the vehicle was out of sight of the conquered outpost, Derrick pushed his fingers into his eyes. Running an operation to clear the area around West Hills of the Scourges was tiring. Not just on a physical level but a mental one too. Dealing with people had never been Derrick''s strong point, he''d gotten decent at it because he''d needed to. Still, it took a toll on him. And it was going to get worse. As much as he hated the work involved, he was going to do whatever it took to save West Hills and every desperate human struggling in the Scourge ruled wilderness around it that he feasibly could. To make the Enclave a fucking beacon of strength in a world that needed every iota of the stuff that they could scrape up. Explore. Expand. Exterminate, was his unofficial creed and he was gathering under his banner every like minded survivor that he could, injecting ambition directly into their veins and pointing them at the Scourges. He would fight to save every human life he could, right up to the point dealing with people like the citizens of West Hills drove him into an insane murder rampage instead. Derrick took a deep breath. If he was going to be on his game for the meeting, he needed to unwind. Touching another universe with your mind was surprisingly relaxing. Or maybe that wasn''t surprising, it was kind of Zen really. Reaching into the Fold, he used raw manna to anchor himself to the vehicle he was riding in, matching his body''s momentum to the Tempest''s own. It was one of many exercises he had practised lately, due to how much travelling he had been doing. When he had first met Third Striker, the Crusader had been trying to do the same thing as an exercise to acclimatize to his new body. Derrick hadn''t switched bodies recently, but he was trying to learn how to circumvent the limitations of manna while using his auril style. Namely, his inability to use anything but quick bursts of manna. It was only possible when using a trickle of manna, but he did manage it. It was instructive, and kind of funny. Using a physics defying power from beyond reality to make his ride smoother. He could stand up at this point without fear of falling, unless the vehicle braked hard. Instead, he brought up his profile, splitting his focus.
User Profile
Name: Derrick, Red Show Title: Trailblazer Scrappy III Role: Fighter Hunter Social Rank: Trusted Landowner Level: 2.2
Military Titles: Scrappy III, Emergency Activation II, Auril Pioneer II, Multi Killer II, Resilient II, Veteran, Force Adept, Fold Survivor, Trailblazer, Auril Cultivator, Counteragent, Ambitious
Social Titles: Enclave Founder, Trusted Landowner, Blooded Ally of the Orders, Scholar of Exaltation, C/C 1A/1B
Traits: Curative Blood ? (Defensive) Standard Auril Heart (D) (Auril) Basic Manna Core (D) (Manna) Quantum Awareness (D) (Survival) Advanced Combat Drug Package (D) (Offensive) Devil''s Brand (D) (Defensive)(Auril) Breathless (E) (Survival) Heartless (E) (Survival)
Auril Capacity: 24.7/26 Auril Style: Red Law (D) Auril Skills: Regeneration Auril Pulse Auril Roar Stupor Pulse Splintering Strike Sapping Strike
Core Capacity: 12.9 / 17 Manna (Raw): 12.2 Manna (Canvas) 4.4 Manna Skills: Sheathing Reinforcement Acceleration Claws of Canvas
Successful USS missions: 11
USS Points: 895
Nothing had changed since the last time he''d looked at it. His growth had slowed to a crawl. It took much more time to level than when he''d been a Fighter. That Role, like Third Striker had said, was more of an introduction than a real Role. He was also slowed by the fact that clearing out the countryside was more travel than actual combat. Even the skirmishes he had been in were nothing compared to the frantic days defending West Hills. It was just lesser Spore Tyrant nodes and pockets of Grey Legion Agents. Not the sort of fights that earned titles. Despite his earnings from Red Works, his manna core capacity had not grown a single point since his battle versus the Slaver Node. Third Striker had informed him that he was more likely to survive his experiments with Canvas manna if he had less of it. Other than that, he hadn''t been much help with Canvas manna. He had taught Derrick more about the more common uses of manna though. His aurilin was also capped by the will of a Crusader. When he''d informed his other teacher that his aurilin Capacity could go past twenty five, she''d been shocked and had immediately forbidden it. He still didn''t really understand why though. She''d given him a speech about exaltation, thresholds and inner chaos that had been impossible to follow. He''s listened though, because he knew how dangerous auril was and also he doubted the single point would make much of a difference. All his System currency had gone towards equipping and upgrading the Users that now worked for him instead. It honestly, annoyed him that he was losing his head start over other Users, but really the only option to try and keep it was to leave West Hills entirely and throw himself into every fight he found. That wasn''t going to happen. He let go of the purely raw manna and opened his palms. Next he let manna from the canvas flood out of his core while mixing it with raw manna. He took that manna and forced it through his auril, along the channels the System had installed in him. Sparks of silver light blossomed on his fingertips as they formed claws. Derrick found that shape more natural when using Canvas manna. Under the weight of his focus, the silver points of light began to burn paths through the air towards each other. It took a second, but silvery pentagrams inside pentagons formed above each palm. Why pentagrams? He had no idea. His only association with the shapes was the grey pentagons on his armor and the fact his mask looked devilish. Canvas manna had a life of its own and one day when he had been trying to get the silver light to do anything, it had taken that shape. One second it had been a formless mass and the next, five points of light had joined together into the complex five sided shape. He concentrated on the one dimensional shape and pushed it out from his hands. Two small pentagons expanded as they moved further away. They grew from the size of his hands until they were twice that size and... they popped like balloons, sending out tiny silver sparks like his hands were holding cheap fireworks. It was almost impossible to work with Canvas manna while his auril Style protected him from the influence of it. He didn''t let the failure bother him and started again. And again. And again. Since he had first learned of manna, the ability he wanted most was a shield. This looked like it could lead to just that. Besides, the only other manna ability he could practise was substrate manipulation, and that would be difficult in a moving vehicle. Time flew by as he practised. Before he knew it, the vehicle had come to a stop. Derrick looked up to see an imposing four-story building made of panels of white and silver. They had arrived at the heart of West Hills, the System built City Centre. Excellent. He was on time and despite his meddling with terrible forces beyond the ken of mankind, his perceptions were barely altered at all. This was going to be one of the better meetings, he thought sarcastically, he could feel it. 6.3 Litigation Derrick bounced up the dozen or so cement stairs at the base of the building. The building''s glass double doors opened for him automatically. Which was just common sense, as this was the heart of the Enclave. Its role as the seat of human government was the least important of its functions. It was a bunker and hub of travel, containing powerful System machinery buried in its depths. He had learned from the Systems champions, the Crusaders, that the building contained an Injection Anchor. A device that made friendlies trying to teleport to this location much less likely to turn inside out or be dropped inside the sun. It was only cost effective for moving Crusaders to the next crisis and bringing the Velorie to Earth. He was pretty sure no human had ever been allowed to use it. In fact, humans were only allowed in a small part of the building, even though they had helped build it. He remembered seeing the building being built weeks ago, seeing human builders constructing the framework and placing the panels that formed the walls. Derrick hadn''t bothered to change, so when he entered the building he was still wearing his signature red and grey armor. He even kept the top part of his mask on and didn''t clean the grey platter off himself. He wanted no one to have any illusions about what he''d been doing when they''d called him here. He strode into the buildings main lobby. Dozens of strangers were going about their business and two women he knew were clearly waiting for him. You have entered a secure facility. Violence, trespassing and vandalism are prohibited. ¡°Did you read the briefing I messaged you?¡± his secretary asked as soon as he was inside. Derrick took out his smartphone and checked his messages. There was, in fact, a file about the upcoming meeting among them, courtesy of Clara, one of the first Users he''d hired when he started staffing his company. His missing friend Brian''s last known girlfriend was one of the few support Users he''d had any real interaction with. She''d also worked for Greta, so poaching her had given him a measure of personal satisfaction. Not to mention some limited but not insignificant insight into Greta''s operation. Clara had been happy to jump ship, going from one of many low level Users to a more important position at Red Works. ¡°No,¡± Derrick admitted. ¡°I''ll read it after the meeting.¡± ¡°It''s a briefing for the... nevermind.¡± she said and her shoulders sagged. ¡°I hope you were at least doing something important.¡± Did defying the laws of physics by stealing strange energies from beyond space and time count as important? It probably depended what he was doing with said strange energies. Which was... not much. He hated these meetings, but he had to admit they were important. He should have read the report, there was probably useful info in it. ¡°I appreciate the effort, I really do. I''ll have plenty of time to read the highlights while the other council members are talking¡± Derrick said and pressed forward, the meeting would start soon and he still had to deal with the next person waiting for him. Unlike the last one, this one wasn''t human, or at least not all human. She was Velorie Terran Caste and she definitely didn''t work for him. Or anyone, as far as he knew. She was a non-voting representative of the Velorie that the System would allow to live in their little slice of safety. While technically not born yet, hundreds of Velorie waited for the Enclave to become self sustaining before they would have bodies made for them by the System. This specific alien invasion was kind of his fault. He had run around like a suicidal madman, making sure West Hills survived the first few days of the Scourge¡¯s arrival. Now, as one of the most secure Enclaves, West Hills had gotten more than their fair share of Velorie immigrants. Where as Clara had hustled to confront him with prim professionalism, Shalka sauntered between him and the door he was headed towards. The confident stride reminded Derrick of both the dominatrices he''d seen in movies and a jungle cat on the hunt. She was built like an olympic athlete and her powerful muscles moved under her skin as she walked. Brushing a lock of braided hair behind a pointed ear, she cocked her hips and smiled at him, revealing a mouth full of teeth that were just a little too sharp to be human. Derrick met her bright purple eyes and had to force himself to smile. Derrick was self aware enough to admit, to himself at least, that he was both attracted to and terrified by her. He was pretty sure that was what she was going for. She was wearing a sleeveless and form fitting vest over what he was pretty sure was nothing at all. The tight but thick vest was bisected by a thick silver line that ran from her collar to the end of the vest''s skirt. It would look like slightly conservative clubwear but the addition of a high collar and fingerless gloves somehow made it almost a uniform. A uniform that screamed, I am an alien woman who is as sexy as I am dangerous. Deleterious was clearly not the only Velorie that enjoyed human media. This outfit was ripped straight from a decently budgeted science fiction movie. Sadly, knowing it was base emotional manipulation, did not protect him from it. ¡°I''m sorry,¡± the hybrid said with a flutter of dark eyelashes. ¡°I can''t allow you to wear your mask beyond this point.¡± ¡°Is that a new rule?¡± Derrick asked as he came to a stop. ¡°Who was elected hall monitor while I was away?¡± ¡°Me,¡± the hybrid replied cheerfully. ¡°I just cannot bear to see your handsome face covered.¡± Ghnnn. Life had not equipped him to deal with this. No doubt some other member of the council had complained to her and she was seeking to win approval from both of them by flattering him into taking it off during this meeting. Eyelashes fluttered once more. As blatant as her manipulations were, they did not come off as insincere. Stoically, Derrick removed his mask and shoved it into his jacket. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a flash of perfect yet inhuman teeth. ¡°You have such noble scars.¡± Ah, flattery. Well, if she wanted to play at manipulation, he could play too. Just not by her rules. ¡°You''re a magnificent liar,¡± he replied easily and honestly. ¡°How can I help the Velorie today?¡± He asked brightly, emitting a wave of auril that must have made her spine feel like it had turned to ice. Weeks of practice had let him turn the crude effects of his auril pulses into a more versatile toolset. He had used Auril Roar to cow men and women who were half feral. Brazen brutes who had been fueling themselves with adrenaline and System drugs since the Scourges arrived. She should have flinched, that was what he had been aiming for. A spike of fear and weakness. Invisible fingers running down her spine and robbing her muscles of strength. Instead, her eyes closed for a second, and she shuddered. She fell towards him before stopping herself at the last second, the long black nails of one hand digging deep enough enough into her opposite forearm to draw blood. She let out a quivering breath and the movement was much more erotic than he was comfortable with. Damn it, he had obviously made some kind of mistake here. ¡°You are... so adorable,¡± she said, a second before her eyes opened and stared into his. ¡°If only you...¡± She stopped herself and correcting her posture, gave him a shy smile. Derrick the Red had gazed upon creatures of nightmare that existed across multiple realities and felt less fear than he did at this moment. Even his auril seemed taken aback by the sensual display. Why did he attract the crazy ones? He was such a reasonable person too. ¡°All I want is for you to keep doing what you have been. Making us all safe. Now, they must be waiting for us inside,¡± she continued calmly with a welcoming smile. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Well, he wasn''t going to stay here. The two of them entered the council room and Derrick immediately felt the focused gazes of eight people fall on him. A chuckle escaped his lips. It was pretty amusing to him that he could enter a room at the same time as Shalka, sex on two legs, and he was the one everyone stared at. It was a simple room they''d entered, twenty feet across with a round metal table big enough to seat a dozen people in the middle of it. One door and one small window. The System didn''t feel the need to show off. Or it could just be Greta¡¯s spartan tastes. She had oozed herself into the position of council organizer. Mostly because the only other council member who would want the position worked for her. The extra work was not worth the tiny amount of authority it would give him. He could barely be bothered to even show up. He heard Shalka sit down in a chair by the door. As a non-voting member of the council, she wasn''t allowed at their special table.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The room didn''t need to be very large because in the entire Enclave, all the power lay in just eight pairs of hands. And the System itself, of course. The System had given this diverse cast of primitive dependants the power to create a legal framework for the Enclave. It was their job to create the laws and organizations that would run West Hills. They had no direct power other than that. They could not vote themselves points or traits, but they did have points to budget out to the institutions they were supposed to create. Enclave Founders was the title the System handed out. They were not kings, they were legislators. And in Derrick''s opinion, they were terrible at it. Only three organizations had actually been created despite a previous meeting that had devolved into hours of pointless arguments. Enclave Defence, Enclave Agriculture and Human Resources. The first two were self explanatory, while the third was about picking and training Users. At this point, none of them were much more than a name and a budget. Derrick insincerely smiled at everyone and saw the room''s occupants mostly look away. Yet despite the lack of eyes on him, Derrick could still feel the attention of most of the room. Derrick knew that many of his peers on the council were confused by him. His clothes, and martial accomplishments without formal military or police training made him seem like a petty warlord or gang leader that had rode luck and charisma to power. Luck and charisma, as if he had any of either. The fact that he ran what might be the most advanced medical company on the planet and was the Enclave¡¯s liaison to the Crusaders complicated the ease at which they could shove him in a category. The mysterious nature of his pre-Scourge life and medical company were also a big factor. The hilarious part was that he knew that many of them assumed he had a criminal background, due to association with the Demnol. The truth was, he had simply barely existed before the Scourges arrived. Even to the rather invasive programs and governments that he had grown up under, he had been just a name and birthdate. Thanks to the chaos of the Scourge attacks, most records of his existence had slipped through the cracks. Derrick pulled out a chair and sat down among his allies on the council. The Fight Clubs as people had dubbed them. He was pretty sure that moniker had been created by their opponents. They had too much time on their hands and really didn''t understand Users if they thought it would shame them. Those allies were Sarah Long, the Support User and Gregory, Ceo of Teslaforce. He nodded and smiled to them both. Sarah beamed back at him while Gregory gave a bored nod. ¡°The victorious champion returns?¡± asked the User two seats to his left, a stocky asian woman in glasses and a suit. Sarah Long was a lawyer turned Support User. While she officially represented a diverse group of people, it was a bit of an open secret that she mainly spoke for the biker group Breakneck. Breakneck was the third User run company in the city, specializing in Mechanics and they were just as aggressive as Red Works. The two groups had something of a friendly rivalry going on these days. Their goals were too closely aligned for there to be any real hostility. ¡°Another successful hunt,¡± Derrick declared. ¡°Your friends are still doing well? Enjoying the open road?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± was the professionally smug reply. ¡°You should be able to meet them in a day, if you stick around.¡± ¡°Since we are all here, we will begin.¡± Came an annoyingly familiar voice from the opposite side of the table. It was Greta, the short and dark skinned woman who had once held him at gunpoint. The last meeting had instilled a dislike for her that dwarfed that caused by the whole attempted assassination fiasco. ¡°The first orders of business should be the greatest threats to the Enclave,¡± Greta said, just as she''d said last time. ¡°Firstly our need to expand our agricultural production and secondly the creation of a unified defence organization. While the System''s guidance and missions prevent total failure, it is very far from perfect. It is necessary to supplement the missions with our own directives.¡± Immediately, Greta''s flunky on the council started talking about water tables and System equipment. Derrick forced himself to listen. After twenty minutes of statistics, the speaker called for a vote on expanding the powers and budget of Enclave Agriculture, supposedly to let them ''encourage'' the hiring of Support Users to produce the food they needed. In reality, even Derrick could tell this was a naked power grab by Greta''s faction. Dubbed by Blake as the Buristocrats. She controlled the majority of the support Users that ran the city, so any expansion of the city¡¯s powers was in her favour. On the other side, the Users that had carved out their own little empires from the ruins of the city fought tooth and nail against that. Every motion needed a two thirds majority to pass, so the motion died. Even with the support of the two Old Guard votes, it was split evenly. Greta seemed unsurprised by this. Though she frownedtowards their end of the table. ¡°If you are going to kill any motion to solve this problem, you should at least offer your own solutions.¡± ¡°Traditionally the offering of loans and grants to pioneers is more effective than forceful recruitment.¡± Aarav answered brightly. ¡°The classic draw of farming is owning the land you settle on. This benefit that lasts generations, not merely until your usefulness is at an end. If we are serious about attracting groups to defend and cultivate land, we should offer serious benefits. Not just a wage.¡± The Indian man was officially unassociated with any faction. His Role, Student granted him a seat and vote here. His entire purpose was to learn and teach without bias. He was unlikely to side with Greta however, as she''d had him kidnapped and held him against his will until Derrick had accidentally rescued him. To Derrick''s amusement, the indian man¡¯s answer did not please Greta. Her frown deepened. It got especially deep when Aarav''s motion to set up low interest loans and land ownership for successful User pioneer groups was passed thanks to support by half the Old Guard. No doubt, due to the fact they could use those loans themselves. Derrick made a mental note to talk to Clara about the feasibility of investing in food production himself. He liked the idea of owning land, even if it was dangerous wasteland. The Old Guard duo was made of a police officer and a retired army lieutenant, they almost always voted with Greta. Like her, they looked to rebuild the city of West Hills as closely as possible to what it had been before the Scourges. They controlled a number of User groups made up of mostly Guards. Those Users were now protecting the Enclave itself and enforcing its few laws on the Users inside of it. It was no mystery why they wanted more laws written and enforced. With that issue surprisingly resolved, they moved onto an even thornier issue, Enclave Defence. Essentially how much power that organization should have over Users and who should run it. One of the Old guard launched into a speech about the need for command and control. Of unity of purpose and clear chains of command. It was clearly a speech designed to make him the obvious choice to run Enclave Defence. It was clear, he had the support of his fellow Old Guard, as well as Greta and her minion. It was just as obvious that everyone else despised the idea. After several back and forth arguments, Derrick couldn''t keep his mouth shut. For the last ten minutes he had been working to keep a furious tick from showing on his face. Maybe, he thought to himself as he listened to the same argument be repeated for the third time, that first Grey Agent had actually killed him in that gym men¡¯s room. Maybe he was dead. Maybe this was hell. ¡°This entire argument is stupid,¡± Derrick announced, the suddenness of his declaration catching everyone else off guard. ¡°You all agree, in theory, that a powerful Enclave Defence would be beneficial for everyone. The problem you all refuse to admit though, is that we have no competent candidate for the leader of that organization.¡± Derrick let that sink in for a second. ¡°I and the leader of Breakneck are the two most experienced and successful leaders we have when it comes to fighting the Scourges. This is simple fact, and I can show you the numbers to prove it. And yet, the idea of either of us becoming some kind of Supreme Commander of West Hills is laughable. I wouldn''t accept the position if everyone on this council begged me too.¡± ¡°Yet you block our own efforts to fill the position,¡± one of the Old Guard replied darkly. ¡°You two,¡± Derrick continued, while nodding to the old guard. ¡°Are better candidates for the position simply due to you experience in complex security organizations. If only as mid-level officers. Yet neither of you will ever be put in charge of an empowered Enclave Defence because you are fighting yesterday''s war. A war you lost, horribly.¡± That provoked strong emotions from the two Old Guard. One of them snarled at him, causing Derrick to wonder how many of the older man¡¯s teeth he could break with a single punch and without using auril or manna. ¡°You¡¯re blaming us for the Scourges?¡± the other Old Guard spat out. ¡°We did as much as we could. No one could have done better. It is absurd to believe otherwise.¡± ¡°Derrick is correct,¡± said Sarah Long calmly but assertively. ¡°If we were fighting a conventional enemy or had an experienced and trusted group capable of command it would be doable. But we don''t, and no one here is willing to put ourselves at the command of an unqualified and untrusted commander simply because they were voted to be in charge. Even if you could pass the motion, do you really think it would be that easy? That everyone would just bow and do as they were told? Forcing a Supreme Commander on the city would just fragment us further.¡± ¡°And what have you done that makes you fit to judge us?¡± asked the other Old Guard cooly. Gregory stirred and held up a hand with four fingers pointed at the ceiling. ¡°Fed them, clothed them, bled for them and inspired them,¡± He said still sounding bored and dropping those fingers one by one. ¡°Everything you''ve done, but much more effectively.¡± Even Derrick was less blatant in his contempt for this council than the CEO of Teslaforce. While Derrick disliked the opposing faction, the older man simply had no patience for anything but his company and playing with System technology. Why was he even here? ¡°It seems like a compromise is necessary.¡± Greta said, typically unruffled by the arguments. ¡°We can all agree that Enclave Defence requires more powers to effectively operate and that those powers cannot include the election of a single overriding authority figure.¡± A flicker of distaste showed on her cold features. ¡°No Supreme Commander, as it was put. That aside, what powers can we agree on?¡± Silence reigned as the council members all eyed each other warily. It was going to be a long meeting, Derrick realized.
After what seemed like an eternity to Derrick, the meeting was adjourned and he stumbled out into the hallway. Predictably, nothing had been accomplished other than Aarav¡¯s pioneer support motion. Mentally exhausted, he and the rest of the Fight Club exited the room first. After a couple mumbled goodbyes, they each went their own way. They were all busy people. Derrick found himself alone. Which was odd, he''d expected Shalka to accost him again. Instead, not even his secretary, Clara was here to meet him. His vehicle was still parked out front he saw. It was empty though. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was this some sort of trap? It shouldn¡¯t be, he was too important to kill these days. His death would be messy, not to mention hard to pull off. Even his dumbest enemies had clued into the fact that if he were easy to kill, he¡¯d already be dead. Blake had probably just left to hook up with his girlfriend, Emily. At that very moment, he felt a gaze fall on him. He turned to see Greta separate from her political allies and approach him in a business-like manner ¡°Derrick,¡± she called and gave him a tight smile. ¡°Since you¡¯re back in the city, let me be the first to buy you a drink.¡± 6.4 Helpless ¡°Congratulations on you victory today,¡± Greta told him once he''d sat down and they''d ordered drinks. He''d ordered a dark beer, while she''d gotten a shot of whisky. Derrick idly wondered if he should read into that. As a support User she could probably get drunk, unlike him who had way too much alien crap in his blood for that. At the meeting, she''d seemed unflappable but perhaps she was feeling stressed? She might just be playing up this ¡®victory¡¯ of his. ¡°I don''t remember doing any such thing,¡± Derrick said honestly as he sent some messages using his phone. ¡°I doubt it felt like much of a victory,¡± his enemy said with a flicker of a shallow smile. ¡°Yet your power base, Users now outside West Hills, retained its complete independence. Strengthening your allies and yourself.¡± Derrick made a face. ¡°If you brought me here to rehash the meeting, I will just leave.¡± ¡°It was an honest compliment. You have adeptly formed a power block behind my back,¡± she said. ¡°You went from a no one, to a popular local hero and business owner in no time at all. Your success does pose a problem though. One that has to be solved. Considering the stalemate and hostility displayed by the council, I thought it would be better to approach you for an informal chat.¡± Derrick had figured it was something like that. He¡¯d had almost no contact with Greta, because he had nothing to say and had been running around putting out small fires. ¡°Why me?¡± he asked, mostly out of amused curiosity. ¡°Or have you already talked to the others?¡± A waitress arrived and delivered their drinks. ¡°Believe it or not, you are one of the more open-minded of your peers. Councilwoman Sarah ultimately represents the interests of Breakneck, who are if anything, a less restrained version of your own group. Their actual leadership has not made themselves available for a chat. Councilman Gregory will meet with me but is unlikely to care all that much about what I have to say. He sees the Enclave as simply a tool to further his own apolitical ambitions.¡± ¡°Aarav is a forgiving sort, I''m willing to bet he would at least listen to what you had to say. Especially if it wasn''t face to face,¡± Derick commented as he took a sip of his drink. ¡°See, here''s the problem, Greta.¡± Derrick announced. ¡°I don''t trust you. Aarav might have forgiven but neither of us have forgotten.¡± She opened her mouth to say something but Derrick kept talking. ¡°Specifically, you can''t be trusted to put the Enclave''s own interest above your political ambitions. I barely remember your murder attempt on me. It''s not even in the top twenty memorable attempts to kill me. But kidnapping Aarav and trying to sell lifesaving information? That was pretty low. Damning even.¡± He took another sip of his beer. ¡°I erred.¡± Greta admitted calmly, causing Derrick mild surprise. ¡°I did not truly understand the peril the Scourges represented. I am not an idiot however and understand that the survival of the human race is the priority. I will even go further and say that the prosperity of groups like Red Works, Breakneck and Teslaforce are heavily aligned with that survival. However, those groups cannot be allowed to do as they please. They are not a replacement for a functioning military and the Enclave requires one to survive.¡± It was impossible to tell how much of that was truth and how much was an act. She wasn¡¯t wrong. The current political set up was weirdly convenient for him, it allowed him to grow Red Works and rack up points and levels for his employees. He was unabashedly building a personal army and it was going really well. ¡°That is true,¡± Derrick admitted. ¡°The current... status quo is effective for now but I can''t see it staying that way forever. We will need someone or some organization to coordinate for any major crisis that happens. Happily, no such crisis exists at this particular moment. Beyond a mild food and water shortage that seems on its way to being fixed. The best bet, it seems to me, is to keep things the way they are and hope something changes for the better. That new options for management become available.¡± Greta downed her drink in one shot. ¡°There''s a crisis.¡± She said. Of course there was, Derrick thought to himself, of course there was. ¡°The System would have given out a mission,¡± was his hopeful reply. If he hadn''t received it, that meant the System didn''t think his help was necessary. It couldn''t be that bad if he hadn''t been bothered. Red Works and Breakneck were the only mobile System aligned forces in the area. ¡°It did,¡± Greta answered. ¡°To the office of Enclave Defence, and as it is currently little more than a name, that message was given to the administrative head of the council instead.¡± Which was Greta. Suddenly not having a leader for Enclave Defense seemed like a bad idea. ¡°The reason it went through Enclave Defence is that the mission is optional. It is not a crisis facing West Hills but rather Flint Creek.¡± It took Derrick a few seconds to remember what and where Flint Creek was. It was a larger town with a population of a few thousand. ¡°A town about a hundred and sixty kilometres (one hundred miles) north of here?¡± he asked. ¡°Just so,¡± Greta confirmed. ¡°I want an... informed opinion on the viability of this rescue mission. To the north, on the lakeshore, there is a failed minor Enclave. It was only considered viable for a few days before the System concentrated more on West Hills. It was mothballed due to a mild Inoculation outbreak supposedly making the region not worth investing in. Before it was cancelled though, a bunker was constructed. One large enough to hold a few thousand people. Those people should be safely sleeping beneath Inoculation ravaged land still.¡± ¡°And yet...¡± Derrick mumbled darkly. The last thing they needed was more people, if the people in that bunker were safe, they wouldn''t be talking about them. ¡°And yet, there is a crisis.¡± Agreed Greta. ¡°An Authority has detected something tampering with the bunker and requested we send a team to investigate. Thousands of lives could be in jeopardy, facing death or something much worse.¡± From her tone of voice, he could tell she meant much worse for them, not the people in the bunker. If the Grey Legion got theirs hands on a few thousand people it would be bad. Apocalyptic. Yes, they couldn''t afford to ignore this. ¡°Which Authority,¡± he asked. It didn''t sound like his Patron, It that Rewards Savagery, and he still knew next to nothing about the rest. Except that two of them had tried to kill him. Could this be another such an attempt? That was a long way to travel these days. Through an area that had become somewhat unfriendly. He''d gotten reports, well, heard stories of strange lights, an unstoppable wave of plague, spontaneous combustion, the landscape changing overnight and inhuman things crawling around in the dark and stealing people away.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Normal postapocalypse stuff. ¡°I will send you the entire request,¡± she answered. ¡°It was my hope that you would pass it on to Breakneck though. They are the best equipped for a mission that takes them that far from West Hills and where speed is of the essence. I thought they would take the matter more seriously if you were to bring it up.¡± Derrick considered what he''d heard and read the file she had just sent to his phone. It did seem like she was telling the truth. The mission was of clear System origin, sent by an Authority called HOTS. The acronym was memorable enough that he was sure it wasn''t either of the ones that had tried to kill him. Putting the number of Authorities he was aware of at at least four. From the corner of his eye, Derrick saw a familiar face enter the bar and give a thumbs up, he carefully ignored it. At least outwardly. Giving no obvious sign, he began to play with manna, using a trick that Third Striker and the Lurker of Loving Purpose had taught him. Did she hand off the mission in the hopes to weaken either Breakneck or Red Works? Maybe. She had little to lose if they were weakened. She would want them to succeed though, a thousand Grey Agents as neighbours was pure nightmare material. Ideally, she would them to suffer on the way back, within the territory controlled by the Old Guard. ¡°Thank you for bringing this to me. I will see if Breakneck is interested. I will also talk to some people and see if Red Works can help them out in any way, or fulfill the mission if they can''t.¡± ¡°We still have the issue of trust to work around though.¡± He said and almost casually, yet blindingly fast, reached over to her side of the table and grabbed her wrist from its position next to her empty shot glass. At first Greta just looked annoyed, but a second later he saw a flash of real fear on her face. ¡°Tried to message your bodyguards?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°They were identified and disabled while we were talking. Even if we hadn''t though, you won''t be able to message anyone right now. Don''t worry, you¡¯re not in danger. This is simply... a trust building exercise.¡± He was using manna to block all communications around himself, disrupting the Substrate to corrupt any signal that got with a few feet of himself. The Substrate was a pseudo real layer of the Fold that was directly next to their own. It was basically an artificial layer of reality used for moving energy. Either communications or transferring power. It was why System devices never normally ran out of power or lost signal. He''d learned that adding a touch of Canvas manna would allow that disruption to affect reality as well, turning himself into a very weak cell phone jammer. Third Striker had found that fascinating, if reproducible through other means. It was basically just a party trick, as he had to be sitting right next to the target for it to work. His range was limited by his Auril Style, which blocked continuous use of manna above a trickle. It was useless in a fight, but as a mysterious bluff, it worked wonders. Users tended to be very unnerved by anything that seemed to defy the System. Probably because it ran every aspect of their lives and it was all that was keeping them safe from the Scourges. Just as he finished speaking, Blake appeared from behind Greta and threw three pairs of shoes on the table. Why even... ¡°Shoes?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°I wanted proof that I''d disabled all three of her minions that you texted about. The obvious thing to take was their weapons, but the only non-System stuff they had was total junk. Cutting off their fingers seemed like overkill. So shoes,¡± Blake replied. ¡°It''s not their fault they work for a grade ''A'' bitch. Hello Greta, uncovered any new conspiracies lately?¡± ¡°What is this supposed to prove?¡± the short woman asked, ignoring Blake entirely. ¡°Violence doesn''t impress me.¡± That was rich coming from her, someone guilty of attempted murder and inciting a mob. Those were just the crimes he knew of. He was sure there many more. ¡°That if I really wanted you dead, you would be. I don''t trust you though and I need too if I''m going to risk myself and others on your word. So I''m making the consequences of further nonsense clear. You will support this mission with every ounce of power you have. The slightest bit of sabotage will be a Declaration of War and I have capabilities beyond what you are aware of. ¡± Like Quantum Awareness, which he''d used to pinpoint the three Users staring at him during their walk over here. He let go of her wrist. ¡°Message received. You have nothing to worry about,¡± Greta said and she stood up, leaving both her glass and the shoes on the table. ¡°Excellent, I hope this is the start of a mutually beneficial business relationship,¡± he said as she scurried off. Well, she didn''t actually scurry, it was more like a hustle. ¡°Oh, and thanks for the drink.¡± Both he and Blake just watched her go for a few seconds. ¡°Why haven''t we already killed her?¡± Blake asked. ¡°You''re too lazy and I think she is actually pretty good at running things,¡± Derrick said with a shrug. ¡°I half expected people to be eating each other by now. Instead, the city is weirdly normal.¡± ¡°That''s the System¡¯s work, not hers.¡± Blake countered. Derrick just shrugged. Maybe. He didn''t want to rock the boat though. If he whacked her or whatever, he would be obligated to fix the mess that created. Something that terrified him far more than an attempt on his life. ¡°One of her flunkies would just end up in charge anyway.¡± Blake Demnol mused. ¡°Killing them all would take too much work. Better the devil you know.¡± The two of them ordered another round of drinks before taking their business to another bar. This place had been Greta''s choice and so was compromised. Once they''d moved, they began to plan. Blake, almost despite himself, had a better head on his shoulders for politics than Derrick did. They discussed countermeasures to Greta and the best way to approach Breakneck. The blond haired User was at least as close to that group as Derrick was. ¡°Oh, call Mathew and get him to come back to West Hills. He''s from the Flint Creek area isn''t he?¡± Derrick ordered. ¡°I''m not your secretary,¡± Blake denied with a snort. ¡°But yes he was. He had nothing good to say about it. This is a real clusterfuck you''re sending us into.¡± ¡°I didn''t say we were going ourselves,¡± Derrick argued. ¡°I just agreed to cover support and try to recruit Breakneck. They might not even want our help.¡± ¡°Please,¡± Blake said scornfully. ¡°You''d never send anyone on such a dangerous mission without going yourself. You''ve thrown yourself, and me, at every enemy we come across. I just hope this isn''t some romantically distraught bullshit from you breaking up with Kate.¡± ¡°Breakup is not really the right word,¡± Derrick said, with a warning glance. ¡°Besides I''m not the romantic type.¡± ¡°You had her exiled,¡± Blake pointed out. ¡°If that''s not drama, what is? And even worse, you haven''t jumped on that Shalka hotness yet, when she is clearly willing. It''s so unfair, what about you do all these alien chicks love? Is it a pheromone thing? Do I need freaky red scars all over me?¡± He really didn''t want to talk about Kate with her cousin. The whole thing left a bad taste in his mouth still. He really wasn''t the romantic type though, his leaping into danger had nothing to do with her. Other than motivating him to become powerful enough to slap Noble Virulence in the face. Telling Blake to shut the hell up or trying to explain the obvious to him would just backfire, it was better to distract him. ¡°Firstly, you have a girlfriend,¡± Derrick dryly said. ¡°A beautiful one with some very interesting abilities. Secondly, you work for me, so make the damn call, minion. I have more important things to do.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Blake asked. ¡°Like making sure Red works can afford to employ idiots like you. Do you...¡± Derrick stopped talking, his silence joining the silence around them. A hush had fallen on the bar. Both he and Blake twisted around to look to the entrance. At first he didn''t see what the fuss was about. Something was definitely happening though. He could see dozens of people staring at something. A murmur broke out among those closest to the door. Was this some retaliation from Greta? Had he overplayed his hand and now... A auril pulse bounced back to him and revealed the culprit. He had been in front of them the whole time, he was simply too short to be seen over the bar''s booths. ¡°You have a mission to the area known as Flint Creek,¡± Third Striker said as he strolled into view and his oddly bisected eyes met Derrick''s own. ¡°I am coming with you, neophyte. I have business there.¡± 6.5 Innovation It seemed like Derrick was going to be heading up north to rescue some people. Everyone seemed to want him to. A short conversation with Third Striker had revealed that a Crusader was among those that needed rescue. That member of Third Striker''s Order, had been sent there before it had been abandoned. His Injection going astray by a few kilometres. The half small System facility in Flint Creek didn''t have the resources to re-body the Alien User, so it was awaiting safe transfer to West Hills. The last few weeks had made it clear that travel in the age of the Scourges was not as simple as jumping in a car and driving where you needed to go. That would be a good way to commit suicide. No, any real movement of that many Users would need scouts to clear the path and discover threats. Not all roads were still traversable these days either. He remembered Mathew talking about how they had been ripped apart by both the Spore Tyrants and the Inoculation. They might need to rebuild the roads as they travelled, especially if the facility needed evacuation. They had off-road vehicles, but using them to move thousands of people was not on the table. As a general rule, Red Works had moved west while Breakneck had gone east. Both groups had a few people to the north of West Hills, but by their nature, Breakneck could get there first. Did they want to just fly through that countryside and bypass Scourges to reach their destination? Probably not, this mission should be the start of a push to clear the north of Scourge threats. At least the ones he could, he honestly had no idea how one fought the Inoculation. He would see if they could work with Breakneck to send enough forces for that. He couldn''t abandon all the territory he''s cleared to the West. The second they pulled out, the Grey Legion and their ilk would slink back in. There was a lot of area to cover and anything could be hiding out there. A fact that Derrick had used to his advantage when he''d been out raiding the countryside. Using stealthy strike teams to surprise and eliminate Scourges one by one with auril using Fighters backed up by overwhelming firepower. While he couldn''t teach the Red Law, he could supply Users with auril and train them to use pulses and basic stealth techniques. He had even managed to strip down his Regeneration into a basic healing skill that his most talented students could learn. It required their full attention to use, so it wasn''t usable in a fight. It was basically healing meditation. Apparently, that was quite an accomplishment. After examining it thoroughly, Scynil had been impressed with how it didn''t have horrible side effects. It was common for primitive auril healing techniques to negatively affect the lifespan of those that used them. He''d put a lot of work over the last week into creating basic auril abilities that almost anyone could learn. He liked to think of it as investing in humanity, by turning people into transhuman killers. It was sort of his job as a Trailblazer for the Role of Hunter. Breakneck on the other hand, preferred a less subtle method of attack. Instead of scouting and surprise, they concentrated on speed and toughness. Their mobile forces were well equipped with System technology. Specifically, they had souped up bikes that could defy what humans knew of physics. Not only could they accelerate, brake and turn at incredible speeds, but they also allowed the charging riders to overlap their manna shields against incoming fire. It was frankly a terrifyingly effective method of attack. Not unlike a combination of a cavalry charge and a phalanx, but with guns. Lots of guns. The only downside was how expensive it was. They spent all their points on vehicles and siviril, the source of manna. You wouldn''t think a group originally made up of bikers would be so good at adapting to alien technology and its tactical uses, but Breakneck had at least a few very talented people working for them. Honestly, he suspected Aarav had a hand in it. It was supposed to be his job to learn and advise people on how best to fight the Scourges. It felt a little too standard for Teslaforce work. Besides, it was one thing to use a Teslaforce weapon, but another entirely to ride around with a Teslaforce made vehicle between your legs. Not that Derrick''s Red Work lacked for bright minds. He had just stopped in at his underground headquarters to visit the brightest of them. The Velorie, Deleterious. The lab complex hidden next to a bound Spore Tyrant node had changed a fair bit. The entrance was no longer an elevator in the middle of an intersection. That entrance still existed, but now the main way in was in a huge building, a couple hundred feet from the original entrance. The new building, gleaming silver and white stuck out like a sore thumb in the still ruined and abandoned neighbourhood. That would only last until the people sleeping below woke up though, then they would need to expand the city. Already, patches of high tech greenhouses were being built overtop of the worst damaged parts of the city. A handful of of those buildings were even owned by him, or Red Works anyway. The large unmarked building he was now entering was officially his head lab and factory, the facility below not being public knowledge. Only five human Users worked here though. A secretary, slash, security guard, an engineer to run the factory and three actual medical researchers that he''d had woken from the vaults below the city. These three scientists were little more than research assistants to Deleterious at the moment. He was hoping they would pick up useful skills and knowledge from Deleterious. ¡°So what have you got for me?¡± Derrick asked as he strode into the lab that the alien-hybrid called home. He noticed it had once again grown in size, now stretching at least a hundred feet across. Derrick supposed he needed the room, as far as he was aware, Deleterious never left the place. Ever. He slept in one tank and grew some of his own food in another. Both were right next to dozens of Scourge samples and experiments in tanks of their own. If he had been entirely human, he would have been clearly insane. But he wasn''t, so Derrick assumed the Velorie to be more focused than humans as a species. Not to mention a bit paranoid, one of the Velorie''s terms of employment was that no other Velorie could learn that he was here. Though fear seemed to play less a part in his isolation than him just loving his work. ¡°Progress, failure and success,¡± Deleterious announced from his workbench. ¡°What have you for me, oh glorious warrior scholar prince.¡± ¡°They haven''t arrived yet, but some interesting stuff from a Grey Legion base. Some failed Agents and a small collection of samples they seem to have taken from other Scourges.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Deleterious said with a brief grin. ¡°It is always interesting to know what The Competition finds interesting.¡± The Competition was what the hybrid called the Scourges. ¡°So, Progress?¡± the owner of Red Works queried. ¡°Yes, on the upgraded version of Nomad armor, tentatively named the ''Harmony'' armor. I''ve stumbled on a process that I believe will allow us to fix the lack of self repair. It is still very crude but I believe I can duplicate the Spore Tyrant and Grey Legion''s own healing by endowing the armor with a sort of pseudo life and letting it feed on its wearer.¡± ¡°That sounds like a hard sell,¡± Derrick said after a second of silence. ¡°Also perhaps not worth it just to improve its ability to repair itself. We can do that ourselves.¡± ¡°Properly executed, the host wouldn''t even notice the minor vampirism,¡± Deleterious dismissed with a wave, before pausing mid action. ¡°Unless they didn''t have sufficient auril, in which case they would die horribly and slowly, eaten by their own clothes.¡± That would make for an interesting warning label anyway, Derrick mused but didn''t interrupt. He had a feeling there was more. There usually was with Deleterious. ¡°A refined version would also bequeath additional benefits. The Spore Tyrant based materials we use in their construction, could be altered to provide very efficient motor support for the cheap price of increased calorie requirements.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You''re talking about wrapping people in a living exoskeleton,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Wouldn''t conventional technology be more efficient for that sort of thing? With manna you shouldn''t have to worry about power generation.¡± ¡°The Harmony armor would, theoretically, be more efficient at the lower extreme low end of the power scale and as you well know, not every User can afford a manna core. Most Users have a manna gate and are dependent on being near a System Station or a User with a core.¡± ¡°Stealthier as well,¡± Derick mused. ¡°Constantly drawing manna could give your location away, but internal auril is no easier to detect than any living body.¡± ¡°All still theoretical, I''m still working on creating cells in lab conditions. But yes, it is very promising.¡± The Hybrid said. ¡°Sadly I''ve failed utterly to come up with a usable weapon system that uses the same technology. The weapons provided by the System are superior in every way. Poison is an unreliable weapon when used against even those Scourges that are biological, and there are more efficient ways to produce ammunition than growing your own.¡± ¡°I don''t actually remember approving that project,¡± Derrick commented. ¡°I would remember telling you about how stupid it sounded.¡± Deleterious was too far inside his head to take the reprimand to heart. ¡°It was a logical offshoot of my research. Even in failure, I learned much. Like how... attached the adult human body is to their bones. They are a lot harder to remove and replace than they should be.¡± ¡°Is that why one of your assistants is in the healing tank?¡± Derrick asked gently but with an edge to his voice. ¡°Hmmm? No, no of course not.¡± The hybrid dismissed. ¡°She has a minor Spore Tyrant infection, acquired when taking samples from my neighbour. She''ll be fine. She is only technically and temporarily dead.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Derrick said. ¡°You mentioned a success?¡± The hybrid paused in his work and slowly turned to face his employer. When their eyes met, a huge grin split his face. Literally, the hybrid''s mouth stretched inhumanly wide when he couldn''t hide his happiness. ¡°I have replicated the process the System uses to apply auril brands to new Hunters,¡± he said and ran his tongue over his intimidatingly sharp teeth. Those users that became Hunters weren''t given the Heartless trait, instead they received the Hunter''s Brand, an obvious copy of his own Devil''s Brand trait. As the Trailblazer of the Hunter Role, it seemed like the rewards for that Role would be copied from him. He was essentially the prototype for the Role. He had complex feelings about that, it annoyed him that his hard earned abilities would be copied and pasted onto to others, but at the same time it was good that Hunter''s wouldn''t be useless without Quantum Awareness. The only reason Mathew and Stacy had been able to fight beside him was because of the stealth boost from that trait. ¡°While somewhat expensive and weaker than even the Brand given to Hunters, I can effectively apply it to any User with auril, boosting their defence against physical and auril abilities. Better yet, the System recognizes it as a trait so... A pause ¡°Users will be able to upgrade it at any System Stations.¡± Derick finished. ¡°Is it an auril trait? Can we offer it through System Stations?¡± The ability to buy a trait was a big deal, usually that had to be earned from titles and rewards for extremely dangerous missions. Auril traits were rare from what he knew and any trait could go a long way towards unlocking better Roles for Users. ¡°Indeed,¡± Deleterious confirmed, clearly pleased with both the fact that Derrick had guessed correctly and his questions. ¡°Although it will cost aurilin, so you might need another Dungeon if you want them to really take off.¡± ¡°I''ll look into it,¡± he answered without much enthusiasm. It was really up to Scynil, not him. He was not even close to qualified to bind a node. Not to mention it required a very rare set of circumstances. It would be nice though, his share of aurilin from the Dungeon could best be described as a slow trickle. Around one point of the rare resource a day. More than enough for him, but not enough to really affect the big picture. In total, that meant the output of the Dungeon could be used to create forty auril Users of his current level a year. Which seemed like very little but the effect would be cumulative. Unless those Users died and had their corpses looted, the aurilin would just build up over time. In two years, eighty extra auril users. In ten years, four hundred. Deleterious had turned back to his work while Derrick ran the numbers through his mind. The Velorie was in a good mood, this would be as good a time as any to bring up a somewhat delicate subject that he''d been curious about. ¡°So I recently met another Velorie,¡± Derrick said cautiously. The hybrid was a bit shifty about his and his species past. ¡°Oh?¡± Deleterious asked, apparently not much interested. ¡°Things must be going well up above then. Unless they are some kind of Fighter?¡± ¡°No, she''s a representative for your race. Every Enclave is supposed to have one to help integrate the Velorie.¡± Deleterious nodded absentmindedly. ¡°She is... very attractive,¡± Derrick said. ¡°She''s supposed to be.¡± Deleterious answered honestly. ¡°The Velorie skewed our hybrid form for maximum sexual appeal. It was our top priority.¡± Top priority? Derrick was enough of a realist that he knew looks were very important, yet the idea they were the most important character trait struck him as shallow. Why not something useful like perfect memory or focus? ¡°Ya, I thought either you or the System might have tinkered a bit... why did you do that?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Deleterious answered with a question of his own. ¡°Why would anyone want to be ugly?¡± His answer was a little too simple. That and a hint of flashood to his smile made Derrick think he wasn¡¯t being told the whole truth. ¡°Huh, what about your super strength?¡± While not as strong as Derrick, Deleterious was clearly much stronger than a human his own size. ¡°That was unintentional, it seems to be a form of hybrid vigor,¡± the alien born scientist explained. ¡°The interaction of human and velorie genetics producing efficient combinations, probably with helpful nudges from the System. Though it does suggest a certain innate compatibility.¡± ¡°Speaking of compatibility,¡± Derrick. ¡°This specific Velorie seems very... friendly.¡± Deleterious paused and turned to give Derrick a scrutinizing look, his eyes narrowed as he examined him. ¡°With you?¡± the alien hybrid asked, seemingly taken aback. ¡°As in, she has expressed a clear desire to fuck?¡± ¡°Eerr, yes.¡± Derick answered, a little thrown off by the alien''s language. ¡°Huh,¡± Deleterious said thoughtfully. ¡°Congratulations I suppose.¡± ¡°So you think I should go for it?¡± Derrick asked. Shalka was very attractive and he found her confidence endearing. He''d been holding himself back due to the many unknowns, but if Deleterious gave the okay, what could a quick fling hurt? ¡°What? No, that is a terrible idea. Just awful on every level.¡± Deleterious interrupted. ¡°I meant congratulations on being the most powerful male in the Enclave.¡± ... ... That... Yes, he was that, wasn''t he. ¡°It''s blatant manipulation obviously. Based on your admirable qualities, she very well might be eyeing you as a prospective member of her harem. But lacking any competition or... handmaidens, I suppose you would call them, she will not be feeling much of a drive to procreate. Even the effect of human sexuality on her will be suppressed by her need to remain independent in an inhospitable environment. How large are her breasts?¡± ¡°On the small side,¡± Derrick offered delicately, unsure of the relevance of the question. ¡°B cup probably.¡± ¡°Definitely not preparing to take a mate then,¡± the alien stated. ¡°They would be slightly bigger.¡± ¡°Well thanks,¡± Derrick said. ¡°This has been an enlightening conversation. I now know everything I needed to, more than I wanted even.¡± It was true, the last thing he needed was to deal with something this complicated. The idea of being in a harem didn''t appeal either. Looked like he''d be staying single for awhile. ¡°No thanks are necessary,¡± Deleterious said. ¡°Try not to reveal your knowledge of velorie sexual behaviour, lest you raise questions about how you knew about it. Even a capti...vating girl... woman would find that odd. Yes, odd.¡± As Deleterious was his employee, and a useful one, he was going to ignore yet another mental stumble. Whatever the secrets of the Velorie where, they could wait. ¡°Well, keep up the good work and make sure that assistant is back on her feet soon,¡± Derrick announced as he moved back towards the exit. As fun as this talk had been, he was a busy man these days. Case in point, he arrived upstairs to find the building had gained another secretary. He must still have had sex on the mind a bit because he couldn''t help but notice how Clara''s many silver ring earrings, dark makeup and spiky hair offset her suit in an interesting way. Now that she wasn''t at the City Centre, she was taking advantage of his company''s non-existent dress code. Good for her. It shouldn''t just be Fighters that went around looking like idiots. The future belonged to the brave. He gave his secretary a friendly nod as he walked into the buildings lobby. ¡°Things are coming together¡± She informed him. ¡°Mathew will be in the city in approximately ten minutes. Blake got in touch with Breakneck, they¡¯ve agreed to help and won¡¯t be coming to West Hills, instead they will head up north right away. They want to meet you in a place called Stifford. ASAP.¡± That was doable, he was almost ready to head out. Only one thing was holding him back. He wasn¡¯t going to show up at a meeting with Breakneck riding in the back of a pickup truck. Even if that pickup truck carried some heavy firepower. Transportation was not his area of expertise though. ¡°Contact Teslaforce,¡± he told Clara reluctantly. ¡°Let¡¯s see what they¡¯ve been up to.¡± 6.6 Abomination ¡°Your timing is unfortunate.¡± the Teslaforce employee informed him as he and Blake walked into the company''s main lab. ¡°We are, of course, working on several vehicle designs, including an airborne vehicle. None of them are near completion yet. Teslaforce has a bit of a reputation for fielding experimental designs, but we would never endanger our customers by putting unproven technology in their hands.¡± ¡°What''s the hold up?¡± Blake asked. ¡°System tech can make anything fast. Breakneck has produced all kinds of bikes and then there''s the Tempests.¡± ¡°The Tempests are modifications to existing vehicles. It''s one thing to replace an engine and add some armor, it is another to build a vehicle from the ground up. It is frankly, not a field of engineering you master in a few days. Teslaforce was never a company that dealt with vehicles anyway. In fact, West Hills itself lacks any kind of automobile factory, so we have had no access to people with relevant experience. Even Breakneck''s enthusiastic amateurs have given them a head start.¡± ¡°Thousands of lives are at stake, not to mention the fate of the world.¡± Derrick said. ¡°What have you got?¡± The Support User let out a hard done by sigh. ¡°Functioning vehicles? One prototype for a command and logistics vehicle. We anticipated the need for one as missions took Users further and further from the city. Something that could provide not just the ability to carry supplies but that could easily create replacement parts and ammunition.¡± ¡°That does make sense,¡± Derrick agreed. ¡°Very functional and mundane. What dangerous experimental technology did you put in it?¡± Their guide looked offended at the suggestion something Teslaforce made could be dangerous. ¡°Why would you think we put something dangerous in it?¡± ¡°You just said you didn''t want to sell us anything dangerous. Are you afraid it will break an axle and we will sprain our necks from whiplash?¡± Blake pointed out with a grin. ¡°Fine. It''s also incorporates prototype manna surveillance and counter surveillance technology.¡± ¡°And that makes it explode how?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°We understand very little about how manna works, but we do know its use can be detected. The command vehicle uses a modified manna gate to detect nearby Fold manipulation and charge the vehicle from nearby manna cores. To prevent its own detection by the same method, the vehicle can run off of internal capacitors for hours. We even incorporated a generator that can burn traditional fuels.¡± ¡°And the capacitors are experimental and explosive,¡± Derrick noted, then a thought occurred to him. ¡°Did Gregory come up with the capacitors himself?¡± Derrick knew that Gregory was cheating when it came to inventing things. Thanks to the System, something was whispering in his ear. As far as he could tell, it was more like bursts of inspiration or subtle guidance than anything too blatant. But if the owner of Teslaforce had been involved, it made things even more unpredictable. ¡°Only a little, and yes he did,¡± the guide said proudly. ¡°Small explosions at worst, and a chain reaction is impossible. Probably. It would take a direct and unlucky hit to the capacitors to trigger an explosive release of stored energy, even in theory. Any method of storing energy at extreme densities involves risk.¡± Blake did not seem impressed and Derrick doubted he himself looked sold. ¡°You''re the ones who wanted to see the prototype,¡± their guide pointed out reasonably to their frowning faces. ¡°You still want to see it, right?¡± Derrick sighed and nodded. If it delivered on half of what it was supposed to, it would be much better than riding a Tempest. About all they knew about the area up north was that something was messing with System hardware. Bringing some of their own was a no brainer. The manna detection was just a nice bonus. ¡°Excellent,¡± the guide said. ¡°Let me tell you a little more about what we¡¯re working on currently. It''s always great to hear about the needs and experiences of field experts.¡± What followed was a rambling series of questions and comments about gear and problems Users faced while fighting Scourges. Derrick answered as truthfully as he could, if not particularly enthusiastically. He did run a competing business after all. As the Teslaforce employee talked, he led them to the back of the building and into a large garage. Eventually Blake steered the conversation back to the vehicle they were here to see. ¡°As for armaments, it would have a Tempest Mortar Battery and a mount for a Buckler Cannon on the roof, accessible through a hatch.¡± ¡°That seems light,¡± commented Derrick. That amount of firepower could be carried by two guys on foot. ¡°It''s a command and logistics vehicle, not an assault vehicle. It''s not supposed to be on the front lines or taking fire. We''re nowhere near ready to start designing heavy vehicles. This is what we thought would be useful and doable immediately. Have no fear, more ambitious projects are coming.¡± ¡°Gah,¡± exclaimed Blake as the garage''s lights flickered on and revealed the subject of their conversation. ¡°It looks like a garbage truck. An ugly garbage truck.¡± It was ugly, Derrick had to admit. Although the garbage truck comment was a little unkind. The large six wheeled truck didn''t have the space between the body and cabin most civilian vehicles had. Instead, the entire vehicle was a solid mass of thick armor. Also, even mostly hidden behind dense skirts, he could tell it had larger wheels than any vehicle designed for city driving. ¡°The frame we chose is similar to that, and a garbage truck frame was one of the options we considered. A heavy duty mining vehicle was the design we settled on due to the increased off road capability it offered.¡± ¡°Why is it so... messy looking?¡± Derrick had to ask. The armor of the vehicle was all different shapes and colors. It looked like it had been made of scavenged materials. He was pretty sure he saw large patches of Grey Legion carapace on it, plus other materials he didn''t recognize. ¡°I did say it was a prototype,¡± the amused Teslaforce employee said. ¡°We are still testing different armor configurations and materials for maximum defence. Due to that, it does have a somewhat patchwork look to it.¡± ¡°It''s an abomination,¡± Blake said with a scowl. The blond User took his rides seriously. Derrick knew he had a couple choice vehicles he''d looted from the city stored away safely. ¡°Yes, that''s what the technicians call it as well. The Abomination,¡± the guide confirmed and beamed. Derrick smiled. ¡°Oh, is it ugly? Well, let''s just leave and go look for a Battle Lamborghini. I''m sure we will find one in the next few hours.¡± Blake didn''t bother to respond; he just scowled. It seemed like Derrick had actually hurt his feelings. Or at least dashed his hopes. How the blond User still even had optimism was a mystery to Derrick. Derrick looked ''The Abomination'' over. It was spacious inside and looked functional. The guide explained the limits of the capacitors and manna monitoring systems. The later could detect even small manna uses within a kilometre and displayed them on a screen. A User going all out with their manna should be detectable from at least three kilometres. Although the location might be a bit inaccurate. It was still a prototype. The upsized scavenger forge was foolproof as well. You dumped material in a bin and they were refined and stored until you needed something made from them. It could make replacements for any part of the vehicle other than the manna core and even eject materials as easily transportable bars. It all seemed very useful and it was an oddly impressive vehicle. You wouldn¡¯t pick a fight with someone who drove up in it.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Tell me your not seriously thinking about this,¡± Blake said with obvious disgust. ¡°Uggh, that¡¯s it. Starting now, I¡¯m saving up for my own ride.¡± ¡°How much?¡± he asked his guide, ignoring Blake. ¡°Oh, for our best customer, you can have it for free. Weapons and trailer sold separately.¡± The guide said happily. ¡°With a few conditions.¡± ¡°Like signing a safety waiver?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Or first dibs on any valuable stuff we find?¡± Blake added suspiciously. ¡°Ha, no. Nothing like that. I''ve been told to tell you that you should take our miss Stacy with you. We would like someone to keep an eye on the Abomination and give us a comprehensive report when you return.¡± Derrick had to keep his eyes from rolling. Sure, it was the vehicle they wanted to keep an eye on, not him at all. ¡°I''m going myself and taking Mathew with me because he lived up there recently. If I take Stacy with me, that''s all three of my Hunters leaving. I''m not sure that''s the best idea.¡± ¡°While Breakneck and your own company went east and west, Teslaforce sent a few exploratory teams up north. Just to keep an eye on things.¡± The man was still smiling but the look in his eyes was serious now. ¡°I''ve been told to tell you that she will come in handy and that her inclusion is an ironclad prerequisite of the sale.¡± So this condition was from Gregory, the master of Teslaforce himself. Well, he could live with that he supposed. Stacy wasn''t that hard to deal with and was far from unskilled. At least her spying wasn''t too invasive. He got the impression she was more of a character witness than some kind of cutthroat corporate espionage agent. Harmless. Although, that''s what a good spy would make you think. ¡°Fine,¡± Derrick said. ¡°You''ve got a deal. Bill me for both optional weapons and the trailer, give it a look over and deliver it to my farm outside the city. That''s where we will head out for Stifford tomorrow morning.¡± It was already getting dark and he didn''t like the idea of travelling through the night. Even this close to the Enclave, that seemed like an invitation to be ambushed by whatever was out there. -Break- The addition of the Abomination to their tiny caravan did little to change things up. The farm owned by Red Works that they were meeting at was just two kilometres outside West Hills and had been the staging ground of a dozen raids and scouting missions. The original farmhouse had been torn down and a series of greenhouses and giant sheds had been built over where been. Derrick had chosen this site for the System Station and the fact it was right next to a major highway. The original fields had been burned preemptively by Support Users that used the Station as a base for their cleansing of the area. Crops like the corn that had been growing here were a favorite food of the Spore Tyrants. That Primal Scourge could spread insanely fast through any kind of monoculture. Teslaforce had the new vehicle delivered by Stacy herself in the morning. She and a Support User that worked for Red Works would be responsible for driving and maintaining it. Derrick had her take the vehicle for a quick test drive with him. Meanwhile, he was kicking people awake and throwing them into the three Tempests he was taking on their noble quest. In total, this excursion involved twelve people. Three Hunters, a Support User and seven Fighters. Oh, and a Crusader. Of his ¡®officers¡¯, only Blake wasn¡¯t riding in the Abomination. He usually rode with the other Fighters anyway. Derrick claimed a comfy seat in the lab portion of the vehicle, leaving the front cabin to the drivers. Ten minutes after they left, he had a panic attack, thinking he¡¯d forgotten to bring Third Striker. It turned out though, the small Crusader had been in the Abomination¡¯s large covered trailer the entire night. Apparently he¡¯d hitched a ride with Stacy and just never left the trailer. Crisis aborted, they continued on their journey. Considering the alien hybrid could probably kill them all without breaking a sweat, no one complained to him. Everyone just let him meditate or sleep or whatever. The small town of Stifford was most of an hour away, if you put pedal to the metal. That was just the first of their destinations though, where he would meet up with Meg, the leader of Breakneck. After that, it would a slow slog through Scourges and desolate countryside. Mathew was quite clear in how bad the roads had gotten after just a few days. Tree roots, mutated by the Inoculation, had torn the landscape apart. They had to cut their way through them with System weapons because normal tools couldn¡¯t dent them. After two weeks? They could be forced to go on foot for most of the trip. The Inoculation was one of the Scourges that he knew next to nothing about. So he, Third Striker and Mathew were having a little chat. ¡°Yes, I know of the Inoculation. All Crusaders know of what it does, just as none know where it came from. It is not a true Scourge. It is a sin that has haunted the System since before what can be remembered,¡± the Crusader said. ¡°Spread by faithless cowards who shelter under the System yet would deny others the chance to earn their place there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an intelligent disease,¡± Mathew said, more practically. ¡°Not sentient but there¡¯s a purpose to it and a¡­ instinct. It learns and adapts. It¡¯s nothing natural, that¡¯s for sure. The System had the Users looking for the source, but we never found any.¡± ¡°Inoculation cores are Injected onto challenged worlds, these cores bury themselves in the earth and spread their sickness, adapting it to whatever lifeforms they find. Without these cores, the danger is limited. It is a slow process because while the cowards who spread the disease seek to use it as a weapon, the true purpose of the Inoculation is stranger,¡± Third Striker explained. ¡°It changes things. Makes them tougher.¡± Derrick said. He¡¯d learned that much. ¡°Only simple life has any chance to survive its touch, but yes.¡± Third Striker said, a hint of sadness in his voice. ¡°It was clearly never meant to be deployed on life rich worlds. It is commonly believed that the ancient marvel was supposed to be the opposite of a weapon. A tool to encourage the growth of life on primordial worlds. Life robust enough to resist the Spore Tyrants and other biological Scourges. There are ancient garden worlds protected by the System where the Inoculation has created flourishing paradises.¡± ¡°But if you throw it at a challenged world, it makes the Spore Tyrants less likely to win and use that planet to spread even further.¡± Derrick stated with a hard smile. ¡°The whole infecting and killing millions of people is just an unfortunate side effect. No to mention turning their own planet against them.¡± ¡°Yes, it is a tool of the callous and small that would see nothing survive on this world more complicated than worms and trees. I am ashamed on behalf of the System races for the unleashing of this blight on your world by members of our number.¡± ¡°If I was going to ask for apologies, it wouldn¡¯t be from you or any other Crusader. I doubt anyone who had the courage to travel here would be that kind of coward,¡± Derrick stated. He was playing up the flattery a little but he valued his relationship with Third Striker. Like all Crusaders Derrick had met, the short hybrid was refreshingly simple and helpful. He was here to gain levels by hunting Feral Artisans. As there was currently a shortage of those nightmares around, he didn¡¯t mind helping out with other things. The Inoculation has no soldiers though?¡± Derrick asked. He wanted to be clear on this. ¡°It won¡¯t create anything to defend itself?¡± ¡°The trees were a lot tougher than normal but they didn¡¯t hit back,¡± Mathew said with a grin. Derrick found the idea less funny, because it was too easy to picture. It wasn¡¯t like murderous plant life was rare these days. Or murderous fungus anyway. ¡°As I said, it is not a weapon or true Scourge. It is labeled as such due to the extreme damage it does.¡± Third Striker answered. ¡°Being a User should offer protection from it touch, though it is not guaranteed. The System itself can supply remedy in the unlikely event it lashes out at humanity.¡± That was good to hear, he had a single point of evidence that contradicted it though. ¡°So there¡¯s not going to be dangerous mutant animals up north? Like say¡­ giant bees?¡± ¡°Gigantism is a common effect of the Inoculation¡¯s touch, but nothing as complex as an arthropod could survive that touch. This is very well established. Any physical threat we find will be from other Scourges.¡± Where the hell were the giant bees from then? Derrick was no entomologist, but he knew bees the size of his fist had not existed anywhere on Earth a few weeks ago. Never mind right next to West Hills, Canada. He remembered seeing people freak out over garden variety yellow jackets getting stuck in offices. A month ago, one of the bees he¡¯d seen in that Grey Legion lab could kill people from sheer shock and fear. ¡°Was there anything else that might be dangerous up north that you remember seeing?¡± he asked Mathew. There was a long and silent moment as they waited on the older man to think the question over. ¡°Just one thing,¡± I remember seeing lights on the horizon. At first I thought they were from a city but there was never any city up that way. Nothing bigger than a few houses along the lake. Power was out everywhere by then anyway. This was when things were at their worst. It had to be Scourge related, but I have no idea what it was other than bright and in the middle of nowhere.¡± Derrick looked to Third Striker for answers. The Crusader just shrugged. ¡°It is not impossible that it was some working of the System, though it seems unlike any I have encountered. The universe contains infinite mysteries, fear not, we will face this unknown brightness together.¡± ¡°So, not a Feral Artisan?¡± Derrick asked and received another shrug. ¡°Unlikely. The System would let me know if one that blatant was in the area. I would have dealt with it by now. Banished it back to its lair in the Fold.¡± ¡°The Crusader you want to rescue wasn¡¯t sent here to deal an Artisan?¡± Mathew asked. ¡°No, his arrival and predicament was caused by simple misfortune. Injection is a powerful but imperfect means of travel,¡± Third Striker elaborated. Their conversation was cut short as Stacy exited the cabin at the front of the vehicle and moved to join them. Gripping a rail on the wall, she informed them of a development. ¡°We¡¯re getting one, maybe two manna signals from just off the highway.¡± she said. ¡°Nothing very powerful but it¡¯s definitely someone doing something. It would take us just a few minutes to check it out.¡± Derrick considered the idea. Technically, they were in a rush but it would be a good test to see how reliable the detection system was. Not to mention, by ignoring it, they could be leaving a threat behind them. Although, the most likely scenario was they were dealing with a group of Users. It could also be a cell of Grey Legion Agents in hiding. ¡°Find somewhere to stash this thing and us Hunters will take a tempest and do some scouting,¡± he ordered. It had been a short trip so far but he did feel like stretching his legs. 6.7 Complications ¡°It seems counterintuitive but leaders are not supposed to be leading charges,¡± Blake said as Derrick hopped out of the Tempest. He could tell that Blake wasn''t really trying to stop him, he was just taking the opportunity to point out the obvious. ¡°I''m just going to take a quick peek over to see what''s going on. It''s probably just another group of Users. I''ll probably be spending the next ten minute making new friends.¡± ¡°Oh, for sure.¡± Blake said from the Tempest''s driver seat. ¡°Well, holler if you''re being murdered.¡± The Abomination''s sensors had detected one or two weak Fold reactions. Worst case scenario, it was a few of the stealthy breed of Grey Agents. They had cruised around the bend in a dark running Tempest and immediately spotted the likely source of the signal. A small farmhouse with two cars in the driveway. The vehicles looked worn and dirty but functional, obviously they had been driven to this spot by whoever was inside the house. This suggested that if they were dealing with Users and they were either not from West Hills or not very impressive. Most Users from the Enclave drove Tempests or other upgraded vehicles. These were muted brown colors but were obviously not touched by System technology. Derrick saw and felt nothing that suggested they had been discovered. The house was close to the highway but hidden behind a small wooded area. Considering the low traffic in the area, the chances of anyone stumbling here by accident was pretty much non existent. Perhaps they hadn''t set a watch? Placing his mask over his face, he took point. As the Hunter with the best stealth and regeneration, he was always in the lead. Just out of sight of the house, the trio crept along the property line, keeping a couple feet of bush between them and any windows. They stopped halfway to the house when Derrick''s auril returned with two human signatures in the house. They seemed healthy, awake and human. All good signs. One of them had a decent amount of auril. More than average among auril users. He informed his allies of their position and numbers, his voice sent over radio and stopped from carrying by his mask. ¡°Maybe we should introduce ourselves,¡± Mathew suggested. ¡°Less chance of a misunderstanding that way.¡± ¡°I want a visual,¡± Derrick returned. ¡°At least some idea of who we are dealing with.¡± Pockets of survivors could be...rough. The System did a good job of weeding out the worst of humanity when it chose its Users. It also did a surprising job of giving them hope and preventing nihilism and fatalism from turning people self destructive, mostly by keeping cell phones up and running and that first week where the System would punish people for attacking each other. Yet, surviving outside an Enclave was stressful to say the least. The horror, loss and desperation led to all kinds of breakdowns and downward spirals. With civilization and the obedience protocols gone, some Users had gone a bit feral and paranoid. They could also be Spore Tyrant carriers, though those hadn''t been seen since the Slaver Node had been bound. He doubted there would only be one of those though, it had come close enough to taking over the Enclave that it had proven to be effective. One of the reasons he''d had the lesser nodes captured was to make sure that trick couldn''t be used twice. So ya, they''d come this far, they might as well sneak a glance. The trio continued to creep up the side of the property until they were out of sight of any windows. Then they darted to a bare wall and Derrick let out another pulse. Derrick detected three people in the house now. All on the main floor. If they slid up the side, he could look though that large window, they might have a good chance to spy on the houses occupants. One of them was... ¡°We are in a hurry you know,¡± Stacy said casually a she tracked the people inside. ¡°Could we get this over with?.¡± Ah, he¡¯d spaced out. Using auril tended to do that to him. He got a little too focused. A wave of auril hit him and was subtly repulsed. From beside him Stacy began to swear though. ¡°Shit, I''ve been pulsed.¡± Ya, that wasn''t great. He sent out another pulse and saw two forms rushing to the back of the house. Two? There had definitely been three a few seconds ago. An auril ability would probably be active all the time which meant... Yup, there it was. A slight blur near where the third person had been. A camo device. Something that used manna to hide from auril. Albeit, imperfectly. That was weird, he mused, manna camo wasn''t the kind of equipment an average User could afford. Expensive and niche, it wasn''t subtle enough to be useful against Spore Tyrants and, thanks to him, the Grey Legion in this area was very used to fighting opponents that could avoid auril detection. Huh, could this group be sent by Greta? Either to watch them or something worse? It seemed like too much of a coincidence but the combination of a decent auril user and a camo device meant they weren''t ragged survivors. ¡°One camo-device,¡± he informed his allies. ¡°Two heading out back. I''ll take the third with camo that is heading out front.¡± His allies probably didn''t have a fine enough senses to track that one anyway. It was headed out front, no doubt circling around them for a surprise attack from the back. Their auril user must have revealed Mathew and Stacy¡¯s location. Rushing to fulfill his command, his allies turned the corner and he lost sight of them, he heard a strange voice shout out. No gun shots yet, that was good. Talking was better than violence. He turned his thoughts back to his own confrontation. A common side effect of preventing people from using auril on you, was being unable to use it yourself. So Derrick just waited, pistol drawn and tracking the blur through the houses walls. In just seconds, a large man turned the corner and froze when he saw Derrick aiming a huge pistol at his chest. His own weapon, a System rail gun, was pointed not far from Derrick''s feet but they both knew that Derrick could shoot him before he could get the weapon pointed up and at him. That point must have been especially clear due to the fact the man hadn''t bothered to throw any head protection on, he must have been too rushed. The pistol Derrick was holding was new, a weapon from Teslaforce he''d had built. The last one had been recalled for safety reasons. This one was essentially a combination of a scaled up rail-pistol with a laser gun attachment. He''d had it designed to be an effective way to shoot through shields and it looked mean enough that the man in front of him dropped his own weapon. It fell to his waist, held up by a strap over his heavily armored shoulder. The man was wearing much heavier armor than most Users did, it must have a built in camo effect against auril. Interesting and novel. ¡°Thanks for dropping your weapon,¡± Derrick said and made no move to drop his own. ¡°No need for anyone to get shot. Me and my friends were just in the area and found your group to be interesting.¡± The man was maskless and he gave Derrick a pearly white smile. No doubt this was supposed to be reassuring but it just worried Derrick. It was too easy and sudden. Smiling that easily after turning a corner and finding a gun in your face? It was unnatural, Derricks instincts and experience with other Users told him. ¡°You''re from West Hills?¡± the man asked, apparently relaxed. ¡°We were just headed that way to see if it was all true.¡± ¡°True?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°That the city was being rebuilt,¡± the man continued. ¡°We saw videos and thought it would be good to take a look for ourselves. I hear the food is better than ever. Err. Can you put your gun down please? I did.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Derrick agreed. ¡°Because I would have shot you if you didn''t.¡± Despite having disarmed himself, Derrick got the clear feeling that this man was dangerous. It was something in his eyes, plus his odd equipment. ¡°Look, I don''t want to fight. Please just let me make sure my friends are OK,¡± the stranger said in a friendly tone and stepped towards them, curving to keep distance between himself and Derrick. Derrick was also a little curious himself about what was going on out back. He allowed the man to circle around until Derrick was at his back. ¡°Stop,¡± Derrick said just before the man turned the corner. He wanted to keep him in sight. So far, he didn''t hear any sounds of fighting, which meant his team should have overwhelmed the other Users. ¡°Look, this is silly...¡± the stranger began while slowly turning back to face Derrick. With a flick of his wrist the stranger threw a grenade at Derrick. A perfect Sphere of silver and white. Obvious System make, but of a kind he didn''t recognize. Probably lethal. The System chimed him with a confirmation as the object slowly flew towards him.
Fold Grenade A device containing a tiny unstable manna gate. Can have a wide variety of effects depending on the skills of the User.
Huh, he''d heard about these but never seen one. Only System Stations could create them and they were both hard to unlock and expensive. Derrick extended his own manna into the substrate, seizing control of a small area, letting manna flow from the Canvas and wrapping it around the thrown explosive, he caught the grenade in his hand. Derrick saw a look of pure surprise on the other man''s face that only grew when he threw the grenade back at him. Just like when he''d stopped Greta from calling for help, he had used canvas manna to confuse the grenade long enough to prevent it from exploding. Once it had entered his manna domain , its manna gate had been disabled. Maybe even damaged. He really should thank Third Striker for the lessons. It didn''t explode when it hit its owner. All he¡¯d done was prevent it from going off near him. It did make for one hell of a distraction though. He managed two pistol shots into the man¡¯s armor before the other User could react. Crap, sparks of blue light and the lack of holes revealed that the armor was good for more than just stealth. It seemed like he would need to batter his way through the man''s manna before he did any real damage. He had a few options if he wanted to kill the man but that seemed premature. Instead, he just advanced, axes drawn. ¡°Shit,¡± the stranger yelled as a few more bullets sent him stumbling back. Apparently, the bullets from his pistol hurt, despite the manna-reinforced armor. Derrick tried to hit the grenade but just hit the man''s hand instead, sending the grenade tumbling to the ground. It seemed like he''d damaged the man¡¯s hand though, because his target fumbled their grab at the gun on their hip. By the time he''d gotten a good grip on it, Derrick had an axe flying at him. The man blocked with the gun, which had been Derrick original target anyway. Sadly, the axe hit on a weird angle and failed to cut deep enough to do any real damage. With only a few feet between them now, Derrick got a good look at the other man. Strong features and short hair added to his determined expression. He didn''t seem like he was going to surrender. Instead, he seemed furious. The Hunter sent a flurry of blows at his enemy and was surprised when the other man blocked them with a dagger. He had good reflexes anyway. Although his weapon was holding him back. Derrick always had a bit of lash in his system these days, due to the upgraded drug package the System had installed inside him. He rarely Lashed though. He did now, flooding his body with the alien drug and feeling the world slow down. Again and again he hammered at the man but the other User managed to dodge and block every time. He was obviously getting desperate but he managed to hold on under Derrick''s attacks. The Hunter only managed to land one serious blow, his axe digging deep into a bicep before he retreated from a knife swing. A kick caught Derrick and the man took enough space to fire a burst of bullets at Derrick. Derrick easily countered by flooding his gauntlets with manna. A burst of silver light stole the power from the bullets. They dropped to the ground and were immediately trod under Derrick''s feet as he advanced again. ¡°Surrender,¡± Derrick commanded, hoping the bullet blocking trick would intimidate the other into giving up. It usually did. The man just looked at him, his face devoid of any emotion Derrick could read. For a few seconds their eyes met and Derrick could see the heavy thoughts behind the man''s eyes. Then, he blinked and gave Derrick another empty smile. Dropping his gun and knife, the man pulled out another two grenades. One of which looked like a good old fashioned army weapon. Still smiling, the stranger collapsed bonelessly as the back of his skull exploded. It was a horrific sight under the effects of Lash. Thanks to his enhanced senses, tiny bits of skull and brain matter were visible as they flew through the air. The man had been fast. Lashed, Derrick was much faster. ¡°Fucking idiot,¡± Derrick swore as he stared down at the corpse. He put his pistol back on his hip. What the hell had this fucker been thinking? Had he been trying to get Derrick to kill him? A suicide attack with a grenade? He carefully stepped around the body and the dropped explosives. He didn''t want to get anywhere near the old school grenade. He turned the corner. Thirty feet away, Stacy was kicking a dead body and swearing. While Stacy''s knife had a line of blood on it, it looked like she had killed the man with her own pistol, much like Derrick. Other than being masked in a plain brown mask, this other User looked exactly like the one Derrick had killed. It seemed like her experience had been not too different from his own. Mathew on the other hand had a prisoner, a young woman, almost a teenager, wearing black makeup and crowned with short black hair. She wasn¡¯t resisting. Stacy stopped her assault on the corpse and turned to Mathew. ¡°A lot of help you were,¡± she said nastily. ¡°He wasn''t trying to kill just you,¡± Mathew said almost sadly and nodded to the kneeling girl. ¡°He wanted her dead more than you. I thought it would be best to stay out of your way and keep her alive.¡± ¡°Well you did a shit job of that too. If I hadn''t shot him you both might have been in danger.¡± ¡°Oh, good.¡± Derrick said, announcing his presence. ¡°They''re not all dead. My guy tried to kill us both when he realized he couldn''t outfight me.¡± Which was really weird. Everything was about survival these days. He had a hard time imagining Greta employing suicide soldiers. Especially ones this well armed. He wanted answers. Why the hell would Users fight to the death with complete strangers? Were they criminals? People who had committed crimes so vile that they felt the need to murder anyone they stumbled on? The girl didn''t seem like the type and she probably hadn''t been kidnapped or abused by them. She didn''t have a rifle, but she did have a knife, pistol and decent armor on. Not that she''d tried to use any of them when the fight broke out. The girl turned to look at the new voice and seeing a tall masked man armed with axes striding towards her, panicked. ¡°Ah, I surrendered!¡± she screeched at him while flinching. She threw herself to the ground a second later. ¡°I''m not one of them really, they just brought me because of how good I am at auril!¡± If it was an act, it was a compelling one. It also hit him right in one of his weaknesses. The chance to learn more about auril. Not that he was seriously considering killing her. That last kill had left a very bad taste in his mouth and a stone in his stomach. Both morally and practically, it upset him. The entire fight seemed like a waste to him. Two obviously successful Fighters, dead for what? He banished the feeling best he could and got back to practicalities. The girl was hyperventilating now, he noted, but she was still armed. Mathew was standing beside her, no doubt he would bash her with the flat of his machete if she tried anything. He was a gentleman like that. ¡°Stacy, please gently disarm her,¡± he said. ¡°I would really like to know what the hell this was.¡± ¡°Fine. Oh stop it,¡± Stacy told the girl as she flinched away from her. ¡°We¡¯re like the nicest people you¡¯re going to meet these days.¡± Sad but true, Derrick though as he watched Stacy disarm the girl and bind her wrists behind her back. ¡°So I''m guessing you don''t work for Greta,¡± Derrick opened. ¡°I don''t know who that is,¡± their prisoner said. ¡°I''m from Dewport. They just hired me to come here and use auril to scout a clear path to West Hills.¡± ¡°Well, that makes no fucking sense,¡± Stacy said. ¡°Why do some random Users from a city a couple hundred kilometres away come here just to fight us to the death. There are easier ways to commit suicde.¡± ¡°Dewport had a military base,¡± Mathew added. ¡°A real one where they stored weapons and trained recruits.¡± ¡°Huh, these guys do look like military.¡± Derick admitted. Man, he hoped he hadn''t murdered some scouts sent to check out or help West Hills. Although, if that was the case, why the death wish? ¡°The Captain is in charge of Dewport,¡± their prisoner added helpfully. ¡°The city is under martial law. Everyone does what he says since he beat back the Scourges.¡± ¡°Lovely,¡± said Stacy with a look of disgust on her face. Wasn''t it just. They were headed towards Dewport too, though not directly. Flint Creek was about halfway there if you took a bit of a detour. The weird coincidences just kept piling up. ¡°Hey, come check this out.¡± A shout came from the front of the house. It was Blake. He noted the prisoner without comment and waved them towards the vehicles parked out front. He''d popped the hoods on both vehicles. ¡°Shitty old trucks on the outside, but brand new System technology on the inside,¡± the blond User informed them. ¡°Doesn''t look like something from West Hills either. The backs are full of equipment and ammo. I already called someone from the farm to come get the bodies and loot by the way.¡± Well, at least they''d get something stumbling into this mess. Some engines that might be valuable and a bit of auril and siviril in the bodies. Oh, and he wanted to play with those grenades. He should be able to use them now that their owner was dead. ¡°They were up to something fishy,¡± Mathew said unnecessarily and eyed their prisoner. ¡°Something they really didn''t want us to know about. Which means it wouldn''t have been to our benefit.¡± ¡°We''re what? Twenty minutes outside the city and we already have complications,¡± Derrick complained. ¡°We¡¯ll get answers as we drive. If she even knows anything.¡± She seemed to be just a hireling. Maybe she could be helpful though. ¡°When you came south, did you go near flint creek?¡± he asked her. The girl blinked at him slowly, looking surprised at the question and quite pathetic with black makeup smeared on her face. After a second she began shaking her head. ¡°Inoculation territory? No one goes there.¡± She stated, matter of fact. ¡°Everyone who does just disappears.¡± 6.8 Breakneck Their prisoner was an eighteen year old Fighter named Sam. They got very few secrets or explanations for the attack from her. What they did get was a picture of what was going on in the city of Dewport. It was not encouraging stuff. Dewport''s history was a mirror of West Hills¡¯, but with much less drama and more desperation and despair. A Slaver Node hadn''t festered below them and sent an army of zombie nodes to spread chaos through the city. The Lurker of Loving Purpose hadn''t dropped in to smack their toughest Users around and make cryptic denouncements. As far as he knew, they hadn¡¯t had to deal with the mind bending nature of the Feral Artisans. Instead, there''s had been a slow but desperate battle against Spore Tyrants on one side, while trying to hold back the Inoculation on the other. While that seemed like it would be an easier fight than West Hills, the small city hadn¡¯t had the advantage of being an official Enclave like West Hills did. For whatever reason, they had received much less support from the System. They were granted fewer Users and other important perks, like medical centres and the occasional orbital strike. Derrick found this a bit odd, as the fight in Dewport should have been the easier one to win. Dewport hadn''t had the Grey Legion snatching people out of their homes or a Feral Artisan sucking an entire parking lot into another dimension. The Inoculation was troubling but ultimately there was only so much damage it could do to Users. If the System had wanted to, it should have been able to push back the Spore Tyrants relatively easily. Maybe the alien AI had just made a mistake or it was just the random nature of Injections. West Hills might have just won the teleportation lottery. Anyway, the point was that things had gotten dark in Dewport. The Scourges sucked for everyone. One day you were an office worker named Becky or Tod, the next you were fighting tentacle monsters in the sewers because an alien AI disguised as a vending machine had put a chip in your brain and a melee weapon in your hand. Things were bad enough when you knew your family was safe and that you would have a safe place to fall back too. Dewport and its Users had lacked those small comforts. The worst part was that the city had lacked the large System shelters offered in West Hills, which meant regular humans had nowhere to hide and had succumbed to the Spore Tyrant''s infectious spores and the Inoculation in huge numbers. Apparently, even now, the smell of burning bodies, mixed with the pungent scent of mold and rot, covered the ruined shell of the city. Well over half of the city''s population was thrown into those fires before things got under control. The survivors had taken to wearing their masks in their sleep, to escape the smell. Derrick couldn''t help but grimace at the thought of that bit of horror. The idea of people fighting under those conditions was as horrifying as it was inspiring. The military base in the area had helped. But the nature of the military and those that served in it meant that few of them had become Users right away. They had tried to stem the tide but were not equipped or trained to fight killer alien fungus. Most of the soldiers died before they could become Guards and benefit from the innate resilience of Users. The survivors that became Users had stepped up though, realizing that they lacked the numbers to save the city, they had worked with and encouraged other Users to fight. Still, the Spore Tyrant¡¯s weren¡¯t the alpha Scourge for nothing. Multiple times, the desperate combat Users had been on the edge of losing the city entirely, near overwhelmed by the Spore Tyrant¡¯s auril fuelled growth and clouds of toxic spores. The Primal Scourge spread through the sewers like fire and choked the air with clouds of spores, using the bodies of the fallen as food and weapons. Sporelings and Bleeding Tooth Behemoths swarmed through the streets in unstoppable waves that tore Users apart or melted them with acid. Defeat was inevitable. Enter the Captain. At first he''d just been a regular Guard User. A nameless soldier from the army, first to battle and last out of it. Commendable but hardly unique. Derrick''s old friend Jenny, had been like that. As casualties mounted the Captain survived and more often than not, found themselves in charge of the efforts to save the city from the monsters that would devour it. According to Sam, the Captain never slept or rested, just fought tooth and nail for the entire first week. Half a dozen times the hero of Dewport had been declared dead. Buried alive in flaming rubble, dragged below the ground by grasping tentacles or riddled with poisonous darts. Only to show up for the next desperate fight with a flamethrower in one hand and a sword in the other, shouting encouragement and beating the inhuman back with powerful blows and superhuman will. When the System had declared the city free from immediate threats and officially recognized it as a safezone, there had only been one choice for their leader. Dewport, a small lakeside city of no particular importance, before the Scourges, had a population of about forty thousand. Even if most of those people were now dead, that put an army at the Captain''s command. That command, currently seemed to be sending heavily armed and fanatical infiltrators into West Hills for purposes unknown. ¡°Well, that does suck,¡± Meg admitted and took a drink from her silver flask. It was an ornate thing, moulded to display eagles and snakes. A moment of contemplation turned into a scowl. ¡°After we finish this Flint Creek business, I''ll need to set up some kind of border patrol. Not really what my boys are good at, I have to admit.¡± Her, Derrick and Blake were sitting on a patio that was attached to a roadside hotel and bar. It was a big patio but the three of them were the only ones on it, although Breakneck members swarmed the general area. The black haired biker leader had shooed the others away. ¡°Hire new ones,¡± Derrick sagely advised. ¡°You should have the points and there''s no shortage of people that need training.¡± ¡°The whole Captain story sounds like propaganda to me,¡± Blake announced. ¡°Said hero would have been wearing a mask whenever people saw him. Maybe different dudes wearing the same outfit, Dread Pirate Roberts style? System gear is tough, you could just strip it off the corpse and slap it on another guy.¡± ¡°All of them with the same name?¡± Derrick asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Maybe profile names can be changed,¡± Blake answered. ¡°Has anyone looked into it?¡± ¡°It could be mostly true,¡± Meg said with a shrug. ¡°It''s really not that different from Derrick¡¯s own story. Just better publicized. If he''d been smart enough, he could have done the same thing. We could all be serving under the Savior of West Hills. Derrick the Red. Friend of Crusaders and enemy of the Grey Legion. Might even have been easier, the Legion is a more photogenic enemy.¡± Meg shot him a mocking smile.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The leader of Breakneck seemed to be doing well for herself. Her skin was still healthily tanned and her hair was in an almost casual ponytail. It she found leading the biker gang turned pseudo military high speed attack force stressful, it didn''t show. The slightly stocky woman was wearing the same armor he''d seen on the rest of her group, a tight fitting black outfit with heavy padding and a black jacket thrown over it. The Users of Red Works wore customized masks with hoods, but unsurprisingly, the Users of Breakneck preferred full helmets. Each jacket and helmet had the Breakneck symbol blazoned on at least one spot, a stylized knight made from horizontal lines white background, lance down and charging. ¡°I like the logo,¡± Blake said, his thoughts apparently echoing Derrick''s own. ¡°You managed to convince your people that flaming or winged skulls were overdone?¡± ¡°Just barely,¡± Meg said with a snort. ¡°Almost had a rebellion on my hands. Worth it though. I felt it would be better to leave the more obvious biker paraphernalia behind though. Do some re-branding. At this point, we have three times the number of recruits as old hands anyway.¡± ¡°Probably wise, cavalry and knights are very inspiring images. Not to mention you¡¯re much less likely to cause a panic than with the flaming skulls.¡± Derrick agreed, picturing an army of armed and faceless black bikers covered in flaming skulls pulling into a town to ''save'' it. ¡°What news from Flint Creek? I''m anxious to know what''s lurking up there. Any luck clearing the roads?¡± According to Mathew, they should a nightmare of roots thanks to the Inoculation mutating the trees. ¡°No,¡± The older woman said. She took a swig and shook her head. ¡°The roots are that tough?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Or is some Scourge giving you trouble.¡± ¡°Neither,¡± she replied, unhappily. ¡°At least not yet. We didn''t have to clear the roads. Someone already did that. That was suspicious enough I didn¡¯t want to check it out until you arrived.¡± ¡°Users?¡± Derrick asked, surprised. ¡°The people from Dewport?¡± Had the User he killed been part of an attempt to spy on them or prevent them from heading to Flint Creek? But why? Maybe... ¡°No,¡± the biker chick interrupted and shook her head again. ¡°Something has torn right through the roadblocks. Shredded them and actually patched the roads up. It''s a Scourge as far as we can tell. The patches aren¡¯t asphalt or anything the System makes and it seems to lead outwards in every direction from somewhere near Flint Creek.. The problem is that the System is being even less helpful than normal. We¡¯ve gotten no missions or even hints to what we might be up against. It¡¯s enough to make a girl nervous.¡± ¡°I''m not sure how reliable The System will be for this mission,¡± Derrick admitted, thinking of the Hollow Majesties. ¡°The mission was to investigate tampering, not someone forcing their way into the bunkers. There are Scourges that can trick the System, to a degree and this sounds like their work.¡± Derrick saw Blake push his chair back and rise to his feet. He wasn''t surprised, his second in command tended to avoid conversation about the Hollow Majesties. The blond User hadn¡¯t been visibly upset or even surprised when Kate had turned out to be under the influence of a Scourge, but he also wasn¡¯t OK with it. Derrick assumed he had clued in to Kate¡¯s predicament before Derrick himself and was simply aware of how little could be done about it. Neither of them wanted to talk about it and so they didn¡¯t. ¡°I''m going to take off,¡± the blond User said. He smiled at Meg and walked away. Meg gave him a nod and then turned to Derrick with a serious look. ¡°I don''t suppose you''ve got more for me than just that?¡± Meg asked darkly. ¡°Not really,¡± Derrick said, unwilling to talk about Hollow Majesties. It wasn''t like he knew much anyway. ¡°Just secure buildings being less secure than they should be. Stealth and dagger Scourges.¡± ¡°How do they fight though?¡± Meg pressed. Derrick could tell he wouldn''t be able to wave this away. He knew personally how annoying vague and ominous statements could be. The problem was that he didn¡¯t really know all that much. ¡°Fancy toys powered by manna,¡± he answered. ¡°This is all guesswork, but I think they like to use the System''s own manna and resources. I really don''t know that much about it, I¡¯ve only encountered them once. I spend all my time punching Grey Legion and stepping on Spore Tyrant nodes.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± she said and leaned back into her seat. ¡°I was hoping at least one of us was good at subtle. It would be hard to be worse than me.¡± There was a pause in the conversation. ¡°So, I have to ask.¡± Meg said. ¡°Why are you here anyway? What dire need brings Derrick the Red to my rescue? DOon¡¯t get me wrong, I like you, but we don''t need you here. This is the kind of mission we¡¯re good at. Go places and get things done.¡± Another pause. Derrick was not great at putting his thoughts into words. Why had he ran up here so fast anyway? To save people? To make those damn aliens pay? ¡°Things out west have gotten a little stale. It¡¯s all just mopping up tiny node¡¯s and Grey Agent cells,¡± he informed her truthfully. ¡°Not that I''m here because I''m bored. That would be stupid. I''m fine with safe and boring.¡± Perhaps he should have thought his actions out better if he had charged here without even knowing why. ¡°It''s... I smell secrets in Flint Creek. This seems important,¡± he stated. ¡°And if the human race is going to survive, we need to be informed. We can''t just fight the obvious enemies. I''ve had a few peeks behind the curtain of the System and I saw very few real allies back there. All I want is to know is the names and nature of my enemies so that I can confront them and make them bleed.¡± Grey Legion, Hollow Majesties, Feral Artisans, Spore Tyrants and even System Authorities. Gods and Monsters. So many enemies and so many mysteries. Creatures beyond the understanding of a small little human no one, never mind that no one''s judgment. The Hollow Majesties were the least of his enemies and they were still so out of his reach it was comical. ¡°This feels like an opportunity for growth,¡± he explained with a wry grin and scratched at a small scar on his chin. ¡°That¡¯s what I''m all about.¡± Meg gave him an inscrutable look and took another drink from her flask. Hmmm. Perhaps he''d said too much. He''d gotten a little carried away. Meg and he were allies, it was true. But mostly of convenience. He didn¡¯t really know her that well. ¡°What brings Breakneck up north?¡± Derrick asked over the silence his answer had spawned. ¡°We¡¯re here because we can be, and the world has gotten too damn small for my liking,¡± Meg said without a second of hesitation, as if the thought was always on the tip of her tongue. ¡°I want the open roads back. I want the night back. I want to go where I please and I will crush everything that gets between me and what I want.¡± The leader of Breakneck''s mouth was a grim line as she spoke and there was a dangerous glint in her eyes. She was, Derrick knew, being absolutely sincere. Their eyes met and Derrick flashed teeth. He had no problem with her goals. In fact, he wholeheartedly approved of them. All of a sudden, Meg began laughing. This caught Derrick off guard. It must have shown. ¡°I''m sorry,¡± Meg said, slapped her knee and took a second to collect herself. She failed, let out a snicker and then finally calmed down. Derrick was somewhat offended. Had he been the victim of some elaborate prank? ¡°I''ve seen the videos, but it catches you by surprise. I can see how you ended up on the top of the heap,¡± Meg said. ¡°You definitely have a way of bringing out the best and worst of people. At the same time even.¡± He was confused. What was she talking about? ¡°The hilarious part though, is that you have no idea what I''m talking about do you? If you keep it up, I might just change my mind about you being my type.¡± ¡°You''re giving me too much credit,¡± Derrick said carefully. Did she think he had manipulated her? Huh, it might an auril thing though. Better to change the subject, he really didn¡¯t want to talk about auril and any mind control powers it may or may not have. . ¡°It doesn''t seem like there''s any reason we can''t do this mission together,¡± he said. Meg grinned at him toothily. ¡°Nope, doesn''t seem like there is.¡± She replied. ¡°Our styles aren''t exactly complimentary though. I''m not sure how you can help us get to Flint Creek faster. I don''t think either of us wants to take the time to scout the area out on foot.¡± Derrick shrugged. ¡°You''ve got twice the Users I do here,¡± he said. ¡°They''re much more heavily armed too. We''ll do this your way, me and mine will just hang back until you need us.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Meg asked, seemingly skeptical. ¡°You came all this way to ride bitch? You don''t have any demands or suggestions? No deep insights or expectations?¡± That amused Derrick. As if he cared about authority or rank beyond its usefulness. He knew he wasn''t the best to lead here, so he would let the more qualified person take care of it for him. She''d proven her qualifications by the merit of still being alive. She was right when she said they didn''t have time to do things his way. ¡°Not a single one. If everything goes perfectly,¡± he confirmed with a smile. ¡°It will be like we''re not even here. Until we get to Flint Creek anyway. But what are the chances of something going wrong?¡± ¡°Fair fucking enough,¡± Meg admitted and stood up. ¡°No point in delaying anymore. I''ll give your little convoy a couple escorts and we can set out right away. Let''s saddle up and ride out.¡± 6.9 Moving Targets ¡°So you''re some kind of big deal in West Hills?¡± Sam asked. Apparently her boredom had overpowered the fear of her captors. The captured woman was unbound and sharing the back cabin of the Abomination with him and his allies. Derrick hadn''t bothered to restrain her because she was outclassed by every other person in the cabin. Obviously, they''d taken her weapons though. Sam had become much less afraid of him after a short session of comparing auril techniques. While nowhere near as proficient as himself, she was well above average anyway. Like was sadly normal, his attempts to learn from her had quickly become him giving lessons. She did possess a few nuggets. Like a better ability to filter out other lifeforms from her pulses'' returns than him, a technique he was glad to steal. His pulses had been refined it the streets of West Hills, a very different environment than the life choked forests and fields of the countryside. The sea of life his pulses picked up out here was distracting. He wasn¡¯t disappointed, building up his knowledge of auril was a slow affair. Currently, he, Mathew and Blake were all staring at their phone screens. Derrick had been reading reports from Deleterious and his assistant back in West Hills. No idea what the other two Users from West Hills were up to as the Abomination carried them closer to Flint Creek. ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Blake announced, apparently bored. ¡°Frankly I''m surprised you''ve never heard of Derrick the Red. Most powerful man in West Hills. Maybe you''ve seen his TV show?¡± ¡°I''m around the third most powerful person,¡± Derrick added with an eye roll. Blake just loved bringing up the Trial. Derrick was pretty sure that under all the attitude, he was jealous. ¡°West Hills isn''t as small as Dewport, no one person is in charge. Really, no one is.¡± He glanced at Sam, and saw only confusion on her face. ¡°TV show?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± ¡°Trial of Predation?¡± Blake clarified. ¡°The most popular show in the world? Thanks to being the only show in the world the first few days after the Scourges arrived.¡± ¡°It was broadcast by the System to the entire planet by a cartoon snake that was really an alien?¡± Blake clarified as Sam just looked more and more confused. ¡°It was supposed to be moral boost by showing some of the toughest Users on the planet kick ass or something.¡± Derrick frowned and watched his prisoner''s face. If she was lying, he didn''t see it and couldn''t think of why she''d bother. ¡°Now I know you''re fucking with me.¡± Sam said. ¡°You think you''re one of the toughest Users?¡± The most powerful man in West Hills and Blake Demnol to shared a look. This was a concerning development. Even if things had been bad in Dewport they should still have seen the Trial. There had been both participants and viewers as far away as China and New Zealand. Blake said something but Derrick had stopped listening. After he was done in Flint Creek, he would investigate this oddity. It could be what he''d been waiting for, a target. Yes, he''d been spinning a bit lately, he knew. He felt a burst of eagerness. This could be something to sink his teeth into. He smiled, creating Red Works and heading to Flint Creek was already paying off. Coming here had been the right choice. ¡°God, that''s creepy.¡± Sam said. ¡°Why is he smiling and staring at nothing silently?¡± ¡°He''s taken a lot of blows to the head,¡± Blake explained matter of fact. ¡°He might be plotting though. That''s his plotting face. We''re a bunch of character at Red Works, we are.¡± ¡°Like that kid who''s been meditating the entire time I''ve been here?¡± ¡°That''s not a kid,¡± Derrick warned, rejoining the conversation. ¡°It''s a Crusader.¡± He strongly suspected she wouldn''t know what that was, so he continued. ¡°An alien given a human body by the System and sent to Earth to help us fight the Scourges.¡± ¡°You''re definitely kidding me now,¡± she replied scornfully. ¡°Why would you even try to convince me this pipsqueak is some kind of alien, never mind any kind of soldier...¡± She stopped talking because the subject of her disbelief was staring at her. Staring at her with bright blue eyes that were bisected down the middle and contained two irises each, on on either side. Third Striker was doing more than just looking at her. Derrick could feel the Crusader reaching into the substrate, subtly altering the laws of reality for some effect he wasn''t nearly qualified to try and discern. Whatever it was though, it spooked Sam into silence. When she closed her mouth, Third Striker closed his eyes and the small hybrid went back to meditating. The Crusader had been silent and still for their trip. He didn''t like to get involved with humans, Derrick knew. Every conversation was awkward for the hybrid. Whatever the Mwin were like, they must have been very different to humans and that difference made interaction annoying. Very little had changed with Derrick''s teacher since they''d first met. He spent most of his time away from West Hills, sent by the System to the four corners of the Earth to fight Feral Artisans. Derrick wasn''t really in the mood to talk much either, he was too busy thinking about what her ignorance meant and how he could exploit it. Soon, he was back to reading reports while Blake smirked and Sam dealt with the reality of being next to an alien she''d just insulted. The quiet of their joyride was quickly broken again. This time by Stacy, who entered from the front cabin with a concerned look on her face. ¡°We''re picking up multiple strong fold draws grouped together and headed our way,¡± she informed the room.¡± ¡°How many is multiple?¡± Derrick asked. He was surprised it had taken this long. They were just a few dozen kilometres away from Flint Creek now. He''d expected to see some scouts or something half an hour ago. ¡°More than a few, less than a horde.¡± She stated professionally, then shrugged. ¡°Prototype, remember? What I can tell you, is that they seem to be on the same road as us and we''ve got minutes before we collide with each other.¡± ¡°Things have been weirdly slow,¡± Blake commented as his sword left his hip and cut the air in a complicated pattern. ¡°Grey Legion?¡± Stacy paused and looked unsure. ¡°I don''t think so,¡± she said. ¡°The Legion doesn''t usually draw much power from the Fold. This would be like a dozen Combat Drones. I''m pretty sure whatever seeing is moving too fast for those things too.¡± ¡°Could it be one large draw? Or one creature with multiple draws?¡± Derrick asked carefully. ¡°No,¡± Stacy denied. ¡°At least five separate signals, changing position relative to each other.¡± That was good news, Derrick could only imagine how bad ramming their convoy into a Feral Artisan could be. The downside of it not being one of those monstrosities was that they were the only Scourge he knew of that used a lot of manna. The Grey Legion tended to balance auril and manna, while the Spore Tyrants used the former exclusively. ¡°You already informed our people outside and Breakneck?¡± he asked and received a crisp nod. ¡°Well then. Take us further back and send our pair of mortar armed Tempests ahead. Let''s sneak a peek¡± Tempest mortar batteries had a self aiming feature. They were capable of identifying targets as they descended upon them. This was because they fired mortars with, among other sensors, cameras on them. One of the large screens that took up a wall of the cabin flickered to life, revealing only sky for now. After a second, that sky blurred, wobbled and became a birds eye view of the road ahead of them. He could see their own convoy, a dozen Breakneck riders, three Tempests, Meg''s supply truck and at the back, the Abomination dwarfing them all. The riders of Breakneck were an impressive group to look at. A dozen men and women in black armor and on bikes that looked like they¡¯d been ripped right out of science fiction or anime, each with their white logo emblazoned on the side. The knight made of horizontal stripes. The bike were covered in smooth and shiny armor of a half a dozen different colors. Each one decorated at least slightly different than any other. White, silver and dark blue seemed especially popular. Colors and shades the System commonly chose for its own equipment, Derrick noticed. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Adding to the display were the weapons attached to the side of the two wheeled vehicles, within easy reach. Shotguns and swords, axes and grenade launchers. Just ahead of these heroes of humanity, was a collapsed overpass that had been cleared off the road and then the road curved just a bit, but enough to break line of sight past the overpass. Just on the edge the camera''s vision was... a faint blur. It was especially hard to notice the distortion due to how broken up the roads were. It was a disturbingly large and fast blur, Derrick realized as he processed what he was seeing. Comparable in speed and size to their own convoy. If anything it was moving faster than them. ¡°It must be some kind of stealth,¡± Stacy said. ¡°I''m glad we brought an expert,¡± Blake said. ¡°I thought it might be swamp gas.¡± ¡°Hit that blur with everything we''ve got.¡± Derrick said. There was a small chance that they were Users but he doubted it. At the very least, the mortars should slow them down and reveal their attackers. Thanks to the Abomination, they should be able to make more shells anyway. ¡°With that much manna, assume they have force shields. Shield Breakers first, then stagger into shrapnel.¡± Another screen flickered to life on the opposite wall as a new spy mortar fired, this one accompanied by dozens of more explosive friends. Fighting the Grey Legion, Derrick had mostly tried for surprise to counter defences. The Grey Legion needed to predict the path of an incoming attack to use a force shield to block it. Making mortars an effective counter to their small and dense shields. Only the Combat Drones had any ability to see a mortar dropping out of the sky on them and successfully intercept it. Against those harder targets, Red Works used a harder hitting ammunition. A shield breaker was just an armor piercing mortar that was designed to channel its explosion forward and into any shield that appeared in front of it. Once that shield burst, the wave of shrapnel mortars would do most of the actual damage. The occupants of the cabin waited breathlessly as mortar shells made contact with the blur. The shells exploded midair, blossoms of flame and smoke a dozen feet above the road. Instantly, the blur was covered by ripples of green light that spread from where shells hit alien shielding. The shield was still moving down the road, Derrick noticed. He had just seconds to wonder if whatever defences their target was using had failed before the second and final wave of mortars hit. More explosions and green ripples made him think the attack failed but they were too few. Some of the mortars had gone through. And yes, there it was. Explosions, beneath the shield. The blur and green ripples faded completely, revealing... ¡°What the fuck are those?¡± Stacy asked with a grimace. ¡°Oh, this is going to be fun,¡± Blake commented, his tone acidic. ¡°Third Striker?¡± Derrick said. Asking the most experienced of them if he knew what he was looking at. ¡°Never have I seen the like of this odd pack. The colors and use of manna are familiar to me however. I believe we face the Rebel Instruments. ¡± ¡°Any word from Meg?¡± Derrick asked Stacy. He was far outside his area of expertise here. His instincts were to leap out of the moving vehicle and find somewhere to hide. This fighting out in the open seemed unnatural to him. ¡°She says she''s going to ram them.¡± Of course she was. Well, he known she wasn''t the type to run away. He might be nervous about facing a Scourge with unknown capabilities head on but her? She hadn''t gotten where she was by being subtle or careful. She probably expected the Scourge to be afraid of her. ¡°Honest battle,¡± Third Striker commented approvingly from his corner of the cabin. ¡°There shall be glory earned today.¡± Third Striker had made his entire life about going to the fringes of the galaxy using dangerously unstable teleportation and fighting the most dangerous monstrosities he could find. This was probably still just a break from the real fighting for him. ¡°Stacy, man the Buckler Cannon.¡± Derrick ordered with a sigh as he watched two dozen armed and wheeled forms shift around each other with the grace and coordination of synchronized swimmers. The way those machines moved was straight up graceful. They also seemed to be able to change direction instantly and on the spot. Headed right for them, was a swarm of dark grey and bright green machines. Each member of the two dozen large swarm was the size of a small motorcycle. Their ''body'' was a single gunmetal grey orb, propelled across the ground by a wide wheel that surrounded the entire body and a three pairs of ''arms'' that grew out of each side. The arms didn''t appear to do much, they occasionally touched the ground but not hard enough to aid the machine creature''s movement. They just waved at the creature''s sides as they dodged and weaved among each other, the movement reminding Derrick of airborne insects. Tucked at their sides were a third pair of limbs, these with three fingers on the end, and what seemed like some kind of double barrelled guns. Each gun had some kind of large projectile in the top barrel while the bottom one was empty. Each limb ended in sharp points that had an eerie green glow to them that Derrick recognized as zausite. Yes, that made these the Rebel Instruments. He''d learned that much when Kate had stabbed him with a knife made of zausite. She''d also said something about the System not even knowing the Rebel Instruments had been in the city. That made them a subtle Scourge. It was looking like these machines were the ones tampering with the bunker under Flint Creek. They were also apparently a resilient Scourge. A dozen mortars had exploded among them, but only one of the weird creatures had been destroyed and left behind by its allies. Derrick assumed that toughness was because the horrible things were apparently made of metal. Making them not just horribly tough, but completely immune to all of Derrick''s auril abilities. Rebel Instruments, huh. He knew next to nothing about them. Just that they produced the dangerous material called zausite that was dangerous for living things to even be around. Oh, and it could cut through System made materials much easier than it should. He couldn''t help but think back to when he was choosing his Role and his patron Authority had told him to run or die when faced with artificial Scourges. Well, he was far from alone anyway. To get to him, an enemy would need to go through Breakneck and his allies. He felt a familiar sensation as the System sent him a notification.
Universal Support System
New Mission: (1)Destroy the Rebel Instrument Scavenger Pack (2) Examine three nearby System Stations for corruption (3)Purge corrupted System Stations
Oh, good. The System had caught up. Now they not only needed to beat back these attackers, but find out where they came from. He assumed that if they didn¡¯t, these ¡®Corrupt Stations¡¯ would pump out an endless supply of zausite wielding attack robots. ¡°Huh, motorized spiders.¡± Blake said, as Stacy hurried to the hatch in the ceiling. ¡°Not what I was expecting to fight today. Well, no point in staying in here. I''m going up top as well.¡± Shit, they were just hundreds of meters apart now. Blake had climbed above using a side door with a ladder next to it. What exactly was he planning to do up there? Swing at them as they drove by? He''d have to hang off the side of the Abomination, the vehicle was too tall for striking down from the roof. Derrick stayed to watch him and the two colliding forces from a bird''s eye view. He wanted to see how well Breakneck would do against these things. He called another screen to life, this one showing straight ahead. The caravan of Users drove under the overpass. The mechanical creatures accelerated, leaping towards the bikers of Breakneck at the front of the group. At the same time, Breakneck and Red Works opened fire on the incoming enemies. Grenades and bullets filled the air between them. Derrick heard the familiar sound of the Buckler cannon''s steady firing from above. If that weapon could force the Lurker of Loving Purpose on the backfoot, it should sting these transformer rip offs. Five of the scavengers were blown apart almost instantly. Green shields rippling and failing under the fire of bullets. Now unprotected, User aimed weapons carved holes in the scavengers bodies and tore off robotic limbs. There was a second of stillness as the enemy was blown apart, it almost looked like shock to Derrick¡¯s eye. Like they hadn¡¯t expected to be hit as hard as they had. They recovered almost instantly though, continuing their weaving advance without firing back. There were still many more of them though. At least fifteen of them were left. It was hard to get an exact count due to their weird rhythmic movement, with a birds eye view it was like watching an intricate shell game. That same synchronized movement, combined with their speed and manoeuvrability made the robotic scavengers hard to target. They dodged and weaved around the heavier weapons fire unpredictably, right up until the moment a collision seemed unavoidable. At the very second before the motorcycles of Breakneck and the Rebel Scavengers were about to ram each other, the Users of breakneck pulled together to form a wedge and shields of blue light flickered into existence in front of them. It was like the scavengers hit an invisible shield wall.The alien constructs were sent sprawling back and around the charging Users of Breakneck. Their carefully orchestrated movements were smashed aside as the Users barreled past them. Many of the mounted users used this to their advantage, peppering the stunned machines with blasts and swipes from their weapons. Another four enemies were dismantled, collapsing lifeless onto the road. The rest were sent skittering out of control by the power of the mounted Users¡¯ passing. Derrick felt a surge of wild pride. Breakneck, the army Meg had created, was intoxicating to watch. So very different from the skilled caution and lighting strikes of his own Red Works. Plus, it was nice to not need to step in for once. His skills were mostly useless here. Totally engrossed in the fight on the screen, Derrick jumped a little as someone spoke from right next to him. ¡°The Rebel Instruments weakened the blow,¡± Third Striker said casually from beside him. ¡°Zausite is the bane of the System¡¯s own raw manna. The victor of this battle is still undecided.¡± ¡°This skirmish has just begun,¡± the hybrid continued. ¡°This will be a good learning opportunity for you, my student. Do not try to defend, you must destroy your foes before they reach you. Do not let their shared domain overwhelm you or you are finished.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think...¡± Derrick began before for something on the screen caught his eye. Fast as thought, the remaining Rebel Instrument scavengers righted themselves and counterattacked. Scattered amongst the passing motorcyclists, they matched their enemy¡¯s speed instantly and began firing their weapons. The guns mounted on their sides were revealed to be harpoon guns. Jagged projectile shot out and penetrated the vehicles of Breakneck, then, connected and propelled by chains of alien material,the scavengers pounced. Four of Meg¡¯s soldiers were instantly downed by the spiky limbs of pouncing mechanical monstrosities. In the same moment, Derrick flinched again as a spike violated the walls of the cabin he was in. The green gleaming weapon carving though the Abomination¡¯s armor like butter. Another followed a second later. A third a moment after that. Derrick realized that in seconds the Abomination would be crawling with scavengers. ¡°To battle and glory,¡± announced Third Striker eagerly. 6.10 Moving Targets II Third Striker was an annoying little alien hybrid most of the time, Derrick mused. As the first Crusader Derrick had met, he¡¯d worried Derrick with how enthusiastic and strangely ignorant he was. Third Striker was not a scholar outside the narrow subject of using manna to kill things that defied the System. He wasn¡¯t a leader or a diplomat because the Feral Artisans didn¡¯t negotiate and teamwork were useless against them anyway. He was a warrior and frankly a zealot. From what little Derrick knew about his past, his life had been about becoming a Crusader and now that he was one, his life was about being the best Crusader possible. This was especially off-putting for most humans because he looked like a teenager wearing blue armor that was thin enough that it looked more than a little like cosplay. It was hard for humans, even Users, to take him seriously. To ignore his youthful looks and recognize the ancient alien killer underneath. Derrick did not have that problem, because unlike other Users, he had seen what the diminutive Crusader could do. He¡¯d missed the hybrid¡¯s fight against the Feral Artisan in West Hills, but all it had taken was a few lessons and demonstrations to let Derrick realize how dangerous manna in the hands of a master could be. A split second after a spiked harpoon had penetrated his new ride¡¯s walls, Third Striker pointed a seemingly empty palm towards the offending weapon and annihilated it with a burst of blue light. Force and heat were drawn from other layers of existence and collected in his small armored palm. Then, those energies were refined into an attack, that propelled by his will, could punch through tank armor. It looked like blue lightning but Derrick knew it was more of a plasma bullet.
User Tag
Name: Third Striker Titles: Pilgrim II Veteran III Investor Roles: Page Shield Carrier Crusader Warder Level: 3.7
Race: Bound Mwin/Human Hybrid
Derrick winced at the hole this attack left in the Abomination¡¯s side. It didn''t hit anything important, just destroyed a screen, but the hole was almost big enough to stick his head through. He had just bought the damn vehicle, this was his first time taking it for a spin. ¡°This will be a difficult but important battle for you,¡± Third Striker announced, a look of contemplation on his face. ¡°Yes, you are lucky neophyte. Your slow growth under my tutelage has been aggravating. This could be just the challenge you require to better yourself.¡± Derrick didn¡¯t wait for him to finish talking, there was a fight going on after all. He could hear, if not sense it going on. The Hunter peeked out the still open door on the side of the vehicle and saw his fellow Users struggling to fight off the Rebel Instrument scavengers. The murderous machines were fast, maneuverable, had erie situational awareness and were capable of shielding themselves with some kind of manna screen. Now that they were among the User convoy, it was almost impossible to damage them. Their own harpoons had less difficulty punching through the human¡¯s own shields. Derrick assumed this was because the zausite tipped weapons were designed for just that purpose. The cables connected to the projectile would let be fed manna much more efficiently. Why hadn''t he thought of that? In fact, these high speed constructs seemed like they had been designed for this exact fight. Once their harpoons bit into something solid, the Scourge pounced. Reeled itself towards its victim with blinding speed and began trying to tear it apart with its pointed metal legs. Meg¡¯s riders and Derrick¡¯s own allies in the Tempests were mostly fighting them off for now , thanks to their skills in hand to hand combat, but the resilient machines weren¡¯t taking any casualties either. They would abandon a fight if they thought they were in danger, effortlessly gliding along with the caravan and choosing a new target. The Abomination itself was only under light attack, the noises from above reassured him that Blake and Stacy had that mostly under control. He saw one scavenger scamper up the side of the large vehicle, only to be shot off by the buckler cannon a second later. Sadly, the six legged robot was dented but not destroyed, it landed on the street with catlike grace and circled around behind the truck and out of sight. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be able to learn to shoot plasma in the next couple of minutes,¡± Derrick argued as he watched the fight going on with aggravating impotence. This was very much not his choice of grounds or enemies. He lacked the mobility or weapons to threaten these machines in any real way. His specialty, Auril, was completely useless and his pistol would be just one of dozens of such weapons being fired. The idiocy of throwing an axe was obvious. He did have one more weapon, a very recent acquisition, but he had no idea what it would do. ¡°Of course not,¡± Third Striker scoffed as he joined Derrick at the door. ¡°No, we will be working on the most fundamental skill of all great manna wielders, warding. The defensive use of domains.¡± ¡°How is that going to help?¡± Derrick asked, growing annoyed. His allies and employees were in danger while Third Striker lectured. A domain was just when one seized control of a piece of substrate, the closest layer of the Fold to reality. Warding was just when you did so to prevent others from using it. The Rebel Instruments didn¡¯t seem to be using manna offensively at all, for him to ward against their shields, he would have to be hugging them. Considering they were made of sharp pieces of poisonous, possibly radioactive, metal, that was a spectularly dumb idea. ¡°I recognize the source of their unnatural grace and perception.¡± Third Striker began explaining. ¡°They have created a soul network in the substrate. A trick that not only lets them communicate unheard but also lets them wield manna with abnormal deftness. As long as this ghost mind rules them, they will fight as one creature.¡± Now Third Striker had Derrick¡¯s attention. That was useful information. The small hybrid swung out the door and grabbed the ladder, he continued speaking as Derrick shut the door and followed him up. ¡°I will lay siege to this network, weakening its minions and drawing their ire. It will send its mechanical host to destroy me. You and your allies will stop them.¡± Just that easy, huh? ¡°Stop them how?¡± the Crusader¡¯s disciple asked skeptically. From what he could see, Derrick could maybe fight off two of the machines. Even if you added Stacy and Blake, they would be overwhelmed in seconds if even half a dozen of them all attacked at the same time. Well, at least this was something he could do. Just watching the fight was not acceptable. He was very used to contributing to every battle against the Scourges. He made a point of it. All of a sudden, Derrick saw a scavenger change direction. It launched itself towards them and once it was within ten feet, It unfurled, it¡¯s legs launching it towards the climbing pair. Before it had even left the ground, Derrick began unloading his pistol into it. The first bullet hit and dented dark metal armor, but the rest were blocked by a shimmer midair. A second later, a bolt of blue light burned through the shimmer, hitting the machine in the middle of its round body and smashing it into the road below. Robbed of momentum, the scavenger was left behind by the moving vehicle they were riding.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. How often could Third Striker do that? It couldn¡¯t be as easy as it looked. ¡°Though hale and valorous, your fellow Users cannot triumph over this enemy as things stand. I will weaken their ghost mind enough that the parasites will be unable to wield manna so adeptly. Once i¡¯m doing so, even a weak warding from you should shatter their unity entirely. You must use your domain as a weapon for this purpose, stunning them and striking them down a sthey approach. Prepare yourself,¡± the Crusader said as he finished climbing. Derrick was right behind him, joining him on the top of the Abomination. At the front corner of the vehicle, Stacy was wielding her Buckler Cannon on a turret, her lower body was hidden below. Under her guidance, the turret mounted gun was one of the few weapons they had that was causing the Rebel Instruments any real trouble. Its steady fire could pound through their shields if the Rebel Instruments held still too long. This at least forced the machines to keep moving. Derrick had to admire her courage, firing at any targets that appeared in front of their ride while ignoring the loud fight that was going on at the back of the vehicle. There, Blake was determinedly beating back two of the spider like machines, their persistent assault was being met with a flurry of superhumanly fast sword swings. They probed and jabbed with their razor sharp limbs but Blake was always ready with a dodge, block or counter. Derrick could see that one of them was missing most of a limb, severed by the reinforced blade Blake used. That one was wielding the spinning vertical ring that surrounded its body as a weapon. It was essentially a walking circular saw. His ally was clearly in a lot of trouble. Derrick was impressed he¡¯d held out this long. The second he moved to help, a weapon was almost casually turned on him and a harpoon was launched right at his chest. Even without a warning from his auril, instinct kicked in and Derrick grabbed at it. Intending to snatch it from the air like he did with most projectiles that were launched at him. Right before it his fingers closed around the lightning fast spike, a soft but powerful blow to the calf had him collapsing backwards instead. From that awkward angle, Derrick saw Third Striker grab the cord connecting the Scourge to its thrown weapon and give a powerful tug that snapped it free. ¡°Zausite, do not try to catch it. Do not touch the tips of Rebel Instrument weapons at all if you can help it. Those gauntlets you are wearing are a gift I will not replace if you ruin them,¡± Third Striker said, the ancient alien warrior knight sounding like a smug and overly dramatic teenage brat. ¡°That perversion of siviril is designed by these parasites as a weapon against the System and those it supports. It easily pierces esthisium and other common materials the System uses, as well as disrupting raw manna.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± Derrick said as he regained his balance. Logically, he¡¯d known how dangerous the stuff was but his carefully honed instincts had kicked in before he recognized the danger. The last time some of this stuff had touched him, he¡¯d had to go through a several hour long decontamination procedure under Deleterious¡¯ ministrations. ¡°I¡¯m going to start my assault on the network,¡± the Crusader continued. ¡°I¡¯d clear up these enemies quickly. More will be here soon. My challenge will not go unanswered.¡± That said, the diminutive hybrid sat down in a meditation pose, right in the middle of the vehicle¡¯s roof, just ten feet from a pair of murderous robots. ¡°Yes, any time now.¡± Blake said, voice dripping with acid as a powerful clash of alien metals filled the air with sparks. Derrick gave the surroundings a quick glance before once more charging in to help Blake. The two scavengers didn¡¯t have any help incoming, so a blitz attack would be perfect. The out of place Hunter drew his axes and launched himself forward, using the tiniest bit of raw manna to anchor himself to the moving vehicle he was running across. He was halfway to the fight when he felt something change. Like a pressure he hadn¡¯t known was there had been removed. A weight taken off his shoulders. At the exact same time, he saw Blake¡¯s opponents flinch. It was just for a single moment but it was unmistakable. A second later, one of them peeled away from Blake and launched itself at Derrick, or Third Striker who was behind him anyway. The machine that had stayed to fight Blake abandoned its caution and attacked the sword wielder with suicidal abandon, jumping forward and attempting to grind him apart under its spinning wheel ring. Well, it¡¯s do or die time, Derrick thought to himself, as the green and grey machine touched its body to the ground and used the wheel ring to launch itself forward like a giant cannonball with spider legs. He had only an instant to remember Third Strikers advice. The latest advice from the alien sage had been to dodge instead of block, but that was useless. If he did dodge, the scavenger machine would just hit Third Striker. That left his tiny sensei''s other advice for this fight. Which was using his domain to disrupt the enemy. Derrick the Red extended his will into the substrate and claimed as much territory in the direction of the charging enemy as he could. It wasn¡¯t much. His life being in imminent danger failed to make him a master of manna. Instead, he managed his usual two feet. Unimpressive, but it did the trick. When the ball of jagged limbs reared up to strike at him, it hit his domain and was stunned for another split second. It was still moving forward but it seemed confused for a single moment. That was enough time for Derrick to dodge one limb, and batter another to the side with an axe blade. His other axe blade used the metal creature¡¯s own momentum and his weight to pierce its armor. The crescent blade sank right into the orb body of the machine with a horrible screeching noise. His weapon jerked wildly in his hand but he held on, pushing his other axe against it. A second later, he was forced to retreat when his wounded foe pointed its gun right at his face. He couldn¡¯t take the chance. Retreating, he dodged a flurry of stabbing limbs only mostly successfully. Luckily, the creature only hit his armor and that armor wasn¡¯t System made. Like all Red Works items, it was at least partially made of scavenged Grey Legion carapace The zuasite tips of its limbs seemed to have much less of an easy time piercing that stolen grey material. Derrick idly wondered if he could use this information to sell more armor. Seemed a bit niche. It was a big world though. Some Users somewhere would find that valuable. He expected his enemy to give chase but instead, it just jerked back and forth until it collapsed. Like a malfunctioning toy. It seemed like he¡¯d hit something important. If he had to guess, the same weird machinery that made them so graceful and quick was also a bit on the delicate side. Didn¡¯t take well to being axed, and once that broke, there wasn¡¯t much left. ¡°Two down, a dozen more to go.¡± A voice said from the front of the vehicle. It was Stacy shouting over the noise of the battle. ¡°No time for a break.¡± Blake was done with his fight as well. A collapsed scavenger at his feet, he moved to Derrick¡¯s side with a scowl on his face. ¡°I take it we need to protect our protector? Isn¡¯t this like the second time this has happened?¡± the blond User asked. ¡°At least it¡¯s not a rescue this time.¡± ¡°Yes, but to be fair, he¡¯s apparently weakening the spider bots.¡± Derrick said as watched for the inevitable second wave. ¡°And Scynil was actually a lot of help before the Lurker showed up.¡± His blond ally let out a long sigh. ¡°This fight is less fun than I thought it would be. I just got used to this manna buckler and these fuckers can cut through it like nothing,¡± Blake complained. ¡°Shut up! Incoming from the back!¡± Stacy shouted. While they had been talking, five of the scavengers had met up and were approaching from an angle she couldn¡¯t cover with her gun.The body of the truck was in the way. They seemed less coordinated than they had been just minutes ago, he noticed. Whatever Third Striker was doing was working it seemed. In about fifteen seconds, Derrick and Blake would be trading blows again. This time with much less even odds. Surprisingly, one of the skittering pack was brought down by a heavy hail of bullets at the last second. These came from a biker that zoomed by before going to help out a besieged Tempest. The scavengers ignored their fallen ally. ¡°Four is still too many,¡± Blake yelled to Stacy. ¡°We need help.¡± ¡°Everyone needs help. I¡¯m busy!¡± she returned. Emphasizing her point with the rhythmic barking of her gun. Derrick heard the sound of a volley of harpoons piercing the hull of his new truck. Blake readied himself to receive their attackers. Derrick knew the other was right though. Even using his stunning trick, four was too many for the pair to fight off. Derrick reached inside his red jacket and pulled out a grenade.
Fold Grenade A device containing a tiny unstable manna gate. Can have a wide variety of effects depending on the skills of the User.
It was the grenade he had taken from the User he had killed at the farm. Now seemed like pretty much the perfect time to use the expensive explosive. There wouldn¡¯t be a later unless he did something. He connected his core to it, careful to channel raw manna only, and lobbed it in the middle of their attackers. It landed among them just as they were leaving the ground to jump onto the side of the Abomination. Explode, he commanded the device and things went very wrong, very quickly. The second he felt the grenade trigger, a tiny pulse of Canvas manna flowed out of his core without warning. Because it was moving through the substrate and not reality, his auril Style couldn¡¯t stop it. A hush fell over the battlefield as a ring of silver light a dozen feet across exploded into existence. It devoured the space occupied by three of the scavengers without obvious visible effect on them. Derrick felt time slow as he gazed upon the expanding silver ring. It flickered in his eyes like static on a television set. He could even hear something not too different from static. Although it was more like fingers gently clawing at some unseen barrier. He reached out his hand towards it, he felt the noise grow subtly louder and saw the ring grow a hair larger. He heard shouting but ignored it. Whatever was being said couldn¡¯t be as important as the subject of his gaze. What was it doing? It was still connected to him, so he could feel it doing something. It didn¡¯t feel like an attack. It could not be something as base as an attack. No, this would something far more beautiful and important... Blake punched him in the face. Maybe coincidentally, at that exact same time, the ring disappeared. The fourth scavenger, the one untouched by the grenade, hit the side of the Abomination and began to climb. The other three failed the jump and their still forms were dragged behind the vehicle, still attached to it by their harpoons. Before they were pulled behind the Abomination and disappeared from his view, Derrick though they looked somewhat melted. ¡°Blessed blades of Bwedo,¡± Third Striker swore angrily. ¡°What in the name of the Darkest Spaces was that?¡± 6.11 Recoil Blake''s punch had been a pretty powerful strike, expertly thrown by someone with superhuman strength, but Derrick had been wearing his infamous mask. It was designed to take much more punishment than even enhanced flesh and muscle could deliver. The only part of him that even really felt the blow was his neck muscles, and even that was light. In fact, Derrick wouldn''t be surprised if Blake''s fist had lost the exchange. It did help disrupt whatever Canvas fuckery was going on, but it didn''t snap Derrick back to reality. The second that grenade had exploded, Derrick had connected to the Canvas almost as strongly as when he went physically into it. He grimaced, it was like he''d brought a piece of the Canvas here. The aftereffects of that weren¡¯t something you just walked off. He was left mentally reeling, feeling as if something important had been ripped from his grasp. He desperately fought an internal battle to hold onto something he only partially remembered. It had been important... but what was it? From nearby, he heard the sound of metal striking metal at high speeds. That was also important for other reasons, he realized slowly. Why was that though? He winced. Reaching and turning... and it was gone. No not quite gone. He still felt a longing for the mysterious something he had been about to do/find/earn/create. The veteran User straightened up, shook himself and looked around. He was still holding his hand out in front of himself, he realized. He dropped it but immediately brought it back up to his face when something caught his eye. He''d noticed, after his fight with the Lurker, that his gauntlets had acquired scratches all along it. Until this point he hadn''t given that much thought. He''d found it odd that the System wasn''t repairing them but just assumed they were too shallow to count as real damage. They had been barely noticeable after all, easier to feel than see. That had changed. Now, a mesmerizing pattern of whirling ripples spread from the fingers he''d grasped at the silver light with. Depending on the angle and how they caught the light, the markings appeared as either curving glyphs or a complex weave of artistic lines. Checking his other hand revealed his experiment with Fold Grenades had affected them both the same. That was something to look into when he had a second. Now he had more important things to worry about. Like the ongoing high speed battle, avoiding any more punches and Third Striker''s reaction to whatever had just happened. He examined the situation. Well, there would be no more punches coming at him. Blake was a little busy for that. The scavenger that hadn''t been hit with his grenade had made it up the side of the truck and was engaged in another fierce melee with Blake. Third Striker warily watching that fight but hadn¡¯t moved to help. The small Crusader seemed injured, the pain obvious on his youthful features. Derrick really hoped that wasn¡¯t his fault. The last thing he needed was to alienate his most powerful ally. Derrick caught sight of another attacker coming up from the other side. Despite a hail of bullets from bikers and pickups zooming around them, the many limbed machine managed to haul itself onto the Abomination''s roof. It rocked back and forth under the ranged assault but its many legs pierced through his ride''s armor easily, making it hard to dislodge with anything weaker than a wrecking ball. Not wanting to face it head on, Derrick hit it with a manna empowered axe just as it was pulling itself onto the roof. He didn''t manage to knock it down but he did manage to sever a limb and stop its climb.The red-clad User retreated as zuasite tipped limbs stabbed towards him, dodging until an opening let him take another swipe at the climbing scavenger. His blow was deflected easily, due to the fact he couldn''t summon forth another burst of manna that quickly. With auril being entirely useless, he was too limited to be much of a threat to these things. His auril was even stopping him from using manna, no wonder his Patron, It That Rewards Savagery, had told him to run from fights like this one. If he wanted to win, he would have to mix things up a bit. He reached for his custom pistol. Unfortunately, his enemy also decided to attack from a different angle. Instead of climbing with its legs, the spider shaped construct dropped off the side of the vehicle, catching itself at the last second and driving back up the Abomination''s side at high speed. Curling its legs at it¡¯s sides, it shot up into the air above Derrick and fired its harpoon behind him. Derrick threw and axe and cut the line, but it was too late. The scavenger was now headed back down just as fast as it had gone up, legs spread to spear any User dumb or slow enough to be caught below it. The wheel ring around the scavengers body was not only still spinning at high speeds, but was now sporting a series of small but sharp looking spikes that glinted green. Derrick rolled, hoping he would be fast enough to avoid impalement or being ground to paste beneath the descending metal monstrosity. As luck would have it, he was. He narrowly avoided being penetrated by zausite tipped limbs. Less luckily, his foe gracefully jumped back up into the air and began to descend on his new position. He did some quick mental calculations and realized rolling out of the way again wasn''t on the table. For lack of a better plan, he rolled onto his back and kicked up with both feet, careful to avoid the spinning saw blade. It worked, insofar as a stay of execution was a victory. Back pressed into the ground, his boots managed to stop his messy dismemberment. He was stuck like this though, desperately pushing up for all he was worth while a spinning blade of poisonous metal was trying to messily meet with his face. It went on like that for a minute, until the Rebel Instrument scavenger shifted, no doubt trying to get a better grip on the ground and press down harder. That tiny shift caused it to lose the grip it had though, and Derrick managed to send it flying back up into the air with a grunt. It was just a temporary solution but maybe if he could reach his pistol and find some kind of weak spot... There was a familiar barking sound as a powerful projectile knocked the scavenger out of the sky. It hit the back portion of the vehicle''s roof, bounced once and its still form was quickly left behind by the convoy. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± announced Stacy, her buckler cannon now pointed in the air above him. ¡°Yes. Thanks,¡± said Derrick sincerely. He took a deep breath and stood. Honestly, he''d forgotten she was there. Basically his entire world for the last two minutes had just been him and the jagged metal form trying to tear him apart. This was why it was important to invest in the team. Also big guns. ¡°That''s the last of them,¡± Blake announced, withdrawing his sword from the guts of the last scavenger on the roof. It fell lifeless at his feet and the blond strode over it to reach Derrick''s side. These Scourges looked a lot smaller now that he wasn''t underneath one. The spider shaped constructs weren¡¯t actually that large, Derrick realized. They were only five feet tall and mostly made of skinny legs. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! It seemed like they''d won the fight. All around the Abomination, the roads were clear of Rebel Instrument minions. The last few had been taken down pretty easily as they tried to swarm the Abomination. It seemed like once his grenade went off, every single enemy had tried to suicide attack him. Most had failed to get anywhere near him, taken down by the many Users in his and Meg''s employ. Derrick turned to the silent member of their group, Third Striker. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked warily. He had no idea how the Crusader would react to his accidental Canvas manna outburst. His entire purpose was fighting the Feral Artisans, if he thought Derrick was a threat. Derrick the Red gripped an axe and pistol tight. At the moment, the Crusader did not seem like much of a threat, he was lying down on top of the Abomination, his fingers clutching handholds. ¡°I will survive,¡± Third Striker said, his voice muted because his face was pressed into the vehicle. ¡°More importantly disciple, come here.¡± Derrick did so, trying to hide his wariness. When he got close, Third Striker¡¯s hand shot out and grabbed his ankle. The alien warrior turned onto his side and gave Derrick a terrified look. Despite his alien features, his blue eyes conveyed pure fear. ¡°I have spent myself. Please get me back inside,¡± Third Striker asked, his fingers digging into Derrick¡¯s armored boots so hard he could actually feel it. Huh, without manna to help balance on the moving vehicle, the alien hybrid was terrified of falling off. Well, this was better than him becoming an enemy. ¡°You want me to carry you?¡± Derrick asked cautiously. He¡¯d gone from the practicalities of Fighting the Crusader one second, to the best way to hug him the next. The small figure nodded, his entire body tense. Derrick considered just stopping the vehicle and letting the hybrid make his own way inside but decided against it. So, Derrick faced away and knelt down, allowing the ancient warrior to grab onto his back. ¡°Adorable,¡± Stacy said as Derrick rose to his feet with a passenger. ¡°You may try to shame me but I wear the wounds I took defending your world with pride,¡± Third Striker said, directly into Derrick¡¯s ear. ¡°I fought enemies that to which, the devices of which you are so proud are but insignificant toys.¡± ¡°Yes Stacy, any of us should be honored to give piggyback rides to our interstellar saviors.¡± Derrick ignored them. He wanted to get Third Stricker off his back as soon as possible. ¡°We¡¯re turning around,¡± Derrick said and felt his ride slow beneath his feet. ¡°Rescue and salvage.¡± They had lost at least one Tempest it seemed. Hopefully just the vehicle and not the Users driving it. They needed to head back for any left behind survivors. Not to mention every scavenger corpse had to be worth something to both Teslaforce and the System. Zausite was form of siviril after all and the scavengers had a bunch of tricks up ther sleeves that tealsforce would love to research. It was easy enough to climb back inside, even with his passenger. He let his teacher slide back into his chair and waited for Blake to join them. The other User seemed to be chatting with Stacy on the roof still though. That plus Third Striker immediately falling into meditation gave him some time to himself. Taking a deep breath, Derrick moved to take off his mask but stopped when he caught sight of his hands. Ah, right. The whole Canvas thing. It was weird how his priorities kept shifting. At least these markings didn¡¯t seem to be dangerous, they were just art? ¡°Watching you stare at your hands isn''t very reassuring,¡± Blake said as he swung through the side door. Derrick couldn''t see his face through his mask but his voice was not filled with confidence. ¡°Need punched again?¡± ¡°I''m considering how hard I should hit you back,¡± Derrick lied. ¡°You''re pretty fragile and these gloves are hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried, you didn¡¯t exactly bring your A game today,¡± Blake noted. Ughh. He did not want to have a conversation with Blake about the Canvas. ¡°Yes, well thanks for making up for that.¡± Derrick said. ¡°I do need a second though. To think things over and read some notifications.¡± Blake nodded and gave him some space. Derrick really did have notifications to go over. First of which was mission update.
Universal Support System
Mission Update: (Complete) Destroy the Rebel Instrument Scavenger Pack (1) Examine three nearby System Stations for corruption (2) Purge corrupted System Stations
Proficiency Earned: Advanced Explosives Title Earned: Experienced + 225 USSP
Experienced User has fought five different Scourges (Feral Artisans, Grey Legion, Spore Tyrants, Rebel Instruments, Hollow Majesties)
Really just a reminder that they had more to do before they were done with the Rebel Instruments. The proficiency was interesting if it allowed him to buy Fold Grenades. Should he take that as permission to keep using them from the System? Next, he brought up his profile. Shit. The Canvas limit had gone up. Though not as high as he might have expected. What about his gauntlets? They were obviously affected.
Canvas Touched Manna Gauntlets (Classified: Enigma) Contains traces of altered Siviril. Has basic self repair and security features. Classification: Manna Enigma (Canvas). Purpose: Unknown. Function: Unknown. Warning: These items have been altered down to the sub atomic level by channelling Canvas manna through them and have been classified as an Enigma. This classification is hidden to non authorized Users. Item has been classified as an Enigma. This classification is hidden to non authorized Users.
Thank you ancient galaxy wide AI. So informative. His small human mind was blown. Obviously he wasn¡¯t going to get any answers from the System itself. He would have to gently question Third Striker when the Crusader was up to it. Derrick was about to move to the front of the vehicle where Stacy and their driver were. He stopped halfway though, when he heard the Abomination¡¯s side door slide open. Unannounced, Meg popped in.Effortlessly jump off a Bike and into the larger vehicle¡¯s cabin. Derrick saw the Bike, now riderless keep pace with the Abomination before the door closed again. ¡°Come right in,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Make yourself at home.¡± ¡°Thanks, I will.¡± Was the friendly reply he got from the older woman. ¡°It¡¯s a little harder to have a chat on my bike and I wanted to talk face to face.¡± Fair enough, they did need to plan their next move. ¡°I want to borrow your ¡®Abomination¡¯s¡¯ little factory. Repair as much as we can as quickly as we can. We¡¯ll pay of course.¡± ¡°The Rebel Instruments were trying to slow us down.¡± Derrick said. They had targeted their vehicles as much as the Users riding them. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that means you want to do the opposite?¡± That would fit her style and make more than a little sense. He assumed the Rebel Instruments could pump out scavengers quickly if they gave them the time to do it. Their raid wouldn¡¯t make sense if they weren¡¯t expendable and Third Striker said they were controlled by competent leadership, some kind of hive mind. ¡°Took the words right out of my mouth,¡± Meg replied with a smile. ¡°We¡¯re only about half of us fight ready. Few dead, thankfully, but anyone touched with zuasite needs to be shipped back to West Hills for medical treatment.¡± ¡°Which means we will need to send all the Tempests back with the wounded,¡± Derrick realized. ¡°We will need the Abomination to make repairs and track the enemy so it has to stay with us.¡± ¡°Just so,¡± she agreed. The whole Rebel Instrument situation was just a side quest anyway. Their real mission was still in Flint Creek, checking out a System built bunker that held thousands of sleeping people. By the time they even got to that mission, the tempests could go to West Hills and back. Who knew how long it would take to clear the area of corruption? ¡°That leaves me without a way to get to the fight. We can¡¯t take the Abomination anywhere near another battle. That last time was a fluke, we¡¯re lucky we distracted them and they didn¡¯t destroy it.¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry Breakneck has got you covered.¡± Meg announced and threw the side door open again. There were two riderless bikes out there now, Derrick saw. The second was red. Which was odd because he would have remembered seeing a red bike if there had been one before. ¡°When needs must,¡± she continued with a grin. ¡°The Devil drives.¡± 6.12 Wild Theories ¡°You want me to ride that?¡± Derrick asked unenthusiastically. ¡°That''s an interesting offer. Doesn''t really play to my strengths though. I''m more of a... hands on type of problem solver. ¡± He''d been a network engineer, one whose parents died in an automobile accident. It was safe to say that he''d never been tempted to own a motorcycle before. Hell he''d never owned a car before the Scourges solved rush hour. He had gotten his license though. Mostly to avoid being a social pariah in high school. ¡°Oh, no,¡± Meg said and shook her head in denial. ¡°It''s yours to keep. A gift, for helping us out with this mission. Or if you want, feel free to take a hunk out of what we''re paying you to repair our stuff. I won''t pretend to know what you did but you probably saved a lot of lives by coming with us today and you didn''t have to do that. Me and the boys all agreed we''d be honored to have you ride out beside us.¡± ¡°Well, it would be hard to say no to that,¡± Derrick admitted as he eyed the two wheeled death machine that was being offered to him. He had to admit, red and silver were flattering colors on the sleek yet solid vehicle. There were a few deep scratches running down the side that let him know he wasn''t its first owner. For some strange reason, he liked the look of those flaws. Maybe because he had so many of his own? For a second he imagined himself chasing down fleeing Grey Legion soldiery, a pistol in hand. He almost asked what had happened to the previous owner, but that was fairly obvious, his enhanced vision let him see that not all the red was paint. Some of it was just good old fashioned blood stains. If the previous owner was just wounded, they probably wouldn''t be giving his ride away. While he was wondering if it belonged to anyone he knew, the Hunter realized that he had been lured into a trap. Dammit. He thought he could trust Meg. The stocky raven haired woman had seemed down to earth and trustworthy. The most dependable of all his allies. This was clearly an attempt to undermine him however. The leader of Breakneck had to know that he had never ridden a motorcycle in his life. He was going to make a complete jackass of himself. With his luck, it would be televised too and turned into some kind of inspirational video for all of humanity. ¡°Stick to your Roles humans!¡± his patron, ITRS, would say as his cartoon avatar smirked around a flickering tongue. Blake clearly realized these facts as well, judging by the grin on his traitorous face. The blond user was enjoying Derrick''s obvious awkwardness, no doubt revenge for forcing him to ride in the Abomination. The Derrick the Red swore the last laugh would be his. He tried to wheedle his way out of it, even volunteering to ride bitch. But apparently, that wasn''t dignified enough for the heroic champion of humanity he had become. No, both Meg and Blake wouldn''t let him get out of it. He was now the proud owner of manna powered motorcycle. ¡°I know what your thinking about doing with Dewport,¡± Blake said with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Imagine how helpful this could be. How important Breakneck''s support will be.¡± Dammit. He accepted the damn bike and Meg went to round up her boys. Time was not on their side.
Derrick hurried to prepare for departure. He had a couple of the downed scavengers chopped up and sent back to West Hills with the wounded. In their own separate Tempest of course, putting zausite next to injured people would have been stupid and cruel. Derrick was sure that Teslaforce would be interested in whatever junk he sent back. Hopefully, they could reverse engineer some goodies and come up with some countermeasures to the Scourge they had just fought. The Rebel Instruments bothered him and not just because of the obvious similarities to the Hollow Majesties. First, they annoyed him personally, because he was almost useless against them. Without the Abomination''s manna use detection ability and the Tempests'' mortar strike, that fight could easily have gone the other way. His people, Red Works, would need something to counter an auril proof enemy that could pierce manna shields and System made armor easily. It was easy to imagine entire squads getting wiped out by lightning attacks by roving bands of Rebel Instrument constructs. At least the Scourge seemed rare and using Grey Legion carapace seemed to help protect against them a little. Next, he didn''t like the possibility of System Station''s being corrupted without the System even knowing. Were there physical signs of the corruption that Users could see? Or would infected Stations just start pumping out scavengers and other monsters when no one was looking? It would be great if they could eventually find a way to detect infection from a distance. If the System couldn''t do that though he wasn''t going to hold his breath. The supportive AI loved to keep secrets and put conditions and limits on everything, but he doubted that extended to threats to itself, which the Rebel Instruments seemed to be. Lastly, this was another stroke to the very dark picture of the universe that recent events were painting. Infections like these Rebel Instruments didn''t heal, they just grew worse. Where did that leave humanity? The founder of Red Works had no answers to any of these questions. All he could do was accept the System''s mission to check nearby Stations for corruption. Deal with each crisis one at a time. ¡°I think we''re ready to head out now,¡± he said after taking a deep breathe. He had his new ride put in the large trailer the Abomination was towing, taking the place of supplies they had used to make repairs and ammunition they had reloaded their weapons with. They had allowed the Rebel Instruments to slow them down enough. It was time to concentrate on saving lives that depended on them. On working towards the preservation of the human race and the defeat of the monsters that had invaded the Earth, humanity''s home. ¡°Hey, didn''t we take a prisoner? Where did she go?¡± Blake asked. Well... crap. At first they thought the captured eighteen year had old run away during the fight, which was a poor decision to make. Where would she go on foot? Anything could be out there just waiting for one stupid User to run by. Thanks to the wonders of auril though, they soon found their prisoner locked in the Aberration''s washroom, where she''d run after the Rebel Instruments had started tearing through the walls. Derrick wasn''t sure this was any smarter than trying to flee from the super agile and speedy rebel Instruments on foot. The tiny washroom offered no extra protection from the piercing limbs of the Rebel Instruments and a lot less room to dodge. Plus, it was a tiny cramped washroom. Little more than a toilet and sink. Pretty much the last place he would want to die. The pair of Users managed to to talk her out easy enough. All Users were not made equal it seemed. Derrick had to wonder why anyone would bring her on any kind of sensitive and dangerous mission. ¡°Why do we even have one of those?¡± Blake wondered aloud. ¡°A private washroom? It seems like an unnecessary luxury. Which I approve of, don''t get me wrong but why did Teslaforce add one though?¡± ¡°Security and time saving,¡± Mathew answered from his position by the door, the older User had joined the pair inside the Abomination when his Tempest left with wounded. ¡°This vehicle is for surveillance and planning. You don''t want your technicians and leaders exiting the vehicle to use the washroom constantly. Every trip outside could put them at risk of sniping or some kind of infection. Not to mention someone just running inside and killing people when the door opened.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Blake admitted. ¡°Did you do a stint in the military or something? ¡°My brother was, I was just a reservist for awhile,¡± Mathew admitted. ¡°Way back when. Not that I remember any of what I learned. It was mostly just shooting and running. Oh, and getting yelled at. ¡± ¡°Modern Survival 101,¡± Derrick said. ¡°I''m sure it came in handy. The System is kind of like a Sargeant. Strange orders from a faceless boss that never explains anything.¡± He was about to add more when he saw the other man''s head turn to the front compartment. Derrick didn''t have Mathew''s incredible hearing, but he did hear the faint squawk of radio from the front of the Abomination. Immediately, he also felt the Abomination slow. They had just started their trip to the first Station, barely gotten up to full speed. ¡°Something on radar?¡± he asked when Stacy joined them. ¡°No,¡± she replied with a shake of her head. ¡°Meg called a stop, apparently they hit something.¡± ¡°Like a deer?¡± Mathew asked. ¡°Like a person?¡± queried Blake. ¡°Neither, I think. She''s asking for your opinion on it.¡± Huh, that was interesting. Derrick strode to the vehicle''s side door and opened it, blasting his eyes with the sun''s light. It looked like was almost noon now, so he threw on his mask to protect his vision. Meg and the rest were just outside, blocking his sight of what they had collided with.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°This is testing my patience. Does anyone here know what the hell this is supposed to be or mean?¡± Meg snarled. She spotted Derrick and gave him a annoyed look. ¡°One of my boys almost got knocked right off their bike by this freak of nature. It survived the hit with his thick skull, and this one over here,¡± she pointed to another biker dressed in black, ¡°put a bullet into it before it could fly off. Derrick walked around the rider that was blocking his view and saw what the fuss was about. It was a familiar sight, one he hadn''t ever wanted to encounter in the wild. A living nightmare to most people. He let out a burst of auril, just making sure there were no more lurking around. He didn''t find any, so he focused on the roadkill. It was a bee the size of his fist. A fuzzy body with segmented eyes and vicious looking mandibles. A horrible nightmare inducing monster that was basically just a normal bee but larger. ¡°It''s a big bee,¡± Derrick offered, enjoying her discomfort. ¡°An insect of the Apoidea family that feeds on flower nectar.¡± After he''d found a few of these giant insects in a Grey Legion outpost, he''d taken the time to google them after delivering the specimens to Deleterious. Thankfully, while the System refused to share the secrets of the universe with its human Users, it had done a weirdly good job of preserving the ultimate repository of (mostly useless) human knowledge that was the internet. All he got in return for his info dump was a glare. ¡°Is it dangerous?¡± Meg asked. ¡°Try not to ride around with your mouths open,¡± Blake answered. ¡°It''s always annoying when bugs fly into your mouth.¡± ¡°Red Works found some of these out west.¡± Derrick explained further. ¡°I wouldn''t worry about it. It''s probably just some kind of weird mutation. Some side effect of some Scourge fucking around. We already have have a mission, so this falls under ''someone else''s problem''. ¡± The System did not have his back. As soon as he was done talking it threw a notification his way.
United Support System
New Mission: 1) Investigate source of altered wildlife (Apoidea) 2) Set up Sensor Hub in local area Mission Requirements: Group contains Role: Hunter and Item: Sensor Hub
¡°Dammit.¡± Derrick removed his mask and pressed his fingers into his eyes. ¡°You just got mission to hunt down the source of the giant bees, didn''t you.¡± he heard from a grinning Blake. ¡°Yes,¡± Derrick admitted. ¡°This is getting a bit silly. That''s three missions at once now?¡± Investigate Flint Creek, investigate the giant bees and investigate the Rebel Instruments. They were still just halfway to their goal in Flint Creek too. A sigh from Meg. ¡°We''re the only serious group of Users to head this way since the Scourges arrived,¡± she noted calmly. ¡°Anyone else was too busy surviving to do anything important. It makes sense that there''s work to be done out here. The question is, which mission is most important? Which do we do first?¡± ¡°I vote for the mission that has nothing to do with giant bees,¡± Blake said. What did Blake have against bees? Did he get stung by a whole swarm as a child, because the other option seemed to be giant mechanical racing spiders with built in harpoon guns. ¡°We could split up,¡± Stacy added, having joined their little pow wow. ¡°Red Works hunts for the source of the bees and Breakneck checks the possibly corrupted Station nearby. We meet up afterwords.¡± Derrick was reassured to see most of the surrounding Users grimace at that suggestion. Everyone here had enough experience to know how ''splitting up'' usually worked out. After a second of grimacing, Meg nodded though. ¡°If you fellows don''t mind risking it. Splitting up does make sense.¡± She said. ¡°It''s just some bees right? We leave you Hunters here to poke around and the boys and I check out the first Station. Stealth is your whole thing, so any remaining Rebel Instruments shouldn''t find you, and if we need your help, we just come back and pick you up.¡± Huh, this plan would keep him off the bike. On the other hand, he would be left behind without much backup as other Users did the more important work. He was surprisingly OK with that. He had faith in his ability to avoid trouble while part of a small group of experts. It would be almost reassuring compared to blazing down the road and into the unknown as part of a heavily armed convoy. Worst case scenario was him getting abandoned. He would have to stash a pair of bikes nearby. He might even be able to get some secret practice on his new vehicle. Also the bees, while creepy, were cute compared to the Rebel Instrument¡¯s killer robots. ¡°Mathew?¡± he asked. Seeking the advice of the other Hunter. Stacy would be needed with the Abomination, so it would him Derrick brought. He didn''t want to take anyone dependent on manna anyway. If they could track manna use, he was sure any manna using Scourge could. The older User gave an affirmative grunt. He would need to grab another User, if only to carry the gear. He was tempted to make it Blake but the sword User was completely dependent on manna to fight. ¡°Alright then. An hour to the Station and an hour back,¡± Meg said. ¡°Good luck you two. I wish you luck.¡± ¡°Shouldn''t need it,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Before we get ahead of ourselves, I want to make a call. I said we have samples and I want to talk to Red Work''s research department.¡±
There was catchy ringtone playing as his phone used the Abomination''s communication abilities to connect him with Red Work headquarters. Specifically, with Deleterious. Ring a ding ding. Over and over. It was taking the alien immigrant a long time to pick up, considering he never left his lab. He was basically never more than a hundred feet from the phone Derrick had installed. Derrick was currently standing a couple dozen feet down the road from the rest of the Users for privacy. Only Mathew could possibly hear him from this far and he didn''t need to keep many secrets from his fellow Hunter. As long as Deleterious wasn''t revealed as a Velorie outcast everything was fine. ¡°These things are so delightfully anachronistic,¡± Deleterious said as he picked up the phone.¡±Are your people not aware they have a device in their head that can easily be upgraded to receive these communications much more securely?¡± ¡°We prefer not to think about that. It''s not like we volunteered for these implants, so upgrading them feels like surrender. Besides, I''m not sure how System notification appear to the Velorie, but for us pure humans they are pretty annoying. We want to receive as few as possible,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Yes, you''re a sight focused species and that sense works poorly with the System''s notifications. Very distracting. You''ll get used to it I imagine. I doubt you called about that though. How can this one help his glorious employer?¡± ¡°Remember the recent samples from the Grey Legion outpost to the West?¡± ¡°Oh, course.¡± Deleterious responded. ¡°Delightful stuff, offering real insights into the Grey Legion''s conversion process. Nothing even remotely marketable yet but definitely interesting.¡± ¡°What I wanted to talk about with you was delivered with those. The winged insects.¡± ¡°Giant honey bees, I do remember them.¡± ¡°What did you learn about them?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Threats, behaviour and weaknesses first please.¡± ¡°Well, I must admit I did some basic scans and moved on to more interesting avenues of research.¡± Deleterious began. ¡°They are exactly what they look like, giant honey bees.¡± ¡°It can''t be that simple,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Insects don''t have lungs and can''t absorb oxygen fast enough to support a body that size. You can''t just upscale them.¡± ¡°Just so! Well reasoned. They have been modified, but only to the minimum required to make the design work. They seem to have been altered for increased robustness and flight range. Other than the respiratory system, the immune and digestive systems have also been significantly altered.¡± ¡°Design?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°Yes, the Inoculation is obviously behind this. It''s subtle, but there is genetic sequences of non-terrestrial origin added to the insects'' makeup. It is especially noticeable when examining the brain and immune system. The respiratory system is also enhanced but the immune system is a whole different beast altogether.¡± ¡°Enhanced weapons? Increased intelligence? Improved senses?¡± Derrick asked. These were the most important points. A giant but otherwise normal bee was too stupid, blind and toothless to hurt a User in armor. Even a swarm would be more annoying than dangerous. ¡°They are living Inoculation injectors,¡± Deleterious answered. ¡°With their carapace and stingers approximately the strength of steel, they can inject their targets with enough venom to kill an elephant. More dangerously, they are, unsurprisingly, carriers of the Inoculation itself. Anything they attack will be infected with that dangerous disease. It can be found both in their mouths and venom.¡± ¡°A steel needle won''t pierce the nomad armor without a lot of force to back it up.¡± Derrick said. It would also need to target a weak spot and hit just the right angle, he mused. ¡°Would Red Works drugs also offer resistance to the Inoculation?¡± ¡°In mild amounts,¡± Deleterious said. ¡°Though, even a fraction of what a sting would inject should still be lethal to most Users. Even you would be in serious danger, the Inoculation is not to be trifled with. Whoever made it was a mad genius. A shame they have been no doubt dead for millennia now.¡± Coming from Deleterious, calling someone a mad genius meant something. So, don''t get stung. That was what it came down to. That should be doable. Beekeepers did that sort of thing all the time, right? Maybe he should make a smoke grenade. ¡°No sign of auril or manna at all? Nothing even weirder, like zausite?¡± Derrick asked. ¡°None. Other than its ability to spread the Inoculation, it is a normal, if somewhat tougher and larger honey bee. The changes to its brain are slight and shouldn''t increase intelligence noticeably. I admit to not being an expert on insect brains though. I would guess they dealt with its sense of taste and smell.¡± Derrick was about to ask if they could be designed to target people but stopped himself. There was no evidence of that. The opposite in fact. The System didn''t know much about them after all and they were clearly active across hundreds of kilometres. If anything, they had been made to avoid people and had been doing a damn good job until one had gotten unlucky and collided with a motorcycle. Now, wasn''t that an interesting thought. ¡°The Inoculation is an old weapon against the Spore Tyrants.¡± Derrick stated. ¡°It alters primitive life to give them resistance against that Scourge.¡± ¡°With the side effect of wiping out all the more complex life it encounters. Which do not survive the adaptations forced onto them. Yes, that is the common understanding of the Inoculation. It is most commonly used these days by System Races as a way to illegally sterilize troubling worlds, making them much less valuable to Scourges that would conquer them and use their resources to spread further. ¡± ¡°Bees are pretty complex.¡± Derrick said. ¡°Much more than the plants and trees that I''ve heard of surviving the Inoculation. That would make their survival unlikely?¡± ¡°Orders of magnitude more difficult for the Inoculation to alter I would imagine. I''d heard of it, of course, but I''ve never had access to a sample of the galaxies most famous bio-weapon before you gave me one.¡± Huh. This was painting an interesting picture. The only flaw in his theory was how little the bees seemed to be doing. They weren¡¯t spreading the Inoculation and they weren¡¯t attacking people. So, what were they for? ¡°So,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Someone is helping the Inoculation adapt to complex Earth species. And doing it subtly enough the System hadn''t caught on to it yet. Despite the shared anthropod theme, I doubt the Rebel Instruments are responsible for this. Considering we''re investigating local tampering with System infrastructure, what does this suggest?¡± ¡°There''s a Hollow Majesty Homunculi in Flint Creek,¡± Deleterious answered. Interlude: Unnatural USS: Earth Scourge Anomaly Report 82 Scourge:Inoculation:Anomalous Behaviour Detected Local System Infrastructure:Confirmed Compromised MissionThreat/Priority: Escalating User:Hunter:KL7I 843OY6:Investigating Insufficient: Skills/Knowledge/Clearance/Authority Available Users:Investigating Insufficient: Skills/Knowledge/Clearance/Authority Available Crusaders:Investigating Insufficient: Skills/Knowledge Solution:Failed Failure Report:Upload to (Insufficient Clearance) Summoning Authorities... Four responses. All Authorities present. Delivering Incident report. Commencing USS Earth Council #82 Merciful Heavens(Resignation): Is it necessary for every Scourge on this cursed world to behave extremely atypical? The Inoculation? It is not even a real Scourge, it has no true mind or will. It is a tool. It That Rewards Savagery (Lazy Grin): A tool of cowards and fools. It pleases me to see it turn in their hand so viciously. Gazers Grin (Pattern of Fascination): It did not so much turn in their hand, as be stolen and used by another. It is clear now that The Hollow Majesties and Rebel Instruments have been active in the area. Shielding each other from our detection with their own unique methods of subverting System architecture. Hand on the Scales (Steady): It is so. It is imperative that we destroy all compromised System Manufacturing and Infrastructure that has a chance of being corrupted. Normal safeguards have already been rendered useless. Senior, do we have long ranged strike capability still? Gazers Grin (Distracted Blinking): None of the native''s original weapons still exist, that I am aware of. Certainly none that we can use to destroy a probably reinforced Station in that area. Recent;y we have created our own but standard protocol demands we hold on utilizing it just yet. This problem is not worth showing our hand to the numerous other hostile forces on this world. Pressure has been taken of the native population as the Scourges reinforce their newly stolen strongholds. I would be disastrous if we broke this standoff for such little gain. Merciful Heavens(Concern): What threat does this Rebel Instrument infection pose? It is situated among a promising area of native survival and resistance? Is it possible that it is not mere luck that these Scourges worked to conceal themselves together? Gazers Grin (Writhing Dismissal): There is no precedent for such a thing. It That Rewards Savagery (Snort): It is not in the nature of the broken machines to do so. To creatures such as themselves, the Hollow Majesties are simply a part of the System they feed of off. Code to be corrupted and material to be scavenged. They are not reasonable, they are hungry. Gazers Grin (Writhing Dismissal): Little more than animals essentially. Idiot savants at best. Brilliant in their narrow way but also very limited. They survive through extreme adaptability of form and corruption, not reasoning skills. Hand on the Scales (Contemplative): It is not impossible that a particularly vicious and clever Hollow Majesty exploited their presence somehow. Essentially cloaking its own actions behind their own corruption of the System. What little we know of Wretched Renaissance would support this theory. To maintain the level of subterfuge it has across this world, it must have many tricks. It would be risky though, as the Rebel Instruments would seize on any moment of weakness. They would not be able to help themselves.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Merciful Heavens(Concern): It is likely, approaching certain that the Hollow Majesty will not interfere to protect the Rebel Instruments then? Hand on the Scales (Nod): Yes. Gazers Grin (Pattern of Fascination): Are you sure? There form is unlike those I have encountered, is it possible that this Wretched renaissance has somehow enhanced them like it seems to have done to the Inoculations effect on the wildlife? It That Rewards Savagery (Snort): You dismiss the obvious. That form is borrowed from their most successful enemy on this world. Hand on the Scales (Confusion): What enemy? It is unlike any System or Scourge Weaponry I am aware of. Wheels, even so enhanced, are a primitive technology that relies on this word¡¯s existing native transportation infrastructure. It That Rewards Savagery (Open Amusement): Firestorm. Hand on the Scales (Confusion): The Firestorm? I must admit, do not recognize the name Senior. Gazers Grin (Suspicious Glances): Either do I. It That Rewards Savagery (Mild Amusement): It is the moniker of a human User. Whose success against their earlier scavengers and other Scourges earned him a place in my Trial of Predation. He used a System enhanced native vehicle to hunt them down with superior speed and agility and destroyed them with explosives. These new versions are clearly designed to counter his tactics and weaponry, as well as mirror his strengths. Merciful Heavens(Concern): Thank you for your wisdom eldest, that is some small consolation. So what resources will be required to deal with just the Rebel Instruments? Gazers Grin (Fascinated Writhing): Surprisingly,The local Users have all the tools they should require. Only added numbers could be required, depending on the Scourges own numbers. Yes, the native humans dealt with this surprise quite handily. Let me have a moment to go over the minutiae... Gazers Grin (Professional): Ah, a familiar face. It is one of your Disciples, senior. How... unsurprising that they are to be found in the middle of a crisis Well, back to the Rebel Instruments. A Crusader as well. One with proficiency at the higher manna arts. Faced with this, I would theorize that the Rebel Instruments will avoid direct conflict as much as possible. Especially considering their mobile forms. Standard procedure from this point on is for them to retreat and conserve irreplaceable resources. There is much unclaimed territory for them to disappear into, ruined human cities for them to scavenge. If the three Stations suspected of corruption can be hit fast enough, we can end the threat. If not, there might not be any more battles. This makes any timely delivery of reinforcements difficult and perhaps unnecessary. I would say we need not concern ourselves the Rebel Instruments in the short term. Hand on the Scales (Serious): Their mission is more complex than just the Rebel Instruments. The original goal is the Flint Creek installation, which we now have strong reason to believe has been at least partially suborned by Wretched Renaissance. For what purpose though? Hollow Majesties express power through homunculi, Users that have been subtly altered mentally and receive illicit support. Their power over the System is aggravating but ultimately very limited. They do not seize control directly as Rebel Instruments do. They are a dark mirror to ourselves. What does this Wretched Renaissance want with giant insects? Gazers Grin (Dire Twisting): To spread the Inoculation, or course. There has been a sustained campaign since this world''s induction into the System to sterilize it with that false Scourge. Already one Hollow Majesty has actively worked to weaken our efforts. If the Inoculation''s spread increases significantly, it could cripple the native populations. With active support from a technologically competent ''ally'' the Inoculation could even overwhelm User resistance. Hand on the Scales (Strained Professionalism): The Inoculation is not spreading though. Despite the presence of these insects, there have been no reported outbreaks. These outbreaks could not be hidden. Besides, I originally detected this Majesty''s local manipulations because of its meddling in Flint Creek''s native preservation vaults. What is the connection? Why risk detection at such a well defended location if its goal is simply to weaken our defences? It That Rewards Savagery (Open Amusement): Monsters and mysteries, how exciting. I believe your point is that more forces should be sent to the area? To slay the monster and solve the mystery? Hand on the Scales (Strained Professionalism): Just so. I suggest a small mission, paying up front, be assigned to the relevant Users in West Hills Users immediately. One to transport and equip a small wave of specialized reinforcements alongside the returning Tempests. They might aid in the battle against the Rebel Instruments Merciful Heavens(Consideration): That is a simple and practical response. Any aid for this perpetually troubled Enclave is probably a good investment. There are disturbing signs in the area to the North. I would appreciate any effort to preserve the West Hills enclave''s... specialists. Gazers Grin (Amusement): I would donate the funds just to satisfy my curiosity about the bees. It That Rewards Savagery (Slow Exhalation): I too, find this situation quite fascinating. Very Well. Let it be so. Things will only become more complicated for from now on. End Report 6.13 Reaching "Why am I here again?¡± Sam asked grumpily as she stepped over a root while huffing loudly. Considering all Users were enhanced and she had managed to survive so far, she was in pretty bad shape. Well that might be unfair, Mathew and himself set a pretty brisk pace across what could reasonably be described as an obstacle course. They were both high level Hunters after all, arguably designed to navigate mutated forests like this one. Roots and rocks that they seemed to have been dragged to the surface littered their path. Many sprouting new growths themselves. New branches desperately sprouted from anywhere light reached the forest floor, which weren''t many. The Inoculation seemed to have adapted nicely to Earth''s plant life. It was actually fairly picturesque and calming, if unnaturally quiet. Not so much as a cricket chirped that Derrick could hear. ¡°You''re here so that neither Mathew nor myself have to carry too much gear,¡± Derick answered her question as he blazed a trail. ¡°You''re a pack mule.¡± Derrick wasn''t about to go on a nature hike with just what he could carry himself. He was bringing enough ammo, food and water for a few days. As well as the dozen sensors required for the mission. Plus, he and Mathew needed to be unencumbered in case of an attack. At least the chances of that seemed to be small. The Rebel Instrument scavengers that had attacked them couldn''t navigate the dense forest they were moving through. The Inoculation had worked magic on the surrounding trees, growing and toughening them. Derrick had to occasionally carve a path through the woods with his Esthisium axes. They had left a three sensors and a hub around the road where the collision took place. Both as a precaution against ambush and because it was the only place they had a confirmed sighting of their prey. After that, absent a field of giant flowers to stake out, they had waited for another sighting. While they didn''t see one, Mathew had heard one, so they headed out in that direction. Mathew was the key here, his enhanced ears could hear the insect''s droning flight noises from literally miles away. Especially considering the unnatural silence of the inoculated landscape. He didn''t blame Sam for being on edge. He was too, though he liked to think he was hiding it well. He had not expected how dark these woods would be. The thick foliage overhead blocked out most of the sun, creating pockets of darkness that were unnerving. Despite the Hunter Role, he was city born and raised after all. Even his recent missions in the countryside had been in much sparser forests than this. Normal trees growing in areas where humans had thinned them out. ¡°No, why the hell am I the one carrying your stuff into the jungle. Why am I here? I''m not one of your flunkies.¡± ¡°It''s not a jungle,¡± Mathew replied sagely. ¡°It is just a temperate deciduous forest but mutated by the Inoculation. These were normal native hardwoods growing in a temperate region.¡± ¡°Because, despite your association with people who tried to murder us, we don''t wish you harm. That said we''re not willing to let you run off just yet. Being here with us is a lot safer than going with Breakneck to clear out the Rebel Instruments. Even if you hide in the washroom the entire time,¡± Derrick said. ¡°How is hunting monster hornets in an alien forest safer?¡± the pale young woman asked, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow. ¡°At least there''s walls and an army in the other group. They know what they¡¯re doing. That Meg lady isn''t stupid enough to wander off with a small group. What if there''s animals out here?¡± ¡°Not hornets, bees and not an alien forest either. And we shoot any animals that attack,¡± Mathew said drily. ¡°With our guns. It¡¯s a proven effective method of dealing with attacking animals.¡± ¡°Look,¡± Derrick said. ¡°This is actually what Red Works does. Small groups that operate stealthily to complete missions. We''re actually good at it. We deal with things a lot scarier than bees of unusual size. I brought you because you don''t even have access to manna, and therefore can''t reveal our position to the things that can sense that. If insects bother you, use your auril on them. Dealing with living things is what auril is for. I can knock a swarm of bees out of the air with a pulse, they aren''t much of a threat to us. They can''t even pierce our armor. I had it tested. ¡± Technically, if they attacked a joint they might be able to sting them and a sting would be almost certain death. He wasn''t going to admit that aloud though. ¡°You''re walking into the unknown like idiots ad dragging me with you,¡± Sam said. ¡°I don''t have any reason to believe you¡¯re competent.¡± And now he was tired of this. Why did he think it was a good idea to drag a sixteen year old girl through the woods with him? He''d been hoping to get more information about Dewport from her but all she wanted to do was complain. He stopped their march and looked directly at their helpful guest. ¡°Look. It''s just some bees,¡± Derrick said with a smile and a pulse of auril. ¡°It''s not horrors from beyond time and space. It''s not world consuming fungus perfected by an eternity and limitless natural resources. It''s just some bigger than average bees in some bigger than average trees. You are a User, a Fighter even. This is what Fighters do, you can''t whine your way out of it. I''m going to be perfectly honest and just tell you that if you can''t face bees of unusual size, you''re useless and going to die.¡± Mathew looked a bit uncomfortable with his speech but didn''t disagree. ¡°This is an easy mission,¡± The older man agreed. ¡°Almost a walk in the park. Do your part, earn the rewards from the System and use them to survive. It''s probably safer than whatever sketchy things your friends from Dewport were up too.¡± Sam gave them a look and opened her mouth to speak. Derrick could tell that she wasn''t agreeing with them though. So he hit her with a hammer of auril. It was an ability called Auril Roar. Basically it was a pulse of auril that affected the minds of people nearby, smashing your emotions into them. In this case, annoyance. It was what he''d made from studying the shadier abilities of auril he''d studied. Most of the auril pulse was stopped by her own auril style. That didn''t matter though, the technique was much more subtle than the name implied. The fluid dense weaves of auril energy that could affect the human mind twisted their way through her defences and the girl flinched. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else please,¡± Mathew said and moved to take the lead. ¡°Like what?¡± the teenager asked reluctantly. ¡°Like, what''s with your makeup?¡± Derrick answered. The teenager had heavy black eye-shadow in the goth style. It should be smeared by now too, suggesting it was something from the System. Who had bothered to design superior goth makeup? He didn''t think it was her. Sam let out a sigh before answering. ¡°It means something in Dewport. It''s a badge of pride and respect for the burned. From when the air was full of smoke and ash from the bodies we were burning,¡± she said. ¡° ¡°Huh,¡± Derrick said. That was heavier than he thought a makeup related question would be. ¡°So, most people wear makeup there?¡± Mathew asked. ¡°Even the men?¡± ¡°No,¡± Sam said with a frown. ¡°Black and grey is the important part. Ugghh, I don''t want to explain this but here you go. With the Captain taking charge, there''s two kinds of Users in Dewport. Those that are obviously military, and those who obviously aren''t.¡± ¡°Counterculture,¡± Mathew mused. ¡°Different factions?¡± Derrick asked as scrambled up a small hillside. Maybe the Dewport''s hero wasn''t as in charge as she''d suggested earlier. Once he was at the top of the hill, he reached back down and pulled Sam up.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°The Captain is in charge, and that''s a good thing. He saved the city,¡± Sam refuted with a shrug. ¡°People do what he wants, but some of us don''t see ourselves as his soldiers. There''s enough idiots saluting every time he walks by. The posers. I suppose everyone in West Hills dresses as brightly as your people?¡± ¡°Well, they don''t wear grey,¡± Mathew said. ¡°Not unless they want to get shot.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± She responded carefully, as disbelieving. ¡°People who turn grey usually start talking about ''seeing'' and begin growing an exoskeleton,¡± Derrick answered. ¡°You really never heard of the Grey Legion? The army of armored zombies with guns?¡± ¡°Not to mention the dogs,¡± Mathew said with a sigh. ¡°That part always makes me hits me right in the gut. Only dog''s I''ve seen recently have been trying to maim me so I can be turned.¡± Derrick nodded. Ya, he did miss dogs. He really hoped there were still dogs somewhere. He doubted there would be any in Dewport. The Spore Tyrants weren''t any kinder to animals than they were people. Probably didn''t bother to learn the difference. Mildly interesting stuff he''d learned. How ignorant the inhabitants of Dewport were of the wider world and the funny fact that Dewport had painted itself black while the User residents of West Hills had gone the opposite direction. He supposed grunge was a more classical post apocalypse look. He''d be impressed if they went full grunge and had mohawks though. He preferred his own colorful look, it was less about mopey introspection and more an open challenge to the Scourges. He wondered if he could use that colourful optimism to lure people to his side in Dewport. Probably not, those type of people had probably been lured to the Captain''s army already. ¡°I''m hearing more targets up ahead now,¡± Mathew, announced interrupting his thoughts. ¡°At least three sources of buzzing, probably more.¡± Damn, he was lucky to have hired Mathew. Without him, not only would Stacy, who really worked for Teslaforce, be Red Work''s only other Hunter, but he would have had to wander around these dark and dense woods blind and deaf. ¡°Lead the way,¡± Derrick said. Even if it wasn''t a nest, anyplace their targets gathered would be worth dropping a sensor hub on. Hopefully that would be all the mission required. It wasn''t like they weren''t busy. It had already been an hour, so according to Meg''s estimates the other group should be heading back to where they''d split up soon. Assuming they weren''t caught up in another fight with the Rebel Instruments. It took them ten more minutes of walking across broken terrain before Derrick heard anything and another ten before he saw what they''d marched all this way for. It was... ¡°Congratulations, you found a hole in the ground full of bees. Good for you,¡± Sam said, a note of obvious disgust in her voice. She fell on her ass as soon as she was finished talking, landing on a fallen tree. That about described it, yes. In the side of a sunny hill, a dozen soccer ball sized holes were home to the insects they had been sent to investigate. Every once in awhile, a furry yellow bug would crawl out and fly off after soaking in the sun for a few seconds. They apparently didn''t care about the nearby humans at all. The three Users were all within fifty feet of the bustling hive and the bees could not have cared less. They were acting just like normal bees did. Probably not a bio-weapon to destroy humanity then. Interestingly, he noticed they seemed to avoid the flying above the treetops. The few that did head that way landed on the trees and climbed up. Almost like they were avoiding a bird''s eye view. If these bees were designed to be stealthy, their designer had done a good job. Derrick got the feeling that whatever entity was behind this, Hollow Majesty or not, was very different than Noble Virulence. Looking around, there didn''t seem to be anything special about the area. It was just more of the Inoculation altered woodlands that stretched for hundreds of kilometres in every direction. ¡°We. We found a hole in the ground full of bees,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Now, get out the sensor hubs and spread them around the area. They have a range of about two hundred feet each.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Mathew asked. Derrick smiled at him. Despite the other man''s clam tone, Derrick got the impression Mathew believed that he was going to do something stupid. Did he really think he was going to challenge the bees to a fight or something? ¡°I''m going to examine the area with auril,¡± Derrick said. Already he knew the hive extended far below the surface. It was a lot bigger than you''d think from looking at the outside. He wanted a better count of their numbers while he was here. Maybe there was even something marketable here? They were upgraded honey bees, maybe their honey had healing powers or something. Stranger things had happened to him today. Mathew nodded and took the pack from Sam''s back. Derrick found a comfortable looking rock to sit on, ignoring the droning noise from the busy bees. Each one sounded like a toy plane. Instead of doing what he''d said he would, he found himself just watching the bees fly back and forth. He didn''t really learn anything but it was oddly fascinating. ¡°Found some giant flowers to match the bees,¡± Mathew said, returning from his task. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°All around us,¡± Mathew said with a smile and rapped his hand against a thick vine that disappeared into the tree tops. ¡° ¡°Huh,¡± Derrick responded. ¡°See if you can get a sample without killing one. Shouldn''t need more than a couple slivers of wood.¡± ¡°Why without hurting anything,¡± Mathew asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Why take the risk?¡± Derrick responded. ¡°Maybe the bees are protective of their flowers.¡± Why had he said that. It was probably because of how normal the scene was. Sure they were giant mutant bees, but they were still just bees, doing bee things. Derrick had never much liked bugs, but neither had he shared the revulsion most people seemed to have for them. Despite apparently being a hazard to motorcyclists, the fuzzy winged insects seemed mostly harmless. If they left him alone, he was more than glad to return the favour. ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Mathew said and wandered away. Enough procrastinating. He sent out a weak pulse first. Standard procedure for him when he was investigating the unseen. Weak pulses were harder to detect. Thanks to his training, even a weak pulse let him ''see'' a good hundred feet below the surface. He detected a good dozen bees crawling beneath the earth. Interestingly, he was pretty sure that didn''t reveal the whole hive, he detected no eggs and there were living insects on the edge of his range. Which he was pretty sure wasn''t standard procedure for bees. Why did they dig so deep? A defensive strategy, were they hunkering down? He waited a minute and unleashed his strongest pulse. Sending auril as deep below the Earth as he could. At the edge of his range, something blazed with life. He felt something become aware of him. No, two somethings. His eyes shot open. Yes, that was auril held within what was unmistakably the shapes honey bees. Not just bees either, he''d detected traces of auril in some kind of root-like... Sitting on a rock in the middle of the woods, Derrick began to laugh. It exploded out of him, he couldn''t help it. It was hilarious. Beneath this normal looking hill was a Spore Tyrant. A network of fungal tendrils that spread beneath the ground. His eyes shot around the clearing he was sitting in. Yes, that explained the dead trees covered in moss. The Inoculation had battled and overwhelmed a small Spore Tyrant node here. Like the many node''s Derrick himself had defeated. That was what it had been designed to do. He was willing to bet the area was still seeded with deadly spores. They just weren''t a threat to the Users in the clearing. Each of them not only had System granted resistance but auril''s natural protective powers. The node itself wasn''t a threat either. It was too busy being used as a nest for hungry insects. It was as funny as it was terrifying. This was a tiny Dungeon. One built and maintained by bees. That had to be the purpose of the enhanced insects, why they didn''t bother humans. There job was to hunt down Spore Tyrant nodes, the guiding brains that made that Scourge so dangerous. It couldn''t have been easy for them, nodes were not undefended. They must have died in droves. Yet, here they were, clearly the victor, living inside their beaten foe.. The fascinated Hunter turned his attention to the sources of auril that weren''t nodes. Three fist sized lifeforms, two of which were even now making their way to the surface. No doubt coming to deal with what they perceived as a threat to their nest. They were deep below the surface though and the path up seemed to wind about. ¡°Get a hundred feet back from me,¡± Derrick told his allies, who were staring at him uncertainly. Mathew nodded, and pushed Sam away. A second later, he stopped and turned back to Derrick. ¡°What''s going on?¡± he asked. ¡°I poked the hornet''s nest with auril,¡± Derrick replied. ¡°They felt it and are coming to take a look. And yes, I know they¡¯re not hornets.¡± Mathew didn''t move. Concern was written on his face. ¡°It should be fine,¡± Derrick said. ¡°There''s just two heading up and they''re not particularly threatening. ¡°Sure,¡± Mathew said. ¡°Assuming they don''t have a way to sick their friends on you. Which they will, because they are bees.¡± Derrick shrugged with an obvious lack of concern. ¡°That¡¯s not what they¡¯re for,¡± he said with rock solid certainty. ¡°Give me some space.¡± A soon as his allies had made some distance, two furious shapes exited the hive at high speeds, filling the air with an angry buzzing. Derrick watched them buzz about madly. Their frantic flight disturbing their nearby hive mates and driving them into a mild frenzy of action. Curiously, they didn¡¯t seem to actually know what they were angry about. They were just flying around the clearing. Derrick let out a weak pulse of auril and one of them zeroed in on him. It lt landed on a tree by his head and lt out an angry buzz, clearly looking in his direction with its compound eyes. Derrick, relaxed but with an axe in his hand, let out another pulse. This one, a weak auril roar that transmitted his forced calm. Mid leap, the fuzzy insect stopped. It pawed at it¡¯s own antennae as the other auril endowed insect landed next to it. Both of them were looking at him now, mandibles clicking and antennae waving. Fascinated, Derrick reached out and touched one¡¯s head. Exuding calm through his auril. He wasn¡¯t attacked. There was no reaction at all. Eyes the size of marbles just stared at him. Probing the little creature with auril, Derrick was taken aback. It¡¯s auril was simple but deep. Fascinated, the Hunter bypassed its defences and made contact with something else. His Quantum Awareness screamed to life. Something was there, something was looking out of its eyes. Instantly, tiny wings blurred into action and its tiny legs grabbed at him. Its abdomen curled as it drove its stinger at him. 6.14 Drama and Queens Derrick gripped the squirming insect tightly, easily preventing it from escaping his grasp reaching anywhere it might do actual damage. His gauntlet was far too armored for the oversized bee to damage him, despite its steel strong carapace and stinger. The Hunter''s attention was split between the insect in his hand and the insect on the tree beside him. The latter wasn''t attacking him yet, though it didn''t look happy. Should he kill it? It was annoying to have to split his attention like this when their was such an interesting prize in his hand. ¡°Mathew?¡± he called out. Not taking his eyes off the buzzing insect to look for his ally. ¡°Yes?¡± came the hesitant reply. No doubt his allies were a bit concerned about being surrounded by an unknown number of venomous hostiles. The normal giant bees, the ones without aurilin, were still more confused than angry. Derrick was ninety percent sure he could use auril pulses to knock anything that small out of the sky if he had too. That would cost him a lot of auril before he cleared the area though. ¡°If that one moves, shoot it.¡± Derrick stated. The other Hunter was a good enough shot that he could probably snipe the bee out of the air if it attacked. And if he couldn''t? Well, he''d taken dumber risks and survived. His Quantum Awareness was still whispering in his ear, letting him know that these two bees were communicating with something so closely he could feel its awareness through them. This was fascinating but not unprecedented. It was how the Spore Tyrants worked, after all. If anything this was a much cruder version of that. Which made it much more valuable to him as a place to start. Banishing any distractions, Derrick calmed himself and concentrated on the complicated world of auril. On the dancing patterns of that strange energy inside himself. The deep currents of it that flowed from his auril heart and the subtle weavings that flowed along his skin. His numerous scars that now healed tough and red. First, he sent another wave of calm towards his tiny prisoner. It seemed to work, its simple mind was easily tricked into docility. How much of an attention span did a bee have anyway? It was nice to be dealing with actual living things again. Trying to fight the Rebel Instruments had been like fighting half blind and with one arm tied behind his back. His trump card, Canvas manna was too unpredictable to be much use. He much preferred auril, it was fiendishly complicated but it did follow a clear set of rules. Rules that could be learned through examination and experimentation. He focused entirely on his target. A tiny body containing less than a tenth of his own aurilin. Yes, he could feel it thanks to his Quantum Awareness. That trait highlighted the auril tendrils that danced across the space between this bee and its... auril symbiote. Derrick felt himself become enchanted with it. It was a beautiful thing. Similar in nature to what he''d felt from Spore Tyrant''s but much simpler... Not as simple as he''d thought actually, it was also intuitive to him in a way that the alien''s power wasn''t. Easier to understand because this was an ability born of something from this world. Humanity''s world. He moved past just observation and actively invaded his target with his own auril. Not hurting it but exploring it deeply. Once more it squirmed in his hand. Not of its own volition, but because of a command by the mind behind its own. A very simple command, he felt. This was no commanding genius. When it sent it''s next command and his prisoner responded, Derrick had laced the response with his own auril. Something he hoped would let out a weak pulse. No luck, the second mind wasn''t that easily fooled. The defences tear his parasitic auril apart easily and fast enough he''s guess it was an automatic response. So he did it again, slightly adjusting his auril. And again when that failed. And again when that failed. Until he succeeded and discovered exactly what he''d thought. It was another bee of course, the queen bee obviously. Deep below the ground it was nestled safely as it fed on the flesh of the Spore Tyrant next to it. With its defences defeated, Derrick easily calmed the insect winged monarch down. There, crisis averted. He and his allies would be safe now. He smiled to himself. Now he had time to play around. Gently, he examined everything. His auril dancing along with every pattern it could find. The queen''s defences, her commands and they pattern he identified as related to growth. Those were not unlike the ones used by the Grey Legion. Coincidence? They did the same thing as what he''d seen in Vanguards. Patterns that catalyzed growth and density, that allowed natural processes to break the limits of what they could do in terms of flesh and armor. Once that was done, he let out another pulse and found the Spore Tyrant Node. It was a weakened and boring thing. Barely worth examination, shredded and dying. This was not a dungeon he saw, though the Inoculated insects were taking auril from the Spore Tyrant. They were simply prolonging its death, not preserving it like the System could do with the help of a Warden Crusader. They would extract some extra aurilin before it died true, but a very limited amount. Was that what these creatures were for? A Hollow Majesty''s attempt to gather aurilin? That was actually very impressive, he admitted. Much smarter than running around fighting the Spore Tyrant''s with an axe and a can do attitude. Noble Virulence had been all about doing the opposite of creating more aurilin on Earth though. Was this an attempt to steal aurilin before human Users could get to it? That seemed like a stupid strategy for what was clearly a very smart entity. Even if the creator of these insects was destroying the aurilin they gathered, it was a mind boggling waste of resources. No, this had to have some other point. The most obvious guess was that the bees were the point, not the aurilin. The aurilin just helped them achieve their goal, which was to find and kill Spore Tyrant node''s. Derrick fell deeper into examination. The aurilin was the only clue he had to the purpose of all this. The insects didn''t come up with a Style on their own. No, it was given to them and bound to their nature in a similar way to how Grey Legion did so. He''d examined enough Grey Legion hearts that he knew what to look for. The subtle traces their creator left of its own nature on its creations. Prosperity, cleansing and observation were the commands he felt. They tasted odd, yet he recognized something human in their making. Observation was an odd one. Normally it should be a simple thing, yet it was far more complex than it should be. Even considering the bee''s ability to see through the eyes of its warriors by sending packets of dense aurilin. There would be more to it. Had to be more to it. He hesitated for a second, then went deeper. Yes, the pulses between the bees were only half of it, there was something else here. A pulse of auril revealed nothing at all. Yet, that told him something too. He was not ignorant of the ways things hid from aurilin. First he checked for auril based defences, but if they existed they were too powerful for him to detect.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ah, manna. The bee had a manna hub in it''s head. He could feel the tiny empty space now that he was looking for it. A speck of void where living flesh should be. There was scarring around it, he noted. Something implanted, rather than grown. Obnoxiously crude compared to the elegance of the rest of the work he¡¯d seen. What to do now? The queen bee was not under his control, merely rendered passive. He could not bring it up to the surface for closer examination and he could not reach anywhere near that far with his manna. Unless, the manna core that was feeding the hub was up here, this was a dead end. He pulsed once more, looking for nothingness. He didn''t find it. Well, if he couldn''t study the manna core, he could study how it interacted with auril. It was a very subtle change but he could detect something happening. A twist to the auril before it vanished into the core. Fascinated, he studied it for what felt like an eternity. Until he had seen all there was to see, and was left disappointed at the mystery. Was this the end? He didn''t want it to be. He wanted to explore more. He felt pushed to do so, could feel pressure growing with every beat of his heart. His aurlin was thriving. It demanded to be used. So he did. If he''d learned all he could from the insects below, that still left two auril using creatures on the surface to learn from. He could see them with aurlin but could not touch them like he was was the bees. Not yet. It was possible, he realized. The one was using a Style based on his own, and so was susceptible. It would almost invite him in. The other was just weak, he thought contemptuously, their style of rigid and flawed design. He had already spent hours examining it too. It was the most natural thing in the world to infiltrate their auril. His own Auril Style shivered in excitement as it reached out. He could feel it grow and solidify as contact was made. Even as the hand on his shoulder rested firmly, two more invisible limbs reached out for his allies. They didn''t even seem to notice. At least until he blasted auril through them, using them as routers for a pulse. A sadly inefficient process. He was limited to a fraction of their own auril limits, which were already less than his own. Easier to just move to them and pulse. It didn''t seem like the kind of problem he could fix with further study, simply a limit of what aurilin could do. His subjects had become aware of his hijacking. This apparently, excited them. He could feel their hearts frantic beat. So, while studying everything, he calmed them. Derrick frowned. He''d calmed them. Something about that felt wrong. Very wrong as it brought back an echo of an event that defined his auril. His stomach turned as his enthusiasm died. A moment of introspection was all it took to break the spell he''d cast on himself. He felt something shift inside him. A possibility denied while another became more defined, filling the space his rejection had created. Fuck. He''d gone full Purple Man there for a minute. Actually, he considered, he''d gone full Grey Legion. That had to be where those instincts had come from. Derick opened his eyes and let the bee in his hand fly off. He watched it make a beeline for the safety of the hive. Then he forced himself to face the two other Users there with him. ¡°What the hell, was that?¡± Sam asked, Mathew looming silently behind her. There was a complicated look on her face. It was at least partially fear, Derrick guessed. Derrick tried to think of how to answer that. ¡°I apologize for what I just did,¡± Derrick said. ¡°I get a little too into studying auril. I hit you with what I was doing to our buzzing friends over there. I was pretty out of it.¡± ¡°That''s obvious, you''ve been sitting there for over an hour now.¡± Mathew said calmly. Derrick eyed him. Was he really as unbothered as he appeared? No, more likely he was keeping his concerns to himself. Fair enough, Derrick would just have to make sure not to repeat the incident. ¡°That didn''t hurt either of you?¡± Derrick pressed. He was pretty sure he hadn''t but it was important to be sure. ¡°Fine, just startled.¡± Mathew answered with a frown. ¡°So that''s the auril sensitivity bogeyman people talk about. I can see why it would upset people. At least tell you learned something important while you were sitting around.¡± ¡°What''s this?¡± Sam asked. ¡°What did you just do? I could barely follow anything you were doing.¡± So, the many things Sam was ignorant of included auril sensitivity, how predictable. ¡°Explanations can wait for the hike back,¡± Derrick said. ¡°We should get a move on, it''s likely we were detected. I felt a manna device down there. It has got to be some kind of sensor. Whatever created these guys might not love my tinkering with them.¡± ¡°That''s it?¡± Sam asked suspiciously. ¡°Were just going to leave these monsters out here? Letting them breed an army? Does that really seem like a good idea to you?¡± ¡°They don''t seem like much of a threat,¡± Mathew argued while watching one buzz overhead. ¡°A bit grating on the ears, but no worse than how deadly silent it is out here.¡± ¡°They''re giant bees,¡± she responded slowly. ¡°Would you want to like, raise your kids near them?¡± ¡°I''m a Hunter, not an Exterminator. Besides, they eat Spore Tyrants,¡± Derrick said. ¡°Small ones at least. It''s why they''re here. There was one under that hill. If we had the Users to safely cleanse the countryside of both the bees and any other nodes that are around, I would be tempted to fight them. Lacking anywhere near enough Users for that, I''ll let them fight it out for now at least.¡± ¡°I''m one hundred percent on team bee then,¡± Mathew said with a grimace, no doubt remembering the hell Spore Tyrant''s made of West Hills. Even Sam nodded along with that, Dewport had it worse, at least when it came to Spore Tyrants. Universal Support System Mission complete: +310 points for successfully investigating altered wildlife (Apoidea) A simple reward for a simple mission. Considering he had managed to learn a bit more about auril, he was more than happy with a few points as the official reward for the mission. ¡°Right, so let''s get going,¡± Derick said and rose to his feet.
It was long and mostly boring slog back to the spot they had agreed to meet Breakneck at. They encountered no more mutant wildlife. Although Derrick did see flashes of what could be worm-like creatures below the ground. He kept that to himself though. He wasn''t even sure it hadn''t just been roots. Auril senses basically just gave flashes of shapes and all the life around him was confusing. Arriving at the meetup location, it became immediately obvious that Meg and her group had not made it back yet. The Tempests they had sent to West Hills with the wounded were back though, with a few extra thrown in as well. He wasn''t going to complain but the new Tempests were unmarked. Meaning they belonged to neither breakneck or Red Works. Adding a third commander to this army would be a pain in the ass. The trio walked out the bushes without fanfare, recognizing a Red Works User standing guard. They were of course, immediately recognized and the situation was explained to him. It turned out that his worries were unfounded. While the Tempests were on loan, the Users were Red Works employees and a small group of other Users that had accepted a mission from the System to head out with them. Those Users were drawn from the militia and Teslaforce but had all agreed to work under him for the duration. They almost seemed enthusiastic about it. Especially the militia User, which surprised him. Apparently, there had been some mild grumbling at how safe their bosses were playing it. If Red Works or Breakneck had failed with their push, Derrick was sure they would be thinking differently, but his and Meg''s success meant most Users saw their ambitious missions as the right call. That made Derrick smile. Served the old timers that ran the militia right. He imagined they might even be forced to get off their asses if he succeeded in this mission. Especially if he treated these dissenters well enough. All in all, they had replaced their loses and then some. The best part was that this meant that the System was taking this mission seriously. He could count on it offering more reinforcements if they became necessary. With the bees out of the way, it seemed like things were back on track. ¡°Is there anything else I should know about?¡± he asked his employee after they''d gone over the resumes of the new additions. ¡°Any word from Breakneck?¡± The trio hadn''t taken any communication equipment with them on their mission, in case it could be tracked, so they hadn''t been in communication with anybody. It was a bit worrying that Breakneck wasn''t here yet. ¡°They¡¯re fine,¡± his subordinate replied, with a hint of nervousness. ¡°We¡¯ve been in communication with them for an hour. I don¡¯t know the details, but It seems like they never even found the Rebel Instruments. They¡¯re late because they keep getting mobbed by local survivors.¡± A common problem. Human¡¯s were better at surviving than you¡¯d expect. You couldn¡¯t turn over a rock without finding some group of stragglers. What was the nervousness about though? Derrick was hardly a strict boss, except when it came to training and actual combat. He¡¯s cultivated a reputation for fairness so why would¡­ He heard an odd click from behind. It was a very recognizable sound to his enhanced hearing but so out of place he had to look to the source of it. It was he click of high heels on a hard surface. He let out a pulse of auril before he managed to turn his head. It confirmed his suspicions. ¡°How dare you try to escape,¡± Shalka the Velorie exclaimed loudly enough that every nearby User could hear. ¡°Running off on a dangerous mission without saying goodbye? Unexceptable, your good looks only go so far.¡±