《Axiom》 Prologue (I know prologues are largely useless, but I decided it would be better than another large info dump later in the story. Enjoy.) The press room of Parallel Entertainment was blazing with conversation. Men and women carrying cameras, notepads or voice recorders talked amongst themselves while they waited for the CEO to make his appearance. The only people in the room to remain silent were the investors present in the fourth row and beyond. The company was always known for putting out some of the best games the world has seen in a long time. Today was set to be a momentous day for the company and a time to put rumors to rest. The lights in the room dimmed and the crowd started to quiet down as they brought their focus to the stage at the end of the room. The sound of echoing footsteps signaled the approach of the Teo Mencia, the founder, and CEO of Parallel Entertainment. Mencia made his way to the center of the stage in a slow dramatic walk while clasping his hands behind his back. When he reached the axis of the platform, a spotlight shone from the ceiling and illuminated the man in charge. He was a Hispanic man in 40s with an average build and black, slicked back hair. Mencia looked to the crowd and smiled as cameras flashed and red lights became visible as video recorders went active. ¡°Thank you all for coming to this rather impromptu press conference,¡± Mencia stated to the crowd. After a short break for applause, he continued, ¡°I would like to give special attention and thanks to our investors and company heads who are present here today. Without whom this project would not be possible.¡± Another applause sounded and lasted for about ten seconds. The businessmen present didn¡¯t make any motions at the acknowledgment, but some of them did smile at the praise.When the silence returned, the CEO resumed his speech, ¡°As all of you know, this company has been at the top of video game production for the last ten years and counting. Now we come to a new chapter in gaming history.¡± When he finished, a small platform began to rise up to his left. On the rising structure sat a black band. The CEO picked up the band and gestured to the crowd, ¡°Ladies, gentlemen and all those in between...I give you, the AUGLink.¡± More and more flashes came from cameras in the first and second rows as Mencia held the device in one hand over his head. As the flashes slowed, he took the device in his other hand and lowered it onto his head. The black band adjusted to his head and a black visor appeared over his eyes. An assistant rolled a chair onto the stage just behind Teo. After taking a seat in the chair, he tapped a finger to the side of the AUGLink. There was a light beep and Mencia spoke a phrase, ¡°Connect! Axiom!¡± The CEO¡¯s body relaxed fully into the chair and a screen illuminated on what everyone originally thought was a blank wall. On the screen was a sea of brightly glowing stars. The camera spun around to reveal the CEO sitting in the cockpit of a spaceship. He stood from the chair with a wide grin and his voice projected from the screen, ¡°Thanks to our many backers, we were able to make, not just one world for this game, but an entire universe. Hence the name, Axiom.¡± Mencia¡¯s avatar stood from the chair and walked around the ship. The interior of the vessel had a streamlined chrome finish. There were blue light strips running along the tops of the walls. He walked through the ship¡¯s halls with a slow swagger and his hands clasped behind his back, as was his typical way of moving about.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Axiom¡¯s universe is vast. The server power afforded to us is more than enough accommodate a huge number of players and an evolving universe of possibilities.¡± Mencia stated as he made his way down the corridor of the ship. He stopped at a new room that was polished white with a circular in its center. The table was surrounded by two curving couches with blue upholstered cushions. With a sigh, the man sat on the couch and the table in the center whirred to life as it displayed a number of humanoid figures in various forms of dress and carrying different forms of equipment. ¡°Now, I could bore you all with some boring details about class selections and so forth, but I think I¡¯ll tell you a couple of things that make our game more...unique,¡± Mencia said. He gestured to a set of counters in the upper-left side of the screen next to his avatar¡¯s health and stamina bar, which read ¡°infinite¡± because he was in admin mode. The first counter is green and over the numbers reads ¡°Game Time¡±. The second counter is red in color and reads ¡°RWT¡± or ¡°Real World Time¡±. ¡°I may not be able to see your reactions now, but I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re all wondering about the counters. Without getting too technical, I¡¯ll just let you all know that time moves faster in Axiom. According to our techs and beta testers, the game¡¯s time moves about five times faster than real life time. I¡¯ll be pausing for gasps now,¡± Mencia stated with a wry smile. The news of the game¡¯s time dilation caused the room to erupt in questions and gasps of surprise. Reporters turned to one another trying to compare notes and make sure they all heard the same thing, they did. Eventually, the room stilled once again and they looked to the avatar of the CEO. He was humming a happy tune while fiddling with some translucent screen thatfloated in front of him. As if signaled, he turned his attention back to the crowd. ¡°In addition to increasing the time players will have to enjoy the game, we have one more feature to show off that we¡¯re sure will knock some socks off,¡± Mencia toned as four hexagonal coins appeared in his hand. ¡°These coins are representations of the currency of the game, which we call credits. In the game, they buy the player weapons, armor, ships, and much more. In reality, they can be converted into real-world currency at a ten to one ratio. For those of you who are bad at math, here¡¯s a simple overview, ten in-game credit equals one real-world US dollar. Let that sink in,¡± Teo said as he flipped one the coins in his hand then went back to the screens in his vision. That announcement caused the crowd to explode. A virtual reality game where time moves slower during play and the chance to earn real money for playing. This would change everything. As it stood currently, the US and many other countries had gone through a new industrial boom in the form overwhelming robotic production taking over most jobs. This caused unemployment to skyrocket and jobs in AI development and computer code writing to become much more essential. Most schools nowadays even went so far as to put basic coding into their curriculums. However, now this game was able to introduce a new way for people to make money. It was amazing. Unlike the last announcement, people didn¡¯t quiet down quickly. Conversationroared in the room as everyone tried to make sense of everything the CEO had to say. Finally,The digitized CEO had enough. Whatever he was doing on the screens in front of him, he finished and then called for attention, ¡°Simmer down children, simmer down. I haven¡¯t even gotten to the best part of this press conference yet,¡± Mencia said. There was a collective sound throughout the entire room as everyone present leaned forward in their seats. What more could this eccentric CEO possibly have to reveal? The answer came as Teo Mencia snapped his finger and a countdown appeared in the upper-center of the screen. It displayed: 6 days/23 hours/59 minutes/55 seconds. At this point, the CEO had logged out of Axiom in order to formally address the audience. ¡°In just one week¡¯s time, all the world will be able to log into Axiom and experience the next step in this golden age of technology. As I speak to you now, pre-orders have started for the AUGLink package that will contain the game and a month of free gaming time. After the first month, a subscription fee of $200 a month will be required to play. Steep yes, but in a game where you can make real money for playing, we think this is fair enough.¡± It was almost a comical sight to see 90% of the room yank their mobile phones from their pockets in a swift motion as they tried to log on to the company website to pre-order their very own headset and a copy of the game. Mencia didn¡¯t even try to hide his amusement at the sight. He merely clapped his hands together and exclaimed to the entire room and everyone watching via the internet, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stars!¡± Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The new industrial revolution, as some have taken to calling it, finally reached the security industry. Marlon had been working as a high-end security guard for the last three years at a well-established tech company. He got the job right after graduating from college and it was meant to be a temporary gig while he looked for something better. Unfortunately, AI and robotic workers started taking over almost every part of the job market and ¡°something better¡± became a pipe dream. It was only by chance that he happened upon this position when he did, but as of today his position and that of many other security employees at the company was no more. The owner of the company wasn¡¯t even sympathetic about it either. He just walked into the lobby with a legion of androids bearing the company logo and the word ¡°Security¡± emblazoned on their chassis. Everyone in a security uniform knew what that meant, bye bye employment. Marlon and some of the older employees just finished out their shifts, but a good number of the other employees just stopped what they were doing and left when they connected the dots. At first, Marlon was worried that he might have to move back in with his parents when his savings dried up. Luckily, he had another chance in the form of Axiom, the game that gives players a chance to earn real money as they play the game. As soon as Marlon arrived back at his apartment from his last day of work, there was a package waiting in front of his door. He knew it could only be one thing, the AUGLink he ordered right after seeing the Parallel Entertainment press conference last week. Marlon picked up the package and walked into his home to start the process of playing the game. After discarding the packing materials, Marlon plugged the AUGLink charger into the wall and then snaked the other end to the actual device. He normally didn¡¯t read the manuals that came with new tech, but this was something he had never used before so he decided to be careful. When he finished reading, Marlon slipped the AUGLink over his head which caused the device to adjust to his head size and the black visor to drop down over his eyes and rest on his nose. He could feel the AUGLink coming to life and his heart thudded in excitement. Marlon sat down on the comfortable chair he used to watch television. Once he was settled, Marlon closed his eyes and spoke the activation phrase, ¡°Connect! Axiom!¡± There was second of absolute stillness and then a message appeared in Marlon¡¯s vision, [Welcome to Axiom! Are you ready to begin the Character Creation process?] [YES/NO] Not wanting to wait any longer, Marlon mentally selected ¡°yes¡± and a feeling like he was being drawn into an endless void took over him. Before he knew it, he was floating through space. After a few seconds of blissful observation, a message appeared in his vision, [Please select your classes.] Marlon blinked. He was sure he was reading that message wrong. ¡°Classes?¡± He thought to himself. Usually, in games like these, you only choose one class and progress from there. ¡°What kind of system was this game using? ¡° As if sensing his uncertainty, another system message popped up to answer his question, [In Axiom Online, you choose four classes for your character at their creation. These choices can either be four different classes, a single class four times or anything of a similar combination. Like in most games, the class or classes you choose will determine your abilities and skills. However, unlike most games, the four different classes you choose will be combined to make a class of a different name. Each level you gain in your class will award you six skill points and a choice from a list of Deeds. In addition, The combined statistics of each class will be added to your character at each level. Does this answer your question or do you need more information?] Marlon nodded in understanding. It was a different system, but it was insurmountable. If anything, this was a breath of fresh air. Min-maxing seemed cool on paper, but when it came down to it, putting all his egg in one statistical basket, was never Marlon¡¯s style when it came to gaming. At his mental command, the message disappeared and a long translucent window took its place in his vision. The window had a wide selection of different classes that served different specializations. Since Axiom was a sci-fi based game and had elements of space travel, the selection of classes had to reflect the setting. Instead of the classic rogue, there was a hitman class, or instead of the tinkerer or blacksmith there was the engineer, and rather than a ranger, this game featured a sniper class. However, some classes were universal and didn¡¯t get a futuristic title, such as the trader, assassin and bounty hunter. Whatever.Stolen novel; please report. Marlon cycled through the list of classes three times over the course of 30 minutes trying to find a solid combination. After another bit of deliberation, he finally made his choices, [Bounty Hunter The Bounty Hunter lives for the thrill of the hunt and the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from getting paid for taking down a ravenous beast or catching a wanted criminal and then getting paid for it. This class excels at tracking targets and specializing damage to a selective enemy type. Stats/level: +1 to Agility, Intelligence, Perception, and Charisma] [Skirmisher Strong and fast, the Skirmisher excels at all forms of combat and infiltration. Their training pushes the body to its limits and beyond. This makes them excellent melee and ranged fighters. Stats/level: +2 to Strength, +1 to Agility, and Endurance] [Soldier Order and training are two things that the Soldier knows and lives. The training to become a soldier is hard, but the end results have made you a strong and enduring individual with a penchant for different forms of weaponry. The skills you have learned in your training can be applied to many different situations. Stats/level: +2 to Strength, +1 Endurace, and Intelligence] [Arsenal Runner Arsenal Runners go by many names: Smugglers, Arms Dealers, etc.. No matter what they are called, the one thing they all have in common is the ability to get something from one point to another and not get caught. As a member of the trader family, Arsenal Runners are natural dealmakers. Stats/level: +1 to Agility, Perception, and Charisma] Marlon looked over his choices and smiled. With all of that done, he scrolled to the bottom of the page and hit the button labeled ¡°Confirm¡±. [Classes selected...Calculating results...SUCCESS! By your powers combined, you are a Mercenary!] Marlon stifled a laugh at the obvious nod to an old cartoon he used to love in his youth. He focused on the class¡¯ name and thought about getting more information. [The Mercenary is also known as a soldier of fortune. They go where the money is and are loyal to the highest bidder. They are trained in the use of many different weapon types and have many varying skills to help them accomplish a myriad of missions. Whether they are alone or in a group, mercenaries are a force not to be taken lightly. Starting skills: [tracking], [piloting], [stealth], [computers], [intimidate], law, [unarmed fighting], [pistols], [rifles], hardy, survival, leadership, tactics, [Melee weapons], bravery, [thievery], [escape arts], [acrobatics], [climbing], [running], [bluffing], [carousing], [crafting], Reactions Note: Skills placed in brackets are considered active skills and must be used at will rather than passively. Armor Proficiency: Light, Heavy Stats/level: STR +4, AGI +3, END +2, INT +2, PER +2, CHA +2] Marlon looked at the list of skills his character had and the stat allocation he received and he was amazed. He couldn¡¯t wait to give his new Merc some play time. This was going to be fun. Another message appeared in Marlon¡¯s vision that brought him out his reverie, [To move forward you must either customize your avatar or if you are fine with your recorded real-world appearance, you may move straight to the game.] Marlen pondered that last part of the message for a second. Then he looked at the default mirror that the game provided to represent his default appearance. It was the same face he was used to seeing day in and day out. He had almond colored skin, short, black, curly hair, brown eyes and he stood just under six feet tall. He had an average build for a man of 26 years of age. He wasn¡¯t exactly a linebacker, but he wasn¡¯t skin and bones either, even if his mother constantly said he was. ¡°Meh, why mess with success?¡± Marlon said as he gave a goofy pose and pointed to his reflection in the mirror. He chose to keep his real-world appearance and hit the ¡°Confirm¡± button. One more menu popped up from of him, [You are now finished with character creation. Please select a name for your avatar them you may review your choices and confirm.] Marlon thought for a second. He tried to think of a good name for his character. Something cool, but not cliche at the same time. Something finally came to him. Marlon typed out his selected name in the box that floated in front of him with a blinking cursor, Kayden Shaw. He gave a mental cheer at seeing that the name was not being used by another player. He confirmed the name and looked over his character information.
Name: Kayden Shaw Level: 1 Race: Human Class: Mercenary Attributes: Health: 40/40 Resolve: 20/20 STR:6 AGI: 5 END: 4 INT: 2 PER: 3 CHA: 2 Skills: [tracking] 1, [piloting] 1, [stealth] 1, [computers] 1, [intimidate] 1, law 1, [unarmed fighting] 1, [pistols] 1, [rifles] 1, hardy 1, survival 1, leadership 1, tactics 1, [Melee weapons] 1, bravery 1, [thievery] 1, [escape arts] 1, [acrobatics] 1, [climbing] 1, [running] 1, [bluffing] 1, [carousing] 1, [crafting] 1, Reactions 1
Satisfied with his build, Marlon confirmed his decisions and a final message appeared, [Are you ready to begin the game? YES/NO.] Marlon mentally selected ¡°yes¡± and the starry sky he was subject to at first was replaced by streams of white streaks of light. Between what he was seeing and feeling, it felt like he was moving through hyperspace. The lights disappeared and Marlon--or Kayden now--could feel that he was sitting in a cramped space. The area around him shook violently and he could hear objects around him shaking and rattling around. His vision finally adjusted and when he realized what he was seeing, he contemplated closing his eyes again. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Kayden was sitting in a cramped, cylindrical tube with a small, circular window in front of him. Through the window, he was able to see that he was plummeting to the surface of a planet. Kayden tried to stand to get a better look at where he was falling to, but he was halted when he banged his head on the ceiling of the tube. There was a loud clang and Kayden let out a string of curses as his head slammed against the top of the tube. His hands immediately shot the crown of his skull, ¡°OOWW!!! SON OF A--!!!¡± Just before finishing his verbal tirade, Kayden was thrown forward as the vessel he was crammed in came to a literal crashing halt, and like that, everything was still and quiet. Kayden had no idea how it happened, but at some point in the crash, he had ended up completely upside down. Most of his weight was on his neck and his back was against the opposite end of the tube. ¡°UGH¡­¡± Kayden groaned. From his new position, he was unable to look out of the window to see where he was. In an attempt to right himself, Kayden tried to prop his foot on the surface just under the window of the tube. When the back of his neck left the floor, it fell right back down as half of the tube fell away causing him to crash back to the floor. ¡°Metal tube, you¡¯re a dick,¡± Kayden said sarcastically. After a few seconds of contemplation, he didn¡¯t even try to stand up again, he just rolled himself out of the tube and landed on solid ground. Rolling to his side, Kayden stood up and took in his surroundings. First, he looked to the vessel he crashed in. Just as he figured while he was inside, the outside was grey, cylindrical tube with yellow and black cautionary stripes on the top end. Any other details about the bottom end of the vessel were lost due to the fact that it was partially embedded in the ground. He looked around the area to see what was in his vicinity. He was in a city area surrounded by tall buildings that were all in a state of decay. An asphalt road stretched all around him with the exception of the occasional areas of broken sidewalk on either side. As Kayden looked around, two messages took over his view, one overlaid on top of the other, [Welcome to the game! You have landed on the planet of Parria. This planet has a combat level of 1-10. ] [New mission! You have 24 hours to the planet Parria and make your way to the Hyperion space station. There is a signal beacon in the capsule you arrived in. Find an area of sufficient height to send a call for extraction or find another way off-world before time expires. Reward: Experience/???] Kayden swiped the notifications away and proceeded to inspect the capsule he landed in. He didn¡¯t have to search for long before noticing something that had fallen out of the opening. It was a three-foot-long metal case. The case was painted matte black and was held shut by two heavy cloth belts with tactical buckles. Kayden approached the locked container and hunched down. He pinched the sides of the buckles which caused the case to pop open with an audible click. He raised the lid to reveal two weapons and the signal beacon mentioned in the mission prompt. The weapons inside were a pistol, and a single-edged, tactical combat knife. Both weapons were held in place by hard foam that was cut to keep the object snugly in place. Finally, there were six 10 round pistol magazines resting just below the firearm. After looking the objects in the case over, Kayden focused on each weapon individually and pop-ups began to appear beside them with details about each object,Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. [You have found Mk-I Kinetic Pistol Damage: 4-8 Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Traits: None Description: A basic pistol. Ideal for beginners. Holds a 10 round magazine.] [You have found Tactical Combat Knife Damage: 2-6 Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Traits: None Description: A standard combat knife.] Kayden looked over the gear in the case with just a bit of derision before letting out a sigh. It may have been newb gear, but at least he had something. As Kayden picked up the knife, a thought crossed his mind as he thought to instinctively equip it to his belt, ¡°What am I wearing?¡± He looked at his hands, then his chest, legs and, finally, his feet. He was wearing a grey-black set of military combat clothes on his chest and legs, as well as a pair of fingerless leather gloves and a pair of combat boots. The knees of the pants and the elbows of the shirt had a hard plate on them to provide extra protection. To get a more thorough look at his clothes, Kayden opened his character sheet. There he found a 3D representation of him wearing the clothing. He focused on the model to see the stats of his equipment. [Basic Military Combat Shirt Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Damage Resistance: +2 Upgrade Slots: 0 ] [Basic Military Combat Pants Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Damage Resistance: +2 Upgrade Slots: 0] [Basic Military Leather Gloves Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Damage Resistance: +1 Upgrade Slots: 0 ] [Basic Military Combat Boots Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Damage Resistance: +1 Upgrade Slots: 0 ] [Description: This combat uniform is standard issue for fresh axiom military recruits fresh out of basic training (hence the name). It provides light protections from both energy attacks and kinetic attacks.] Kayden wasn¡¯t shocked at the low values of the armor. It was standard newb gear after all. He knew if he wanted better equipment then he would have to earn it, just like any other game. Kayden was packing away his equipment when he heard the sounds of snarling and approaching footsteps approaching from his left. Drawing his newly acquired pistol, Kayden hid behind the crashed pod and waited for whoever it was to reveal themselves. ¡°I told you I heard another pod touch down!¡± said a gruff, masculine voice. ¡°Good, either more money or another kill for us. You go find the other one, I¡¯ll search around here.¡± Came a second voice. Whoever these two were, they didn¡¯t seem like they wanted to make sure Kayden was alright. He chanced a peek around the corner of the pod to see who exactly he was dealing with. About 15 feet away stood two men wearing black clothing with a red crescent painted on their chests. One of them had a long slash that ran from his mouth to his cheek the other had a bald head covered in some sort of tribal tattoos. ¡°Yeah, definitely not Triple-A,¡± Kayden said sarcastically under his breath. To make matters worse, both men were traveling with black, rabid-looking hounds that were continually sniffing the ground in an attempt to pick up a scent. Kayden gave an inward curse to himself for not being quick enough to get away before they came. A few moments later, the tattoo headed man and his dog strafed off into the deeper parts of the city. When he was out of sight the scar-faced guy turned to Kayden¡¯s pod and commanded his hound, ¡°Track!¡± The beast then started to sniff the ground at the exact spot where Kayden was inspecting his gear. At that moment, he knew it was time to come up with a battle plan. He knew that if he didn¡¯t, it was only a matter of time before he was caught. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 The sniffing sound continued to get louder as the hound and its master got closer to the other side of the pod where Kayden was hiding. With no other choice available, Kayden steeled himself for what was to come next. He brought the loaded pistol up and gripped it in both hands, as he was trained to do in his time as a guard. He leveled the gun to where he hoped the beast would come around the corner. Kayden didn¡¯t have to wait long to until the hound finally rounded the corner of the pod and locked eyes with him. The black-furred canine tried to growl, but Kayden quicklypulled the trigger. The pistol barked and there was a short yelp from the hound as the bullet pierced its brain and it fell to the floor, dead. [You have killed Red Talon Hound! You gain 25 XP!] ¡°What the hell!¡± The scarred man shouted at the sight of his furry companion falling over. Not waiting for another outburst, Kayden sprang from behind the pod in an attempt to get the drop on his second adversary. With his pistol out front, Kayden fired four more shots before hitting the ground, [You shoot Red Talon Raider for 15 points of kinetic damage!] The enemy, who Kayden now knew to be a Red Talon Raider, let out out a loud grunt as three bullets slammed into his chest. Kayden hit the ground and then scrambled to his feet still facing the raider. As he got his feet, he wondered why the man didn¡¯t at least fall over, if not die. The raider regained his composure and looked to Kayden with a vicious snarl and murder in his eyes. "You know, if it makes any difference, I took no pleasure in that! I actually like dogs!" Kaden said. The scarred man then charged like a rabid animal. "I guess not!" Kayden said as he took a step back in anticipation. The raider drew a red, curved knife in one hand that he used to slash wildly at Kayden¡¯s face. Kayden ducked and rolled away, but the snarling man still managed to catch him with a boot to the chest. [You have been kicked for 7 points of kinetic damage! Remaining HP: 33/40!] The kick sent Kayden sprawling on the floor and he was slightly dazed as he landed on his back. Shaking off the daze from the kick, Kayden came to his senses just in time to see the enraged raider leap into the air and come falling down like an angry meteor. Kayden rolled to avoid the descending strike. His gun was lost in the tussle, so he drew his knife and threw out a slash of his own. The raider tried to move to avoid the cut, but Kayden¡¯s reach proved too great and he landed a cut on the man¡¯s exposed neck. [You cut Red Talon Raider for 12 points of kinetic damage! You have inflicted a bleed status!] The raider clutched a hand to his bleeding throat in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. It didn¡¯t help. The man let out a low gurgle and then fell to the floor in a lifeless heap. [You have killed Blood Talon Raider! You gain 50 XP!] Not long after the notification took over his vision, a strange feeling came over Kaden. The veins in his arms illuminated with blue light and a surge of energy hit him like a truck. He felt his muscles expand and his wounds mend as a sense of new-found energy took over him. A second notification gave him the answer to the question he was about to vocalize. [Congratulations! You have advanced to Level 2! STR +4, AGI +3, END +2, INT +2, PER +2, CHA +2 You have 6 skill points to spend! You are allowed to select 1 deed!] Kayden fell backward and began to breathe heavily. Even though the level up restored his health, he still needed to take a breather. The level up message continued to float in his vision. After about a minute, Kayden pulled himself to his feet and began to think, ¡°Where should I put these points?¡± Kayden opened his character menu and navigated to his skills. Each skill had a ¡°+¡± symbol next to it which indicated that he could put points into it. First, he chose pistols and tried to place two points in it, but a message appeared, [Your skill level cannot exceed your character level. Please choose another skill to increase.] Kayden¡¯s finger bent away from the window at the sight of the message. He shrugged and then went through his skills list again. In the end, he ended up putting a single point into pistols, rifles, unarmed combat, tracking, acrobatics, and melee weapons. When Kayden finished allocating his skill points, another message appeared, [New class ability learned: Stagger Shot Description: You are able to stagger your target with a ranged attack. If you hit your target with a melee attack within four seconds, you will do bonus damage. Cost: 2 Resolve Range: Variable Cooldown: 6 seconds.] Finally, Kayden moved on to select his first deed. The choices were limited since he was only level two. When it came to games like this Kayden had always gone for choices that would help in the present rather than picking something that would pay up in the future. After going through the list once, he circled back to the one that he thought would do the trick. [Deed: Marksmanship Effect: You are more accurate and do an additional +1 damage with ranged weapons. This deed can be taken multiple times.] Kayden closed his character menu after giving it a final look. He then turned to the corpse of the Red Talon Raider. After getting close enough to the body, a prompt appeared asking him if he wanted to loot the body. Kayden selected ¡°yes¡± and everything the raider was holding showed up on a screen in his vision. The raider had the red, curved knife, 47 credits, and a pair of gloves. The red blade, which was named a red claw karambit, was not an upgrade to his current knife so he just pocketed it to trade later. The fingerless gloves were made of black leather and had a thin sheet of metal over the backhand area and metal studs attached to each of the knuckles. Kayden gave the gloves a closer inspection,If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. [You have found Hard Knuckle Gloves! Quality: Basic Rarity: Uncommon Damage Resistance: +2 Upgrade Slots: 1 Traits: +1 Strength, +4 Unarmed damage Description: These gloves have metal studs embedded in them that serve to increase damage done by punches.] Kayden gave a soft whistle. The gloves were definitely an impressive upgrade to his current hand gear. He didn¡¯t even hesitate to put them on. After flexing his hands a few time to break in his new gloves, Kayden walked over to the hound and looted it as well. It only gave up a black fur pelt and two fangs. As soon as he was about to identify the pelt and fangs, the sound of gunfire in the distance caught Kayden¡¯s attention. He snapped his head in the direction the sound came from and proceeded to jog toward the fray. ¡­ After about five minutes of jogging, Kayden peered around a corner to see the same raider who was accompanying the one he killed earlier. The man wore the same outfit as his partner and had the same red claw mark on his chest armor. The raider was pressed against the corner of a building as a single shot came from an alley several yards away. Kayden was hiding behind the wall of a collapsed building as he observed the situation. From his position, he could see the raider poking his head out every so often to get the shooter to take a pot shot at him. Whoever this mystery shooter was, it was obvious that they would soon run out of ammo and that raider would move in for the kill. That¡¯s what it looked like he was planning anyway. Whoever that raider was stalking was in trouble and Kayden wasn¡¯t going to let that bastard have his way. He ejected the magazine from his pistol to check his remaining ammo. ¡°Five bullets. I can work with that.¡± Kayden said to himself under his breath. He slammed the mag back into the gun and then flicked the safety off. Kayden took a breath in and then exhaled as he prepared. In a fit of inspiration, Kayden then drew his combat knife in his off hand as he remembered his new deed. With as much preparation as he could muster, Kayden emerged from his hiding spot and fired two shots from his pistol. He activated Stagger Shot after firing the second bullet and the raider¡¯s body slammed against the wall of the building from the force of the bullets. After the second shot left his gun, Kayden charged the raider with his knife extended. The NPC regained his senses just in time to get a knife to the shoulder. [You shoot Red Talon Raider for 6 points of kinetic damage! Your stagger shot has stunned the target! You stab Red Talon Raider for 4 points of kinetic damage!] The raider hissed in pain, then threw a fist into Kayden¡¯s face. [Red Talon Raider hits you 10 points of damage! Remaining HP: 50/60! ] Kayden staggered back from the blow. The moment of distraction gave the raider enough time to level his pistol at Kayden¡¯s face. Out of reflex, Kayden ducked and slammed his shoulder into the raiders sternum. The raider was forced back four steps out of his cover. As the enemy recovered, he brought his gun back up to aim at Kayden''s face., In the excitement, he forgot about the mysterious second combatant and he was shot in the head. [Red Talon Raider has been killed! You receive 17 XP!] The next thing Kayden knew he had a dead, headless enemy in front of him that he didn¡¯t kill. He knew the other shooter had to be on edge from the fight, so rushing out to say ¡°hello¡± would be a guaranteed way to get shot. Stepping closer to the corner, Kayden quickly thrust both his hands from behind the wall he and the raider were tussling. ¡°Wait!¡± Kayden shouted as he held both hands out. No more shots came. Kayden steadily eased his way out of the cover of the building. When his body was fully exposed, he began to walk forward slowly while keeping his arms raised in the air. ¡°That¡¯s fine right there!¡± Toned a voice from the direction Kayden was walking. He stopped walking and stood still with his hands up as he noticed movement coming from behind a damaged vehicle. Another player stepped out into his vision. They wore a black mask over the lower half of their face. They also wore a set of the basic starter gear similar to what Kayden was wearing, except their gear was all black. They carried a long, scoped rifle in their hands as they stepped forward to meet Kayden at the other side of the street, not far from the raider¡¯s corpse. The other human used one finger to move their mask down from their face. Kayden was somewhat shocked to see a woman with long black hair, tanned skin, and silver eyes standing in front of him. After she removed her mask, a nameplate appeared over her head. [Name: Neela Class: Shadow Operative Level: 2] Neela eyed Kayden up and down trying to either size him up or, more likely, figure out if he could be trusted. It was a safe assumption since he was looking at her trying to figure out the same things. Eventually, he just decided to break the ice. ¡°Nice shot,¡± Kayden stated with a small smirk. The woman nodded. She resumed walking in his direction only to veer slightly to the side toward the corpse of the raider. ¡°Thanks,¡± She responded. Then she eyed him warily. Kayden dropped his hands to his sides. ¡°I heard your gun shots from a ways off and came running. He was pretty focused on forcing you to waste your ammo, so I was able to get the drop on him. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t go as smoothly as I would have liked, but luckily you seem to be a hell of a shot with that thing.¡± Kayden said as he gestured first to the raider and then to Neela¡¯s long rifle. She just nodded and then dropped down to a knee in next to the raider¡¯s corpse. A moment later, she stood. ¡°The rest of this is no good to me. It¡¯s all yours if you want it,¡± Neela stated as she gestured to the dead body. Kayden raised an eyebrow as walked around to the opposite side of the dead enemy and started the looting process. [You have found Raider¡¯s Scattergun Damage: 4-8 (Decreases with range) Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Traits: 5 foot spread, 5 foot range, kinetic damage] [You have found Raider¡¯s Long Knife Damage: 6-12 Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Traits: Serrated (more likely to cause bleed status)] [You have found 24 Scattergun rounds!] [You have found 20 credits!] Kayden stood up and immediately equipped the long knife and scattergun. The scattergun bore a close resemblance to any other double-barreled shotguns Kayden had seen before. However, the two barrels were stacked vertically to one another instead of resting side-by-side. The firearm itself was just over two feet in length and had a semi-crescent shaped grip that was wrapped with a thin layer of cloth, supposedly for grip. The long knife looked a bit like an old school machete. The size was comparable to two of Kayden¡¯s current combat knives if they were stacked end to end. The blade was single-edged and, just as the name stated, the back was covered in sharp serrations. When Kayden equipped the long knife, it took the place of his shorter combat knife and holstered itself on his back rather than at the base of his spine like his old blade. The scattergun appeared with a holster on his left thigh. Before moving on, Kayden pulled the new firearm and loaded it with two scatter rounds from the raider¡¯s corpse. ¡°What did you get from him, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± Kayden asked the other player. No response came. Kayden pulled his attention from his newly acquired gear to see that the sniper was already making her way further down the street at an even pace. Kayden thought about calling after her, but then thought it best to just let her go. Some people just want to play alone. It¡¯s what he was doing after all. Kayden watched her go for a few seconds before allowing his attention to drift to a large building near the center of the city. It stood just over twice the height of every other structure nearby. Looking at the structure, Kayden deduced that Neela would either go there to have a high vantage point for sniping or it could serve as somewhere she could set up her own signal beacon. Either way, it seemed like a good place to check out later. Until then, Kayden decided to do some exploring. He looked to the corpse of the Red Talon Raider on the ground. It was clear that they wera e problem that needed to be taken care of. Maybe he¡¯d meet other players with the same mindset as him, maybe not. Kayden knew one thing, he had just under 24 game hours before he had to make his way off planet. He would use that time make these raiders¡¯ lives a living hell. With that thoug,ht Kayden reloaded his pistol with a fresh magazine. He racked the slide with a mischievous grin and started to walk further into the cityscape. ¡°Time to do some work.¡± Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Kayden was lounging against a wall on the second floor of a dilapidated building. He was pretty sure that it used to be a hotel before it was destroyed, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. He had his interface open as he went through the different icons and menu options. He still had 23 in-game hours to complete his mission, but he was still unclear about what would happen at the end of the time limit. As he browsed the menus, he came across an icon that looked like an open book. Scrolling over it revealed the name to be ¡°codex¡±. It turned out that the codex was evolving digital record of all the enemies he¡¯d beaten and all the places he had been. Since the only place he¡¯d been so far was Parria and the only enemy he¡¯d beaten were Red Talon Raiders and their hounds, those were the only entries. Out of curiosity, Kayden opened the section of his codex for planets and read up on Parria. [Planet: Parria System: Axiom Space, Sector A Age: Unknown Biography: Parria was a sanctuary planet meant to house the families of those who worked to construct the Hyperion space station. Years after the completion of the astral structure, some chose to stay on Parria, rather than make residence on Hyperion. Years later, the planet thrived just as much as the space station to the point where both were exchanging needed resources. This period of peace lasted until the first invasion of the Red Talon Raiders. Parria is now a shell of its former self under the control of raiders who use the planet to conduct various forms of depravity.] Reading the codex entry filled Kayden with a mix of emotions. It also confirmed his earlier speculation that the raiders were a problem that needed to be taken care of. However, now he knew that they weren¡¯t just a problem for him, they were a problem for many many others as well, especially the people of Parria. Reading further into the codex, Kayden found an entry for the Red Talon Raiders. [The Red Talon Raiders are a loose association of pirate factions that span across Axiom space. The separate sects have a wide array of different specialties. Some specialize in slave trading, while others specialize in smuggling and others in a number of forms of infiltration (including political intrigue and corporate espionage). Their exact goals are unclear, but it is safe to assume that what they wish to accomplish does not bode well for the balance of Axiom space.] The mix of emotions Kayden was feeling earlier immediately went to righteous indignation. Back in reality, slavery had always been one Marlen¡¯s button, real or virtual. In games that had groups that participated in slavery, Marlen would prioritize taking down those groups first and finding ways to make sure they couldn¡¯t rise again or any other person or group couldn¡¯t rise to take their place. Knowing now that the Red Talon Raiders were a scourge to all of Axiom, Kayden knew he had a set of goals for his time in the game: Find out the Raider¡¯s goals, stop them and make sure they can¡¯t come back. Wanting a change, Kayden switched menus to view his character Stats.
Name: Kayden Shaw Level: 2 Race: Human Class: Mercenary Attributes: Health: 60/60 Resolve: 30/30 STR:11 (+1 from equipment) AGI: 8 END: 6 INT: 4 PER: 5 CHA: 4 Skills: [tracking] 2, [piloting] 1, [stealth] 1, [computers] 1, [intimidate] 1, law 1, [unarmed fighting] 2, [pistols] 2, [rifles] 2, hardy 1, survival 1, leadership 1, tactics 1, [Melee weapons] 2, bravery 1, [thievery] 1, [escape arts] 1, [acrobatics] 2, [climbing] 1, [running] 1, [bluffing] 1, [carousing] 1, [crafting] 1, Reactions 1 Character Abilities: Stagger Shot Deeds: Marksmanship
This was the first time Kayden had a chance to closely examine his attributes and skills. He decided to take a look into some of the less standard items in his character options. He started with his attributes. [Strength is the measure of one¡¯s overall brawn and physical prowess. A higher strength score translates to more damage done with melee weapons and unarmed attacks. Strength also determines carry capacity, weapon recoil control and one¡¯s ability to pick up and wield certain weapons. Agility determines one¡¯s movement speed, rapid movement ability, and overall body control. As well, agility affects attack speed and ranged weapon accuracy. Endurance contributes to a player''s total health and resolve. A high endurance score helps with staying on one¡¯s feet after taking a big hit or withstanding poisons, sickness or fatigue. Every point to endurance adds 10 points to a player¡¯s total health and five points to total resolve. Intelligence is a measure of brain power and memorization ability. This stat affects every class differently, but for the most part, it affects one¡¯s ability to tackle difficult tasks. Perception measures one¡¯s sight, smell, and hearing abilities. A high perception score means a player has heightened awareness of their surrounding. Boosting this score makes it easier to pick out hidden enemies and obstacles (such as traps) and it will be harder to sneak up on you. Charisma assists players in dealing with others, mostly the natives of Axiom. A higher score in this stat makes it easier to persuade people to see things your way and get better deals when making transactions. Note: These attributes and their values are only approximations. How they affect you as a whole is not set in stone and new effects are always being discovered. It is up to you to find how your stats and skills work together to make you stronger.] Kayden¡¯s eyes were darting back and forth as he read through the info dump that was the explanation of his stats. He had to shake his head and rub his eyes after reading everything over three times to make sure he had it all understood. The next thing he did was familiarize himself with his skills. Currently, Kayden only had one class ability and one deed and he already knew what both of them did for him. As well, a lot of the skills he had were general enough to be understood even though they were only one word. A few of his skills stood out as something that needed further explanation. He started with hardy. [The skill known as ¡°hardy¡± makes it easier for a player to power through detrimental effects such as debilitating pain, poison, etc.. Every point invested in hardy increases total HP by four points and resolve by two points.] ¡°Ok, note to self, put a point into hardy at least every other level,¡± Kayden said. The next skill he looked at was labeled ¡°bravery¡±, he focused on the skill and got a more detailed explanation of the skill, [Bravery is a skill that makes it easier for you to resist fear and other mental impairment effects. The more points you invest in this skill, the more likely you are to resist being frightened, intimidated, or sent running from a frightful presence of an enemy.] The final skill he needed clarification on was labeled ¡°Reactions¡±. [Reactions assist you in responding to surprise attacks, moving away from dangerous situations and responding to open weak points in enemy defenses during combat.]If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The explanation for reactions wasn¡¯t as helpful or detailed as Kayden would have liked, but it was better than nothing. Kayden could¡¯ve stayed in that broken building all day reading and researching, but when he realized he was falling further down the rabbit hole he closed the game menu and stood up. He made his way to the top floor of the demolished building in order to get a better view of his surroundings. The building only had five more floors to it. The final floor was nothing more than a roofless platform that was completely open to the elements. The walls were nothing more than crumbling barriers and the doorframes were bare. All the windows were missing except for jagged remains at the base of the edges and some scattered patches broken glass, which Kayden accidentally stepped on from time to time. He made his way to every corner of the floor as he looked out into the distance in an attempt to see anything out of the ordinary. As he approached the final corner at the top of the broken building, Kayden was able to see a pillar of smoke billowing out from somewhere far off. He looked in the direction of the smoke trying to get a better look. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t able to glean anything new. With a new destination in mind, Kayden made his way back down to the stairs and began to walk back downstairs. Kayden was moving at an even pace as he moved through the building on his way back to the ground floor. When he made it to the fourth floor, something caught his attention. A single gunshot rang out from a nearby forest that bordered the cityscape. The loud sound caused a flock of birds to go flying away from the greenery. Kayden ran to a nearby window to see what the heck was going on. At first, he was thinking that Neela, the player from earlier, was simply sniping enemies in the shrubbery before making her way to the tall building. When he saw three figures come sprinting out of the green, he knew he was wrong. A woman and two gruff looking men dressed in black came bolting out of the forest. The woman had a number of bruises on her face, arms and stomach, which Kayden could only see because her clothes were ripped. She had brown hair and fair skin that somewhat sun-touched which gave her a light tan. The woman crashed to the floor when she failed to realize the transition from forest to concrete. She hit the ground hard, but still tried to get up. When she tried and failed, Kayden could see that she might have twisted her ankle in the fall. As the two men got closer, Kayden¡¯s tightened in anger as he recognized them as Red Talon Raiders. That realization spurred him to start sprinting downstairs. Once Kayden landed on the ground of the first floor, he drew his pistol and his new long knife before pressing himself against the wall next to the open door. He could hear the woman whimpering as she tried to drag herself further away from her assailants. He could also hear the two raiders laughing maniacally as they made their way closer to her. Kayden wanted nothing more than to rush out and help the woman, but he was out of breath and his hands were shaky from the exertion of sprinting down three flights of stairs. He took half a minute to get himself under control, while all the while he was able to hear the raiders babble as they stood over their quarry. ¡°Looks we finally caught her, Fritz!¡± The first raider toned ¡°¡®Bout time to Sarl. That twisted ankle of hers means we got some time, but we need to get back to camp with this one before Dresker gets suspicious,¡± Said the second raider. The belts coming undone became audible as the woman¡¯s whimpering go louder at the approach of the two men. When Kayden noticed the two men had dropped their weapons and one was removing his pants, he seized the initiative and charged as he fired two shots from his pistol. Both shots hit the pantless square in the chest and he was knocked off his feet. [You shoot Red Talon Raider for 11 points of kinetic damage! You have killed Red Talon Raider! You gain 45 XP!] The second raider saw his cohort get flung backward and he turned to see Kayden barrelling in him holding a pistol and a blade. He instinctively reached for his belt, but then the idiot remembered that it was at his feet. Kayden fired two more shots in the second raider¡¯s direction, but he dropped to his belly causing both shots to miss. Once on the floor, the raider was able to get his own pistol from the grounded belt. The raider fired one shot at Kaden as he continued to move forward. Kayden narrowly avoided the shot, but the sudden movement caused him to lose balance and almost fall. Kayden kept on his feet, but was slowed almost to a stop and was unable to respond to a second shot as it hit him in the shoulder. [You have been shot for 12 points of kinetic damage! Remaining HP: 48/60!] Kayden let out a sharp grunt of pain as he hit the ground from the impact of the bullet. He was able to maintain the grip on his pistol, but before he could get back up to take aim, the other raider was already hovering over him. The raider brought a heavy boot down on Kayden¡¯s pistol hand. [You have been struck for 10 points of kinetic damage! Remaining HP: 38/60!] Kayden screamed at the impact on his. Then another one came as the raider slammed his other foot down on Kayden¡¯s chest, which promptly knocked the wind out him. [You have been struck in a vulnerable area for 24 points of kinetic damage! Remaining HP: 14/60! WARNING! YOU ARE BELOW 50% HEALTH! SEEK MEDICAL HELP OR ADMINISTER HEALING QUICKLY!] Kayden coughed and sputtered from the impact of the foot to his sternum. The Raider had a cocky grin on his face as he looked Kayden in the eyes. ¡°Well well, looks we got ourselves another failed freelancer. Lucky for you, or maybe unlucky I¡¯m not quite sure, I never get tired of taking out the trash,¡± Toned the raider as he brought his pistol up. The gun went up past where Kayden thought. The raider used the gun to scratch his chin, as if in contemplation, before speaking again, ¡°Hmm..or maybe I should turn you in for the reward Dresker set up for freelancers. Although he did say dead or alive and you seem like trouble. Especially since you killed Sarl, I just can¡¯t let that slide.¡± The raider slowly lowered his pistol toward Kayden¡¯s head and pulled the hammer back. This was it, this was how Kayden was going to figure out how death worked in Axiom. He kept his eyes open and focused on the raider and the gun he held in his face. He waited for the shot to come that would usher him into oblivion. Finally, the crack of a gun came and the raider standing over Kayden was jerked forward as a bullet passed through the side of his chest opposite to his heart. The boot on Kayden¡¯s chest lifted and he was able to breathe. The raider turned to see the woman he and his cohort were chasing with a gun in her hands aim at him with smoke still coming from the barrel. ¡°WHY YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING LITTLE BI---,¡± The raider¡¯s words were cut off as a shot from below took him in the chest. As soon as he was able to breathe, Kayden brought out his newly acquired scattergun and fired the shot from under the raider¡¯s boot. [You shoot Red Talon Raider for 12 points of Kinetic damage! You have Killed Red Talon Raider! You gain 45 XP!] The Shot from the scattergun caused the raider¡¯s corpse to fly backward and crash to the ground with an audible thud. Kayden breathed a sigh of relief at the message saying the enemy was dead. He then groaned as he sat up on his butt to see the woman still holding the smoking pistol, her eyes were locked forward and her breathing was ragged as she took stock of her situation. Kayden got to his feet and slowly made his way over to the woman, who was obviously in shock. When he was about four feet away from the woman, he knelt to one knee and attempted to make eye contact with her. When she finally looked him in the eye, Kayden spoke as softly as he could despite his voice still being raspy and being out of breath from the foot to his chest, ¡°Are you okay?¡± The woman just gave a short nod. Kayden nodded in return and stood back up. He walked over to the corpse of the first raider and started the looting process. The first adversary only had 50 credits and two pistol magazines. Since the woman to Kayden¡¯s right had the dead man¡¯s pistol, the gun wasn¡¯t on his body. Next, Kayden made his way over to the body of the second raider, the one who had damaged him so badly. The items found on this enemy were much better, [You have found Enhanced Raider Boots! Quality: Standard Rarity: Uncommon Damage Resistance: +2 Kinetic/+2 Energy Upgrade Slots: 1 Traits: +1 Agility, +5 to kicking damage Description: These boots are reinforced with light metal inlays which increase both defense and damage done with kicking strikes while not interfering with the wearer¡¯s mobility.] [You have found Mk. II Flak Vest Quality: Standard Rarity: Uncommon Damage Resistance: +5 Kinetic/+2 Energy Upgrade Slots: 1 Traits: +2 Strength, +2 Endurance Description: This vest is an upgrade to the original flak jacket. It comes equipped with a low-grade energy dampening lining allowing it to absorb small amounts of energy and kinetic damage types.] [You have found Yellow Shield Generator Quality: Standard Rarity: Common Recharge Time: 5 minutes Traits: Surrounds the user in a translucent shell that absorbs 15 points of damage before breaking and needing to be recharged.] [You have found 100 credits] [You have found Medkit x3] Kayden nodded in appreciation at the sight of the new items. The boots were similar in appearance to the combat boots he currently wore except that they had small patches of metal over the heel, toes and on the sides. The flak vest bore a resemblance to any old bulletproof vest he had seen and worn back in reality. It fit right over his military shirt and covered his chest and abdominal area. He quickly equipped the boots and vest, then clipped the shield generator to his belt. The generator was a palm-sized hexagon with a faintly glowing yellow core in the center. A few seconds after putting the circle on his belt, a hexagonal grid began to form from the generator on his belt and it quickly overlayed itself to fit his body. Kayden tried to feel the shield, but couldn¡¯t and once it had finished forming it disappeared. The raider also had his pistol still gripped in his fist. Kayden took the other gun and equipped it as well. It appeared with a holster on his hip just over the scattergun. After putting on all of his newly acquired equipment, Kayden turned back to the woman clasping the other raider¡¯s handgun. He was hoping enough time had passed for her to recover, at least a little bit so that he could get some information out of her. He turned back to face her. ¡°My name is Kayden Shaw. Is it okay for me to ask you a few questions?¡± Kayden asked in a soft voice. The woman brought her eyes back up to meet his. They were hazel and still somewhat glassy. Which wasn¡¯t surprising considering what she had been through. Her lip quivered a little before she finally responded, ¡°I¡¯m Tala...Are you going to help us?¡± The woman said in a shaky voice that was almost a whisper. Kayden raised an eyebrow at the question. ¡°Us?¡± Kayden asked with no small amount of concern present in his voice. ¡°Yes. There is a camp to the east where they are keeping a lot more people in captivity. They have a ship that they plan to use to transport everyone to where they will be sold.¡± Tala said in a much stronger voice than before. It was good to see that she was regaining her strength, but Kayden was reeling from the idea that he would have to deal with slavers much sooner than he thought. Before he started to ask any more questions, Kayden removed one of the medkits he looted and gave it to Tala. ¡°Use that to heal your wounds. While you do that, tell me everything you can about the camp.¡± The battered woman graciously took the medkit and began to use it. As she started to wrap one of her wounds in gauze, she looked at Kayden with a speculative gaze and then spoke, ¡°As far as I know, there are at least ten raiders, their hounds and the leader. He commands the alpha hound of the camp. According to what they¡¯ve said, this is just a small outpost on one planet. They are spread all over Axiom space and they aren¡¯t going to stop. Please, you have to help the others.¡± Kayden¡¯s brows furrowed at the mention of their numbers in the camp. He knew it wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but this was shaping up to be impossible. Tala continued to speak as she gave him a rough outline of the camp¡¯s layout. As he listened, the remnants of a plan began to form in Kayden¡¯s mind. Impossible turned into somewhat likely as she continued to speak. As he thought, he applied one of the medkits to his own wounds and was soon back to full health and resolve. Kayden then checked all of his equipment one more time and then gazed into the forest where Tala said the camp and the other prisoners and raiders were. Impossible didn¡¯t come to mind anymore, but neither did easy. Putting the difficulty aside, Kayden set his resolve. It was now time to put up or shut up.