《Some Warpunk in Cybercraft! [Fanfiction]》


 Setting and Setup. Not a Chapter.

    Setting:


    Primary Setting will be an Alternate Universe Night City and Surrounding Wastes.


    New buildings and zones with be introduced, however they will not be a main focus at first, with the sole exception of the MCs starting point.


    I am playing with some ideas for Orbit and the Moon, we will see if those work out.


    As the story continues the setting will expand to include new cities, some OC and some not.


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


    There will be no Dimension hopping or greater Cosmic Conflict.


    Any New Game Sets will be brought into and merge with this World Setting.


    Setup:


    The primary conceit of this Story is that an Unknown Multiversal Company, has received some bad PR. They are trying to change their image by using people, who are about to die and won''t be missed, to clean up various environmentally challenged Worlds.


    The MC is forced into signing a contract and given access to powers, but only those deemed useful to cleaning things up and protecting himself.


    He will receive limited support buildings and troops to protect and expand the Company''s project. These will be theme based.


    He will start with a theme appropriate companion to act as a guide and mentor while reporting back to the Company.


    He will earn Company Points as he completes tasks. These can be exchanged for Powers and Items.

 Character Profile. Not a Chapter.

    Name: Ryan Crestwood


    Nationality: U.S.A. (Undisclosed)


    Ethnicity: Caucasian


    Age: 30


    Hair: Sandy Blonde


    Eyes: Hazel


    Occupation: Electrician


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


    Hobbies: Restoring Cars, Working Out, Watching Movies, Hiking with his Best Buddy Ruger.


    Pets: Ruger, German Wolfhound (Oh, no. Who''s going to take care of Ruger?!)


    Personality Traits: Outgoing, Assertive, Friendly, Likes having a Purpose, Likes Working with his Hands, Annoyed by perceived laziness.


    Background: Middle Class Upbringing (Arguable), Bored in High School, Went to Trade School instead of College, Has had no Luck with Women so far.


    Politics: Classical Liberal, though generally apolitical. Thinks Government is too Big, and mistrusts it.


    Goals: Figure out what the fuck is going on.


    Outfit at the Start of the Story: Wedding Tux in Basic Black.(not rented) Standard Dress Shoes in Black.


    Items at the Start: Leather Wallet with Driver''s License, Credit Card (for emergencies), $200 in various bills, Generic Smart Phone.

 Chapter 1

    A semi-bad band was still playing a series of covers of mostly 00s songs. If only they knew any good ones.


    I sat off in a corner, watching my younger sister Marie and her newly minted husband George dance.


    She was a vision of loveliness, in her elegant white gown, though I''d never admit it. She was to me, forever and always, the little brat who went out of her way to make my life harder than it had to be.


    George and I were friends, once, but we lost touch after high school. He went off to some ritzy college in New England. He ended up in finance. I stayed here and went to trade school. Now we had almost nothing in common now, except my sister.


    But I knew he was a solid guy, that much hadn''t changed. He''d take good care of my sister. She''d be great for him too, she had a knack for keeping things organized.


    Also it''d help him deal with the lost of his parents a few years ago. Some drunk fool had crashed into them. Wish I could have been there for him.


    Actually that''s how he re-met my sister she was off at a program in New York, he had gotten involved in order to help take his mind off of things and that was that.


    I had already had the obligatory Big Brother talk with him, I knew Dad had given him the third degree as well. We were all laughing about it at the Bachelor Party last night, between all the beer and the rounds of pool. It was a good time for sure and nobody got lost nor was anybody''s tiger stolen. Surprising I know.


    While it might look like I was being a loner, I was really just resting my feet. I had danced up a storm earlier. First with Mom, and then Marie. After that all the bridesmaids wanted a turn seeing how well I could twirl them. Then every lady who came by herself ask for a turn. I wasn''t so crass as to deny them.


    Sadly though that was as far as it would ever go. In all my 30 years of life I''d never even had one date. Not for lack of trying either. No matter where I went or what I tried not one had ever agreed to go out one a first date. Not a dance or my prom ended without every girl wanting a dance but not a one wanted to actually turn it into a date.


    I wasn''t ugly, and I was in better shape than most guys. I had bought and paid for my own house, and owned my car. Ran my own business and had plenty of money coming in, so long as you didn''t want to live like the 1%.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Hell, I even tried self help books and speed dating. What a bunch of hooey.


    The one time I broke down and asked the lady, all I got was, "You don''t look like you need anyone." What the hell did that mean?


    Not one women even tired to take advantage of me for my money.


    It was like there was a big sign that said not this one, over my head.


    It was the one thing my Mom gave me shit over. She wanted grandbabies to spoil yesterday and hated that I seemed like I wasn''t going to provide them. Well, I''m sure Marie and George would handle that now. They''d said they be trying for one as fast as possible. Which was my sister''s way of saying they had already been going for it.


    The music changed and Dad and Mom were taking a spin around the floor. You might think it was my Mom that had got me into ballroom dance but nope that was my Dad. He used to say it was the best way to get a lady. I believed him and got pretty good at it.


    My Mom she got me into cars. I fixed the odd one up here and there for fun these days.


    It was good to see that they still loved each other after 32 years together. I hoped to find someone, someday. I didn''t like living alone.


    Work was good, I had been running my own business as a Electrician for about two years now. Demand was high, but I had held off finding another qualified Electrician or even an apprentice to help out. Something about inviting people I didn''t know into something I built myself just didn''t sit right with me. Always busy was good, less time to think, and the money was great.


    Dad hadn''t agreed. He was a Lawyer and some part of him still wanted me to go to College and pick up something like him. Sorry Dad the law didn''t interest me in the slightest.


    That was one of the surprisingly good parts of last night he didn''t say a thing about it and we had actually talked. He was happy to see me succeed, even if it wasn''t what he had envisioned for me.


    I thought about hit the dance floor again when I saw Marie and George getting ready to sneak off. It was part of the plan, Mom and Dad would handle getting everyone and everything where they needed to be later.


    Well I figured I at least could see them on their way.


    I snuck out and was waited by their limo.


    As they finally made their way out, they caught sight of me and we all laughed.


    That was the great thing about my family, we loved to laugh. "A sense of humor will keep you sane." Mom said it all the time, I couldn''t help but to agree.


    "Have a good Honeymoon in Hawaii." I meant it too. For all the sibling bullshit, I loved my sister. And George and I might just be able to become buddies again.


    "Bro you take care of yourself. Find a date while we are gone okay." She couldn''t help it, she and mom were more alike than either would admit.


    "Take it easy, Ryan." George shook my hand.


    "You too, George."


    Then my eyes widened, as I stood there holding the limo door open.


    A sedan had jumped the curve and was coming right for us, but they had their backs to it.


    I pushed them out of the way.


    I felt just the barest contact with the front bumper.


    Then I was somewhere else.

 Chapter 2

    A sterile White room, extending further than I could tell in all directions. No light sources but it was almost too bright.


    "Fuck, did I die?"


    Shit, who was going to take care of Ruger, my German Wolfhound buddy? He had just turned 2 last month. He was going to be so upset. I could already see him stressing out.


    "No, you actually didn''t die." A cheerless voice intoned.


    I spun around, I was sure there hadn''t been anyone there before.


    "What the...Who are you?"


    A faceless, something, sat at a simple black desk, with nothing on it. Human shaped in a gray suit, the lack of a face didn''t stop me from feeling stared at.


    "Please sit, Mr. Crestwood." The thing gesture at a chair, that wasn''t there before it suggested sitting.


    Yeah, this was all kinds of screwed up.


    Yet, somehow I didn''t feel like I had a choice.


    So, yeah, I sat.


    "Please review the Offer Packet." Again it gestured at a piece of white paper that just appeared out of nowhere.


    The paper read:


    The undersigned will gain access to the SMC Store of Powers and Items, in exchange for employment.


    "Employment to do what? What kind of Powers? Who are you?"


    I kept asking for ages, and the only response I got back was, "Please Sign."


    It refused to answer what it meant that I didn''t die. It just sat there.


    I started ranting and yelling. No reaction. I felt a little better though.


    To tell the truth, I had no idea what to make of all this.


    Eventually, it sank in, nothing would change until I signed. But I still didn''t want to, and I hated being forced into this.


    Whatever this was.


    I had thought a few times about attacking the Desk Thing, but each time some primal survival instinct screamed that would be the last thing I ever did.


    I tired hitting myself a few times. No reaction.


    If I walked far enough away from the Desk it just appeared in front of me again. I tried running, same deal.


    I went to sleep, sort of. However long that lasted, nothing had changed.


    "FUCK!"


    My mind was having a really hard time accepting this. Part of me thought I had died, whatever the Thing had said, and this was my afterlife. Was I really such a person as to deserve this?


    I sighed, I didn''t see anything else to do.


    I signed the paper.


    "Please step through the door." The Desk Thing pointed to a Green Door that appeared behind me.


    Fine.


    I opened the door and stepped through.


    The same type of room but in Green.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.A Desk this time Silver colored.


    A Desk Thing this time wearing a black suit.


    "What now?!" I yelled in frustration.


    "Please attach the Bonding Branch to your left wrist."


    It waved at a short and odd looking branch, with soft looking silver gray bark and nine purple leaves, jutting off of three smaller branchings.


    "How do I do that?" Not expecting an answer.


    "Just place it near your skin on your left wrist, it will take care of the rest."


    I gritted my teeth, but complied, knowing I''d get trapped in the same fucking loop as last time if I didn''t.


    The branch wrapped around my arm of it''s own accord. Thousands of tiny green fibers burrowed into my skin. I freaked out.


    "What the hell?" I tried shaking it off my arm. Way too late for that. I only slightly calmed down when I realized it didn''t hurt, in fact it felt almost sootheing.


    Several Line of Golden Letters? Runes? Hieroglyphs? appeared in my mind. they kept altering until finally...


    [ Welcome to the Great Tree System ]


    [ Please Think ''System'' to complete the bonding process ]


    Alright? ''System''


    [ Name: Ryan Crestwood


    Class: N/A


    Race: Human (Terra 213,451)


    Body: 5


    Reflex: 4


    Tech: 5


    Intelligence: 3


    Cool: 3


    Will: 4


    Spirit: 6 (+2 Modifier)


    Company Points: 1000


    Tree Points: 0 ]


    [ Please note discrepancies may have occurred. System will be adjusted as User adapts to the New World ]


    "What the fuck is this? A Game, I don''t play Games. Why would you pick me for this?" I''m sure my face was red from anger. Was this some simulation? I''d heard they were working on things like this. But this was way too real.


    "Please Step through the Door." The Desk Thing pointing behind me.


    This time the door was red.


    "Fuck." I muttered.


    Sure enough a Red Room of the same type.


    The Desk was Gold.


    The Desk Thing was wearing a Green suit.


    "What is going on?"


    "Please select your starting package." It gestured toward two boxes on its desk, one was Orange, one was Blue.


    Other than the color there was no discernable difference.


    I picked the Blue One. It vanished.


    "Please Step through the Door."


    Have you ever cried because you were that pissed off? I was.


    Silver this time, with Green Desk, and a Red Suit.


    What do the colors even mean?


    "Just tell me what is going on!?" I wasn''t doing so well.


    "Please pick your Companion."


    Two Statues were on the Desk. One a Golden Wolf. One a Copper Tree Man?


    I picked the Golden Wolf. The Statue vanished.


    "Please Step through the Door."


    Gold this time. Silver Desk and a Blue suit.


    "Please no more..." I was muttering, I''m fairly sure I was losing my mind.


    "Please Select your starting Factions. Roll the Wheels"


    That was different. Two gray Hexagonal Boxes on stands with crank handles. I tried spinning one.


    After it stopped spinning a ball fell out from a spout I hadn''t noticed before.


    The Ball was Blue with a Golden W. The W had Purple markings on it.


    Okay. It vanished.


    I spun the other box.


    The Ball this time was Blue with a Silver S. The S had Blue markings on it. It vanished.


    "Please wait while we set up your starting point."


    I sat in the chair it pointed at.


    I thought ''System''. Nothing had changed there. I sat staring at that screen trying to understand it by sheer force of will.


    I zoned out.


    "Please Step through the Door."


    The Door was just made of white light.


    I stepped through, hoping it was over.

 Chapter 3

    I was looking at some kind of well.


    Never seen anything like it before. Made of rough shaped stone with whorls carved into them. I think I had seen something with markings like that on the History channel once, but no I couldn''t remember what it was about exactly. Some of the engravings reminded me of the Moon.


    Now the truly strange part was the water spilling over the edge, into a small moat which had a stream leading off from it, glowed with a silvery blue light despite still being clear. There was some kind of blue flame at the top of the well, but I got the sense it wasn''t really fire.


    This was great because it seemed to be nighttime, and the soft light allowed me to see some of my surroundings.


    The Branch on my arm gave a rustle.


    [ Adjusting...]


    [ A Moon Well linked to an extradimensional source. The water inside is clean and pure, while being infused with the essence of Elune. Slowly infusing mana into the environment. This will provide mana, both to yourself and your troops.


    While in its vicinity gain +10 Mana Regen


    Drinking the water straight from the well is not advised. ]


    Yeeeah. None of that meant a thing to me. I didn''t even know where to start.


    I mean at least it looked like something you''d call a Moon Well.


    "What is mana?" I asked to no one in particular.


    [ Mana is the Fuel of Life and Magic. ]


    "Magic? Really." I had a hard time believing that. On the other hand, The Well was glowing and that fire did look pretty odd. But just because I didn''t know how it worked, didn''t make it magic.


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    I thought back to the Rooms, shuddering, maybe...


    Going back to my surroundings, the water flowed into a stream and a cobblestone path paralleled the steam. Both lead down an obvious slope. So I was on a Hill? A Mountain?


    I looked up at the night sky, I could make out a few constellations. Hey, that looked like the sky from home, except there were a couple of extra lights I didn''t remember. Satellites maybe?


    I could also make out the glow of a City''s lights bouncing off the sky in one direction, must have been a big one. Maybe I could get home if I found this city.


    Later.


    That helped me frame out the horizon though, which lead me to the thought I might be in a valley, I was surrounded by mountains, insofar as I could tell.


    I looked at the path, well when in doubt follow the trail.


    There were smaller stones, set next to the path, about waist high also with whorls carved into them, these stones had a hole toward their tops filled with more of that blue flame. There was something sad, but also cheery about them. Like they meant something more than I could understand.


    I stepped over to the closest one, and slowly placed my hand next to the flame. I felt something, but it wasn''t warmth like from a normal flame. Huh.


    Wait. I knelt down and looked more closely at the grass, one type was blue, the other was purple.


    File that away under the growing pile of other shit that I didn''t understand.


    I must of passed a hundred of those stones, when I came to a pond. the water still glowed with the silvery blue light. what caught my attention here though was the tree on an island in the center of the water. I had started seeing it on the way down, but didn''t think too much of it.


    First it was pretty big. Somewhere over 50ft tall, and it would take maybe three of me with arms fully extended to surround it.


    I noticed the bark was silver and the tri-pointed leaves were purple, just like the Branch I had growing on my arm.


    "Is that where you come from?" I questioned the Branch.


    It twitched but nothing else happened.


    I saw a bridge, and thought it might be interest to see the big tree up close.


    The bridge was made out of purple wood also covered in swirls and whorls. The anchor posts had small holes in them that also had blue flames in them.


    As I crossed the Bridge I saw a giant face had been carved into the tree. The face somehow conveyed a sense of timelessness and wisdom.


    The Branch rustled,


    [ This is Meadran, descendant of the Great Trees. He has agreed to act as your Tree of Life.


    This is the Heart of this Outpost. If Meadran falls, you lose any chance of achieving the Company Goals.


    Trees of Life produce Wisps of various types.


    Wisps have many uses, including building and resource gathering. ]


    The eyes of the Tree began to glow.


    "HELLO YOUNG ONE!" A booming yet gentle voice filled the Valley.


    "Ahh!" I tried to backup but fell on my ass.


    What the fuck?

 Chapter 4

    "H-hello? Mr. Meadran?"


    Well it would have been rude, not to return his greeting.


    "HO HO! I HAVE NOT GOTTEN TO DO THAT IN A LONG TIME." He had toned down the volume some, but a giant Tree Person? He had a lot of bass.


    A talking tree. A tree that can talk! That was pretty cool.


    "It was funny. I guess everyone where you are from knows about you?" I got back to my feet and brushed myself off.


    "YES. AT LEAST OF MY KIND. YOUNG ONE TOUCH MY BARK, SO WE MIGHT BETTER INTERFACE."


    Huh? I kind of wanted to touch him anyway. A talking Tree!


    The bark was warm and gave off a current of the same kind of tingles as the blue flames. Was that Mana?


    [ Adjusting...]


    [ Tree of Life Meadran is connected to the Great Tree Network.


    Options:


    Choose Class


    Raise Level


    Create Wisp ]


    ''Ah, better, now we can communicate like this, up to a distance of 50 miles.'' In my head his voice sounded kind of like my Old Gramps. It was bizarrely comforting.


    "That is much better, Thank You!" Maybe, I could start getting some answers.


    ''You need not speak, Young One. With concentration your thoughts can reach me.'' I got a sense of amusement in his, thoughts?, that bubbled into the air around us.


    I sighed, no I couldn''t hold back any longer.


    ''Mr. Meadran what is going on?'' I''m sure my frustration was carried over in my thoughts.


    ''Oh right, you were picked by {THEM}." (This is going to be hard to describe, {} will denote Layered Words or Thoughts. You hear the word but multiple meanings are forced into the same space. Even this way of looking at it isn''t quite accurate. In this case the layered meanings are, Annoyance, Grief, Sorrow, Obligation, and faintly Hope. There won''t be too much of this, but it will be important when it happens.)


    I wobbled this was like someone pushed me from every side, but in my head. ''Ouch.''


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    ''Sorry, they are like that. They just understand what they need to understand and forget or can''t imagine that other species can''t do the same.'' He paused, I could feel a sense of loss in the air now.


    ''We, but mostly you, are here to Grow, Adapt and Propagate, in order to return Harmony to this Corrupted World. Mana and by extension Life must be spread and defended, so that the Planet itself might Reawaken.'' I could kind of see what he was talking about in my head, a verdant World full of massive trees and huge megafauna.


    ''So "Save the Planet" but for real?'' I tried to show him all the bullshit I had encountered in the past.


    He chuckled, that was a neat thing. A tree chuckle, in my head.


    ''Yes, exactly so. You have been given options for spreading Life, yes. But also you have been given options for War. I imagine the people of this World will not let you carry out your task peacefully.''


    ''War, I''m an Electrician, I don''t know anything about War, I barely know anything about fighting.'' Panic, yeah that''s panic. I sat down.


    ''Fear not, Young One. We shall teach you.'' He projected peace at me, or at least I think that''s what he did. I started feeling better.


    [ You are not Alone. ]


    ''Now we have to get you a Class, and the rest of your Starting Package. Then you have to meet the Other side of your forces.''


    ''Choose Class''


    [ Class Options.


    Please note you may change your Class in certain circumstances.


    You may also Multiclass. ]


    [ Druid of Balance


    +2 to Will


    +3 to Spirit


    A Druid of Balance keeps the natural world in order. Removing Corrupting Influences.


    Starting Spells: Moonfire, Blessing of Elune ]


    [ Druid of Renewal


    +1 to Will


    +4 to Spirit


    A Druid of renewal heals the land, makes clean the polluted.


    Starting Spell: Regrowth, Blessing of Nordrassil ]


    [ Druid of Extremes


    +3 to Will


    +2 to Spirit


    A Druid of Extremes finds the Middle by adding pressure at the Ends.


    Starting Spells: Sunfire, Blessing of Terra ]


    ''So I''m going to be a Druid then? I mean I''ve heard the name, but I have no clue what it means.'' I felt like I was getting shoehorned again, a forced choice isn''t a choice.


    ''To be a Druid is to seek Wisdom. Understanding not just knowing is the goal of a Druid. For example, you know I am a tree, but do you understand what it is to be a tree?'' I had activated his teaching mode.


    Being a tree. Well, no, I couldn''t say I understood a tree''s perspective.


    ''Seeking that understanding is the primary difference between a Druid and say a Wizard, Arcanist or Mage. Knowing is their struggle and passion. For a Druid, it is not enough. You might never gain the breadth of knowledge of a Wizard but you will live and breathe with what you do know.''


    Yeah, that kind of went over my head.


    ''Well it is better experienced than explained. Many Animals follow the path of the Druid, if they find their minds expanded. So learning by doing is the best.'' He was poking fun at me.


    I was already sitting down, so I took my time and thought about it. So far, I got that I was here to heal the World, somehow. So it seemed best to be a Healer. It also sounded like I would get some kind of troops to protect things and hopefully me.


    Yeah, and if I don''t like it I could change it.


    ''Druid of Renewal.''


    [Adjusting...]


    Green energy rose from the Earth and sank into me. Everything burned, but in that good way, like after a great workout. Of course, that a little messed up when it happens in your eyeballs, and other places that don''t have muscles. It kept going.


    [ You have gained +1 Will


    You have gained +4 Spirit


    You have gained the Ability: Mana Sense


    You have gained the Ability: See Ley Line


    You have gained the Ability: Shape Mana


    You have gained the Skill: Ritual at rank 1


    You have gained the Skill: Concentration at rank 1 ]


    ''HA HA, Welcome Ryan Crestwood Newest Druid of Renewal.''


    I passed out for a moment.

 Chapter 5

    Meadran actually helped me out a lot by showing me how to cast spells. He put the images and feelings of doing it in my head.


    ''Wait. Does that mean you can cast spells too?''


    ''Yes, but I have to be in my other form. Let us pray it does not become needed.''


    Other form, that sounded awesome. Probably for emergencies.


    Casting was all about shaping mana into specific forms and projecting it by will towards your goal. Shaping Mana was somewhat like shaping play doh but with a hand that only exists in your mind. It was also super springy, it didn''t like to change shape so you had to convince it, often through sheer stubbornness. After you had done it a few times it became a lot faster and easier.


    Regrowth was fun to cast. I casted it on me on Meadran and on the Ground around us.


    [ Regrowth A minor healing spell that grows with the Caster


    May be Channeled for increase potency


    Also Cleanses minor pollutants, and poisons. ]


    On me the Spell felt like a rush of water through me, it''s green glow traveling from the ground up.


    On Meadran it help deal with some of the pollutants in the air. According to him it was some of the worst He had ever encountered, that wasn''t demonic in origin.


    Oh, great, so Demons were thing, could have lived without know that tidbit.


    When casted on the ground the grass visibly grew, and I could feel some of the crud gunking up the plants in the soil vanish.


    Abilities could be used just by willing it, or even in some cases without any effort at all.


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    Like Sense Mana, which made Shaping a lot easier.


    Thanks to Ley Line Sight, now I could see the faint muddy yellow Ley Line running across the valley. It seemed weak and almost exhausted, but where it passed the Water from the Moon Well or the Roots of Meadran, it spark a bright golden color as if it was gaining strength.


    ''Here are your starting items.''


    The Blue Box, I had picked before popped into existence.


    I opened it to find, A set of blue cotton clothes and a heavier coat like green robe with a voluminous hood. Meadran said both would act like minor armor, due to the mana woven into them.


    I also got a staff.


    [ Staff of Beginnings


    +1 Spirit


    +5% Mana Regen ]


    Apparently Spirit was the primary stat for Spellcasting and Rituals, with Will helping to maintain concentration for Channeling or Long Rituals.


    Speaking of Rituals, they were like spells but took a lot longer and you used props, called circles and foci to carry some of the burden and mana cost. You could generally only perform a ritual once per set amount of time, and only at certain points in time.


    He taught me the Ritual of the Bright Moon, which could be performed any time after the sunset, and only once every day. A simple circle is drawn or scratched into the ground, with the moon in all of it''s phases drawn around the circle. You needed any mana infused object as a sacrifice. I used one of Meadran shed leaves. The ritualist and anyone within 25ft would gain eyesight that made the Night almost as Bright as Day.


    Wow, it really worked, I could see the whole valley now.


    Oh hey what''s that? It looked like a Brass colored Pyramid with a blue Crystal floating over it.


    "What the hell is that!?" Aliens! I mean Magic was real, so, of course, there had to be fucking Aliens.


    Meadran could sense my disturbed thoughts.


    ''Ah you can see the Khalani Nexus, now. Yes, you''ll need to go activate it after you get your companion. Sadly, like with the Kaldorei much will be restricted to you.''


    Sometimes I only understood a fraction of what he said, but I was getting used to it.


    ''Here is your Companion.''


    A Giant Golden Wolf appeared. Giant, Like I could ride him big, Golden like his hair was made of the Metal, Wolf as in...awesome!


    ''Hello, Small Brother. I am called Lumiar.'' He chuffed a greeting while sitting.


    Correction Giant Golden TALKING Wolf! This Day was the best.


    Then it reminded me of Ruger..


    ''Worry not Young One, your former companion will be well cared for.'' Meadran tried to ease my troubled heart.


    ''He''s probably getting belly scratches and all the crunchy bones he can handle right about now, from beautiful Kaldorei Huntresses. I''m Jealous.''


    Yeah, if I was a canine I''d be jealous too. I guess I trusted these two to not lead me wrong. Not that I seemed to have other options right now.


    I offered ear scritches, and he accepted.


    ''Well this isn''t so bad. You''ve done this before. Still, I like the Ladies, so no ideas.'' He huffed, with a canine grin.


    We all looked at each other and laughed, each in our own ways.


    Yeah, I guess this wasn''t so bad.

 Chapter 6

    Meadran was sending me off to the the Nexus, right around the time the Sun was starting to lighten up the sky. It took longer for my eyes to adjust to the new light levels, thanks to the ritual.


    The Mana levels had risen, and he now had enough Mana Stored for the next step.


    He had me queue up 15 Wisps for when I got back. 5 of a Golden Variety, 5 Silver and 5 Blue Ones. He said there would be more types later, but it would be a while before we got to them.


    Lumiar decided to stay and talk to Meadran, while I traveled to the opposite end of the Valley from where I started.


    The Pyramid structure was a lot taller than I thought, a couple hundred feet maybe. That Blue Crystal on Top shone brightly in the sun. I was a little worried it would attract attention.


    I hadn''t noticed until I got closer but the Nexus was flanked by two Large Crystals encompassed by rotating Brass Rings, floating about 30ft off the ground.


    As I got closer, I could feel another type of energy surrounding me. It wasn''t mana but it had some similarities.


    The Branch on my arm twitched a couple of times but didn''t do anything else.


    Hmm.


    This place made me a little nervous. The area around the Moon Well and Meadran was comfortable, alive and vibrant. This place felt more cold and empty.


    At the base of the elaborately styled Nexus the path lead to a recessed area, that turned out to be the door.


    Two panels slid out of the way to reveal a mostly empty space inside. At its center a small floating Crystal similar to ones outside but only roughly the size of a basket ball. There was a large panel of transparent material bounded by more Brass. It reminded me of a monitor, so maybe this was the control center?


    I thought maybe I was suppose to touch the crystal. There didn''t seem to be anything else to interact with.


    I looked around again. Nothing.


    "Fuck it." I place my hand on top of the Crystal.


    [ Adjusting...]


    ''En Taro Adun, Executor!'' A feminine voice entered my mind. ''This Outpost stands Ready.''


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    En what now? Lost again, but I did get that this was an Outpost.


    [ Khalai Nexus has been connect to the Great Tree Network


    Options:


    Choose Class


    Raise Level


    Create Probe ]


    "Should I build Probes?"


    ''It is not for me to dictate strategy to you Executor.''


    I was getting the impression the voice was like an A.I., mostly rote responses.


    "What do I use to Build probes?"


    ''Minerals and Vespene Gas. This Outpost has 500 Minerals Stored. Further resources must be harvested by Probes or converted. They need enough energy from Pylons to be activated but are autonomous after that.''


    I nodded, alright, this was making sense. The Pylons were probably those large crystal things outside.


    I queued up two Probes. That used up 100 Minerals. Now we are cooking with gas.


    A Blue Light Hologram appeared of a somewhat round, almost fish like shape. Fish like because that''s what the fins reminded me of. I had nothing else to compare it to.


    It finished pretty quick, just a few minutes. It had almost been like watching my old 3D printer work.


    It was a robot, with a single large blue eye like Sensor. It could float. It made a noise that I could tell meant, "Ready."


    I wanted to take it apart to see how it worked. I actually started reaching for it, before I managed to restrain myself.


    "Okay Little Robo-Buddy, can you look around for these resources that we need to build things?"


    It beeped at me which I thought meant, "Sure thing!" and zoomed outside much faster than I would have thought.


    I repeated the command when the next Probe was finished.


    I had no clue if I should make more now or wait, but I could maybe try to satisfy my curiosity.


    "Outpost can I get schematics for the Probes?"


    ''Placing on screen now Executor.''


    The images I went over meant also nothing to me, their methodology was alien to my training. If I wanted to learn what made them tick I''d have to take apart a Probe myself.


    I queued up three more Probes. When they were done, I started to reach towards them.


    They were too cute, I couldn''t do it.


    With a sigh, I sent them off to help their friends.


    I did get the Outpost A.I. to show me lessons on the History of the Khalai. I had to admit that was pretty epic stuff. They seemed like real badasses.


    I wondered if I could get some of them to help me out?


    I asked the A.I. who I started calling Alina, if that was possible.


    ''Negative Executor, there are no Khalai within detectable range. We will be limited to robotic units only.''


    "What is detectable range?"


    ''A five mile radius around the Pylons.'' She continued to explain how the Pylons worked.


    I was a little bummed out by that, a handful of those warriors she had shown me could probably conquer half the planet before breakfast.


    One of the Probes returned, it beeped at me. "Found Something."


    I followed it to a hole in the ground, it flew inside, I squeezed through, it thankfully opened up into a cave system. Well I didn''t want to go exploring just now, I needed some equipment. Still, it seemed the Little Robot knew the way, so I followed.


    A couple of minutes later, we came across the rest of the Probes. They were zapping, what looked like a large Quartz formation, with Plasma? Like an arc welder maybe?


    I asked the Probe that led me here, "Are these the Minerals we need?"


    It sounded out a longer series of Beeps, "No, but can Convert at Outpost."


    I nodded.


    "Alright, four of you harvest this up, maybe widen and improve the path to get to here between trips. One of you keep looking for the Gas we need or something we can convert into it."


    Yeah, this was really starting to be understandable.


    I was digging it. Haha!


    I decided to head back to Meadran and Lumiar the check out what the Wisps could do.

 Chapter 7

    I had gotten swept up by all of this. It was easy to lose track of just what was going on.


    So many new and fascinating things. Magic was Real! I could make little Robo-Buddies!


    Amazing as the was, none of that changed the fact that I had been at least stolen from home, I had maybe even died.


    Yeah, I know they said I hadn''t, but how could I understand that?


    What was my family doing? Was my Sister okay? Was George?


    Sure, Lumiar said Ruger was being taken care of, but how would I know that? Even if he was, I still missed him.


    I was on the verge of crying, but I choked it back, that was no way for a grown man to behave. I had to get a hold of myself.


    I started gulping air rapidly, uncontrollably.


    What was this?


    I stopped and tried taking deep breaths. My diaphragm muscles kept spasming. I started getting dizzy, light headed.


    I did the best I could to cast healing, thinking maybe it would help.


    Perhaps the weakest Regrowth I had cast to date washed over me, but it did help.


    I shook myself off. Yeah that wouldn''t do.


    Whatever it meant, whatever was going on, I had to face it on my feet.


    I had to be more like those Khalai I was watching, no fear, no hesitation. What was it they said, "My Life for Aiur." Awesome. If I wanted to take control of my situation again, that''s the way to be.


    Of course, they had something to believe in. Something to fight for. What did I have?


    I''d like to think Meadran, Lumiar and I were getting along pretty well, and I could see the theoretical importance of cleaning up a World. Was that enough?


    It would have to be, for now. I''d make it work, I''d always managed to find a way to fix things before.


    I could do this.


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    I started walking again.


    The air was even thicker with Mana by the time I got back to the Tree of Life.


    Lumiar was resting with his head of his paws, eyes closed.


    There were little balls of light dancing through the air. Mesmerizing.


    I shook my head to clear it.


    ''Young One, I trust all went well with the Nexus?''


    I told him about it.


    ''Ah good, we shouldn''t need to cross purposes too much. It is time to teach you about Wisps.''


    Long story short, the Wisp were kind of like the Kaldorei version of a Probe.


    They were Mana formed with purpose, or maybe even cleansed spirits of departed ones. They seemed whimsical, almost childlike.


    The Golden Wisps were for making and harvesting wood. Four of them could combine together to form a tree, then a Golden wisp could form a bond with a tree over time to slowly but safely harvest wood from it. The tree even benefited from this growing larger and faster than it would otherwise.


    Sometimes the Trees they formed would be Treants or Tree People, but it was rare maybe a 2% chance of it happening.


    Later they would gain the power to turn trees into Treants or "wake them up" as Meadran put it.


    Otherwise they could build structures out of the Harvested Wood.


    The Silver Wisps could work with stone and could entangle, with a kind of ethereal root system, already established mines for Gold and Other Metals. I could see some synergy there with the Probes, the Probes could find and build a mine, and the Wisp could wrap it up.


    They could build infrastructure like paths, lights and gates. Later they would be able to build certain important command structures.


    Ten Silver Wisps could combine into a new Moon Well, to spread Mana and Water. Magical Irrigation, what a World I''m in.


    Five could combine into a kind of moving statue. While they were rooted in place, they could throw minor Mana Bolts at things. So defensive then? That could be useful.


    Also Other Wisps could bond with the Statues to change their effects and make them stronger.


    Blue Wisps existed to spread Mana. They could do this slowly by just dancing in an area, or rapidly by exploding. The explosions were quite potent for such a small thing. A useful tool for defense as well.


    Five Blue Wisps could combine into an Elder Wisp. These were more focused. They could fight with simple spells.


    Best of all they could go unnoticed for as long as was needed. Only a Strong Mage or Druid could sense an Elder Wisp if it didn''t want to be found.


    These would be my first backup, as I explored the World.


    I asked Meadran if he could direct things while I explored, after all, it would be ridiculous to waste that time idle.


    ''I can spawn Wisps on my own every so often, but nowhere near as fast as under your direction. Of Course, I can order the Wisps to build things, and if you give permission I can even order the Probes and the Nexus.''


    Yeah, that was probably a good idea. I had to leave soon to find out where I was. To figure out the scope of the task before me.


    ''Nexus can you read me?''


    ''Executor. Awaiting Orders.''


    ''Add Meadran to the Command of Nexus resources.'' I tried to emulate the stead voice of the leader I had witnessed.


    ''Acknowledged! Welcome Commander Meadran.''


    "HO HO!" Meadran rumbled out loud.


    "Beep, Beep." One of the Probes had found me.


    "What was that?" I asked.


    It repeated its beeps, "Found Hydrocarbon Source. Show?"


    "Lead the way Little Buddy."

 Chapter 8

    Turned out that the Probe had found oil. At least I think that''s what it was, it was oozing out of the ground like black ichor.


    "Okay, what now?"


    The beeps this time, "Build Assimilator. Works Automatically. Convert Hydrocarbon into Vespene."


    So you don''t have to sit on it? That''s good.


    ''Executor, Air Vehicle has been detected within Sensor range.''


    ''Options? Defenses?'' Damn, I hadn''t made one of the Wisp Statues yet. Nor had I combined the Blue Wisps into an Elder Wisp yet.


    ''Meadran, let''s get a statue up to defend you. Also get the Elder Wisp going, Queue up more Blue and Silver Wisps.'' Shit, I got caught with my pants down. Let''s hope it wasn''t too late.


    ''Of Course, Young One.''


    ''Executor, construction of the Forge will allow construction of the Photon Cannon, a potent defensive structure. We need more Vespene gas.'' Alina chimed in.


    That sounded like just what we needed.


    ''Have a Probe build an Assimilator,..''


    The Probe beside me, Zapped the Air over the Oil seep. A void surrounded by blue energy appeared.


    I was just going to assume that will turn into an Assimilator. My face was probably as expressionless as my heart was empty. I saw the complete disregard of all my efforts in the past to build things.


    ''Ooookay, once we get enough gas build a Forge right by the Nexus and build a Cannon at the best angle to cover the Air above the Outpost.''


    ''By your command.'' Wait, that sounded like...nah, no time to worry about that.


    I didn''t have an attack spell. The Blessing of Nordrassil increased my ability to Heal.


    According to Meadran, I could throw raw or barely shaped mana and it would do a bit of damage, I guessed that would have to be better than nothing.


    About that time I saw a boxy looking, transport hovering over the Valley. It was black and grey, with an orange strip and the words, "Kang Tao". Sounded Chinese, was I in China? No, of course I wasn''t. It wouldn''t be written in English characters, or at least, it was much less likely.


    Never heard of Kang Tao but I was going to guess it was a company not a government.


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    I had no fucking clue how it was up there, those thrusters I saw didn''t look like they''d be able to generate enough lift. But I could sure hear them though. So maybe they were outputting enough, by just dumping a lot more power. Seemed inefficient. That and a lack of Aerodynamic design, they were wasting a lot of fuel.


    But it worked, who was I the argue with success, when we were talking about a FUCKING FLYING CAR!


    Awesome, I wanted one, I wanted it now. I wanted to take it apart and make it better. I was laughing, why was I laughing?


    Well, I guess I had found a goal. It wasn''t much but it was a place to start.


    By this time I''d noticed that the Vehicle was moving slowly, back and forth, like it was searching, but not seeing.


    ''Meadran, can they not see us?'' I mean Giant Tree with Bright Purple Leaves, Huge Brass Pyramid with a Bright Blue Crystal on Top, kind of noticeable.


    ''Ah, They must have surrounded the Valley with a Veil. A stealth magic, but it either won''t last, or it leaks some of the energies we are using, maybe both.''


    ''So they really can''t see us? That''s crazy.'' I guess we ignore them for now?''


    A Larger Blue Wisp came to hover near me, just about the time the Assimilator was done.


    The structure started working. I could feel it''s energies, but I couldn''t hear anything from inside it. Wait, a faint hissing noise, that made me a little uncomfortable.


    The Elder Wisp slowly circled me, it was guarding me. Good. It certainly felt less childish than it''s kin.


    The Probe ran off, probably to start the Forge.


    I had seen in the videos Alina showed me, that Probes can use their zappers to fight, it wasn''t much in the struggles of the Worlds I saw, but maybe here it would be more devastating. I had her queue up five more Probes, once the Cannon was done.


    I started making my way back to Meadran. At least, I was getting a good workout, all this meandering, up and down this Valley.


    ''The Statue of the Keeper is ready. We should be a little safer.''


    He had placed the Statue just across the pond and next to the Bridge entrance. It was twice as large as me, maybe a bit more. It looked like a Centaur, but less horse more deer. The torso was ripped and the head was like an elf with Antlers. I say Elf but the Ears were just crazy long, so I didn''t know what to think.


    So Kaldorei were some kind of Elf People? File that away for later.


    It radiated a stable strength and a blue glow. It actually bowed its head to me, slowly. I returned the gesture, it would''ve been rude not to.


    The Flying Car seemed to give up and took off to the West.


    Suddenly, I was exhausted. The adrenaline had run out, but I needed to set more buildings up first.


    I combined four Golden Wisp into a tree, this one had brown bark but golden yellow leaves. The last Golden Wisp start rotating around the new Tree, it was leaving trails of mana behind it as it did. I could almost see the Tree growing. I threw a regrowth on it and another on the soil below it, it might help and it certainly wouldn''t hurt.


    Another five Silver Wisps had been produced, I sent to make a new Statue on the opposite side of the pond from the current one. I saw that while the main North-South path didn''t connect back there there was a path leading to the West up into the Mountains. So I had them Build right where that path ended by the pond.


    I''ll have to explore that path in a little while, I would bet it was the way out of the Valley.


    Five more Blue Wisps became a second Elder Wisp. Which began to circle me as well.


    I queued up a mix of Wisps far later, asked Meadran to handle making more when they were done, and to setup some more defense at key points.


    I yawned, and my eyes kept closing on their own.


    I laid down next to Lumiar on the soft purple grass. Oh it smelled faintly of mint. Nice.


    Sleep crept up and took its due.

 Chapter 9

    I gradually woke up, to the "sounds" of Meadran and Lumiar talking.


    Night had fallen and I wasted no time performing the Ritual of the Bright Moon. It only took a few minutes and being able to see clearly was worth it.


    Lum''s tail started wagging as he noticed me finishing up.


    "Everything Alright?"


    ''Yes, Young One. We have been setting things up. I hope you approve.'' Meadran mind felt full of vigor, like he had just had his fill of coffee.


    What would be like coffee to a Tree? Mana, right. Had to be.


    ''Small Brother, the Flying Metal Fish (See I''m not the only one) have been quite busy.''


    He gestured with his head, and I turned on the South bank of the pond by where the path curves around to get to the bridge from the Moon Well was a structure. It had a circular platform for its base and hovering over that platform was a Brass Sphere slightly larger than me. A large Blue Crystal shaped like a lens was scanning around but especially the sky.


    Further South by the Moon Well, I saw a new Pylon floating. I turned back to look more at the new Structure.


    My Arm Branch, My Tree Connection... My BTC twitched.


    [ Photon Cannon


    Defensive Structure


    Armor: 20


    Shield: 10


    Damage: 15


    A Psi Powered Weapon Platform. It can detect Stealthed Units. ]


    Nice. A Tough Cannon that can find hidden targets? That''s the dream right there.


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    I think I had like 1 armor... Oh right I could find out.


    ''System''


    [ Name: Ryan Crestwood


    Class: Druid of Renewal


    Level: 1 / XP: 300


    Race: Human (Terra 213,451)


    Stats - Body: 5 / Reflex: 4 / Tech: 5 / Intelligence: 3 / Cool: 3 / Will: 5 / Spirit: 11 (+3 Modifier)


    Abilities - Sense Mana / Ley Line Sight / Shape Mana


    Skills - Rituals: 2 / Concentration: 1


    Spells - Regrowth: 1 / Blessing of Nordrassil: 1


    Free Points: 0 / Company Points: 1000 / Tree Points: 13


    Weapon: Staff of Beginning - Damage 1 / +1 Spirit / +5% Mana Regen


    Armor: Starting Cotton Clothes - Armor 1, Stating Druid''s Robe - Armor 1 ]


    So I had 2 armor, so yeah the Photon Cannon is a hell of a lot tougher than me. And could blow me into smithereens. Hope it works, against whatever''s out there.


    ''Meadran do you know about these points?'' It was silly of me to have not asked about them earlier.


    ''Ah yes. The Free Points are given when you level, and as a reward for some rare quests. They are used to increase your Stats. The Company Points are given as Quest rewards and defeating certain Enemies, you spend them in the Company Shop, on Powers and Items. It will be a while before we can build that. Tree Points are given when you plant trees, you spend them, with me, to get rare seeds. Sometimes even Elder Treants like myself.''


    Oh neat, something to help me out. I''ll have to earn a ton of those, Powers sound useful. (AN: I know, I know. But he doesn''t, yet)


    I looked at the Statue of the Keeper across the bridge.


    My BTC twitched.


    [ Statue of the Keeper


    Defensive Structure


    Armor: 15


    Damage: 5 Ranged, 10 Melee


    A Statue to Honor Cenarius. Can detect Stealthed Units. Becomes Stealthed in woodlands. ]


    So not as good, but easier to make? Though maybe being Stealthed in woodlands makes it better? You have a harder time killing what you can''t see. I''ll have to think about that more.


    I searched around and saw two new trees near the one we had grown before my nap. One looked somewhat like Meadran but wasn''t a treant, the other had red leaves and yellow gold bark. Golden Wisps had bonded with both already.


    How many more until this becomes a Forest? Probably more than I wanted to know.


    Meadran told me he had some of the new Probes excavate a Mine and had already entangled it. So we had Wood and Metal rolling it.


    Some new Minerals had been found and a natural gas pocket in the caves, the Probes were taking care of those.


    So there wasn''t much for me to do here right now. Until the Mana Density was greater we couldn''t build most of the Kaldorei Buildings. So Meadran would make another Moon Well as soon as we had enough Silver Wisps.


    The Nexus would use the Forge to upgrade the Armor, Shields and Weapons of Units and Buildings. That sounded great we queued those up also a Cybernetics Core.


    ''You must construct additional Pylons.'' Alina intoned.


    We set a couple up to the West and a Photon Cannon as well.


    That''s the direction the flying car went and the direction I could see a city''s lights.


    I think it was time to go see what was out there.

 Chapter 10

    At the end of the Western path up into the Mountains, was a cave. Its opening was framed by a purple wooden archway, seeming vaguely Japanese in shape but with Celtic-like knotwork carved into it. I could feel some energy in the wood, but it was faint. Or trying to hide maybe?


    Was this part of the Veil Meadran mentioned?


    My two Elder Wisps checked it out, while the two Probes stayed with me. They dived into the cave first. The logic there was they wouldn''t be seen, or at least they shouldn''t be seen.


    They came back and flew in a circle, that meant good or clear. We had worked out some simple signals before I marched up here.


    As we walking through the cave, I took note of a few branches. There might be minerals or metals down them, but now was not the time. It was nice that the Bright Moon ritual work in these conditions.


    We came out into a wasteland. It looked like the setting for the Mad Max films.


    Pathetic looking plants and trees, almost no biodiversity. It broke my heart to see it.


    But it was mostly sand and rock. The air was dry, and since it was night cold. A real desert.


    I could make out some roads and scattered buildings, but off in the distance behind another mountain was the source of all that light and there was a ton of it.


    Scanning around there was a canyon with a torn up bridge, a mile or two away. I wondered how I''d get across that.


    ''Meadran, checking in. It''s so lifeless out here.'' I''m sure he could feel my sadness.


    ''Worry not, Young One, we can fix it.'' He sent hope.


    "Well nothing for it but to get started." I started carefully down the mountain, there was no path, but it wasn''t as steep on this side. But hey, my staff came in really handy as a walking stick.


    I go to the bridge. There was a Northwest-Southeast road in very poor repair running alongside that canyon.


    Yeah that canyon was deeper than I thought. You know, if we could get down there it''d be a good place to hide a little outpost. In fact, I glance over at a Probe.


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    "Can you get down there, and get back up?"


    It beeped, "Yes. Why?"


    "Can you zap in a Pylon down there?"


    "Yes."


    "Alright, how about a Pylon and a Photon Cannon?"


    "No Problem."


    "Do it, please."


    Fifteen minutes later the Robo-Buddy returned. I could see the shimmering of the warp in progress down below.


    Down here it was hard to see far away, it was a hilly land. The state of the plant life was terrible.


    ''Hey Meadran can you get a sense of what I''m seeing?''


    ''Sorry Young One, it will be some time before we have that level of rapport.''


    ''No Worries.''


    Do I try to go around, or can we build a...no, I doubt we could right now. At least not safely.


    I started walking to the Southeast following the broken road.


    Ten or so miles later, we found an East-West multilane road in at least better repair. Cars were zipping along, but I didn''t recognize a damn one of them. Where was I? When was I, might be the question.


    I cast a regrowth now and then, on myself, the keep my stamina up.


    I shrugged.


    The Canyon had petered out about a mile back.


    But I decided to keep following the trail, I figure it had to go somewhere, and boy, was I right. I could see what was maybe a small town out to the East, but nah, let''s head towards the City.


    I walked out to the side of the road, because people here drove like maniacs. I had to jump out of the way a few times and saw two different wrecks. I threw some regrowth spell in there but didn''t stop to see what happened. I had a bad feeling about all this.


    I also kept hearing gun fire in the distance, and a lot of it. I sure hoped my Probes can protect me. I was quickly put on edge.


    As I traveled further West, I passed several buildings but most of them seemed abandoned, dilapidated. They few with people gave me bad vibe, and the people themselves were disheveled, poor, desperate.


    Interesting note, some of the people had metallic limbs, an even smaller number had other parts made out of metal. Cybernetics? Still just like most things out here they were in bad shape.


    The Probes were the only reason, that no one approached me. A few times they pointed guns in our direction, but it didn''t come to anything, thankfully.


    I was getting the idea that nowhere was safe.


    I was able to see bright columns of light coming from the city, then I could see the buildings, they seemed really tall. My bad feeling was rapidly becoming full blown dread. everything was wrong, off, twisted.


    An atmosphere of decay, tainted this place. No wonder I was sent. Still not sure I could do what was needed.


    Then, I came to The Sunset Motel. At Sunrise, in fact, heh funny.


    It was just as bad as everything else, but at least there was a Bar. Up stairs, strange.


    I paused to examine, discretely, some of the cars. So familiar, but still not quite right. They were kind of cool even the more obvious junkers.


    Later, I''d have to figure out a way to get my hands on some of these.


    I moseyed into the Bar.


    The worst diving Bar, I had ever been to before was a 5 star experience next to this place. Filthy, about to fall down, and full of thugs.


    A huge guy was behind the counter, he tsked at me.


    "Hey Choom, leave your little Drones outside, eh."

 Chapter 11

    I had a theory brewing in the back of my head that this was some kind of post-post apocalyptic situation.


    Some Great War? Sudden Nukes? Chemical Attacks? Bioweapon gone wrong? (AN: This was fun to write, This Guy!)


    As I stared at the few patrons of the questionable establishment, the idea cemented in my brain that something was deeply wrong with this place.


    I decided that it wasn''t worth fighting the Bartender over the Probes, so I had them wait outside.


    Everyone in here had augments? Cybernetics? just like the other folks I had seen. Weird lines on the faces, some people had odd circles of metal, looked sort of like jack ports or in some cases USB ports. Why?


    "Wait in the parking lot. If anyone messes with you, put them down." I said, with an attempt at a menacing tone.


    They went off to wander around outside.


    Of course, I''m not an idiot, the Elder Wisps were right by my side. Nobody seemed to notice them, which was a mixed bag. I had the impression that looking dangerous, was almost as important as actually being dangerous.


    But I need answers, and had to start interacting with people somewhere.


    I stepped over to the counter and sat on a stool. The Bartender had kept his eye on me the whole way.


    Something told me, he didn''t trust me.


    "Excuse me, I seem to be lost? Been out in the wastes a while, and have gotten all turned around." Going for firm but non-offensive.


    The air get tense, I could feel everyone''s attention on me.


    The look he gave me. Hatred, disgust, and a few other emotions I could make out all rolled into one.


    "You a Corpo?" His hand moved under the Bar.


    Shit, what did I do?


    "What''s a Corpo?" Genuine confusion. Which is probably why he calmed down, a little. I could hear the other people in here ease up as well.


    "Do you work for a Corporation, like Arasaka, or Militech?" He said it slow, like I was mentally feeble.


    Ah, I just tripped over common knowledge.


    "No idea what those are? No I don''t work for anyone but myself right now." Not exactly true, but he didn''t need to know the details.


    His hand came back into sight, nothing in it. Whew.


    "Ya Gonk, why''d ya talk like that ''en? I almost pulled Iron." He had a half smile, already ignoring the previous situation.


    That right there told me a lot, about how screwed I really was. If I wasn''t already worried out of my skull, I''d have missed it.


    Violence was common. Common enough to not be a big deal.


    What''s a few bullet between friends, right?


    That kind of place.


    "Parents were teachers, taught me to be polite." True enough.


    "Well, maybe toughen up a bit, eh? Polite gets you shot more often ''en not around here. Anyway, you''re right by Night City, Choom. That help?" He seemed like a completely different guy now. Almost Friendly. Talk about whiplash.


    "Nope." I said grinning. I took a chance, "What State am I in?" I figured I was in America by the way he spoke.


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    "State? You from the NUSA?"


    Huh? Just roll with it.


    "Sure, how bad am I fucked?" I was reminded of trying to buy things off of Craigslist, give nothing away, hope they did have the goods you wanted.


    "Nah, not too bad. Most peeps have gotten over it, except ''em Dogtown gonks. Anyway, Night City is it''s own thing, ya must really be from the sticks to ''ve never heard of it."


    "Oh, very isolated. What do you use for currency? I was looking to buy a drink." Whelp, I was sure my money was useless now.


    "Huh? Oh we use Eddies jus'' like everywhere else." He started with the fish eye again.


    I sighed.


    "Do you take trades, I don''t have any ''Eddies'' on me now."


    "What''d ya get rolled?"


    "Yeah, you could say that. Barely got away with my clothes and walking stick."


    He nodded as he noticed my staff for the first time, "Hey is that real wood?"


    He tried to hide it, but I caught the moment an expression of pure greed.


    Wood is rare. Wood is rare.


    Likely Water too.


    Thinking of the trip here. What if that was the way the World looked everywhere.


    I could grow new Trees. That''s why I''m here.


    I controlled a rare vital resource. I was going to be rich.


    I had to make sure the Valley stayed hidden.


    People would destroy it, intentionally or not.


    "Yes, an heirloom of better time."


    Dealing with a Used Car Salesman mode activated. I liked to restore cars in my spare time. I''ve had to do a lot of haggling over the years, I had a system.


    "$1000, and a drink on the house."


    I gave him my patented, "Don''t Even." The expression really sells it and it works more often then not.


    Dealing is all about let them think they had gotten the better deal, while still getting what you wanted. The Staff while useful wasn''t necessary for my plans. I was sure I could get another later. A good rule to follow, never take the first offer. No matter how good it seems.


    He pursed his lips. "Alright $3000 and a few drinks for the road."


    The second offer is never the best either. Sometime you have to take it though, if the person on the other side is too hostile. But I think I had a read on this guy.


    I pulled back on the "Bitch, What" expression, and slightly shook my head. This said I was almost but not quite there.


    He sighed, "$4000, a few drinks an'' I''ll throw in this Iron that was left. You look like you need it. Best Offer."


    Yeah, the third offer wasn''t the best offer, but you rarely ever push pass this point, unless you are very familiar with the person.


    I nodded while looking unhappy. Everyone likes to believe they got the best of you, and that parting with your items or money was making you suffer. I''ve been on both sides I know.


    My BTC twitched.


    [ Gained Skill Bargaining at Rank 1 ]


    [ Gained +1 Rank in Concentration ]


    Nice. I liked this feeling I got when the numbers went up. Even if I wasn''t sure what they did.


    His eyes flashed. Like with actual light. Creepy.


    "Ya aren''t chipped." He looked shocked, "Ya really are from the booneys. Your lucky I''ve enough script. Hold on."


    He went through the door in the back. I looked around. Too many people had paid attention.


    Shit. Someone was going to try to jump me.


    He came back in a couple of minutes. Set a stack of bills, I didn''t recognize in front of me, a gun, and a box of ammo.


    I quickly put the bills away into my robe''s inner left pocket.


    I picked up the gun.


    My experience with guns was limited, just a couple of hunting trips with dad in my teens. And a couple of trip to a range with friends to do some plinking.


    I kept it pointed down at the floor, cleared it, and dropped the mag to check if it was loaded. It was. I reset the mag and pulled a round from the box, loaded the chamber, while looking at the other folks in here. I switch the safety on and was about to put in in the right inner pocket of my robe when...


    My BTC shook,


    [Adjusting...]


    [ Militech M-76e Omaha


    Range: 30 yards


    Damage: 8


    Ammo: 9 round magazine +1 round in the chamber ]


    As I put in away, I hoped I looked competent. The gun felt a lot like some of the .45s I had handled but heavier.


    "Name''s Ryan, by the way."


    "I''m Greg, I work for Noah."


    I shook his hand. Then handed him his new staff.


    He wasted no time in making it vanish back there.


    He pointed at the list above the Bar, "Pick something out."


    Yeah, I had been increasing going into "Foreign Country" mode. You know, pay attention. Watch your back. Trust no one. And one I wished I had known on a trip to Mexico once. Don''t Drink The Water!


    "Just give me a selection of Colas." They tended to be highly processed, while my waistline and kidneys might get pissed off at me, they were probably the best option in this circumstance.


    He put a dozen colorful cans in a backpack for me. Free backpack, score.


    "On the house." He winked at me, he knew what was going to happen, probably set it up on purpose.


    I sighed. I grabbed one of the cans at random.


    NiCola, with a simple design in white and black and some pink lettering. A girl seemed to be wagging her butt at me. I shook my head, popped the tab and took a sip.


    I winced, an unholy mixture of Pepsi-like soda and Cough Syrup. I chugged the rest, because I was thirsty, and I didn''t want to taste it more than I had to.


    So far, this place failed to impress me.


    Greg chuckled at my pain. "Don''t like the Love huh?"


    "Could be better." Scrapping my tongue with my teeth. "Thanks for the trade, Greg."


    "Careful out there Ryan."


    I nodded as I got up and walk to the door. The Probes zipped over to flank me again. The Wisps had the lead.


    I walked out of the Bar ready for trouble.

 Chapter 12

    I didn''t make it out of the parking lot.


    A felt the Probe on my left ram into me, knocking me flat. Then a realized I had heard a snap and a crackling noise.


    I crawled over to one of the cars to put it between me and what I thought had been a shot. My heart started racing, and I could feel that burn of adrenaline dumping into my arteries.


    All kinds of noises all round me. Snaps of gunfire, crackling of the Probes'' zaps and the whoosh of the Wisps'' Mana Bolts.


    Once I had concealment I pulled the Omaha. I switched off the safety.


    I tried to take a deep breath, let it out slowly.


    I peeked out around the car low to the ground.


    I couldn''t see the Probes from this angle but one of the Elder Wisps was hovering over a smoking body.


    I checked behind me to make sure no one was sneaking up on me. Okay, nothing there.


    Slowly lifted myself up and peeked over the hood.


    A pop right in front of my face forced me back down.


    "Fuck, fuck, fuck." I whispered.


    I tried to edge to the other end of the car, I did a quick peek over the truck. Nothing.


    I took a longer second to look.


    Two more bodies were down. The Elder Wisps were hovering about 20ft up, throwing Bolt after Bolt. A few gunshots rang out but didn''t seem to be aimed at me.


    One of the Probes was down sparking behind a truck, the other Probe was zapping it. Huh?


    Oh, it was repairing it. I could see the damage coming undone. Nice.


    Movement caught my eye, a man with a rifle of some kind, was shooting up in the air while shuffling back towards the Motel''s main building.


    He had no clue what the Wisps were, so he was just firing in the direct of the Mana Bolts.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I didn''t see anyone else, firing. A few people ducking out of the way.


    The Omaha seemed to raise on its own. I let off a round.


    My grip wasn''t great and I wasn''t prepared for the insane recoil on it.


    I got barrel kissed. Right across the nose!


    Fuck that smarted. I fell on my butt.


    Three pops hit the trunk. Shit.


    I wobbled a bit even sitting as I was.


    I kept telling myself I could do this. I was practically yelling it into my own mind.


    I leaned out from the end of the car and snapped a shot at where he had been.


    I missed, but he flinched when it hit the wall beside him.


    A Mana Bolt hit right the wall on the other side of that and he paused trying to figure out where to go.


    I squeezed the trigger two more times. Down he went.


    I scan around, no one else seemed to want to fight. I crouch ran over to the Probes and the Wisps came over to cover me.


    Did I feel bad about shooting that guy? Well...yes and no. I had never done more then punch someone before, but this fucker would have killed me.


    I was surprisingly okay with this.


    My life mattered more to me than his did.


    Maybe there was something wrong with me, but that was fine with me.


    The damaged Probe looked almost whole again.


    "Hey Ryan!"


    I looked up toward the voice, it was Greg. He was grinning down at me from the second floor, like he''d won a bet. Probably had.


    "Nobody''d care if you take their shit. Free advice. Oh and don''t forget to check their ports." He nodded at me, while tapping the side and back of his head and went back in the Barroom.


    Huh? I could just take their stuff? Well, I could use more options. Did one of them own a car? Is this a good idea?


    Fuck it, when in Rome, stab some Romans, and take their loot!


    I cast regrowth on myself to heal up my nose. Wiped the blood off on my robe sleeve.


    I stripped them of their guns, and got two rifles and three pistols. I''d figure them out later.


    I found these weird crooked chips in their head sockets. No clue if they were worth keeping. I threw those into the backpack. More puzzles to solve.


    About $350 in bills, I left the change and their clothes which were singed to hell anyway. But I did find a thick credit card shaped thing on one of them. I heard a honk when I grabbed it.


    Turned out one of them did own a car.


    It kind of reminded me of my first restore job.


    It was an 80''s Civic hatchback, great fucking car. It would run forever with minimal maintenance, and was still fun to drive, especially with a few easy to do mods.


    Sure this thing only had one headlight and four doors, and was beat to shit, but yeah it was pretty similar. The puke green would have to go though.


    The BTC gave a shake,


    [Adjusting...]


    [ Thorton Galena G240


    Model: Basic


    Fuel Type: CHOOH2


    Top speed: 120


    Weight: 2,255


    Horsepower: 86 ]


    What was CHOOH2? Never heard of it.


    Hmm, heavier than my Civic but had about twenty more horsepower. You''d think they could do a little better though, in a world with flying cars.


    I was starting to suspect a huge economic gap in this society. I mean, duh, but even the poor have things I would have shanked someone for, back home.


    What do the rich have?


    I shrugged.


    Could be a long time before I could find that out.


    I had a big grin on my face though, as I patted my new baby. A frenzied light entering my eyes.


    "I love this new world. Free cars."

 Chapter 13

    Okay, there was a problem.


    With their fins, the Probes were not going to fit into the Galena. Not both at the same time, anyway.


    Their top speed was maybe 30-40 Mph, not enough for the observed speeds.


    I turn to them, "Do you have some way to attach yourself to the top, or can you be towed?"


    In response, One of the Probes landed on the roof and did something with its hover field, that magnetically? locked it down. I pushed and prodded at it, the connection seemed solid.


    The other one locked in right behind it, I wouldn''t be able to open the hatchback, and I''d have to be careful of the fins when getting in or out, but it was a good enough solution for now.


    It was here when we made a critical discovery.


    One of the Wisps circling around me ran into the first probe. Energies sparked and the Wisp disappeared into the Probe.


    My BTC shuddered,


    [ Adjusting...]


    [ Khalai Probe


    Construction and Maintenance Unit


    Armor: 2


    Shields: 10


    Damage: 6


    An A.I. Controlled Robot for Harvesting Materials. ]


    [ Infused Khalai Probe


    Unknown Unit


    Armor: 2 +2


    Shields: 10 +5 (Shields now block Spells)


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Damage: 6 +4 (May affect Incorporeal Beings)


    The Combination of an Elder Wisp and a Khalai Probe. This Unit has partial Stealth. ]


    "Are you okay?" As neat as those gains seemed I didn''t want anything to happen to my little Robo-Buddy. This one still had a scuff on it''s armor. Hmm. Scuff sure I started think of this one as Scuff.


    Scuff beeped at me, "We are fine, Executor." The "we" part was a little troubling, but it seemed more coherent. More alive than before.


    I glanced at the other Probe and had the still hovering Elder Wisp fuse with it. This is the one that was repairing Scuff in the fight. So Fix? Good enough.


    "You okay back there?"


    "Of course, Executor." Well, Alright.


    ''Meadran, checking in.''


    ''We are at the edge of the range of our connection, Young One.''


    Really? I gazed back toward the Mountains I had come from. I had walked more than 50 miles? I guess the Regrowth did the body good.


    I filled Meadran in on current events. He was troubled at the levels of violence, but it wasn''t unexpected.


    He was greatly pleased by the discovery of fusion between Khalai and Kaldorei paradigms. He said he would experiment back at the Valley.


    ''Be cautious, Young One.''


    ''I will, Meadran.''


    I got into the car. I laughed, that was a lot of buttons.


    I did see one labeled start, so I pushed it. The engine purred into life. I rubbed the dash.


    The radio came on blasting some kind of Techno Pop. I turned it off. Maybe later, I could experience their culture.


    I revved it a little trying to get a feel for the sound of this engine, it was different, I couldn''t yet qualify those differences. Later I''d have to get in there and see how it was put together.


    Now, let''s take it for a spin.


    Hmm, automatic, disappointing.


    I shrugged it off, Beggars can''t be Choosers.


    I still couldn''t guess what half the buttons were for, but heck time to enjoy the ride.


    People here drove like fucking savages. And I had yet to see a speed limit sign. I''d even almost got hit just getting out of the parking lot.


    It would take more than some aggressive punks to mess up my driving though.


    I''d always found a sense of peace, and freedom while driving. Everything else could just melt away in the wind.


    Even fools trying to get somewhere at warp speeds didn''t harsh that meditative nature to my driving. Something else did that.


    A few minutes into the drive, I was focusing on the ever increasing size of the buildings I was driving towards, with what appeared to be Holographs dancing around them.


    A glint of light off of something had me glance to my left, towards that mountain...which wasn''t a mountain. It was a humongous pile of garbage and scrap.


    "What the Hell?"


    I pulled over for a moment, while I processed that. That fucking bothered me.


    They don''t burn it, recycle it, bury it, something, anything more useful than just pile it up.


    I was more bothered by that Monument to Absurdity, than I was at someone shooting at me.


    Well, I was here to clean things up, but I''d never would have imagined this.


    This place was fucked up.


    Night City, huh?


    Maybe, I should just burn it all down.

 Chapter 14

    I was just following this highway, trying to figure out a plan.


    Trying not to get distracted by the sheer physics defying architecture of some of the huge ass buildings was difficult.


    This city was pretty large, and I knew fucking no one.


    So how do you make connections? You go places people gather.


    Bars, clubs, parties, churches. Maybe not churches, something here screams that the spiritual isn''t at all welcome.


    I could ask for directions to someplace good.


    My stomach growled.


    Fuck, I hadn''t eaten since I got here, and a crappy soda wasn''t going to cut it.


    Though that brought up the thought of what food here was going to be like. Rat meat? Poor Doggos? (AN: Who''s going to tell him?)


    Still, I needed to eat something and maybe get directions to a club or bar to try to get a sense of what was up with this place.


    The sound of gunshots were depressingly common.


    Buck a Slice. Pizza?


    Hard to go too wrong with pizza. (AN: It hurt to write this.)


    I was wrong.


    This was not pizza.


    The "pizza" was so bad, cardboard crust had a new definition. The toppings were most definitely not what the looked like. Musky flavor. Horrid aftertaste.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I choked it down, I had to get some calories. I doubt there was any nutrition to be had here.


    How the hell do people eat this without killing someone?


    Oh.


    Well, at least I got directions to a place called Lizzie''s. The girl running the "pizza" joint said it was probably the best place for somebody from out of town to get situated.


    "You''ll have a preem time input." She giggled at some joke that went right over my head.


    A lot of language drift and new slang to absorb. But hey, fake it till you make it.


    It took a while to get to Lizzie''s. I took a few wrong turns, especially in the area called the City Center.


    I crossed a few bridges, getting this far, and the water looked terrible, and trash was piled up everywhere in this City.


    It was making me depressed.


    This was just one city, and I''m suppose to fix the world? Even with magic, that seemed unlikely.


    I got there at about nightfall and park in the lot. The neon sign of a girl wielding an axe while kicking was cute.


    Wait, Lizzie and an axe? Moxes?


    Grim realization.


    Lizzie Borden reference? Whew, maybe this wasn''t the best idea after all.


    Nah, I needed to man up and fucking dive in.


    Wonder what the whole Moxes thing is about?


    I saw a few people walking into the bar, a couple of ladies nodding at them.


    Kept getting sidetracked by the sheer level of modifications people had subjected themselves to. Metal looking skin. Hair that glowed with LED lights. Limbs that looked absurdly powerful.


    Some folks looked down right weaponized.


    Maybe, it helped them feel safer.


    Cause, I sure didn''t.


    "Watch the car, guys." As I walked away the Probe beeped affirmative.


    As I got to the door one of the Ladies called out, "Hold up, Input."


    She was short but kind of intimidating, her skin had a plastic sheen and spikes on her forearm. Yup, those were part of her.


    Her pink-purple hair was done up in cute buns, went well with her facial features. Were they real though?


    Imagine it would be easy to get whatever face you wanted here.


    She was bouncing a bat on her should, a pink one.


    She had my full attention, I barely even noticed the other woman. Though that one''s hand was on her gun, a purple and green pistol.


    What kind of place was this?


    Her eyes flashed at me.


    "Ganic, huh? Haven''t seen anyone your age who wasn''t a little Chipped." She cocked her head at me, trying to suss me out.


    "From Out of Town." Risky move, but figured it be too obvious, to hide.


    "Bennie," nodded to herself, "Well here''s the deal. You do not touch the Staff. If you see someone you like, you go to the front desk and pick them from the catalogue. They''ll set you up with a BD. Leave your Iron at the desk on your way in. Got that?" She gave me an obligatory glare, it said "Don''t make me deal with you."


    "Yes." Nodding.


    "Then welcome to Lizzie''s. Have fun Input." She stepped aside.


    I stepped into a very new experience.

 Chapter 15

    Argh, the lights were a bright too bright, as the rattle of the beaded curtain filled my ears.


    When my vision adapted a bit. There was a counter off to my right. Purples and pinks undercut with blue everywhere.


    There was a pounding beat, but it was muffled out here. I could see sound insulating panels, so it was probably going to be deafening in the actual club.


    "Hey, a new face. Not too scop either." This was the girl manning the counter.


    I was taken aback by the neon behind her proclaiming, "Fuck to Death!"


    Ah, What? I was in trouble I didn''t understand yet.


    She was a chipper little thing, maybe 5'' even, pink hair blazing with light. Her eyes were like two purple hearts. No, I mean literally.


    I didn''t get it, but okay.


    A green and purple leotard, her only clothing, barely covered the important bits. Well, I guess she had nothing to be ashamed of. Though I could tell she had a lot of little mods.


    So these things, were as much fashion as functional? Disturbing.


    There were coats behind her all green and purple with some pink highlights. Yeah, I was getting the theme.


    "Hello, could you give me the name of someone who''d be willing to give me the run down on this City. I''m from out of town."


    Her eyes flashed at me.


    "Bennie, eh, and 100% Ganic too," She let out a manic giggle, "Tempted to take you into the back and play in meatspace, just to see the difference."


    "Oookay?" I''m sure I looked totally lost, felt it, didn''t I. I slowly placed my Omaha on the counter, like I was afraid she take a bite out of my arm. Or lick it.


    "Oh, that''s a nice piece, needs a little color though. I wonder if your other Iron needs some color?" She glanced down at my dick. Like she could see it through my pants, or was really trying to.


    I''m no prude but this was creeping me out. Then again, I''ve never been the center of this kind of attention. Flattering and sickening all at once, is that a thing?


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Thankfully, I was saved.


    A lady with one of the largest ''fros I''d ever seen, stuck her head out a door to the left. "Kimmie, you are there to help people get detes not hit on them," She glanced me over, "Sorry newbie, she''s still getting use to things." She nodded her head like that was enough and vanished back into that room.


    Kimmie gave me an apologetic grin, "Sorry, too much? I just get sooo excited. But to answer your earlier question, Mateo at the bar can set you up. He knows most everyone."


    "No you''re adorable. But yeah, dial it back a tad. I still don''t even understand what I''ve gotten myself into yet." I shook my head.


    "Alright, have a good time." She seemed to deflate a bit, but shrugged it off in a second.


    I went through another beaded curtain, marveling how more sound didn''t pour into the entryway.


    It was a large space full of contrasts, being both too bright and too dark all at the same time. Some kind of laser light show off to one side. Holograms dancing at tables.


    The people gathered around those tables, talking, drinking, were an eclectic mix of styles and colors. I couldn''t get a read on what was normal, of course it was a club, people were probably dressed in their "best".


    I felt like I was in an insane music video. The music wasn''t bad though. A little too beat heavy, but hey, get that heart rate up.


    I was really out of my element as I passed another lady who was scanning the crowd like a hawk. Bouncer I supposed. She focused on me for a moment.


    "Bar?"


    She gestured with her head.


    "Thanks."


    She nodded and went back to her job.


    I wove through the dancing people trying not to touch anyone. Not out of some, "ew, gross" sense, more out of a "I don''t want problems." sense.


    I took a seat at the bar, like it was a life preserver. Felt a touch calmer over here.


    "You look lost." A man had come over, I would have called his fashion Miami Casual back home. The vibes he put out were kind of like the guy who stole your girlfriend, then wondered why you were upset.


    "You could say that. I''m from out of town, looking to get a rundown on how things work around here, people pointed me this way."


    "I''m Mateo, and I can get one of the girls to hook you up. She''ll dance and answer questions, nothing more, alright?" He seemed chill, unflappable. A little smug. I really didn''t like him. Muscles were probably fake.


    "Ryan." I gave him a Bro nod.


    He returned it, okay maybe not so bad a dude.


    I bought a coffee and a pretzel like thing, while I waited. Neither was great by my standards, but no where near as horrid as Buck a Slice.


    Maybe Meadran could figure out a way to produce fruits and veggies. I could make a killing feeding people actual fucking food.


    If I could keep them from killing me over it.


    Mateo set me up with a dancer called Sinnamin. A brute of a woman, who looked down at me with boredom, but maybe apathy was better than the alternative.


    $20 for 5 minutes of dancing and questions. I threw down $340 for 85 minutes. I required info more than cash right now, and it should be enough time to get at least the basics.


    Sinnamin guided me into one of the back booths, it was a little quieter. I leaned back and asked her to start at the beginning.

 Chapter 16

    Sinnamin, as it turned out, liked talking a whole lot more than dancing.


    She laid a lot out for me, about the Corps, about the Gangs, and about how life worked on a day to day sense for people.


    I still didn''t have a lot of deeper context, but I knew some places and people I should avoid.


    She did drop a major bomb on me though.


    I had mentioned Ruger, and she asked about that. When I told her she got a stunned look on her face.


    "So you must be super preem rich?" She started pulling a little back.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Nobody can afford gene builds that aren''t top shelf loaded."


    She told me, I thought she was lying, she had to be.


    No dogs, no cats, no birds, barely any rats, but plenty of bugs though.


    I started sweating from my eyes. I might have let out a couple of unmanly sounds.


    She seemed incredibly distressed. I guess she had never seen a man leak stress from his eyes before.


    "How do you get through life without dogs?"


    She didn''t have an answer.


    Were these people even worth saving if they let dogs die out? A stone began to form in my heart. I am not sure those folks could or should be helped.


    I held on to that feeling for a moment, but let it go, for now. The average person had nothing to do with it. Probably.


    We went back to talking, she seemed happy to get to lighter topics like gang violence.


    I managed to get the year, if not the month, through context. 2074.


    Also, a picture began to form about what I needed to do to get by here. I required work, but had no acceptable ID, the answer to both of those problems was a Fixer.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Fixer were shadow brokers dealing in everything below board, anything shady or outright illegal. They could be your fence, your bookie, and your limited contractual boss. They could get you information, or buy the things you knew.


    Yeah, needed one of those.


    Sinnamin knew a Faceman, which was kind of a lackey to a bigger Fixer. Someone that could be cut out before you got to the head honcho.


    She gave me their contact detes.


    Before that, I had to "get chipped". At least enough to interact with the world everyone else saw. Enough to get an identity setup.


    Plenty of answers to be found on the Net.


    She gave me a few names from here and there, and a list of pro and cons. One name stood out as being the least likely to screw me over.


    Viktor Vektor.


    Best of all, he wasn''t too far away.


    When time was up, I thanked Sinnamin, and headed back to the bar. It was even more balls to the walls busy.


    "So you get caught up, Ryan" Mateo asked as I sat down. He gave me a nod.


    I returned it. Yeah maybe I was too quick to judge. Still wouldn''t trust him with my girlfriend though, if I could ever find one.


    "At least a little better of an idea how screwed I am. You got anything substantial to eat around here, I''m running on fumes?"


    "Sure, we can whip up something, just don''t expect The Gourmand experience." (AN: The Gourmand is a restaurant in my expanded world, does it already exist in Cyberpunk lore? Should, if it doesn''t)


    "Better than Buck A Slice will be great. Please."


    He saw the terror on my face and chuckled.


    "Yeah we can do better than that scop." His eyes flashed putting in the order.


    I decided to live a little and order a rum and cola.


    A few minutes later I had a plate of what looked like loaded nachos. It wasn''t bad at all, just off. Cheese not quite right, unsurprising. Meat with a weird texture and not quite beef flavor. Jalape?os that really weren''t snappy.


    But compared to that "pizza" it was heaven.


    I payed up and left a good tip.


    "Thanks Mateo."


    "Anytime Ryan. You''re not bad for a Bennie."


    I went and collected my iron. A different lady was working the counter, friendly but not overly so.


    The scary bouncer lady, who name was Rita, according to Sinnamin was displeased.


    "Hey gonk, your car fried a couple of Dorphers. Keep it on a leash. We don''t need bodies stinking up the joint."


    I unconsciously stood to attention. But this was interesting, apparently they couldn''t see the Probes right now.


    "Yes ma''am. You want me to drag them away?"


    "Nah, we already threw ''em in the dumpster." She sigh exasperated, "Cars zeroing junkies. What next, vampires?" (AN: Oh Rita, you shouldn''t feed me a line like that.)


    "Thanks Rita, you have a good night."


    She snorted at me.


    "Get out of here, Bennie." Smirking at me.


    Scuff and Fix reported it was clear. I was amused that they seemed to be happy to zap some gonks.


    Back in the car I made my way over to where Misty''s Esoterica was supposed to be. Across from Gomorrah.


    A Dollhouse. The concept of Dolls disturbed me. The levels of abuse some of them would face, I shuddered.


    I left Fix to guard the car, and took Scuff with me.


    I did find Misty''s, and it was still open.


    I entered and got another surprise.

 Chapter 17

    I walked in on a conversation.


    "I only have a limited time to get back. So this is goodbye Misty, and tell that old dog, Vik to lay off the boxing."


    A silver haired lady dressed in leather pants and a tunic was waving goodbye to another woman who reminded me of a character in a movie I saw a long time ago. Poofed out blonde hair, and rocking a Goth look. Nice.


    "Bye Ciri, we will miss you around here. Be safe." They shared a brief hug.


    When the silver haired lady, Ciri turned around and saw me.


    Let''s just say both our eyes went wide. There was a spark of recognition. The twisting of fate.


    She was radiating potent mana, different from any I had felt before. It seemed darker somehow, almost broken.


    She stalked over to me. Patted my shoulder and said, "Good Luck." Before dashing out the door. Avoided the Probe I noticed.


    I half turned to follow her and find out more.


    "She has that effect on people. Hi, I''m Misty."


    I turned back toward the blonde lady. She herself was emanating a little bit of mana. What were the odds?


    "Hello Misty, I''m Ryan. I came to see about getting a consult with Dr. Vektor, but now I''m a little more interested in your shop."


    The Brass multi armed statue behind her, for a start. Giving off something similar to the Psi energy of Khalai Pylons.


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    "That''s great! I offer Chakra cleansings and Tarot readings." It was nice to see her smile. She seemed like a decent person.


    "I''ve never had my Chakras cleansed, so let''s do that." What the hell was a Chakra?


    To be honest, I don''t know if that did anything for me. However, I did feel a little more relaxed, after resting in that cushy chair. So all''s good.


    The crystals were a little odd though, and the incense was a bit pungent. Hey, nothing''s perfect.


    I paid her with $100 and let her keep the change.


    She told me I could see the Doc. Out the back and down the stairs.


    The alley held another surprise.


    It was a cat, an Egyptian Hairless. Was it called a Sphinx or was that a different breed?


    I sat down and it crawled in my lap, and I gave it scritches. It''s purring was a comfort in this dark land.


    "Hey Misty! I thought there weren''t anymore cats?" I called out gently.


    She stuck her head out, saw me with the kitty and grinned. "There aren''t, that''s not a cat."


    "What is it?" Meowed like a cat. Purred like a cat.


    "If you figure it out let me know. I just know it''s not a cat." She ducked back into her shop.


    "You seem like a good kitty to me." As I petted the cat more. It gave me a happy cat stare. Not to be confused with an indifferent cat stare, though I wouldn''t blame you.


    I only stayed another minute, before I got up and went down the stairs. Things were really looking up.


    The way was blocked by a sliding metal wired gate. I could see a man watch a monitor, it seemed to be a boxing match. "Hello?"


    "Hey, come on in." He kind of reminded me of my Gramps, I always got along with ol'' Gramps.


    Build like a boxer, rugged looking, like he''d been through a few things. Yeah, I liked him on sight. A good dude.


    I closed the gate behind me, after I went in.


    "Manners. That''s a sight." He chuckled.


    "Dr Vektor, I needed a consult on getting Chipped, at least the basics."


    "100% Ganic. This will be tough. You''ll want a neural port, a chip socket, and at least one eye to fully interact, but I''d recommend doing both or it''ll really throw of your balance."


    My eyes? My eyes. That seemed insane. My eyes were perfectly good.


    They didn''t think anything of doing this? It was just normal?


    It was normal. Heavens help these poor fucked up people. Heavens help me for what I was going to do.


    "If you''ll hop up on the chair, we''ll take a full scan. Then I''ll be able to make suggestions as to what would work best with your meat."


    As the scan started I wondered if I was really going to do this.

 Chapter 18

    While I was being scanned, my BTC was squeezing my arm. I thought it might be hiding itself.


    Honestly, I kept forgetting it was there until it did something. Was that on purpose?


    Amusing note, I keep getting glimpses of Scuff puttering about doing its own scan of equipment in Vik''s clinic.


    Would that be useful? Should I have have been getting them to do that more?


    "Hmm, you have biomods, or gene editing?"


    "Not that I know of?" Who knows what the Company did to me?


    "Now that''s a conundrum." He seemed pensive.


    "Showing no degradation from radiation, no trace nanites from from any of the numerous sources, even the hostile microbial content count is almost nonexistent." (AN: The present hostile microbes are from the "pizza", I''ll give you that one for free.)


    "Huh? Those are normal? Sounds terrible, how do folk live with all that?"


    "How do you not?" Shook his head.


    "You can counter most of the problems with meds and other nanites. Most folks get a puff of a Max Doc or Vita Stim to keep going for a while. Knocks disease right out, for a time. Truth be told, I''ve never seen anyone with such an undamaged genomic structure. Do you mind if I take sample, just for me to study?"


    "Not at all, Doc."


    The exoframe on his left arm did something but I didn''t feel it. I just heard it moving.


    "Good news though, kid, almost anything can be chipped in. That gives you a broad spectrum of options."


    He gave me options. The cheapest fully functional set was $3000, really "bare bones" as he put it. Really basic connectivity, comparatively slow and vulnerable. I didn''t like the sound of that. The eyes wouldn''t be functional better than my current ones, I''d just be able to visualize some Net architecture and call screens.


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    The most expensive package, he had available, was $20,000 and had a lot of bells and whistles. Embedded security features, seamless integration of neural controls. Eyes with high resolution vision, zoom, low light options, and flare protection. Best of all fast, intuitive connections.


    "Not the best out there right now, but not far from it. Outside of corps'' labs anyway."


    Do I get the basic tech and upgrade later, or do I go and find a way to scrape together $20k?


    I really didn''t want to get into the attitude of fix it later. No, I wanted the best I could get. Less time being...tinkered with, the better.


    Without the "Chrome" I wouldn''t be ready to meet the Faceman.


    "I''ll have to come back. It''ll take me a bit to get some Eddies together for the "preem chrome".


    His demeanor seemed to shift to something less professional, but more concerned.


    "Ya know kid, if you weren''t so friendly and relaxed, I''d think you were a Corpo spy. We have to get ya use to the streets and quick. Or you might not make it."


    "Sure Doc, working on it. Unless you know someone who can move some lumber, I''m going to have to do this the hard way."


    "Lumber? From actual trees? Where in the world would ya get that?" That was genuine shock right there.


    Wow, wood must be really rare. Rarer than I''d first suspected. Which means Greg got me good. Damn.


    "Dr. Vektor, you know how it is. I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a place." I chuckled and he snorted.


    "Nah, I know people who''d do it, but they wouldn''t trust ya without a rep." He seemed frustrated. Like he''d run into this problem before, and more than once.


    "No Worries Doc, I''ll figure it out. We all have to do what we can." I wasn''t ready to show Vik what I could do yet. Not ready to show anyone really.


    I left, said goodbye to the kitty and Misty. Got Scuff back on the car, and headed north in the Galena.


    It was around 1AM at this point. I was getting tired, but I had work to do.


    I had found out you could sell loot in certain places. Kabuki for one.


    Most shopkeeps there would buy goods under the table. No questions asked. If it wasn''t too rare or too big, this was a great option. You''d never get a good deal, but you would something.


    That lead me to my next idea.


    Sinnamin had told me about the Maelstrom. They were a Booster Gang, centered around their chrome and getting more of it, leaving their humanity behind.


    Real scumbags. Trading drugs, kidnapping, torture and snuff XBDs(Still didn''t know what those were), and so much more.


    They were easy to find, and no one would miss them.


    The problem being they were often "Borged Out" or basically mostly chrome. So stronger, faster, meaner.


    Did I have a plan?


    Other then have my Probes sneak up behind them and zap the fuck out of them? No.


    Try to find a small group or two, see what I get from "flatlining" them. Repeat if needed.


    If and or when I had enough money to afford Vik''s top shelf, head south to another gang''s territory. Find a cheap hotel and sleep.


    Not much of a plan.


    Stupid. Monumentally stupid.


    Part of me wanted to go back and grab an army of Probes and lay waste to everything. My instincts told me it wasn''t the time.


    So much to do. There was never enough time.

 Chapter 19

    Once I crossed into the Arasaka Waterfront district, I was near a Megabuilding labeled 11.


    I slowed down. Traffic was present but minimal, so I could take my time.


    I began spotting Maelstrom graffiti everywhere. While the tags invoked a sense of dread, I didn''t think much else of it. Just a gang trying to be intimidating.


    When I saw my first ''Strom "gangoons", I realized Sinnamin hadn''t overblown how repulsive they looked. The gang tags were partially descriptive.


    I found a small parking lot with other cars. Slipped in between two larger vehicles. Since I was taking both Probes I hoped any thief or scrapper messed with them before the Galena.


    Scuff and Fix seemed almost buzzing with excitement as I told them the plan. Their beeps were aggressive.


    "We can do it. Eliminate enemies." "We will destroy the ugly ones."


    This gave me pause.


    A consequence of fusion? Something that happens to Probes over time? Maybe, if you let them fight a bunch, they become like this?


    Am I a bad person for using them like this?


    I''ve never been one to worry about morality. I just try not to be a dick.


    So in those terms, killing people, admittedly grotesque people, to take their shit, sounds like a dick move.


    Or is this a, one dick cancels out another, kind of situation? (AN: I know it''s stupid and silly but it made me laugh as I wrote it.)


    I growled, don''t know, don''t care. Purge the unclean.


    Wait.


    That didn''t sound like me. Was it this place?


    I found I had been moving the whole time I was thinking. Now the time for moral quandaries had ended.


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    I had been noticed and certainly I had something worth taking. Maybe it didn''t even matter and they just wanted to start some shit.


    Their red eyes gleamed in the dark. They had found prey.


    Damn shame they didn''t notice my friends.


    "Hey, whadda we have here?" (AN: Intended.)


    "A poor lost Ganic is need of help."


    They laughed. Their voices were grainy and distorted. It grated on the nerves, almost as much as looking at their faces hurt my eyes.


    "Maybe we throw im in da box and watch ''im squirm."


    "Could just cut off his arms, and watch him bleed out."


    "Nah, we take him home and play, pin the Chrome on the Ganic."


    I had already pulled my Omaha, but I wasn''t quite pointing it at them yet. Safety off.


    "Oh is little Ganic scairwd, we''re sorry. We just wanna help."


    They started spreading out, not a dumb move. Except the two spreading to the sides now had tagalongs hovering just behind their heads.


    The fact they had pulled their weapons, told me they felt in control. Like nothing I could or would do mattered in the slightest.


    That really pissed me off. I don''t think I''ve been this kind of mad before. Like magma coursing through my body.


    "Hey why''s the chump glowing?"


    No more, I''d heard enough.


    "Now!" I snarled as I raised my iron.


    Two zaps rang out as did two deafening cracks.


    Three bodies hit the ground.


    I stared at the corpses for a minute or two. Processing.


    I took the time to top off my magazine. Not thinking about, just a reflex, that I shouldn''t even have.


    I didn''t feel like morals mattered anymore. I was glad we killed them.


    My BTC shivered,


    [ Adjusting...]


    [ Gained skill Firearms at Rank 1 ]


    Oh, okay. I guess that was good.


    Well, time to get to work.


    Three more of those crooked chips. Sinnamin said those can be anything from Cred Chips, Skillsofts, or even just secured data. So potentially valuable. Into the backpack.


    Even if I could pull the data off the chips right now it wouldn''t do me any good, without my own interface and cred chip.


    Which reminded me, I pulled out another can Cirrus Cola. I shrugged and tried it. Off brand Coke maybe with some lime or lemon in it. Not as bad as NiCola that was for sure, but not that good either. The future was disappointing me in a great many ways.


    I noticed Scuff and Fix scanning everything including the corpses. I guessed they were curious little robots.


    Only one of the "gonks" had a gun. A big ass revolver, into the backpack with that too.


    Their blades looked like garbage to me, so I didn''t bother.


    Shit only $200 this would take a while. Nothing else worth "klepping" on the bodies.


    I did go poke around where I first saw them. I found a whole bunch of junk. I wasn''t sure what a lot of this was for. Cables and microchips. A Radio looked cheap though. "Food" and "drinks" of various descriptions. A couple of inhaler looking things. If I had got the context right these could be either medicine or drugs. Into the backpack.


    Seemed to be the lot of it. I sighed.


    No one said it would be easy.


    Back to hunting down another group I suppose.


    Very disappointing.

 Chapter 20

    I found a Wall. Blocks worth of the city walled off.


    Arasaka territory. Perhaps the biggest gang in Night City, from a certain point of view.


    Not ready to mess with them yet. Though raiding Corporations for fun and profit does sound exciting, doesn''t it?


    One Day.


    For now, I''ll have to be content with smaller game.


    I did find the Totentanz. Very Loud. Definitively looked like a place for Death Metal concerts. Haha, Death Metal. Borged up Psychos.


    Lots of Maelstrom, too many for now. Let''s skip it.


    Come with my own gang later. Tree gang represent. Or would that be Nature gang? I''ll figure it out later.


    Large gatherings of more ordinary looking people milled about in this area. Normal by 2074 standards anyway. I couldn''t understand wanting to be around the Maelstrom.


    Driving on, I felt a sense of futility. I really was starting to hate this city. I think it wanted me to. Like it thrived off pain.


    There''s a thought. A Cursed City feasting off blood, pain and death.


    And I was about to feed it more.


    I spied a couple of more isolated groups of gangers over by Megabuilding 12.


    As good a place as any for my hunting grounds.


    I circled around and parked by a clothing store, Ded Zed. While there were cars in the lot the store itself was closed. Good.


    Time to be a bit more cautious, I''d rather not get surrounded again.


    Trying to be stealthy likely wouldn''t work for me. But I could be a distraction for the Probes to make their moves.


    So weapon ready. Eyes open. Let''s bag some gangers.


    The first group of five chromeheads right by the Megabuilding itself was getting ready to head some where else. They were gathering things up and trying to put out the fire they had been cooking something over.


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    Scuff hovering well over their heads, zapped one then another. Fix came in low zapping feet. I fired a few rounds, trying to do my part.


    Our first volley, did a lot of damage. But they still had some fight left in them. One had a machete and only seeing me charged, the other two still standing started firing at me one with a shotgun the other with some kind of automatic rifle.


    "Shit!"


    I went down hard. At first I didn''t feel anything. It''s like my body didn''t believe what happened.


    The only good thing out of it, was in my reflexive spasm, I pulled the trigger. This dropped the machete wielding asshole long enough for Fix to zap him into the next life.


    Scuff was finishing off the ''Strom with the rifle.


    The last guy tried to run, but the Probes tag teamed him.


    I was fervently attempting to cast regrowth, I fumbled a few times as the throbbing burning pain set in.


    "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." Finally, I managed to get the shape right and mana to flow. I channeled the spell to get as close to healthy as possible.


    I dropped the spell again. My concentration was nil. Curses flowing from my mouth as I tried to get the spell shape right for the tenth time.


    Scuff beeped, "Executor more Enemies approach. Orders?"


    "Damn it, ambush them, shit, while I, fuck, finish up here." I got the spell going and felt the mana drain more intensely now.


    "By your Command." Both beeped in unison.


    As I was dredging up more mana from the thin air, I heard the sounds of battle.


    I felt even shitter for having to rely on the Probes so much.


    I dared to check myself over. No wonder I fell down, I got hit by both gangoons. I guess nothing too vital got wrecked.


    The pain was dying down. I felt around the wounds, skin was once again all nice and smooth. Still tender, but nicer than being dead.


    The ruckus in the distance was getting louder. What was going on?


    Okay, I required some armor, and maybe staying further back would be a great idea. Shoot the guys panicked into running by being zapped by something they couldn''t see.


    It became more and more obvious, I knew nothing about combat. Learning it the hard way, not so fun.


    I stood up, my clothes were ruined. Rapidly drying blood covered my entire front.


    I tested my movement. No hitches or cramps or pulls. I seemed to be able to bend every which way. Legs held my weight.


    Alright functional if not optimal.


    I decided to let Scuff and Fix handle the fighting for a moment while I looted. Sounded like they had it covered.


    Pulling the backpack off was a struggle. It didn''t get hit but I guess some of the cola cans ruptured when I dropped. Ah, too bad.


    The chips seem unaffected and the revolver could be cleaned later.


    So I dumped the colas. Dried the pack out as best I could with a shirt scavenged from the retired Maelstromers.


    I didn''t drop my Omaha the whole time, awkward but necessary.


    The sounds of fighting were moving further away. I guess I was going to be looting the aftermath.


    An hour later, both the trunk and backseat of the Galena were full. $9000 in cash, 31 chips, a dozen more inhalers and various odds and ends that might be worth something.


    Fix and Scuff were dancing around in celebration. I let them they''d earned it.


    Bastards didn''t even get scratched. Were the Maelstrom that bad, or were my Probes that awesome?


    I managed to scrounge together an outfit, from the 32 dead Stromers. It didn''t look too bad, blue collar rather than death metal video extra.


    I threw my robe into the back seat too. No holes in it just bloody as hell.


    Now if I could just get some mechanics overalls. I''d look like I did back home most of the time.


    I was exhausted.


    Let''s go sell some loot before finding a hotel to zonk out for a while.

 Chapter 21

    The Kabuki roundabout was hustling even this early in the morning.


    People looking for the best deals. Trying to find that next sucker.


    The ebb and flow of the crowds were like a tide.


    I''m no novice when it come to wheeling and dealing, but I felt he didn''t get the better end of the exchanges here.


    These merchants were sharks, very hungry ones. I lost a few chucks of flesh in there. Metaphorically of course.


    Though there was one guy who looked like he had actual shark teeth in his mouth. Weird choice, but it takes all kinds.


    Clearing my Galena of all my loot had netted me another 3000 eddies. I had thought I could do more, thus was a little disillusioned.


    I was sitting on a concrete bench. Watching as the city was becoming more alive, while eating a second helping of a noodle dish I had found.


    The cart owner was popular with the locals, which is why I decided to try it out. Glad I did. Best food since I''d been here.


    The bits and bobs mixed into it could have been anything, and I wasn''t going to ask, but the noodles tasted real. Great texture too.


    I took a count of my funds.


    Let''s see about $15,000 altogether, not quite enough. Have to do it again tonight.


    Maybe, just let the Probes do it. Felt bad to even think it, but it was the smarter play.


    I had already shown that I didn''t have the best instincts for combat. I''d have to train.


    One more thing on my plate. Sigh.


    I could buy some armor, but later after I had a chance to refresh my brain. I''d get bamboozled right now.


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    For now, it was time to head south and find a hotel. Quiet and out of the way.


    As I was finishing my food, the sheer amount of advertisements intruded on my thoughts.


    There were everywhere on screens, on holos, on billboards, and posters. Most of them featured sex, in all the glorious and profane ways of humanity.


    Didn''t bother me too much, after all most people are interested in the hanky panky, in one way or another. I worried a little about the kids seeing all of it all the time.


    Blah, most of what was twisting me up, was that I felt alone. Throwing sex in your face when you felt lonely sucked. It made you feel more isolated.


    Look at all the people having all that great sex, don''t you wish that was you?


    Add the dreary concrete jungle around you, it just sapped your soul.


    It was all on purpose wasn''t it?


    Shit, I really needed a girlfriend, an "output" I think it was called. I''ll keep an eye out for a good woman.


    Perhaps I''d be more resistant to this soul draining mess.


    My food finished and feeling a lot better, I hopped back into the car to find a hotel.


    Driving worked its magic on me and my tension started to fall away.


    Down in Heywood, I found a Hotel tucked away.


    The El Gato que R¨ªe. (AN: I don''t know Spanish, I hope this isn''t a euphemism I don''t understand.)


    It looked like it had recently been rebuilt. 20 Floors of bright and newly painted Hotel. Which is what caught my attention in the first place.


    I left Scuff to watch the car while Fix played bodyguard. I looked at all the graffiti, some of which I''d call Streetart, while walking over to the building.


    Hispanic influenced culture was everywhere is this part of the city.


    Sadly, I didn''t speak a word of Spanish.


    Still, the nice Lady at the desk didn''t seem to mind as she chatted at me in Spanish while I paid for my room key card. It seemed to be a hundred for a day.


    She was talking so fast, I had the feeling that even if I did speak the language she''d be hard to follow. I just smiled and tried to look attentive.


    Her chrome arms were gold and she was covered in tattoos. I think she said her name was Rosita. Her dark hair bounced a lot, as she moved her head in a rhythm with her speech.


    She appeared to like my name and kept rolling the r like she found it was amusing.


    To be fair, she could have been saying the most vile shit to me, and I wouldn''t have a clue. But her demeaner was friendly and cheerful.


    Interesting note she could see Fix, but I had a feeling their stealth wouldn''t work during the day.


    When I finally got to my room it was about 7:30 AM.


    The room was nothing special looked like hotel rooms I had seen before, other than the tech.


    Fix immediately started scanning everything.


    I tried to take a shower but it wouldn''t start. You had to pay, I finally saw the sign on the sidewall after a couple of frustrating minutes.


    I did my best with the sink.


    Feeling somewhat better I laid down and was off to dreamland in seconds.

 Chapter 22

    Getting up was a struggle, hundreds of little aches and pains trying to weight him back down.


    There was still sunlight peering around the edges of the steel shutters.


    A small readout showed the temp 82F. The date 3/21/2074 and the time 4:41PM. (AN: 82F is between 27 and 28C if I remember right.)


    Seemed unreasonably hot for March, in California especially by the coast. Maybe that''s normal for here and now.


    I wanted the brush my teeth really badly, argh. I''ll have to remember to grab some toiletries and other necessities later.


    I tried a quick cast of regrowth which while helping with the soreness didn''t do a thing to fight plaque.


    I tried scrubbing my teeth with a clean hand towel, it wasn''t perfect but it did cut the fuzzy feeling on my teeth down. (AN: Props if you''ve ever done this in a pinch.)


    I checked out, and told Rosita that I''d stay again sometime.


    She said a bunch, I was sorry I didn''t understand a word of it.


    When we got to the car Scuff reported nothing happened on his watch.


    I drove around just taking in parts of the city. I avoided going too far south. Sinnamin had warned me about Pacifica and Dogtown.


    I decide to fill up at a CHOOH2 station setup like a convenience store. The Burning Grass, a chain store it seemed.


    They were open and had already active turrets hanging from the pump area awning. I pulled in and a bot came and pumped the fuel.


    The bot seemed like an evolution of the Boston Dynamics line. It should also be noted that the bot was armed.


    Scuff and Fix were scanning everything they could while staying attached to the car.


    I got out and walked over to the sales shack.


    I get a Cirrus Cola and a burrito. The Bot behind the counter took my bills. Once the pumping was done it gave me back my change.


    Blanching a little at the prices, I figured I was going to have to get used to it.


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    The cola was meh and the burrito was aggressively mediocre. A mass of almost tasteless mush. Still beat Buck A Slice.


    Next it was time to head to a weapon store get a holster rig for my Omaha, get some range practice and buy some freaking armor.


    They were everywhere.


    At the Reach Out and Touch Someone Shop, I got a nice new armored vest and layered an armored trench coat over it. Not too heavy, but the clerk said it should stop most rounds that I''d meet on the streets. I also purchased a nice gun belt and holster with a couple of hours of range time.


    [Adjusting...]


    [ Militech Trench Coat with Bullet Resistant Triweave


    Armor: 3 ]


    [ Norco Armored Vest with Polycarbonate Plating


    Armor: 4 ]


    Whew that was fun, blasting away targets. I even got to try the moving target trial. I didn''t do so great, but I did gain a little something.


    [ Firearms skill has increased to Rank 2 ]


    It was around 8:30PM when I left and the night was young. I was down to $10,456 with my earlier purchases.


    As I left the range I saw a man across the street by what I would have said was an abandoned building. Nothing usual except he was wearing a holographic mask.


    According to Sinnamin he should be a Scav. Like the ''Strom they were bad folks that like to cut people up and take their bits.


    Also like Maelstrom they wouldn''t be missed. In fact, she made clearing out Scavs sound like a public service.


    With the dark so returned the Probes'' stealth. I had Fix track him back to his source.


    Scuff and I followed more leisurely with the car. Turned out that the Probes could keep track of each from quite a distance.


    This was a great time for testing, if we lose the Scav we aren''t set back at all.


    Later Fix had back tracked to us. He had the location of the base.


    It was in a very rundown area, urban blight incarnate.


    I saw my first living rat of this world, a twisted thing. I threw a regrowth on it out of pity, it died immediately. That raised all kinds of questions.


    The stench of this zone was pervasive and nauseating. The few people still outside were homeless and feral looking or moving at a brisk pace to get out of here.


    The building in question was tall maybe thirty stories, though half of it was looked like it had been recently bombed. Rubble mixed freely with the ubiquitous trash piles.


    The plan was simple the Probes go in, kill the strongest or best equipped Scavs first as quickly and quietly as possible and then drive them towards the entry where I will shoot them has them come out.


    I ducked into a recess in the rubble hoping I wouldn''t be spotted at least at first.


    Scuff and Fix vanished into the building. Several minutes later I started hearing the sound of combat coming from above.


    I had started to sweat even though it was getting chilly.


    People started to run out of the building but none of them had a mask so I let them go, I didn''t want to "zero" a non-Scav by mistake.


    Then my first customer of the night showed up. Never even noticed me as I took careful aim and drilled him right through the temple.


    Some of the other folks, who were trying to figure out what was going on, screamed and scattered further away.


    Two more Scavs came out. They saw their comrade. When crouched down over him, I thought they were trying to help him.


    They were stealing his weapon, chip and money. My eyes narrowed and I put a bullet in each of them.


    Scum.


    After another ten minutes the sounds of fighting in the building had stopped.


    The Probes beeped from the upper windows getting my attention. They seemed excited.


    I waved up at them in acknowledgement and I stripped everything off the three corpses down here. and threw it all into the trunk.


    I''d sort it later.


    Time to see what the Probes had found.

 Chapter 23 (Disturbing Content)

    The elevator was broken. Because of course it was.


    I trudged up the concrete staircase. Desperately ignoring the trash and debris.


    How could you not at least remove the filth? Was their anguish so complete that they truly didn''t care?


    Fix met me at the 12 floor entryway. Two still smoking corpses filled the doorway.


    I piled their corpses to the side after stripping them. I had to vomit, thanks to the the smell, and as realization of what we were doing hit me, my gorge rose again.


    While they were according to my information just as despicable as the ''Strom, they didn''t look as inhuman. Hell most of them barely had any cyberware.


    I guess it was easier to sympathize. (AN: Let him cook, as they say.)


    The Scavs had taken over the entire floor.


    On the side of the building by the stairs the rooms were more or less intact.


    They had been sleeping in them, and less pleasant things. The smell of human waste always hits me hard, it was why despite finishing the plumbing course in trade school I didn''t even try to become a plumber. I simply saw it as a skill worth knowing.


    It seem I wouldn''t get to keep anything in my stomach today.


    I found no less than three makeshift "operating" rooms. The amount of blood and viscera resembled an abattoir.


    New blood and gore added from where the Scavs had joined their victims. Good job guys, I mentally cheered Fix and Scuff.


    The instruments were all crude, and looked like like they had never been cleaned.


    My impression from Sinnamin was that they cut people apart for their organs. To sell on the black market. A terrible act, no doubt.


    Worthy of a bullet or three.


    I didn''t know I would find the situation much more traumatizing than that.


    Certainly, I found many organs in refrigeration units haphazardly place around the walls.


    My throat burned from the upwelling acid from the sight of bodies discarded in heaps, in side rooms. The rooms were dark so I could make out too many details, that''s for the best I''m sure.


    I choked it down and tried to figured out what the Scavs were after. All of this just for money?


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    I had to clean the results of the Probes'' assault off the glass in quite a few places. Peering into cases to try to understand.


    Mostly kidneys, hearts, eyes and lungs. Preserved in jars, submerged in unknown fluids, kept just shy of freezing.


    I feel a rage brewing, knowing that folks were reduced to this. The ones that were obviously from children were the hardest to deal with.


    The organs were an afterthought, that was the only conclusion I could draw from the sloppy extraction methods and poor packing techniques.


    Most of these probably wouldn''t be worth a damn. It was all wasted effort and a waste of life.


    The reality of what they were after was stacked neatly in crates filled with foam and shipping material. The precision of storage and the care taken to clean and maintain the integrity of the goods painted a stark contrast to the treatment of the organs.


    The only filth, being the remains of the Scavs who tried to defend their cache to the bitter end.


    Cyberware. It was all cyberware. "Chrome."


    People slaughtered like livestock for bits of chrome. Metal valued over flesh.


    Abomination. It was the only word I could think of to describe what this act felt like to me. The spark of life wasted on the false animation of equipment.


    My world view had begun to shift, I sensed it. I let it crash into me.


    My earlier sympathy felt wasted. Anyone who could do this didn''t deserve to suck the same air as me.


    How was I better? A stray thought whispered.


    Target selection? Intent?


    Recrimination was nothing new to me. All the time I questioned whether I made the right call not going to college.


    Never had I faced anything with this level of grim weight. Part of me crumbled away, leaving the strongest parts to rebuild with.


    I knew I could fall into the trap of endlessly questioning myself, but that''s what it really was, a trap. Think too much fail to act. Act without thought and commit atrocities.


    An endless circle.


    Oh, I''m just as bad because I do this thing that''s sort of like what the objectively bad people do. I growled, "Bullshit."


    Fuck that. I''m not going to waste the time justifying my actions. I''ll never get anything done.


    I sneered at myself. "Some people need killing. Some people need saving. In the end it''s all just people needing."


    If anyone had a problem with that, they could suck it.


    Chuckling at the ridiculousness of my own two-bit philosophy. My resolve settled, I started looting.


    15 dead Scavs, not counting the two by the door. So twenty Scavs were here? Unless someone had gotten away.


    Almost $12,000 in paper, dozens of weapons and other small things to sell.


    My assumption was most of it was from the victims.


    That soured my thoughts a bit, but they couldn''t use it anymore. I''d attempt to be worthy.


    I couldn''t do anything with the organs and I simply didn''t have room in the Galena for the cyberware.


    Luckily one of the Scavs had a Fob for a car, maybe it would be bigger.


    I checked it out.


    It was indeed.


    [ Mahir Supron FS3


    Model: Basic


    Fuel Type: CHOOH2 formula Delta


    Top speed: 135


    Weight: 2,690


    Horsepower: 108 ]


    It was junk, poorly made, poorly maintained, but with the back seats down I could fit maybe four crates of cyberware in there.


    I didn''t want to leave the Galena behind, but as I understood it once I was chipped I could call it to me with the fob.


    I nodded, my plan formed.


    I loaded everything into the minivan. I was officially and thoroughly over going up and down stairs, carrying heavy things.


    Scuff and Fix found their attachment points on top of the van.


    They had been subdued. I guess they didn''t like what they scanned in there, or maybe they didn''t like how it affected me.


    "It''s okay guys, I''ll be fine."


    They gave me doubtful, half-hearted beeps.


    I tried to convince myself it was true, as I headed towards Misty''s.

 Chapter 24

    I made it to Vik''s clinic without incident.


    I was feeling excited and terrified. How would this change me?


    Misty waved me through, and I flashed her a smile. I spent a brief moment to pet the cat on the way down. Needed to calm the nerves.


    Vik greeted me with a smile. I halfheartedly returned it.


    "You ready to get Chipped?" He took in my appearance and frowned.


    "A bit of "biz" first. I just raided a Scav base, and I picked up a few things you might want. I''ll bring it around to the back door."


    His eyebrows crawled up his face, then understanding concern.


    "Okay, let''s see whatcha got."


    A few minutes later he was looking through the crates. He whistled.


    "Ryan, I can''t afford all this. A few pieces sure, but that be half of one of these boxes." He was frowning, troubled. "Some of this is really high end."


    "No!" I took a deep breath and plunged ahead. I shook my hands at him.


    "Sorry Vik I can''t take money for these, not after what I saw. These are yours, sell the best of it to some rich gonks, give big discounts to the people who need some help. I don''t know what''s best here, but yeah I can''t take your money for this." I was shaking my head emphatically. My hands punctuating my words.


    "I see. Yeah, I can do some good with these." Vik nodded, resolved. It appeared he got it.


    He gripped my shoulder, "The Scav haunt really got to you, huh? They do that. Too many newly chipped kids think of them as easy marks, come out scarred in more ways than one."


    "I don''t understand how people can do that, become that twisted." I grunted, "No, I can see it, but I''d like to think I wouldn''t sink that low." I snarled a bit there.


    I looked at the Operating chair. Trying to refocus.


    "I know it''s part of life here. I know people think of chrome as normal. I''m not there yet. I might never be."


    I punched my left hand with my right, "They treated peoples'' flesh as less important than the chrome. As if that was the only part that mattered. That hit me hard." I ground my teeth. Pulling back the reins a bit. I sigh, attempting to expel all the fucked up baggage I''d picked up.


    "It''s a hard world out there. Chrome helps folks feel safe, lets them feel like they matter. It give them a chance to be more." He went through it slow. He gave my shoulder a pat.


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    "More what?" I was actually curious how he''d respond.


    "That''s the question, isn''t it?" He chuckled. After a second to process, I snort and gave a chuckle of my own.


    "Maybe too heavy for a second meeting, huh?" Feeling a bit foolish.


    "Sure, but you needed to vent and I got an ear." He grinned pointing to his left ear, "Chrome though."


    That got a laugh out of me.


    I shut the door and we walked over to the chair.


    "So how''s this work, Doc?"


    "Normally it''s a quick few minutes long procedure, you''d be awake and we do some tweaks as needed."


    We waved his hand back and forth, "However, you being Ganic and all, I''m going to have to put you out. It will take and hour or so for the auto-surgeon to set up the neural interface. The chip ports and the optic sockets will go much quicker. We bring you back to test connections. I''ll run you through the software setup and then you''ll be good to go."


    "Sounds dope." Still uncertain about all this.


    "Huh?


    "Oh, ah sounds... preem." I hopped up into the chair while handing the $20000 in bills over. "Let''s do this." Before I change my mind.


    His exo-surgeon arm made some really interesting noises. A few seconds after that, I felt a pinch as I heard him say, "Light''s Out."


    I came to. A beeping noise kept repeating next to me, so I glanced over to see a monitor. Couldn''t make heads or tails out of what it was showing though.


    My head was groggy. Like a night of too much whiskey. Without the headache though.


    Laying there gathering my thoughts, I wondered if everything went okay. I didn''t sense any differences, yet.


    I reached up and gently rubbed my closed eyes. Ah, much firmer.


    Around the side of my head, there were three rectangular holes behind my left ear. A set of three concentric metallic rings behind my right ear.


    Soo, I''m "chipped" now. I hoped it was worth it.


    I spent a few seconds tracing the chip ports and staring at my hand to see if I saw more detail now.


    Yeah, a little bit. Nothing too amazing.


    The curtain around the bed I was resting it was pulled back and the light stabbed into my eyes.


    "Sorry, bet that stung." Vik rumbled.


    "The surgery went well, though it took an extra hour to map your brain. It''s an odd one. You have some dense clusters of nerves in your frontal cortex I''ve never seen before. A few other strange quirks as well. The implantation went great and everything seems to be smooth sailing. How are your optics doing? Blurriness, photosensitivity?"


    "Nah, Doc. Everything looks great." I tried sitting up. I barely wobbled.


    "Alright, let''s go through the setup and settings for everything..."


    It only took twenty minutes to get everything ready.


    Now that they were off safe mode, my new eyes were a marvel. They could zoom in, both for distance and scale. They supposedly had other features like explosive detection, flare protection and more, but there wasn''t a good way to test them here.


    I could connect to the electronics around the room, which I fiddled with maybe a bit too much. Turning on and off the lights and the radio. It was extremely intuitive, I was shocked that it was so easy.


    And my chip ports came with a new encrypted cred chip. Making it less likely some netrunner could just siphon my funds willy-nilly.


    Best of all these systems all worked together to give me active readout data straight to my eyes. That was so cool.


    Vik threw in a few bits of software as thanks, a NCPD Scanner to see ne''er do wells, a security suite with some currently up to date and potent ICE, and the advanced version of a targeting system, to aid in aiming. Most of it''s features needed the chrome on the hand like a ballistics coprocessor to really shine, but the targeting reticule was already awesome.


    He gave me a puffer, and I took a hit now, and he told me I''d need a few more hourly puffs over the next five hours. What it contained was a mass of antibiotics and antirejection drugs to help my body adapt.


    I thanked him for everything. Then left making sure to say good-bye to Misty on the way to my van.

 Chapter 25

    I called the Galena to me, and parked the van near Vik''s. It''d be as safe there as anywhere right now.


    The Probes were a little more cheery. They scanned my new cyberware.


    Beep, beep, "Executor has new parts." Scuff said to Fix, who responded, "Better now, can see thoughts." They wobbled and danced around me.


    "Hey!" Mildly annoyed by their antics.


    They gave a rapid series of beeps that I figured for laughter.


    After a quick stop at Lizzie''s to get another "Information Special" from Sinnamin, I had the detes of the Faceman. Carver, yeah just Carver.


    I also got Sinn''s story. Found out why she was different from the other Moxes.


    She was inducted to the Animals when she was young, so young in fact I had to take a few calming breaths. She described the casual brutality, and the "Dominance Plays".


    Sigh. I really was starting to hate ALL the gangs.


    Her pack was raiding a Corpo shipment. She didn''t even remember whose convoy. Probably didn''t care at the time, it was just another chance to fight. To prove her worth.


    In the fight, she got dropped. After taking a few more losses, her pack scattered. She faded out, sure she was flatlining.


    Came to later on a Scav''s table. They were already elbows deep into her guts. Trying to pull her biomodded glands out.


    Then Rita and some of the other Moxes came through while searching for some of their missing girls.


    Sinn felt she owed them and joined the Mox. Still, she really hated dancing, and wanted to be out smashing skulls.


    I laughed and wished her luck with that.


    Everybody''s got a story.


    I setup a meeting with Carver the next day. A simple get together at Tom''s Diner.


    I arrived early had a very mediocre burger like meal. The fries were okay though. Doubtful they were real potatoes, but starch was starch, right.


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    Just to get stiffed. I waited around a couple of hours. Had a disappointing milkshake adjacent thing, then left.


    I got a call almost immediately.


    "Alright, now that we have had a look at you, what kind of work are you looking for?"


    The voice was empty soulless. Likely artificial. Different from the one that arranged the meetup.


    "Mostly wetwork right now. Have some drones I''m testing."


    "A Techie, okay." I had to hold back a snort.


    "I have a good starting job for you, a group of gang wannabes bothering a neighborhood. Put them down, send a message. Detes attached." The line closed.


    The info I was given was for a new development north west of the Northside Industrial District. Called New Town, or the Three Corp Zone.


    It was a joint venture by three of the mid-tier Corps. Ganthrope, Hallsback, and Riener. Educational Materials, Software Development for NETarchitecture, and Robotics Research, respectively.


    The district was centered on their new headquarter buildings. Three tall skyscrapers twisting around each other. While smaller than the Buildings of the City Center area, they were quite impressive.


    However, looking at the picture, I was sure that there was no way that could actually work. Then again the Megabuildings already defy my understanding of physics, so why not?


    While construction on these crazy towers was almost complete. The housing and business zones had long since been finished, were already occupied and functioning as intended.


    Now supposed gangers were trying to hustle in on folks. My job was simple, find the gonks and zero them.


    There didn''t seem to be that many of them and they mostly hang out at one house, they had, "liberated".


    I slid into the Galena and headed that way.


    I played with the radio a bit and found a station playing something called Mixed Genre Hardcore. Heavy deep rolling beats, good enough for me.


    It helped clear my head and get me psyched up at the same time.


    I left the North Industrial District and was surprised by what I found out.


    New Town was almost nice, even by my old standards. It felt kind of like a college town, there was an energy in the air.


    There was a broad six lane highway leading into it. You''d first find yourself in the business section. Shops, Restaurants, so on and so forth.


    Everything was so clean and new, it served as a vision of what Night City might have looked, once upon a time. I saw NCPD patrolling, and order seemed to be well maintained.


    Hmm. How did a Gang, especially wannabes get into this zone? Why hadn''t the cops dealt with them?


    The whole time I''m headed down that main thoroughfare the almost finished Skyscrapers loomed over everything. I hadn''t noticed it at first but not one other building was over five stories. This made the whole thing feel more like a vanity project for those Corpos'' Boards.


    Once I had passed around the TriCorp Plaza, I hit the residential areas. They were for the most part, very snazzy apartments. Though the occasional walled and gated Mansion could be seen.


    I found my turn off and zipped through the neighborhoods until I got to the address listed as the gang''s hangout.


    Ah, that was why the cops hadn''t charged in.


    The assholes had taken over a Mansion.


    A Mansion guarded by turrets and bots and drones. Not many, but enough to be a problem.


    Whew, this was maybe too much.


    I shrugged it off. Nah, we do it slow and steady.


    I parked up the street by an empty lot, we had a few hours till dark. So we''d settle in and observe who goes in and out.


    I hated waiting.

 Chapter 26

    As the day went on, one thing became certain.


    These kids were NOT gangers. Wannabe or otherwise. They seemed like the trust fund frat and sorority crowd.


    They didn''t seem to be bothering anyone. Hell they didn''t even bother me, the obviously out of place poor guy, in a shitty car, when they''d made a supply run earlier.


    Sure I was armed and armored but when has that ever really stopped people with this level of wealth.


    What the hell was this?


    I sent a text to Carver. Targets observed, no gang behavior or activity. Upper crust. Verify job parameters. I sent along a few pics of the kids.


    Half an hour later, I got the reply. Confirmed, eliminate all targets. Other factors irrelevant.


    "Shit." I whispered to myself. Why would they want me to kill a bunch of rich kids?


    Sure, I get why they want ME to do it. I''m a nobody, an unknown. That made me an excellent cutout. I do this and someone will kill me one way or another. Carver to tie up loose ends, the kids parents for revenge. I wasn''t getting out of this easy.


    But who benefitted? Another Corp maybe?


    I kept mulling it over, really thinking how I felt about this. I kind just went with the flow and tried to do things the way people here did them. That wasn''t going to work, everything here was designed to chew you up. No I needed another way.


    Yeah, I wasn''t going to be played like this. I certainly wasn''t going to zero a bunch of college aged kids, for unknown reasons.


    Getting involved with fixers was a mistake, or at least Carver was. Thankfully, I''d left Sinnamin''s name out of it. So, I could just walk away. Go back to base, come back with a small army maybe dig Carver up and put him down.


    But first, I was going to throw a monkey wrench into the works of this job.


    I stalked over to the Mansion with Fix and Scuff flanking me.


    Dusk was falling and their party was just getting started. I looked around to see if I was being watched. If I was I could spot them, but it''s not like I was good at these things. Probably best to assume somebody was going to know what was about to happen.


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    My Probes were probably already in stealth mode. Already looking for danger.


    At the Gates, I saw a vid screen so I pushed the button. A second later a well put together guy with a huge smile appeared on the screen.


    "Hey you here for the...No, I guess you aren''t." His smile faded, he took in my grim face and my gear and started making some calculations.


    "I''d like to speak with the head of the house, please." Best to keep this simple and straight forward.


    "I''m him at least for now." A more stern expression was creasing his features. He was trying to figure me out.


    "I''d like your contact info. I have some detes that are vital to your safety and I don''t want to stick around any longer than I have to." Just say yes kid.


    "That doesn''t sound like a good idea, in fact, I think you should leave." He was frowning now.


    I notice some of the bots were headed this way.


    "Alright, I tried to help you. My conscience is clear. Have a good life. However, short it''s going to be."


    I spun and jogged back to the Galena. I hopped in and felt the Probes attach a second later.


    I took off. I went down that Main street as fast as I could.


    I left New Town with a bitter taste in my mouth. The next person they send isn''t likely to care as much as I did. It was going to be a big mess.


    Well, not my problem anymore.


    When I got to the Northside Industrial District I headed south, staying on the eastern most side of the city. I blazed through Japantown and Charter Hills. I turned Eastward and headed for home.


    Roughly fifteen minutes later, I decided to stop at the Sunset Motel. It was busy, but I wanted to call my van out here. Maybe have a drink, think for a spell.


    I left the Probes in the lot to wander around. I checked out some of the rides I saw.


    Dirty sure but well maintained, heavily modded. These people loved their cars, we had something in common. So maybe they wouldn''t be major assholes.


    I saw some folks outside lounging around with drinks and laughing. I got a few nods as I came through, and I returned them.


    In the barroom, it was a party. Loud, almost country, music blaring away. People dancing and play cards. Just having a good time. Lively without being overwhelming.


    I saw Greg behind the counter and another smaller guy, ah...Noah, I think Greg said was the guy he worked for.


    Greg caught sight of me, "Heya Ryan, ya picked a good night to drop by. Whatcha havin''?" He pointed at a seat at the bar that was unoccupied.


    "A whiskey, neat. How''s biz, Greg?" Smiling a bit. It''s nice to be remembered.


    "Two Clans just had a good haul, made some connections. These guys were on the way back to their camp and decided to have some fun. How''d NC treat you?"


    I gave him the rundown, kept names out of it. He laughed when I told him about Lizzie''s, "Yeah them Mox girls are something, huh?"


    He got me a refill as I got to how I earned enough for my chrome. "Yeah, Strom left their human parts behind, and Scavs are pure scum. Ya did good."


    I was starting to loosen up, as I came to why I was heading home for a while. He sighed, "That''s the city for ya, a never endin'' game of who can backstab who the most."


    On my fourth whiskey, "Shhoo, unlesh youu know a good fixher tha I can shell shome lumber ta, I got almosht nuthin'' outa thish."


    It made sense he was used to dealing with inebriated people, "Well maybe, I could help ya out. Put in a word for ya with some folk I know. They ain''t friendly but they won''t screw ya without reason."


    "Y-your a prrretty goood duude, Greg." I ordered a coffee, I had to bring myself back to even. But hey, it was good to vent.

 Chapter 27

    Another coffee. Almost back to a functional state.


    Greg had returned to serve other customers, my need to yammer on sated for now.


    I watched the folks having fun, it brought a smile to my face. I would have liked to join them, especially for a dance with one of the fine women.


    But I didn''t know them, and they didn''t know me. I knew better than to stick my nose into other''s business.


    I thought I did anyway.


    A few minutes later, Gunshots rang out. From the hollering it was some kind of raid.


    The folks who just a moment before where all smiles and fun, turned hard real quick. they rushed out to help.


    I heard terms like "Raffen" and "Wraiths" which meant nothing to me. Maybe a different gang?


    I figured it be best to stay out of the way. Like I said they didn''t know me.


    Greg nodded at me, "Best stay out of it. They''ll shoot anyone they don''t know right now."


    Yeah, That''s me I''m a mind my own business guy.


    It was over pretty quick.


    Then over I heard the general after fight chatter,


    "Sally''s been hit. We gotta get her to a doc." A guy''s voice pissed off and scared.


    "Camp''s too far she''d never make it." A gal''s voice struggling for calm.


    Fuck.


    The scene of them dancing just before running through my head.


    I closed my eyes as I stood up, calling myself every word for dumbass I could think of as I stepped outside.


    I sighed, "I can maybe help."


    "What? Who the fuck are you?" I felt a barrel pressed to my forehead. This was the guy''s voice. Right now, all I could see was his pistol.


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    Not a great way to start a relationship.


    "I. The. Fuck. Can. Help." Clenching my teeth. I gave a slight headshake to the Probes as they suddenly set asshole here to a priority one target.


    "Lynx, calm down." This was the gal''s voice from earlier. I''d love to look but my world was full of iron.


    The gun slowly receded. I could see a short scruffy guy on the other end of that gun. His brown eyes spoke of all kinds of assholishness. I didn''t like him for some reason.


    Next to him was a woman, tough as nails said her gray eyes. She was older, maybe a leader.


    "Can you really help?" She asked.


    "I''ll have to look at her first, but I should be able to do something." I nodded.


    "Alright, see what you can do." They both moved aside.


    Sally turned out to have been one of the ladies I had my eye on earlier. A fine dancer. Let''s see if she would dance again.


    Right now she was bleeding out, from a few chest wounds. Buckshot maybe.


    Her breathing was shallow and sounded way off. Check her lungs first.


    I moved as fast as I could kneeling down next to her. I shaped a regrowth and channeled it while holding her head. I heard exclamations but tuned them out. Closing my eyes, no time to deal with it.


    Once the spell connected, I could feel the damage to her body. Her right lung was shredded, and collapsed. Fortunately her heart hadn''t been touched.


    There were dead zones, I couldn''t feel mostly her bones and her arms. Some of her muscle groups. I figured these were cyberware and tried to work around them.


    The spell sunk deep into her, I felt the mana wrap around her lung. putting it back together and slowly reflating it. Once it seemed fine, I checked over other areas. I found her stomach had been pierced and went to work on it.


    The best part of my spell was it was intuitive, I didn''t have to know anything about medicine for it to work. I just had to have enough mana.


    When I finished her stomach I ran out.


    I opened my eyes. She was looking at me. Blue eyes are quite pretty, don''t you think?


    "Hold still. I''m not sure you don''t have more injures. Give me a moment to rest and I''ll check again.


    She nodded.


    "What was that? You some kind of Witch?" That was Lynx. I could hear him and his pistol behind me.


    "Don''t know anything about witches. This is just something I can do." Yeah not going to get into it with you, fuckwad.


    "Lynx, shut up. Leave him alone. He helped, we all saw it, and that buys him at least some peace. If not goodwill." I was starting to like this lady.


    I looked around to see a group of well traveled folks starting at me. Expressions ranged from fear to awe. But most seemed relieved that Sally was out of the worst of it.


    "How long was that?" Blinking and rubbing my eyes. Oh, they don''t really dry out anymore do they?


    "Well, stranger that was about an hour, but shouldn''t you know that." She said while tapping by her right eye with her index finger.


    "Ah, yeah. My interface is new, I''m not use to it yet. I''m Ryan by the way."


    "Well Ryan, I''m Amanda. You''ve helped us out and we Aldecaldos don''t forget that." She turned to her people, "Alright let''s get some rest, we can move Sally to her room, if we can get Ryan to stop petting her her for a few minutes."


    "Huh?" I realized I had never taken my hand off of Sally''s head, and I had unconsciously been stroking her hair just like I would a cat.


    I sputtered when I turned to look at Sally who was smiling at me. She looked at Amanda


    "Aww, does he have to? He''s really good at it." she croaked out.


    Laughter is the best medicine they say. I wouldn''t know I was too busy trying to get the blood to stop rushing to my face.

 Chapter 28

    They gently carried Sally to a room. I followed, Fix and Scuff hovering just over head now.


    The room wasn''t much, but it had a bed and a couple of chairs. The state of everything was rough, but at the moment, anyway, it seemed clean.


    I took a chair in the corner. I leaned back gathering more mana, it was taking a long time. Fix posted up outside the window and Scuff went back to patrolling and scanning.


    Most of the Aldecaldos spent a few minutes talking with Sally and Amanda before shuffling off to their rest. Some stayed alert and took up their own patrols of the area.


    I really wasn''t paying any attention to what they were saying, just letting my mind drift. Enjoying a moment of quiet.


    "I don''t trust him, who knows what that weird power of his really does. Maybe he put a charm on her, or a h-hex or something." Lynx my greatest ally. Haha.


    "She wasn''t going to make it, now she''s stable that''s all that matters. Anything else can be dealt with. Later." Amanda with the dismissal.


    Lynx stomped off muttering.


    Amanda sat in the other chair, "Soooo..."


    Ah, I know this one.


    "Buttons." I chuckle.


    "What?" She cocked her head at me.


    "Old Joke. You sew buttons. Heh." She frowned at me. Okay. Humor not working, switch tactics.


    "You want to know my deal, I get that. But I don''t know a lot about my "magic" either. Hell, I''ve barely started to put together where I am. I''ve already fucked up in the City. Soooo yeah." I shook my head.


    "Just tell me what you can, maybe we can help. At least point you in the right direction." She sounded sincere.


    I launched into a somewhat cut down version of my story so far. I gave her a little more than I told Greg. And I certainly kept out the otherworldly aspects.


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    "That sounds insane. If I hadn''t seen what you can do, if I hadn''t noticed those flashes of energy, I wouldn''t even entertain your story. As it is, I think we can help. We know the badlands better than anyone. We can help you get around. We have our own networks of Fixers, maybe we can set you up. We are certainly willing to help with trading Lumber for a nice cut. Say 40%." She delivered that in a precise controlled cadence.


    "Hmm. Yeah, I''m too tired and too lost to haggle. I agree." I thought I had enough mana built up to give Sally another once over. I stood up and went to her resting my hand on her head again. I hadn''t realized it but she''d been awake and watching us, listening in the whole time.


    "Warm." She smiled up at me.


    Her voice was smoothing out, that''s a good sign. I dived in searching for problems. A ton of damage to her hip joints and knees, a few torn muscles. I poured mana into each issue in turn.


    When I was coming out of my trance, I heard, "You don''t understand. When he does it, it feels so good. Better than anything I''ve ever felt before."


    I cleared my throat. Both women glanced at me, I couldn''t reach their expressions.


    "You ladies okay?" They both snorted at me.


    "My daughter here was telling me she wants to travel with you for a while. I told her it was a bad idea. Not talking you down, just think it be better to get to know you first."


    I brain stuck, "Daughter?" Sally looked somewhere between 20-25. Amanda, after accounting for a hard life, looked my age maybe a little older.


    Hey, at least I remembered to remove my hand this time.


    "HA! A bit of vanity in my youth. I''m a lot older then I look." Amanda guffawed at me. She slapped her hip.


    Sally also chuckling, "Yeah me and Mom don''t share much in the way of features, I take after Dad. I got her winning personality though."


    "Uh, okay. I''ve done what I can, but you need to get your cyberware checked over by a Ripperdoc, I can''t do anything about that. Go slow, but test things out, let''s make sure I didn''t mess up anything. For the record, I agree with your mom. We should get to know each other a little better before traveling together."


    I offered her a hand to get up. She took it, frowning, her hand was smooth except where she had a gun link imbedded in it. Right, chrome arms.


    She went through a series of motions. The only thing off seemed to be her right arm, it probably took some buckshot when her lung did. Still it was just a hitch for now. Their Ripper could get it up to speed back at the camp.


    "Nice. I''m going to head out. I''d like to feel safe before I crash." I gave them both my detes. I got theirs back. "I''ll be in touch in a couple of days, to setup some lumber to exchange."


    "We be seeing you." Amanda said.


    "Real soon." Sally smirked as she waved.


    I left the room to see the sun just peeking over the mountains. Sunrise at the Sunset motel. I will never stop being amused by that.


    I saw some of the Aldecaldos still keeping watch.


    Scuff and Fix had already attached themselves to the Galena. I got in.


    I was going to have the van follow us.


    I drove out of the parking lot, thinking of tomorrow, and what might be.

 Chapter 29

    I got to the turnoff for the broken road that ran alongside the canyon. Something was different already, there was a hint of humidity in the air. I could sense an uptick in the mana flowing around us.


    Hmm, had the changes we made already...


    "I had forgotten to check in with Meadran, I''m such a dumbass." I almost facepalmed but the cruddy road required both hands.


    ''Meadran, can you hear me?'' I hoped everything was alright.


    ''Young One! We were starting to worry.'' A sense of relief.


    ''I''m sorry, I let events get to me. Night City is a terrible place. I don''t know how much can be saved.'' I tried to share my impressions of that cesspit.


    ''I have faith you will find a way.'' The sense of time passing, roots growing deep.


    ''I''ll be back to base very soon, and after a nap we can go over everything in more detail.''


    ''We await your return.''


    It didn''t take long to get to the damaged bridge. I had to stop.


    There were two new gouges in the earth. I got out to inspect them. These troughs were smooth walled and several feet deep. Small streams flowed through them, each of them radiating the distinctive scent of mana and moon energy.


    The outflow fell into the canyon below. One day it would became a lake or river, helping to spread our influence.


    A path of cobbled stone ran between them. They really had done a lot of work.


    I took the time to park the Galena and the Van behind an outcrop closer to the mountain.


    I left Fix and Scuff to dig out emplacements for a couple of Photon Cannons. I didn''t want anyone to steal my wheels. Cheap though they might have been, they would be great for figuring out how different mechanics function here.


    As they got to work, I trudged up the slope. The feel of moisture and more importantly mana in the air was already working wonders for my troubled heart.


    How often would I have to make this trip? Eventually, I would have access to Carriers then I could travel the skies in style. But not yet.


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    The cave that lead through the mountain was now flanked. Not only by two brass grated outflow channels, but by a pair of Photon Cannons as well. A Pylon was imbedded into the rock above the entrance. I noticed the Psifield had strengthen. Good everything should be safer. I was looking forward to all the changes that Meadran and Alina had made.


    Work had been done in the caves, many of the side passages had been expanded. Likely for mining, I pondered what goodies they might have found.


    Once I exited the cave, I received even more of a shock. Meadran had nearly doubled in size.


    I paused to take in the view. His purple foliage a magnificent sight. He already seemed as large as any tree I had ever seen. How much further would he grow?


    A Moon Well with a Pylon over it was to my Left. It''s mana infused water flowed down slope into a now much larger pond. The water shimmered in the daylight, it''s own light subdued until nighttime.


    Pylon and Cannons now ringed the Valley. The crowns of many new trees caught my attention as well. Red leaves, gold leaves, blue and purple leaves where everywhere now. Even trees with leaves of green. Now this was a forested Valley.


    I loved it. It was new fresh life. The air was so clean. Each breath was a shot of peace. So refreshing after the stale stagnant atmosphere of Night City.


    Soon it would spill forth from this Valley and bring hope to this world. Where metal had stolen the souls of people, I would bring healing.


    I began my descent towards the pond.


    ''Alina report on status.''


    ''Executor, status crystal. All standard buildings have been built. Exceptions, the Starport and Fleet Beacons. Unit production other than Probes awaits your commands.''


    ''Excellent, Alina. Continue research. Await further instructions.''


    ''By your command, Executor.''


    When I reached the new western bridge to Meadran''s Island I was both energized and exhausted. I stooped down to take a sip from the stream. Crisp, clean and cool water, the tingle of mana adding an amusing touch. One sip became three and three became many. So good. My dry throat felt healed.


    I saw a red leaf tree nearby, silver apple-like fruit already ripe hanging from it''s branches. My stomach growled. Oh, now I had to try one.


    The tree seemed to lean towards me as if to offer the fruit to me. I was probably imagining it, since it didn''t appear to be a treant like Meadran.


    "Thank you." Because it never hurts to be polite even to a tree.


    The first bite was bliss. The skin crisp, the flesh slightly firm with a snap to it. The texture delightful, not anywhere near as gritty as apples can be. The flavor...a medley of different fruits both sweet and acidic, a touch of cinnamon and clove. Was that molasses, yes it was.


    "So tasty." I groaned. Best thing I had eaten, maybe ever. The tree seemed to shiver. Strange there wasn''t a breeze.


    I felt so much better, just one awesome apple and I was full.


    Finishing my trek, I stood before Meadran''s now huge face.


    ''Young One, How like you the bounty of Life?''


    "So far everything is great. Everything seems way ahead of schedule as well." My eyes drooped.


    ''I see the journey took some of your spirit, rest Young One. There with be plenty of time to talk tomorrow.'' His mental voice was deeper now, it kind of echoed or reverberated.


    I yawned, "I''ll just lay down for a little while."


    I was lost to the world as soon as my head hit the soft minty grass.

 Chapter 30

    My sleep was untroubled.


    Awakening, however presented me with a problem. It''s form was of the head of a large golden wolf using my stomach as a pillow. His noggin was very heavy.


    I didn''t get too upset though. I figured ear scratches would rouse him from slumber soon enough.


    A few moments later his hind leg started beating a frantic rhythm. Hehe.


    "Wake up, Lumiar. I have a city to burn." I said it in a sing song voice. Worked for the Mongols, didn''t it.


    His head arose as he shifted to gaze at me. "Are you really going to burn the city down?" He expressed doubt in his tone.


    "Some of it, absolutely! I''ll probably try to help other parts." I chuckled, "We''ll see I guess."


    I manage to fight my way to a standing wobble. Which I transformed into a full body stretch. "Ah."


    Lumi promptly went back to sleep. I snorted at him.


    I waddled over to a stream inlet to get a drink of water. Refreshing and invigorating.


    I would have drank from the pond, but miraculously I noticed fish swimming about in there. I don''t care how magical it is I''m not drinking water fish have pooped in. At least not without boiling it, and running it through a filter.


    Also, now that I was watching the fish I spotted algae and water plants. Amazing, we have given rise to life.


    I checked my interface, 10:30 AM the next day. Whew, I slept good.


    ''How are you this morning, Meadran?''


    ''I am well, Young One. The mana fills the air and the water and soon the land shall be infused. Life shall be renewed.'' He was happy. That warmed my heart.


    ''Anything need tending? We have any pressing issues to resolve?''


    ''For the base no, I can handle the expansion for now. You however have experience overflowing. You need to level and gain the boons therein.'' Meadran talked me through the process.


    [ Tree of Life Meadran is connected to the Great Tree Network.


    Options:


    Choose Class


    Raise Level


    Create Wisp ]


    I selected Raise Level.


    [ Current XP: 3456


    Raising a level costs 1000 XP


    Raise Level? Y/N ]


    I selected ''Y''.


    [ Druid of Renewal has reached Level 2


    You have gained spell, Growth


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    You have gained spell, Entangle


    You have gained +2 Spirit


    You have gained +1 Will


    You have gained +2 Free Points ]


    That was a jolt, constant pulses of energy burning through my body and mind.


    ''Should I do it again, Meadran?'' Shaken the remnants of the odd pulses off.


    ''Yes, once more.''


    [ Druid of Renewal has reached Level 3


    You have gained spell, Cleanse


    You have gained +2 Spirit


    You have gained +1 Will


    You have gained +2 Free Points ]


    While not quite as intense, the pulses were still distracting.


    My BTC shivered,


    [ Adjusting...]


    [ For reaching Level 3 the Company Awards you,


    1 Prismatic Wisp. ]


    A huge Wisp appeared shimmering. While mostly just bright white, it danced with specks of every color trailing behind it.


    ''While there are many buildings this spirit might create for you, the best option at this time would be the Company Store.''


    Alright. Meadran hadn''t lead me wrong yet. I gave the order.


    The Wisp floated to a spot halfway between the pond and the Nexus, and just became a building. That fast.


    The Company Store, shifted and changed from one moment to the next. Not just the shape, but the very nature of it''s material. After watching it long enough to have to blink away tears, the only constant seemed to be volume. though who could really say.


    ''You need to touch it to connect it to the network. Then proceed to the Nexus and choose a class from the options there.''


    Another class? I barely understood anything about the class I have.


    Again, trust is what pushed me forward.


    I touched the crazy building.


    [ Adjusting...


    [ Connecting Company Store to Great Tree Network ]


    [ You now have access to The Quest System. ]


    [ Company Store Options


    Items


    Themes


    Units


    Heroes  ]


    Great. More things I don''t understand. No, calm down. I could figure this out.


    Items was a list of items I could buy for Company Points. Mostly weapons like staves and armor like my old robes. There were potions and components as well.


    Units had a list of special Probes and Wisps I could buy for Company Points. A Prismatic Wisp cost 100,000 CPoints.


    Yeah, maybe I''ll check this out later.


    Time to march up to the Nexus.


    I went through the same motions at the Nexus.


    [ You have selected Choose Class


    This will cost 1000 XP


    Choose Class Y/N ]


    [ Class Options.


    Please note you may change your Class in certain circumstances.


    You may also Multiclass. ]


    [ Templar of Mental Healing


    +2 to Will


    +1 to Spirit


    +2 to Psi Resonance


    A Templar of Mental Healing soothes minds and bolsters wills. Removing Corrupting Influences.


    Starting Psi Technique: Calm the Troubled Heart, Cloud Mind ]


    [ Khalai Phase-Smith


    +3 to Tech


    +2 to Psi Resonance


    A Phase-Smith studies and improves PsiTechnology


    Starting Psi Technique: Study, Implement ]


    [ Warp-Smith


    +3 to Psi Resonance


    +2 to Tech


    Changes and Coverts materials. Summon and Repair Units.


    Starting Psi Technique: Convert, Repair ]


    Okay. The Templar wasn''t even in the running. The smith classes sounded like they would allow me to understand Khalai tech. Make improvements or maybe adapt human tech to work with Psi energy. That appealed to me on a fundamental level.


    But which one to take. I had a strong sense there was some overlap. However, the Phase-Smith sounded more academic, and I needed to be able to convert materials more than improving the already impressive Khalai Tech. I ran that around in my head a few times.


    I nodded.


    Warp-Smith it was.


    The energy this time was super intrusive. It was imparting knowledge. Knowledge of schematics and techniques. Which would have been great, but I was human and now my head was being stuffed with highly advanced knowledge. It felt like my head was about to fly apart.


    "Aaaaaaa!"


    In between moments of agony, I thought I had a solution. Free points could be spent on stats.


    "Nnngggg!"


    I needed a bigger brain right? Maybe, Intelligence would work instead. Anything to make it better.


    I was howling a bit.


    In desperation I put in a point, and ever so slightly things started to adjust. Another point and I felt my thoughts clear, a third point and I could breathe once more.


    I gulped the air, eager to fill my starved lungs.


    I went ahead and spent the last free point. My thoughts were clearer than they had ever been.


    "Hahaha!"


    I''d have to go over my new class when I didn''t feel like I was about to have a heart attack.


    [ Name: Ryan Crestwood


    Class: Druid of Renewal / Warp-Smith


    Level: 3 / 1


    XP: 456


    Race: Human (Terra 213,451)


    Stats - Body: 5 / Reflex: 4 / Tech: 8 (+1 Modifier) / Intelligence: 7 / Cool: 3 / Will: 6 / Spirit: 14 (+2 Modifier) / Psi Resonance: 3


    Abilities - Sense Mana / Ley Line Sight / Shape Mana


    Skills - Rituals: 2 / Concentration: 2 / Firearms: 2 / Bargaining: 2


    Spells - Regrowth: 3 / Blessing of Nordrassil: 1 / Growth: 1 / Entangle: 1 / Cleanse: 1


    Psi Techniques - Convert: 1 / Repair: 1


    Free Points: 0 / Company Points: 1000 / Tree Points: 57


    Weapon: Omaha, Damage: 8


    Armor: Trench Coat, Armor: 3 / Armored Vest, Armor: 4 ]


    Well, I seemed to be growing, but was it in the right direction?

 Chapter 31

    It was with some small trepidation that I entered the Khalai Forge.


    I ran my hands over the Matrix Engraver, the machine that burns a Psi circuit into a Crystal.


    I turned to the Material Disassembler which breaks, pretty much anything, down to it basic molecules.


    The various Assemblers to turn those molecules into Metal, Psi Crystal, and Solidified Energy.


    The Nano Forges to build and shape materials into final products.


    While the new knowledge rolled violently in my head, I now had an intuitive connection to these machines. I could now alter templates and create the things I needed from them.


    Ah, now I got the primary difference between the types of Smiths. The Phase-Smith could create new templates, I would only be able to alter ones I already had or found.


    I had a suspicion that the Scans the Probes had been so prolific in performing, would serve as templates. If so, did that mean I could alter then forge human tech?


    Reaching out through the Psi field I touched the signatures of Probes. A couple dozen different personalities of Wisp Infused Probes were active, yet only two had been named. This made them stand out. I called Scuff and Fix to the Forge.


    They arrived and I gave them pats. They seemed to like that. No clue if they really felt it, or just liked the attention. One thing was becoming clear though, Khalai Robots developed their own form of life after a time and the Wisp Infusions enhanced and accelerated this process.


    They quickly uploaded all their scans. I thanked them and they returned to their tasks.


    I reviewed the data. Yes, these would work as templates indeed. I quickly pulled up the scan of my Omaha. The circuitry to integrate with smart gun technology was simplistic by Khalai standards and full of unnecessary components. I used the template of the Photon Cannon for example of targeting circuits. Then I realized that no, that wouldn''t do.


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    Cannon circuits were designed for fixed platform targeting. I needed something from a mobile platform, there the Dragoon. It was a slightly more complex circuit with a certain level of adaptability baked in. Perfect. Of course, several parameters would have to be tweaked, plasma would not behave like a solid projectile. Usually.


    The chassis and barrel of the Omaha could be redone in the Khalai Alloy a very complex metallic molecule. It came in several variants, we would go with one of the medium strength ones here. Its tolerances far beyond most alloys available to humans. This would in turn allow for new ammo designs.


    Yes, the propellant could be minute amounts of solidified energy. The bullet itself a lighter Khalai Alloy. A finned design for better aerodynamics. Good.


    I could convert it to fire plasma rounds but the gun would have to be larger and I already had a hard time handling it.


    Compile. One prototype template.


    Alina ran the template through several simulations. It looked viable.


    I had the Forge assemble one and then a hundred rounds of ammo.


    The gun was heavier, by about a pound and a half. A brass colored version of the Omaha, a few tweaks making it a bit sleeker.


    When the ammo was done, I headed to the edge of the Valley.


    I would be shooting the mountainside, for the most part. This was a stress test.


    Readying myself for heavy recoil. I braced and squeezed the trigger.


    It kicked like a mule, but I managed to avoid getting kissed again. Maybe pull back on the propellant a tad, or figure out a better recoil compensation system.


    After a few dozen rounds. I was growing to love it. I had a feeling it would shred most things I''d meet in the city.


    Well we could test that.


    Back at the forge, I printed up a couple of armored plates. One representing the best armor the Probes had scanned. The other a light variant of the Khalai alloy roughly the same as what the Probes were rocking.


    Testing showed that while both failed to stop the bullets. The human armor failed more dramatically. Heh.


    Well, the real armor of the Khalai was their shielding technology. I''d have to figure that out next.


    Hmm.


    [ Omaha Khalai Variant - Prototype


    Range: 40 yards


    Damage: 10


    Ammo: 9 round magazine +1 round in the chamber ]


    Not bad for my first attempt.


    I took a break to grab some fruit to eat. This time a golden pear like fruit off of one of the blue leaved trees. Very firm texture, crispy and tart not too dissimilar to the apple but with is own distinct flair. Like the apple one fruit filled my belly. I was sure it had something to do with the mana.


    I spent some time walking around and just enjoying the Valley. It was coming along nicely.


    I thought of what the Corpos would do if they found it. That could not be allowed.


    I marched back to the Forge to spend the day designing new ways to protect this peace.

 Chapter 32

    The last week had flown by.


    I had been looking through and adjusting templates. Finding ways to change and adapt Human goods into new and better equipment.


    Militech Trench Coat with Bullet Resistant Triweave had been changed to Trench Coat with Khalai Alloy Interweave Mk 6, Armor: 4 almost the exact same weight.


    Norco Armored Vest with Polycarbonate Plating had been adjusted to Armor Vest with Khalai Plating and Psi Shield Emitter Mk 5, Armor: 5 and Shield: 10 just a bit heavier.


    It took a day each to get both of those just right. Several Prototypes had been created then ultimately disassembled.


    In the end, I couldn''t find a way to change the brassy sheen though. I''d just have to live with it.


    Another day was spent tweaking the Omaha Prototype. I found a few template for gun mods and finally got them to be compatible.


    [ Omaha Khalai Variant Mk 8


    Range: 45 yards with Reflex sight


    Damage: 9


    Ammo: 12 round Extended magazine +1 round in the chamber


    Mods: Extended Barrel with Baffling. Slide adjusted for Recoil Compensation. ]


    Much quieter and easier to handle with only a small loss of damage. It was well worth the time.


    Two days were spent pouring over the schematics for both the Galena and the Supron. I made dozens of improvement to both and even armed and armored versions.


    The problem here was I couldn''t assemble them in the Valley. I''d have to have the Probes widen a path through the mountain and I didn''t think we were ready. I''d have to wait until I created our first outpost.


    I spent a day making a more streamline version of the Probes. The fins were almost pure decoration. Removing them allowed me to thicken the armor a bit and add and extra power crystal. Increasing the output of both their weapon and shield.


    I experimented with an unnamed Infused Probe to make sure their Cores could be transferred with no Personality loss. Everything when smoothly so I got Scuff and Fix upgraded and ready to Rock.


    [ Wisp Infused Khalai Probe Mk 2


    Unknown Unit


    Armor: 4 +2


    Shields: 15 +5 (Shields now block Spells)


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Damage: 10 +4 (May affect Incorporeal Beings)


    The Combination of an Elder Wisp and a Khalai Probe. This Unit has partial Stealth.


    This Unit has has been upgraded by Warp-Smith Ryan Crestwood ]


    They were almost ready for a heavy assault role.


    A day was used to try to adapt my cyberware. The Khalai themselves had Cybernetics so I though I could just switch and swap things, but it seemed it was going to be more complicated than that. I wasn''t sure what I was missing.


    Alina would do some research on it.


    In between tinkering sessions, I had tried golden orange-type fruit, red banana-type fruit, a green plum-type fruit. While all of them were good, I preferred the Silver Apples. I was also longing for meat, but none of the fish in Meadran''s pond were big enough yet.


    I could buy something from the Company Store, but it seemed a waste to buy something I was just going to eat.


    I did however buy a Feralassian Forest Cockerel and several matching Hens, on a daily sale. Only 100 Points for the bunch when they were usually 100 per chicken.


    The Cockerel came up to my waist in height and was still growing. It leaped at me only to bounce out my shield. It wasn''t overly aggressive, that was mostly a reflex from being transported to a new place. It eyed me warily. I smirked at it.


    It was a magnificent beast vibrant plumage in every shade of green with undertones of dark blues. The hens were monotone forest green.


    I also bought a bunch of Dustwallow grubs, for another 100 CPoints. There were good for aerating soil and even their final form was something both relatively harmless and the chickens would eat it.


    Future food source obtained, I continued my day.


    Our first Observer was built in the new Robotics Facility. I immediately sent it to spy on the City Center zone and all the Corps there.


    This was a permanently stealthed unarmed unit. It could intercept data and passively collect information on anything with in a mile of its position. As far as I could tell, there was no human technology that could detect it, at this time.


    The downside was they took days to make and a large amount of resources.


    I queued up a Sentry Unit next. These could operate as a Mobile Shield Recharger this would be a cheat of epic proportions.


    As testing had shown a shield''s output had to be exceeded all at once to get damage through. Most small arms fire we had encountered was only capable of this if multiple rounds hit the shield at the same time, overloading the output causing the shield to go down to recharge. While under the effects of the Recharger the shield shouldn''t go down minimizing damage to just whatever round managed to get through.


    The Sentry also had a disruptor beam weapon, capable of frying circuitry. The damage was low but the ability to knock out vehicle systems and heavy cyberware would be invaluable.


    It would take 8 days to complete but I was getting antsy, and didn''t feel like waiting for it.


    I was talking with Meadran and it seemed that until some of our trees grew bigger we couldn''t build much Kaldorei Infrastructure. To advance the mana abilities and create mana based weapons and armor would require specific types of Treants.


    New types of Wisp would also give access to new options, those were governed by Meadran''s advancement.


    With my current 84 Tree points, I could exchange for up to 8 random seeds. The seeds might be Treants, might be other type of special trees, or most likely be one of the many species of relatively normal trees from throughout the Multiverse.


    I decided to hold off on this. Moon Wells and Keeper Statues were enough for now.


    And Lumber production was constantly improving. We had set aside 1 Unit of Lumber for every 5 produced. I had 50 units of lumber to trade now.


    One unit of Lumber was an 8ft long 4"X4". Yeah, the Supron wasn''t going to be able to haul much of this.


    Fortunately, I had made connections.


    I had the Probes take the whole load out to where the broken bridge was. Once they were done, I loaded up a few backpacks of fruit.


    I had added a few different type of attachment points on the Probes. To facilitate looting. I found I had developed a taste for it.


    Scuff and Fix along with newly minted Chuck and Barry, also WI Probes, carried two backpacks apiece. The packs rest on their sides like saddlebags.


    I geared up in my new equipment, with my own backpack of fruit and a new rolling tool case. Gave my farewells to Meadran, Lumi and Alina and head out of the Valley.

 Chapter 33

    When I exited the cave into the Badlands, several things happened at once.


    Most of it was a series of messages on my interface. The Veil around the Valley apparently blocks net signals. I had simply thought no one needed to talk to me.


    Carver - I see you have chosen to skip out on the job. Consider yourself banned from work.


    Carver - ( Symbol of a Skull )


    This one came two days later. Guess he found out I tipped the kid off. Oh, well. I planned to track Carver down anyway. Imagine getting offended that your intended patsy decided not to die for you. Sign of poor character I''d say.


    Sinnamin - You pissed off Carver. Haha, probably tried to use you dirty. Well, let me know it you make it out okay.


    Huh. Wouldn''t have thought she''d care. That''s nice.


    Misty - Just checking in for Vik, on how the new chrome is treating you.


    Ah a checkup. That''s more than I expected.


    Unknown Sender - We should meet. Big fan of your work.


    Not just no. Hell no!


    Amanda - 2 missed calls.


    Sally - 5 missed calls.


    Well fuck. I''m mister popular all the sudden. Replying would have to wait for a moment while I found out why my BTC was trying to squeeze my arm off.


    [ Adjusting...]


    [ Quest Offered


    Establish an Outpost in the Badlands around Night City


    Reward: 1000 Company Points, 1 Hero Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


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    [ Quest Offered


    Establish an Outpost in Night City (any area)


    Reward: 2000 Company Points, 1 Theme Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    Okay. I liked the thought of getting more CPoints. But what constituted an outpost.


    As I always do when confront with lacking information, I asked Meadran.


    He explained an outpost consists of at least two buildings, from across your Themes, protected by at least one defensive structure. He defined Theme as being like the Khalai or the Kaldorei. Ah, so a Theme Token would get me new types of building and units. Nice.


    ''Just be cautious, Young One, Outposts tend to attract more attention than they should at first.'' He did seem worried.


    Hmm. I''ll have to get defenses up quickly. I pondered the issue for a few moments.


    ''Either way, set aside enough silver Wisps for two Moon Wells. That should be a good starting point.'' I''ll adjust after I see how it goes.


    ''They will be ready in a day.''


    ''Thanks Meadran. I really appreciate your help.''


    ''You are most welcome, Young One.''


    I accepted both quests, there didn''t seem to be a time limit. So no rush to find good locations.


    Then I messaged everyone but Carver and the Unknown Sender back. Explaining that I was in a area that blocked signals. I was okay and everything was going smooth.


    Then I headed down to the Galena. I loaded all the backpacks of fruit in the trunk and put my tool case in the front passenger seat. Still room in the back seat for loot storage.


    With their new streamline form, the Probes could fit two to the front and two to the back on the roof. That turned out better than I thought it would.


    I drove down to the bridge and parked next to the lumber pile. The Probes had set it up to the south of the path and the outflow trough.


    I nodded and messaged Amanda, I have a pile of Lumber we can move, let me know if you are available.


    Scuff and Fix lead Chuck and Barry on a patrol of the area.


    I decided to work on the Galena a bit while I waited for a reply. I had seen several places in the schematics, were small tweaks would help a lot.


    A couple of hours later.


    I got a reply from Amanda, Where and how much?


    I sent back, By the broken highway bridge east of NC, best to approach from the south along the torn up road. 50, 8ft long 4"X4"s, weight between 750 and 800lbs.


    Three Hours.


    I ate a few pink grape-like fruits. Tasted of chocolate and butterscotch. Not my bag but interesting none the less.


    Back to tinkering. I had noticed that the technology in the engines here didn''t seem to resemble the ones from back home. there must have been fundamental shifts in how people solved problems here.


    Well that was obvious, but the whole process of combustion in this engine shouldn''t have worked anywhere near as well as it did. I understood the whats and hows of it, but not the whys. It was going to end up driving me nuts one of these days.


    I was elbows deep in the engine bay when I heard the Probes beep. ''Visitors''


    I finished up, and made sure everything was connected up. I went and turned over the engine. Ah, now that was a smoother purr. I revved the engine a few times. Good response.


    I turned it off and tried to clean up a bit with some left over rags.


    Three vehicles pulled up and parked. Every vehicle was done up in badland colors, to help blend in. While still having personalized touches here and there.


    One looked like a weaponized muscle car. It had some kind of turbine on it''s hood, how does it keep all the dust out? It roared like a beast. I liked.


    The next vehicle was a Thorton Mackinaw truck the big brother of my Galena, I had my eyes on one while in the city. Thought it might be good for hauling supplies. This one had all kind of armor plating added and a small cannon on top. Sweet.


    The last was a cargo truck of some kind, a bit overkill for this job. It was a brute somewhat comparable to a Semi from back home. It was towing a bare bones flat bed trailer.


    The Probes where hovering above weaving in and out of each others paths. Just in case. Mistrustful little robo buddies.


    Amanda got out of the muscle car, Sally got out of the Mackinaw, and an older fella I don''t recall being introduced to got out of the cargo truck.


    They were walking towards me, when almost at the same time they stopped and sniffed the air.


    "Is that water?" Sally asked, or rather demanded.


    I grinned at them.

 Chapter 34

    "Yes, that''s fresh clean water." I waved them over to the outflow trough. "This is the overflow from our water production. We thought we might help turn this canyon into a lake or river one day."


    They washed their hands and them moved a bit upstream to drink. Ha, not their first rodeo. I watched them enjoy it. To them this was a treasure.


    "Now that you know how to find our home, I ask that you not go up the mountain. We have powerful automated defenses, and I''d like us to all stay friendly, okay."


    "You have our thanks and our word." Amanda said it like a custom.


    "But wait! There''s more." I pulled one of the backpack full of fruit, "Act now, and I''ll give you this pack of fresh fruit."


    Sally practically ripped the pack out of my hands. She had it open in no time, and was rooting through it.


    "What is this? I''ve never seen fruit like this." She looked up at me like I was tricking her.


    Pulling another pack, I grabbed a fruit a golden orange. Started peeling it. "We have experimented a bit, but you''ll find they''re healthy and filling. Added bonus they last longer than normal fruit as well."


    "Why would you give us this." She actually looked conflicted. I was kind of disappointed. But they had probably been burned before.


    "Because I like to share with my friends. And I''d like you to be my friends." A took a bite. Juicy.


    "Hell, I''ll be your friend, kid. " The older guy spoke up, "I''m Nolan by the way." He gave a jaunty wave.


    Sally looked sheepish, "Sorry, free usually isn''t free."


    "I get you. Look at it this way, I''m buying goodwill. Trying to smooth the way for the more tricky stuff down the road." I gave her a wink.


    She gave a smirk in return, "Alright. Mr. Goodwill. I''ll see how you behave later." She cocked her hip at me and raised her eyebrow. A challenge? I was certainly interested in finding out.


    "Let''s take it slow for now." Amanda said it sternly, but with a huge smile. She also did the hand on the hip thing. Okay, maybe I don''t know what that means. I had flunked reading girls my whole life.


    "Anyway, I have lumber, and every few weeks, I''ll have more. Obviously we can''t be selling all of it in NC, we''ll flood the market in a couple of months. I have no real connections in the greater nation, or the world. So I turn to you, the friendliest option I''ve met thus far. Later we can even expand to some of our other projects, The alloy you see here in my weapons, and my Pr-Drones. You''ll find it is quite unique." That was perhaps the longest single thing I''d said since I got here, it hurt my throat a bit.


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    Amanda pondered my words. She pulled out a canteen, poured it out. Rinsed and then filled it in the stream. The other followed suit. Again there was the air of custom to it.


    I was thinking I was an idiot for not getting canteens while I could. Let''s just keep that off my face for now.


    "We''ve been looking for steady work. And a safe place to camp. Our group is just one branch of the Aldecaldos, a family. We ride and die together. We remember our friends and bury our enemies. Help us and we will help you."


    My smile must have looked truly brilliant. "If you know a place out here that fit your needs, not only can I make it safer. I can make it a home. I have been looking to expand, and help clean things up out here. We have a deal. And if everything works out, later I''ll show you some tricks that will blow your minds."


    I shook Amanda''s hand firmly. "Let''s get this lumber loaded. What''s the current market value of wood anyway?"


    Without missing a beat Sally chimed in, "$125 an ounce."


    I ran the numbers, "About 1.5 million or more right here. What can we realistically unload it at?"


    Sally laughed, "About $70 an ounce. The Fixer will want a decent profit."


    "So about 800 grand to split. A bit over 300 grand for your folks. That a good haul for you?"


    "That''s six months of supplies and parts." Amanda looked pleased. "We finish this deal and then we see about expanding our relationship."


    We started loading the 4X4s onto the flatbed, then covered the pile with a couple of tarps before cinching it all down with ratchet straps.


    Amanda set our order. Her then me, then Nolan and Sally would bring up the rear.


    We headed out and took our time. Everything was smooth until we got to the main freeway and turned west.


    Other then being scouted by a few messed up vehicles in the distance, nothing seemed off.


    We pulled into a garage. DaKota. I had walked by it... how long had it been now? 10 days? It seemed abandoned at the time. Still seemed that way now.


    But then the garage roll doors opened up and a few people came out.


    While Nolan backed the trailer into one of the garage bays, Amanda introduced me to Dakota herself. They hugged.


    I got, "You remind me of a prairie dog I saw once, it lead me to a cache of weapons. That was a good day." After she had stared at me for almost a full minute. Real character this one.


    Sally walked up with, "You should let him heal you. It''ll feel great." She really wasn''t going to let that part go. Shame it doesn''t seem to do that for me.


    Nolan with the help of two hard looking guys was unhooking the trailer.


    "Maybe another time, Medicine Man." Dakota went back in the garage.


    "She said it will take a few days to move it all, so money will be coming in then." Amanda sticking to the practical. "In the meantime, why don''t you come to the camp. Tomorrow we can show you a place we have been scouting out for a new site."


    "You can meet everyone, and maybe we can have some fun." Sally slapped me on the shoulder, it stung. Oh yeah, cyberarms.


    A few minutes later we were headed south.

 Chapter 35

    After a while we turned more toward the west. The evening rolling in, the sun headed to it''s rest.


    Longer still, the drive becoming a welcome period of meditation for me. Radio off, window rolled down, the cooling air rushing past.


    The stars peeking out, including the artificial ones. Placed above by our manic desire to seek the beyond. I too would like to see what''s out there one day.


    The desert felt lonely yet peaceful. There was no one traveling these backways. Just us and the wind.


    After perhaps too short a time we began to slow. Lights ahead, nestled between a cluster of hills.


    We slowed to a stop while Amanda honked a series of quick taps on her horn. A returning series of honks, and we slowly continued.


    Their camp came into view. 5 large Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) were arranged in a large circle. Each carried a building on it. A few smaller MRAPS parked inside that circle. Most of the light came from these vehicles. Turning the night into day.


    Within the out circle of trucks were tents of all shapes and sizes. Areas full of benches, where dozens of people sat around talking, eating, laughing. Fire pits where various cooking activities occurred.


    We parked next to a cluster of more standard vehicles just outside the outer camp circle. A few people were working on some of them. Small mobile lights setup and tool boxes and parts crates close by.


    Exiting my car, I could already hear Amanda, Sally and Nolan receiving greetings. I smiled softly, family was a wonderful thing. I''d sometimes forgotten that in all the friction with my parents.


    I asked Barry to watch the Galena while the rest of the Probes would hover about an keep an eye on me, maybe patrol the area. I stopped at my truck to grab a couple of backpacks. One went over my shoulder, while I carried the other in my left hand.


    Pulling a silver apple out to munch. I walked over to where Amanda was still talking with the folks tinkering with their cars.


    "We''ll be able to get all the parts we need soon enough, then we can look to getting some better iron and chrome." She was talking a short guy, a grease monkey born if I''d ever seen one. Overalls stained from years of repair and maintenance work. His smile was as dark as his hair, and his eyes burned with a desire to make his cars, his babies, better. Yeah, my kind of dude.


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    Sally grabbed a blue mango from my backpack, "Guzman, this is Ryan. He''s the one providing our new opportunity."


    I waved with the apple in my hand and offered the backpack to him. His eyebrows went up and he pulled out a red banana. I nodded, and he returned it. Enough said.


    Amanda lead the way into the camp. She and Sally introduced me around, and not that long after, I was sitting on one of the benches, with a beer in hand and a plate of tacos in front of me.


    To tell the truth, most names would need a second or third exposure to take, but it was nice to meet so many people in a good way. To share a moment.


    I had handed a backpack to one of the older teens to distribute, and set the other down next to the cooking area for who ever wanted them.


    There was a calm but vibrant energy in the air. the people here living simple lives, partially free of the sickness hanging over the city folk.


    Now, I was being regaled with the story of a raid on a Militech convoy. How Sally had flipped her truck and had to be towed back, her blush told me it was true. "It was my first raid, I was nervous, and that rock came outa nowhere." I patted her hand.


    I felt a burning glare. I turned that way to see Lynx trying to kill me with his eyes. Didn''t work, but damned if he didn''t give it his all. I grinned at him and gave it extra teeth. I took a sip of beer to show him how much his opinion meant to me.


    "Don''t let him bother you. He''s from a different tribe, trying to find a wife with us." Sally said quietly. "He''s had his sights on me, but I''m not interested."


    "Oh?" I turned to look into her eyes. I gave her the old eyebrow trick.


    She laughed at me. "Yeah, I''m not ready to settle down with anyone just yet."


    "Gotta have your fun while you can, right?" Now where had I heard that before? Oh right, first girl I tried to date back when I was in trade school.


    She gave me a wink.


    Not too long after that a impromptu music festival started up. A lively mix of instruments and genres.


    Then the dancing broke out and Sally hauled me out for a whirl. These folks liked a mix of Line, Square and Salsa dancing and I was okay with that. Sally and I had a few passes, feeling each other out. Getting used to how we both moved.


    The music sped up and we followed. I lead her through a foxtrot and then nudged it into a tango. She was a delight to move with, easy to lead, strong and graceful.


    The piece stopped and so did we.


    Then a nice girl named Kori wanted a round, then Megan and even Amanda came for a turn or two. Soon I had danced with most of the ladies in the camp. We had all shared a few laughs and small stories of better days.


    Finally the paced slowed and Sally was in my arms again, not so much dancing anymore as swaying together, sharing space and warmth. She murmured nice things into my ear, and I whispered of dreams thought lost.


    After the music stopped and folks started seeking their beds, we went for a walk outside the camp. Found a nice patch and laid out a blanket to stare up at the stars together. We didn''t say much, we didn''t need to.


    Truth be told I was petrified inside. This was the best date I''d ever had and I was terrified I''d screw it up. But I tried to remember that it was best to go with the flow, not to push. Just take a deep breath and let it go.


    We dozed off together under the night sky and the watchful scans of Fix and Scuff.

 Chapter 36

    I awoke alone.


    Yet, I didn''t feel a sense of abandonment, just a relaxed contentment. No promises had been made, so no expectations could get in the way.


    There was something refreshing in that, rather than the frantic search for a partner that was riding the back of my brain back home.


    It was simple, and simple was good.


    I shaped a quick Cleanse on myself, and then the blanket, which I folded and carried with me back towards the camp. Magic was so useful, I needed to remember to use it more.


    It was early, the sun not quite up, the sky still had that grayed out tone. The Probes had been hovering about nearby.


    They gave me a greeting, ''New friends, now?''


    I sure hoped so. I needed some friends, and everyone here sure seemed friendly.


    I got quite a few cheerful morning greetings on the way to the Galena.


    I had the Probes dock with the car until I could properly introduce them.


    I grabbed another backpack out of the car and devoured a kiwi like copper fruit, tasting of strawberries and cream.


    I slowly wandered over to the campfire area, hoping they had some coffee.


    Turned out they did, and I happily received a carafe of coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs, with cheese and bacon, for the pack of fruit.


    Everything in the food was off, not so much I was going to complain, but enough that I noticed. The coffee was decent though, gotta take those small victories.


    I was pondering how I wanted to spend my day. When a pair of hands blocked out my sight, also softness enveloped my the back of my head.


    "Guess, who?" A soft silky voice entered my ear from about an inch away. Every little hair on my body stood to attention.


    "It had better be Sally." I whispered back. "Or we are going to have words."


    That is of course, when Sally walked into view laughing. She set down two plates, in front of me, while the lady I assumes was Megan let go of me. Let the games begin I guess?


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    I turned, yeah. Those were... I mean her presence was hard to miss.


    "He does have a way about him." Megan sat to Sally.


    "Just wait. He''s got all kinds of uses." Sally was nodding while digging into her food.


    "He is right here." I gave them a mock glare, which turned into a grin, as I shaped two quick Cleanses on them. Who doesn''t like to be clean?


    They apparently loved to be cleaned. Their shudders and shivers were all manner of entertaining. Their voices were happy little gasps.


    Many of the men in the area gave me nods of approval, while the women folk looked nonplussed.


    I shrugged.


    I had discussed this with Meadran. Mana infusion was highly stimulating, especially to folks who had lived in low or no mana zones. Sadly mana carrying your own signature would never affect you the same way, it was your mana after all.


    "See, incredibly useful." Sally tried and failed to seem nonchalant.


    "Honey, if you don''t snatch him up, I''m going to tie him up and keep him in my trailer." Megan seemed deadly serious.


    I gave them both a flat stare, "You don''t learn, huh? No healing for you."


    They both turned to me with a horrified look.


    I let them stew a minute while I tried to suss out their dynamic.


    "This offense requires restitution. Perhaps you can buy your way out. I''m partial to back rubs." I smirked.


    "Well, we could work something out I''m sure." Sally her natural grin returning.


    "Yes, I''m a fair hand with massage." Megan nodding sagaciously.


    "Then maybe forgiveness can be yours." I laughed. It was fun, to play around like this.


    Who would''ve thought that all I needed to do to be comfortable with women was to get snatched to another world. Full of death and terrible food, but also ample opportunities.


    Ample, indeed.


    The next couple of days settled into a rhythm, I made myself useful, healing and cleansing folk. Working on cars, and getting the Probes to patrol and repair some of the tougher problems.


    The Probes were easily adopted as mascots by the Tribe, when I introduced them. Hell, I thought that they liked them more than me. Eh, understandable. Little robo buddies were awesome.


    I hadn''t realized it at the time, but Megan and Sally were kind of a package deal, and no, I didn''t understand how that worked. But I also wasn''t going to question my good fortune.


    If I spent time with one, I had to spend time with the other. No great chore that was. Most of it was simple getting to know each other chats and just spending time together. Sharing a meal or dancing.


    Where Sally was rough and tumble, Megan was smooth and considered. Her dark almost raven black hair a contrast to Sally''s blonde mane. Where Sally was whipcord lean and svelte, Megan was lush and curvy.


    It was hard to find time for getting to know them better, as they had plenty of responsibilities to manage.


    They did most things in camp together. Logistics and Organization, mostly. Outside of camp it was different. Megan ran the net. Sally buried the targets. They were trouble either way. The good kind I hoped.


    My head was spinning from trying to figure out what was going on. Was I after one or both?


    Guzman had said that to court one was to court both, that first day while we were tinkering with vehicles. I had asked if they were together, together. He said no, they just couldn''t stand to be apart for long.


    Both it was then. Because I wasn''t about to give up this growing connection I felt with them. Even if it derailed later, I was going to ride this crazy train as far as I could.

 Chapter 37

    The morning of the third day after I got to the Aldecaldos camp, Amanda came over to breakfast with the three of us.


    This was the first time I had seen her since we had danced that first night.


    I hit her with a Cleanse. Unflapped that woman was. She didn''t even blink.


    She did give me a thankful nod, "I''ve scouted out a good place for a more long term setup. The complication being some Wraiths sulking about."


    She gave us a quick run down on number and positions. A lot and everywhere, was my takeaway.


    This was sounding like a night job with the Probes. I suggested as much.


    She nodded, "They are hard to spot in the dark. They can sweep around the far side and drive them into a firing line."


    We went over every detail three times. She pulled up charts and maps, from satellite feeds on her tablet. Drew it out, sent to the her teams. I really didn''t have much to add, but I did take notes. Amanda''s knowledge and experience was valuable, and I wouldn''t have access to it indefinitely.


    They were Nomads, and would eventually move on. I had to establish bases and outposts. I couldn''t stay with them forever, no matter how much I wanted to.


    This was the moment that I began to worry about a future with Sally and Megan. Whether there was going to be one at all.


    And they knew it. Women had their ways. I''ll never understand it.


    "Don''t overthink it. We''ll figure something out." Sally gently chided.


    "You won''t be getting rid of us that easily." Megan concurred.


    "You both aren''t leaving my sight, I''m owed backrubs. I always collect what I''m owed." I gave a mocking stern face.


    We all broke out into uncontrollable uproarious laughter.


    That night we had moved into our first position. I gave the Probes their instructions.


    I got a series of beeps back, "We got this." They took off like little bats out of hell. Had they somehow gotten faster? Huh.


    Sally had a Techtronika SPT 32 Grad set up and ready to fire, Megan was nestled in next to her to act as a spotter. I could hear them softly working out a series of initial targets.


    Me I''m here to make sure no one got the drop on them and to drive them to Sally''s next position if needed.


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    I''d be driving Sally''s Mackinaw. Truly, I was touched she let me drive it out here to begin with. I know how attached people could get to their rides.


    We were on an eroded outcropping, overlooking an old manufacturing plant. This place was pre fourth corporate war, whatever that was, and had produced cyberware parts.


    The plant itself was mostly hidden away by a series of hills and outcrops like ours. There was only one good drivable path up to it and that''s where Amanda had positioned her people in an L formation. A good place for an outpost, but only if you had a way to keep from getting bottled in. Well, I''d take care of that later.


    The Wraiths weren''t nested in the plant itself, though Barry was going to do a quick sweep through it to make sure. They were camped around it, in a disorganized mess.


    From this distance, I could barely make out any details, even with my zoom function. I looked at Sally''s iron.


    That must be some rifle. I wondered what I would see when she fired it prone. Never thought I''d cheer for recoil.


    I shook my head, my job was to watch the open desert behind us. No entertainment for me.


    Amanda messaged us it was go time, I relayed the signal to the Probes. I heard distant screams and yells, but I couldn''t even hear the zapping.


    Then the Grad bellowed and I couldn''t hear much at all for a while.


    All in all a very boring half hour for me.


    Even Sally only ended up taking five shots the whole time. The last two were to core engine blocks, when the Wraiths finally broke and started to run. We found out her third shot had dropped Sourtooth their local warlord. Big points there.


    The Probes had gone beast mode on them, barely any made to the ambush point and they were shredded in a few minutes. People, vehicles or equipment they savaged everything, laying waste to the desert scum.


    Amanda gave the all clear.


    The ladies packed up and I drove us down to the ambush site.


    Hell, even the clean up was done by the time we got there. I was feeling just a bit useless. Watching people''s backs is important, of course it is. Doesn''t take that empty sucking in your gut away.


    Eh, I tried to shake it off. My real work was about to begin, if the Probes even let me get over to the plant before they started. Little showoffs. Haha.


    Everything at the ambush position taken care of. Half the group scattered to patrol around and see if anyone was snooping and the rest of us headed to the plant.


    While the rest of them couldn''t see them, the Probes were doing some kind of victory dance about fifty feet up in the air. Weaving back and forth making patterns only they understood. Silly little guys.


    When we had stopped, I excused myself to hunt up a good place for a Moon Well.


    As I headed off, I called back, "I''m going to trust you folks not to talk about what you are going to see next."


    I called the Probes to me, and gave them their orders. I had them dig out a moat area then an overflow channel for a stream then a pond about fifty yards away.


    It took them only a few minutes to get the moat and stream dug out. While Chuck and Barry kept excavating the pond, Fix started A Pylon above where the Moon Well was going to go.


    Meadran had ten Silver Wisps loaded up into my Supron, which I called out here. I let Amanda know it was coming, didn''t want any accidents. Things were going to get crazy as it was.


    While waiting for them, Scuff started a Forge building to one side.


    We mirrored the moat stream and pond arrangement on the other side of the plant. Another Pylon above the second Moon Well position, and a Robotics Facility over there on the side of those buildings.


    Everyone stayed well out of the way but I could hear their exclamations. Yeah, buildings coming out of the void was pretty shocking.


    But that changed when the Wisp finally arrived and I had them merge into the Moon Wells.


    Fresh Mana infused water began to flow and you''d think they had lost their minds.


    Haha, maybe we all had.

 Chapter 38

    The Outpost Quest complete, I was 1000 CPoints richer.


    A hexagonal coin also appeared. It seemed to be made out up a pearlescent alloy of some kind. I decided to hold off on using it. Making Buildings appear is one thing, making random people pop into existence is quite another.


    I spent the next day placing Photon Cannon in the hills all around the plant. I tried to place them in such a way that they wouldn''t be visible from a distance outside the circle of mounds and outcroppings, while being able to cover the inner section of land.


    Sure, they could be seen from the air but by the time an AV saw them the Cannon would have them locked. I made a little Pylon field behind the plant to support the frankly ridiculous amount of cannons I placed in the area.


    I also had to program each one to not target the Aldecaldos. I could have just made it a blanket command but it would link back to the Valley and I still wanted a fall back point just for me.


    Four more Robotics Facilities queued up for more unit output. I had a Sentry cooking in the first one already.


    Then I built up every structure I could. The Cybernetic Core and Robotics Bay went up quick, but the Stargate and the Fleet Beacon would take a long time to complete. The shadow of the Stargate was enormous. However, as I understood it, once the Stargate is complete it will warp into orbit. So not a long term problem.


    The Probes weren''t allowed to build another Nexus I found out. Nor were they allowed to warp in Gateways or Templar buildings for some reason. So this would have to do.


    The Supron was sent back to base to pick up a bunch of golden Wisps, and some more Probes. I was going to set up more trees, and a secondary lumber camp here. There was a lot more room than the Valley, and I wanted a new forest to populate with critters.


    The Probes were needed for more resourcing. Chuck had already found a coal deposit and Barry found some ore veins in the hills. How any of these were here and not already exploited, I had no clue, but I also wasn''t going to turn them down either.


    While I was frantically trying to get everything setup, the nomads were arranging their new camp site. Much as it was before they circled up, putting together the eating and food prep areas in just a hour.


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    They were already back to their normal routines before I had placed the sixth Cannon in the Hills.


    With one exception. They all ended up spending at least a little while playing in or around the ponds. That was a luxury they were rarely afforded.


    A brief but emphatic explanation that they shouldn''t drink from the Wells themselves, only from the streams. So no accidents had occurred, yet.


    Even Lynx''s sour ass was cheerful at the sight of so much clean water.


    He and I had been avoiding each other, and while I was sure he was jealous, he didn''t do any of the petty bullshit I would have expected. Maybe, he knew something I didn''t?


    If nothing else, this earned me a place amongst the families. They would now fight to the death for this place and what it would mean for their future. Not that they would need to if I had my way.


    I''d make this into a safe harbor in this shitty land. All peaceful folk would be welcome. Forget the bullshit of the city, come rest under the trees. $99 for a liter of water, nah here have a drink of the best water you''ve ever tasted for free.


    Shit, that would backfire wouldn''t it. Too many people would flood this place. Sigh. Alright it had to stay secret for now.


    By midday the first purple grasses had sprouted and were spreading rapidly. I had to stop and assure them that the grasses were safe to be around. They were indeed part of the plan.


    We all had a laugh after they calmed down.


    Some of the Aldecaldos had searched through the Plant looking for good salvage, but most of the machines were too large to use as they were. They''d have to be broken down.


    Scuff and Fix went ham scanning everything inside. They really liked the "primitive tech". Maybe it was somewhat like archeologists looking at our ancient hominid offshoots.


    Their personalities were still expanding but always seemed to contain a childlike wonder with the world. I wished I could say the same.


    Meadran had sent back another 6 Probes and enough golden Wisp to merge into 4 trees with a few left over to bond with them. there was also a couple more silver Wisps to build out paths and ward stones.


    Merging the golden Wisp two to each Well had been another small event.


    Many of the Nomads hadn''t ever seen a proper tree, just the sickly things growing out in the wastes. They said there were still places with trees and forests and jungles even places with animals, but they were tightly controlled as extremely valuable resources.


    Old school farming does exist in places as well, but the rich monopolized their products.


    Here they make do with these bugs or at best have some vat meat. It''s "totally not human cloned" we swear. What a wonderous time to be alive.


    If it wasn''t for some truly huge algae farms out in the oceans, no one would still have enough oxygen to live properly.


    Sigh, and they sent me to "fix" it.


    So much work to get done. And I was sure the Corpo bastards were going to try to snatch it all up as soon as they found out about it.


    I shaped a Growth spell on the Trees, helping them get a little closer to the sky.


    One step at a time.

 Chapter 39

    After an exhausting day of infrastructure planning and placement, I was ready to kick up my feet and relax.


    It was not to be.


    First, I was wrangled into dancing again and while I kept it slow and simple, it lasted for a few hours. Every lady wanted a spin and even a few of the lads. I shrugged and went with it. It was just dancing after all and if they got a little handsy, it was socially acceptable to break their nose.


    Sally and Megan did their rounds, and we ended up in a weird revolving dance of one then the other then both and back again.


    Tried casting regrowth on myself a few times to keep up. They however seemed to be unflagging in their pursuit of another turn.


    It was nice to be popular for once. Even if most of it was for my sweet, sweet magic, and sick trade deals.


    Second, after the dancing and the feasting, Amanda wanted to know when the next batch of lumber would be ready. Another couple of days at the soonest. Then she wanted to know my next plans.


    She didn''t like that part of my future plans would be to establish an outpost in the city. I couldn''t really explain everything right now, so I went with it was necessary for my goals.


    Amanda''s tsk told me everything I needed to know about what she thought of that.


    I swept my hand around the whole area. "This, more of this. Everywhere I can get it going. Until there is so much the Corps can''t stop it and it keeps propagating itself. It''s not the best plan, it''s the only plan. While I''m stuck to one or two places, I''m easily controlled or eliminated. I have to keep spreading out."


    She stared at me, "Sounds like a virus."


    I nodded, "Yes. It does because that''s the strategy they''ve evolved into. Spread fast or get crushed."


    We tried to come up with other ideas, but slow wasn''t going to work. Unless I could figure out a way for other to control the Probes and the Wisps. and Alina told me it was hard coded into them not to accept any commands but my own.


    Megan thought maybe we should build more hidden places. Underground maybe? Or inside old abandoned buildings. Sure the amount we could do with the limited space was miniscule but discovery was less likely.


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    Sally wanted to be more aggressive. They wouldn''t be looking at our bases if we harassed them elsewhere. I could see the merit. But I needed stronger units. I certainly wasn''t going to involve the nomads in that level of risky operation.


    We batted more thoughts around until we ran out.


    We were all about to head to sleep, when I felt a buzzing in the back of my head. I focused on it.


    ''Young One, Alina has intercepted a plot. They are headed toward you right now.''


    ''Who?''


    ''Arasaka they have been observing you since last night from a satellite. We only just found out. They ordered local assets to sweep the area and snatch all high level personnel. The rest are to be disposed of.''


    I felt the blood drain from my face.


    They may not know what kind, but it was obvious that the Photon Cannons were defenses. They thought they''d have some way of defeating them. Or they wouldn''t even attempt this. While it was certain they would get chewed up. I-We couldn''t risk it. If any of them made it to people, who knows how much damage they could do.


    I yelled, "Get everyone out of here, now!"


    Amanda didn''t even question me. She dashed out barking orders.


    Sally and Megan both tried asking what was going on.


    "Arasaka. They spotted the outpost from orbit. They saw everything. I''m their target. You have to go, they have orders to kill everyone. Save your people."


    Sally shook her head, "What about you?"


    I got up, "Oh, I''m going to run too. Just slower than you. Hurry, so I have time to get away."


    I called all the Probes.


    We left the tent to find most people in or near their vehicles and already peeling out.


    I got to the Galena and my main crew of Probe attached to it.


    I set the other on the Supron and sent it on ahead to the Sunset Motel. Arasaka shouldn''t bother with that, it was too out in the open. I was going another way.


    Amanda messaged me, Where?


    Scatter. Wait and meet me at the broken bridge in a few days. They''ll be watching.


    Sally and Megan took off and I waited until everyone had left the area.


    I kept waiting. Car idling and ready.


    Now that they had a head start, I wasn''t as worried about the Aldecaldos. They knew every trick to throw off pursuit, even the satellites. They had hundreds of hidey holes all over the Badlands. No, I was worried about me. Worried about the outpost and all that work wasted.


    Okay, of course, I was terrified Sally and Megan would get caught, but they had a far better chance of making it out and avoiding capture than me.


    What was the best way for me to hide?


    My hands were shaking. Not from fear, from frustration, from anger. The Corpo bastards couldn''t have just left it alone.


    As dumb as it at first seemed, I thought heading to the city was a good bet. Hide in the masses. Scan out some new tech ideas. Steal a different vehicle, get back to base and start on a different plan.


    I felt the Cannons all report contact. All of them at once.


    That didn''t make any sense. I looked up at the stars to think.


    Oh.


    The Cannon started firing up into the air above the center of the Outpost.


    They were dropping in.


    I couldn''t see them but the Cannons were reporting their positions. Stealth technology. What a good idea.


    The Khalai had some excellent cloaking options, and I could''ve adjusted it to suit my purposes.


    Fuck!


    No time to beat myself up about it.


    Who the hell was I to try to outthink a Megacorp?


    I floored the pedal and aimed for the city.

 Chapter 40

    There were people falling from the sky.


    The Photon Cannons were reporting their targets and their hit ratio. 75%.


    If I hadn''t just covered the hills with a stupid number of defenses, or if the fire rate of the cannons was slower, some of the invaders might have survived to hit the ground.


    The were no AV''s in their detection range.


    How did they get above us?


    Then I remembered an article I read once.


    HALO jumps, it had to be.


    They were jumping from low orbit. From a station, an AV, or a shuttle?


    Either way that''s fucking insane. How kind of crazy fool does that?


    But they would have ground forces moving in. Between having to target both forces, the cannons would be overwhelmed one by one. And from everything I''d managed to gather the Corps could just keep pouring people into the fight. There was no victory to be had.


    Discovery was defeat.


    I should have waited...grrr, not the time.


    I ordered the cannons to target the buildings in turns. I left the first two Pylons and the cannons which would fight to the end. I couldn''t allow any Corp to get their hands on Khalai tech.


    The buildings were detonated, the explosions were massive. Worse, I could feel it. Inside.


    I turned my focus to driving as fast as I could, in the dark and over uneven terrain, it required all my attention.


    A report came through of the first ground forces coming in. As it was expected, I ignored it.


    A few minutes later two AVs were on my tail and I couldn''t shake them.


    They kept firing at us, but I''d somehow avoided everything so far.


    I heard the Probes communicating, but I couldn''t focus on it enough to understand the rapid messaging between them.


    Having to juke and weave, I didn''t notice two more AVs cut across my path.


    They forced me into a rock. No.


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    The crash jarred my thoughts.


    I slowly got out. I pulled the Omaha knowing I couldn''t exactly hope to achieve much with it.


    The Probes were surrounding me. Undetected in the darkness.


    Spot lights hit me from four different directions.


    "Stand down! Put the weapon down and lay on the ground, we promise you won''t be harmed further."


    The technology in my head was too valuable, I couldn''t let them take me. I was pretty sure I''d never last under any kind of torture.


    I put the barrel of the Omaha against my temple.


    The Probes beeped furiously, "Executor, no!"


    They had reached a consensus, "We have this."


    My mind could sense their confidence, and I chose to trust them. the Omaha fell to my side.


    "That right. Toss it on the ground." The Authoritative voice from before.


    The Probes scattered one to each AV.


    What were they doing? They attached to each Vehicle.


    They all reached out to my mind, ''It has been an honor, Executor Ryan!''


    I felt their resolve. Resolve for what?


    Their Beeps rang out in harmony, four voices as one.


    "MY LIFE FOR EARTH!"


    A purity of purpose flooded the Psifield.


    They detonated their cores. Their end resonated in my mind.


    A hammer drove me into the ground, and darkness greeted me.


    My eyes opened and the sun burned them, it had just peeked over the horizon.


    Moments passed while I tried to gather my thoughts.


    What?


    Why?


    Barry, Chuck, Fix and Scuff gone. My little robo buddies were gone.


    The Corpo scum cost me my friends.


    {They would pay.}


    At the end, I felt how alive they were, their drives and purpose. Their hopes and dreams.


    How could a robot have dreams? I didn''t understand, but I couldn''t deny that they were real.


    I picked my sorry ass up. Grabbed my gun and started marching in the direction of those cursed towers.


    Other assholes would be coming to search the area, and I needed to be gone before they did.


    Eventually, I made it to the Sunset Motel.


    For a second, I thought about going inside to get a drink or just rest for a few minutes.


    Instead, I got in the Supron after patting each of the six unnamed Probes. They beeped greetings, "En Taro Adun, Executor."


    A pall of sadness hung over me.


    Meadran had tried to contact me several time on the trek here. I didn''t want to talk about it.


    But it could be important, and avoiding the issue would just make it fester.


    Besides, last chance before heading back into the cesspit of NC.


    ''Meadran.'' I tried to convey calm.


    ''Young One. I''m sorry.'' His words weren''t the important part, it was ages of loss. Watching his people burning, feeling the death of his parent trees. Centuries of war and death encapsulated into a few words.


    He understood and that was a kindness, I didn''t think I deserved.


    ''Any word of the others?'' Focus on other things for now.


    ''Nothing definitive. The defenses of the outpost still hold for now, but a few gaps have been opened and the enemy has begun pushing harder.'' He paused.


    ''No word of the Nomads has passed through the local Arasaka servers.'' That was likely good news.


    ''All communications indicate a lack of understanding of our capabilities. Also any Khalai structure that wasn''t fully formed was invisible to them.'' Best news possible out of this mess.


    I sighed.


    ''Alright, I''m going to go get a few things and I''ll return as quickly as I can. We need to formulate a different approach.'' A way to undercut them to destroy everything they own.


    ''Revenge can be a tricky thing, Young One.'' That implied so much more, I could barely catch the edges of his thoughts.


    ''I know. I''ll take it slow, dig the roots in deep, and wait for the right moment to strike.'' I would practice patience.


    ''See you soon, Meadran'' I started the Supron.


    ''Be careful, Young One.''


    Once again I headed toward Night City, with a burning rage.


    What terrible crap would I see this time?

 Chapter 41

    While the drive to NC didn''t settle my emotions, it did allow me to calm down sufficiently to examine my plans.


    Just stealing a car to get back to base, seemed like spinning my wheels.


    No, we were going to found a base. We were going to do it right under these fuckers'' noses.


    But where and how.


    Something Megan said before things went to shit clicked. Hidden bases utilizing abandoned buildings or involving digging underground or even combining both.


    Yes, I liked that idea. I liked it so much, I was still picking it apart by the time I hit Westbrook''s Japantown.


    I parked in a random lot not paying attention to the area, I wouldn''t be coming back to this vehicle again.


    In fact, I dropped the fob on the ground so it couldn''t be traced to me.


    The Probes detached and began to keep their diligent sensors on the surroundings.


    It hurt to look at them. I guess I had a long way to go before I could match their creators.


    Some people wouldn''t be able to tell them apart, but each had their own little quirks. It was only a matter of time before I named these guys.


    Perhaps I could tell them apart because of the Psifield, or it could have just been familiarity.


    I wandered around, weaving through the midday crowds. Slowly making my way towards Jig-Jig Street.


    Sinnamin hadn''t been exaggerating when she had list this area as one of the busiest in the city. She also said to watch out for picksockets, but I didn''t know how to do that.


    I didn''t even understand what a picksocket was. She explained it was a person who went after your credit chip without zeroing you. A quickhack slipped through your ICE, and out flies your chip often with you none the wiser.


    Fortunately, I really didn''t need to pay that much attention with the Probes above blending into the drone traffic zooming along. It was startling that the drones seemed to outnumber the people, but not surprising with a moment to consider. They did a lot of the small labor jobs where people can afford them, almost all the home delivery work be it food or or a new tv. Best part no one paid any attention to them, unless they had to.


    I stopped briefly at a noddle stand. The noodles were made out of real buckwheat, and had a good texture. The bits of supposed chili peppers and slivers of "beef" were tolerable only because of those noodles. The sauce was I think an attempt at teriyaki but might have been going for something else. Either way, not that good.


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    First order of business, find a small space to buy or rent. Probably closer to the eastern edge of the city. The space itself wasn''t important.


    Next, how deep to dig?


    I suspected Arasaka found us due to the energy signatures of the khaydarin or psi crystals. I doubt they could easily utilize them, but detect them, sure.


    The questions remained to what extent, and why did we find out so late? The Observer was tapping into most if not the data traffic of the major Corporations headquarters. Unless...


    Arasaka was based in Japan. Sure, they had a foothold here, but in some ways NC was not their focus right now.


    Aha!


    They had been monitoring us from Japan, with a satellite. They would explain why we didn''t know when they spotted us. Okay that tracked.


    Why attack at all? What they could see was special, absolutely, but worth dozens of lives and vehicles lost taking the place?


    Corporations here were all about cost vs benefit, even more so then back home. It was a real puzzler.


    I only saw two likely answers.


    One, the energy of the Pylons appeared somehow threatening to them.


    Or two, They had something going on in that area that our presence disturbed. Something vital to their plans.


    I was inclined towards option two, but I didn''t have anywhere near enough information to be confident in that guess.


    It wasn''t worth taking the risk that it was one over the other, I''d have to work under the assumption it was both and probably other factors besides.


    Back to my original thought, how many layers into the Earth did we need to go?


    I had some thoughts on that too, but let''s get a place to cover up our activities first.


    "Hey Input looking for a good time?"


    Huh?


    I hadn''t been paying much attention to my surroundings. Too busy plotting.


    Red-Light District would be the more polite way to describe the market.


    Everything was sexual, even the food vendors and bodega style shops.


    I turned to look at the woman talking to me. She was of East Asian descent and looked good for the circumstances. Probably a fair amount of chrome there, but something about her didn''t jive.


    "Sorry, no."


    Paying more attention to my surroundings I sped up a bit.


    Something about the air here made me nervous. Too much despair perhaps.


    Dashing through a group of stalls, I then turned a bit. Using a alley where I could see the street on the other side, I paused to fiddle with my clothes.


    ''Guys, anyone following me?'' I sent to the Probes.


    ''Woman. Talked to you.''


    Shit. Corpo agent or something else?


    I couldn''t waste time on this. I was about to order them to zap her.


    She entered the alley.


    "Hey are you Ryan?" A Corpo agent shouldn''t have my name.


    I decided to hold off for a moment, "Yes."


    "The Mox would like a word. Head to Lizzie''s when you get a chance."


    "You know what it''s about?"


    "Nah, just passing the message." She went back to where she came from.


    Why would the Mox want to talk to me specifically? Sinnamin should be able to message me.


    Unless something happened to Sinn.


    Sigh.


    When it rains, it pours.


    After I get established I''ll go find out what''s going on. It couldn''t be anything too drastic or they would have had Rita track me down.


    I did find a nice little two story shop and apartment building. $3000 a month to rent.


    It took less than fifteen minutes to message the owner, wire the funds and get the key fob from a drone.


    Some things are much easier here.

 Chapter 42

    I checked the whole building, nothing of note to report.


    The store was a basic convenience store with racks for basic snacks and candies and shelves for dry goods, toiletries and such. It had a walk-in space for the refrigerated drinks section with a storage room behind that. In the front was a checkout counter that was completely enclosed by polycarbonate that had clever slots and drawers for passing bills or goods. A bullet resistant hidey hole if needed... oh look... the floor safe was missing the previous shopkeepers had been robbed one too many times it seemed.


    I went upstairs to check the apartment. Again, nothing special going on here; two bedrooms, a living room, a barebones bathroom and no kitchen area.


    I shrugged, hadn''t planned on cooking.


    The rental unit was part of an even larger building, but there were no connecting doorways into the rest of the structure.


    Alright let''s get to work. The sooner I figure a few things out the quicker I can go touch base with the Mox.


    In the storage room, behind the walk-in, I had the Probes scan for pipes underneath the floor. Their sensors revealed nothing, which was a good thing. Plan B would have caused a real mess.


    Marking out a 6'' square area, the Probes were directed to cut through the concrete slab, attach to it and then lift it to the side.


    Less than three minutes later... and wow! They never failed to impress me with the speed of completing any assigned tasks.


    Now they were going to create a three foot wide stairway down.


    We were going to test a Pylon at 200'' down first. If I could feel it up here it was probably noticeable to any high energy detectors, and we scrap it and keep going down at increments of 200'' after that. At least until I could no feel it on the surface.


    My theory was that in the city, a blip of spiking energy or odd reading would be ignored. Too many things going on to waste time on checking out every little anomaly.


    I tested the stairs, they seemed quite stable. When the Probes dug, their particle beams could perform some neat tricks. In this case, they were basically melting, compressing and infusing the walls. Other then a slight sheen and increased smoothness they didn''t look too different, but to the touch everything felt like metal. That should insure stability of small tunnels, in most cases. Excess material was either being compressed into the walls themselves increase density or being channeled straight into the void.


    After an hour of digging they popped the first Pylon. Nope felt it, but it was somewhat muted. The idea had some merit, we probably weren''t wasting our time. They quickly broke that Pylon down and kept digging.


    Since this seemed viable, next we would tunnel straight back towards the valley. Placing Pylons every so often. We''d make contact through the Psifield, and then dig up somewhere near the broken bridge.


    Of course, we would be installing defenses around the exit and by every Pylon within the tunnels as well. Later we''ll build a canal system down there from Moon Wells and add some deep reservoirs.


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    Once that is finished, we can dig out hidden surface wells over a few specific reservoirs ensuring the Nomads have access to clean water. Some reservoirs would remain hidden from everyone but my most trusted allies.


    Over the months and years that follow we can spread that out. It wouldn''t be quick but as long as no one gives up the information as to what is going on, it would have to be enough.


    The next Pylon went up at 400'' down. I could still feel it, but it was pretty faint... another scrapped Pylon.


    The hour after that the Pylon warped in at 600'' was undetectable from up here. I decided to test it under ground. I had a slight sense of it from around ten feet down.


    ''Nah, break it down.'' I ordered. It was better to over do it.


    I had the Probes drop another hundred feet, just to be cautious. 700'' of stairway to navigate. Whew. Nothing but to get to it.


    Okay, we were going to have to put in rest stops here and there. With benches and maybe fridges and cold water.


    Two Probes started tunneling toward the valley right away. The other four started digging out rooms for structures.


    Needed plenty of space for all my robotic facilities, and at least one forge.


    Alright, first stage finished, time to find out what was going on with the Mox.


    I took two of the Probes with me and as luck would have it, night had fallen.


    I had to take the NCART maglev rail system. Which was just delightful... not.


    Yeah, I needed another car pronto.


    I got to see the crazy folks that used public transportation in NC. The less said about the whole thing the better, but both Probes ended up dropping a few bodies. No one cared. No one panicked.


    Hell, no one even looked at the situation.


    Peak levels of don''t give a fuck.


    I couldn''t exit the damned train fast enough at the stop by Lizzie''s.


    Rita glared at me.


    Okay, maybe I was wrong about what was going on.


    I gave her a confused look.


    "Where is Sinn?" She snarled at me, while readying her bat. Her partner pulled a submachine gun on me. I didn''t feel welcome.


    This had escalated quickly, and we''ve skipped some levels here.


    The Probes got ready to start the fight.


    I held up my hand to stop them.


    Now both ladies looked confused. Until Rita put it together.


    "You have your Drones with you?" Her optics were darting around trying to spot them.


    I nodded keeping my face as neutral as possible.


    "Shit." She reluctantly let her tension go. Her partner did the same.


    "Shit." I echoed. "Just tell me what''s going on, and I''ll do my best to help."


    "Susie''s going to give me an earful. I was sure she had run off with you. You two seemed to get along." She shook her head.


    "Fuck. Find Carver... or better yet, tell me where Carver is." I was putting two and two together as fast as I could.


    "Huh? The Faceman? He got the cut almost a week back, Sinn''s only been missing three nights." Rita looked frustrated, no, angry.


    "Carver''s the only clue I had, unless you know who the Fixer who ran him is?" Why the hell would anyone want to snatch Sinn...


    "You know anything about her old pack?" I was just spitballing here, but I wasn''t going to leave Sinn in the lurch.


    "Yeah, still running with the Animals. Well, the ones that have survived...anyway." She brightened up a bit.


    Oh come on, you aren''t telling me she didn''t even think of them.


    "I don''t have a crew to back me up or connections to smooth a meeting. So, can you check with them?" At her nod I continued, "In the meantime, give me her address and last known location. My pr...drones have excellent scanners and we might be able to uncover a clue or two."


    I got Sinn''s full detes, and Rita''s to keep her updated. She went to talk to Susie.


    Then I searched on the Net for a car. I bought a new Villefort Columbus V340-F Freight for $25,000, it came with some extra features that might come in handy down the road.


    The fob was delivered quickly by drone. I called my new Van to me. If I had to run around I wasn''t battling the rail system.


    All the horrible scenarios running through my mind. I shuddered.


    Scavs, Maelstrom, or pissed off Fixer. Who had nabbed her?


    Why didn''t I fucking take it seriously in the first place?


    Please be okay, Sinn.

 Chapter 43 (Disturbing Content)

    The Probes came in clutch. They managed to defeat the lock on Sinn''s door by scanning it extra hard, for a millisecond. Robots for the win.


    Sinn''s apartment, located in Kabuki Town, was a mess. Not the type of mess that indicated someone ransacked her place, more the, "I don''t know what cleaning supplies are" and "Organization, what''s that?" kind of mess.


    As the Probes went to work scanning everything, I searched for notes or datachips. Anything at all that might be a quicker method of deducting where she might have gone.


    No luck there.


    On the other hand, one of the Probes found some odd soil around some of her boots. Now the soil wasn''t odd because it looked out of place, nor didn''t it have an unusual odor. No, it was odd because it lit up the Probe''s radiation meter to sky high levels.


    So, she had been marching through mud by what? A reactor, A waste dump or somewhere a nuke had been dropped?


    I searched quickly on the open Net for local reactors, and recent bombings. Any nuclear waste dumping was probably illegal, no need to bother searching the Net there.


    My mind ran in a dozen different directions. Did someone actually grab her, or if she holed up at a ripper somewhere? Did she head back out to where ever this radiation was and get zeroed?


    Clearing a space on her couch, I called up every Ripper I could find listed. A swing and a miss.


    I tried Vik because he''s not listed and hears things, also a failure. He took the time to remind me to come in for a check-up. I gave him my thanks and said I''d schedule it once this was resolved.


    I tried the Hospitals, zilch.


    Alright, next step go and poke around the local reactors looking for leaks. There were two still in operation. One up in the Northside Industrial District and the other smaller one just south of Pacifica.


    I messaged Rita with my progress and my ideas. She informed me Sinn''s former pack denied any involvement with her. Their words were, "We don''t need no weak gonks, you can keep her."


    I decided to poke around the reactor to the North first. Get the larger area out of the way.


    There was still hours of night time left, and keeping the Probes out of sight would be a good idea.


    My gut kept clenching, it was sure I was missing something. My brain had no insights and no great ideas.


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    Sometimes you get lucky in the worst ways.


    While driving around the Northside Nuclear Plant letting the Probes get some initial readings, we happened upon a Scav camp by one of the coolant pools.


    Their camp was very makeshift, with the RVs and shacks built onto trailers, it seemed they were stealing a play from the Nomads'' playbook.


    There were a few dozen of them dancing around all blitzed out of their skulls on drugs and a few were even using BD wreaths.


    Celebrating? Well, we couldn''t let them have a good night, they''d have to pay the toll for being scop sucking scum.


    I wasn''t feeling subtle, so I parked and started marching towards them. The Probes were already sweeping around to flank them.


    I didn''t bother to hide my approach, they didn''t bother to notice anyway.


    Time to test my new Omaha on live targets.


    I walked right up to a cluster of them sitting around a fire singing weird songs and laughing at stupid jokes.


    My pistol barely made a noise as six rounds found their new homes. The Probes had already started zapping.


    By the time I got to the second group, the Scav assholes started to get a clue, but were still too fucked up to make much of an effort to protect themselves.


    Five airsoft level pops, and more corpses hit the ground.


    A round bounced off my shield. I turned and fired, the Scav had a new hole in his lung that I could see through from here.


    I took my time changing to a fresh mag, no need to rush.


    The Probes were having a field day zapping every Scav they could find.


    At this point all that was left were a couple of the gonks using the BDs. I found some duck tape nearby and mummified the bastards. Thinking I might want someone to question later.


    I had the Probes start scanning everything.


    One of the Probes liked to bob about while hovering, I named it Jitters. The other Probe with me liked to hum little tunes to itself, I named it Buzz. Funny I only seem to name these guys after battle, maybe the robo buddies deserve better. However, traditions have a way of improving moral, so I guess it was fine


    ''Energy signature of the area matches the soil from the apartment, Executor.'' Jitters informed me a minute later.


    ''Executor, scans of the victim''s corpses has found a body that matches subject Sinnamin''s biodata.'' Buzz messaged.


    What?


    No, no, no, no.


    This can''t be happening. She knew not to fuck around with Scavs. Why would she come out here by herself?


    I shuffled over to the pile of discarded corpses behind the largest RV. I dug through it, I had to remove over a dozen corpses before finding her ripped open remains.


    Tears streamed down my face as I hugged her remains to my chest. Somehow I just wasn''t affected by the smell or the mess. I pulled her free and carried what was left of her to a couch.


    Searching around for a body bag, proved there where plenty just tossed about. I opened one and placed her inside before resettling her on the couch.


    I spent the next hour tearing through all the stored organs and cyberware to find Sinn''s and laid them in the bag with her. It seemed like the right thing to do.


    Zipping up the bag was one of the hardest things I''ve ever had to do.


    "I''m sorry, I''m so sorry."


    Realistically, there was nothing I could have done, but that really didn''t matter right now.


    Then I picked up the next victim from the pile and repeated my previous actions for them, almost on autopilot.


    Somewhere in there, I vaguely remembered calling Rita and gave her the location and the bad news.


    The Mox got there as I was finishing with the last body, the sun having long since risen. It''s rays bathing the scene in all its morbid splendor. 37 bags laid out in rows centered around the couch with Sinn''s body. A crazy man covered in rotting flesh and blood trying to bring order to the chaos in his head.


    I sat on the ground, somehow tears still rolling down my cheeks.


    They let me have my space, for now.

 Chapter 44

    The screams of the two Scavs, I had wrapped up, lasted hours. The Mox knew how to make things hurt and knew how to drag it out.


    Occasionally there were words mixed in with the screams, answers to questions I couldn''t hear. Their agony distorting every word.


    I didn''t care, much as they didn''t care when their victims were on the operating table. Their suffering wasn''t real to me, while I was focused inward dealing with the turmoil left there.


    As I once again became aware of my surroundings, I found I was okay with whatever the Mox wanted to do to them. I probably wouldn''t have tortured them myself, but I''m not a hundred percent certain of that either.


    I was certainly okay with ending them, even before I knew about Sinn.


    Why did her death hit me so hard? I barely knew her. A couple of dozen hours of questions and a few life stories mixed in.


    Was it because despite every other factor, she seemed human to me? Real in way a lot of the people roaming this city were not, at least to me.


    Or was it because I was too soft for this place? Sympathetic in ways the City strips from people living here while they are growing up.


    After all, what was one more body in Night City?


    In that moment, I could almost feel the spirit of the City pulsing with the need for more souls to feed on. A dark maw that would never be satisfied.


    It was like it was a void of life trying to fill itself with whatever it could fit. Whispering dreams of money, power and status to fatten folks up, before sucking it all away.


    How do you "save" such a place? Burn it to the ground? Sure, I''ve joked to myself that the city needed to burn, and I''ve heard others that live here do the same.


    Even if that happened would the tormented spirit of this metropolis be freed?


    Or would the people who inevitably rebuild on the ashes find the city''s soul even emptier. Hungrier.


    My meditations ended with no real answers, no sense of peace or even a direction to strive towards.


    I felt empty inside, maybe the city had already broken another mind, another soul.


    This is when my mind, my subconscious rebelled, for lack of a better term.


    It started talking to me.


    It snorted. Stop being so dramatic. It serves no purpose.


    You are not a philosopher. You are a tradesman, you work with your hands.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Build your solution!


    When things go to shit, repair them as best you can and work to keep things in order going forward. Or tear it down and build a new path.


    Look at you. Take a long look at where you are and what you have.


    You have magic, you have new technology. Surely, somewhere in all of that there is a answer.


    This wallowing in emotion will not help anyone, especially yourself.


    Yes mourn, yes feel, but understand that action will do more to bring these troubles to their proper rest.


    Having your own thoughts chastise you for going emo is a surreal experience. I couldn''t recall that ever happening before.


    I shook myself off and cast a Cleanse without thinking about it, thankful that none of Moxes present where paying any attention to me.


    I didn''t trust them enough to explain my abilities to them. Yet.


    The screams stopped.


    I walked over to Sinn''s body, honestly surprised they hadn''t moved it.


    "May you find peace, whatever that means to you." I spoke with a odd cadence like I had done this before.


    Jitters and Buzz bumped against me, I could tell it was a gesture of support.


    I absently patted them.


    The Moxes started moving from where they had been questioning the Scavs in the shack with all the Scavs'' cutting tools.


    Rita and a lady I guessed was Susie, came to talk to me.


    "You okay? You seemed really out of it there Ryan." Rita asked. A genuine concern.


    "No, I''m pretty fucking far from okay." I shook my head, and waved a hand nonchalantly, "But I''m getting there. What did you find out? Any clue why she was out here?"


    Susie stared at me like she wanted to put me on the table with the Scavs.


    Rita started to speak but Susie cut her off.


    She stepped into my space and poked my chest with her finger. She snarled at me, "We got nothing, other than she was poking around, looking for someone or something. Maybe you?"


    She asked that like she was certain that was the reason. She had already made up her mind. I was guilty, and she wanted a piece in payment.


    "Sinn knew I had a place out in the badlands. If she was looking for me, she wouldn''t have done it here." I stared at her flatly, about two seconds from killing her, consequences be damned. Her attitude was understandable but unwelcome, and I was too raw to be reasonable.


    Rita got between us. I noticed she was actually pushing Susie back but was only holding her hand towards me. "Hold up. No reason to fight here." She turned to Susie, "Ryan and Sinn talked a few times, no reason for her to be searching for him. She didn''t have feelings for anybody as far as anyone knew."


    Susie grunted, "Alright, then who or what was she looking for?" She looked away. Guess I wasn''t getting an apology.


    "All I know is that she had been out here several times before. Several of her boots had mud from out here. Obviously, the Scavs nabbed her while she was searching. I''ll hunt around, see if I can find where she was searching. Maybe that''ll give some answers." I addressed the last to Rita. I wasn''t doing shit for or with Susie.


    The Probes had scanned her, they could sniff out her trail, so to speak. It would give me something to do, maybe help put this all to rest.


    "We''ll take care of clean up here." Rita cut in over something Susie was going to say, "Let me know what you find."


    I nodded and started walking back to my van.


    As I was leaving I hear Rita arguing with Susie, "Ryan''s been solid in all this, and you jumped down his throat. You have to stop getting in peoples'' faces like that, he was about to flatline you and I couldn''t have stopped him in time."


    I was too far away to hear Susie''s reply, I didn''t care about it anyway.


    My time of dealing with the Mox was over. They had nothing I needed, nothing I wanted. Rita was alright, but she wasn''t anything like a friend. If I found out what Sinn was hunting for I''d let her know.


    I had a feeling that when I really started making my moves in NC, we''d end up on opposite sides.


    If that day came, I''d have to see if I still cared enough to try a diplomatic approach.

 Chapter 45

    Driving around the nuclear facility again, letting Jitters and Buzz scan everything, I started to feel a bit worse.


    I could''ve handled that better. Though as I thought about it, I couldn''t be bothered to drum up enough motivation to care.


    No, it was better to think about the future right now.


    Before I had left, the robo buddies seemed to be digging the tunnel to the broken bridge at about 400'' an hour. After some questionable mental math, I came up with a timetable of roughly 28 days. Which in and of itself wasn''t a problem, however I told Amanda to check for me by the bridge in a few days.


    That meant I''d have to head back to base, probably tomorrow. Well if I could figure this mess with Sinn out, or at least a plausible answer, not would be fine.


    One of the many reasons the Probes were awesome, was because they required almost no micromanaging. Give a few instructions and they would and they would take care of it while I was gone.


    Buzz started beeping for my attention.


    I stopped. "What''ve you got?"


    "Readings indicate subject Sinn was in this area."


    "Alright you guys sweep for tracks or any other signs of where she was going." I said monotonously.


    They detached and began to fly back and forth searching for clues. I watched them for a moment, enjoying their systematic patterns. after and while I turned my attention to the other things in the area.


    There was another coolant pond and several long squat buildings whose purpose eluded me. I began to wonder who even used these roads. Most of the plant was automated at this point.


    I sighed.


    I turned on the radio. Some song about how they didn''t mean to let someone down was playing. Yeah, I have odd luck with car stereos.


    To say it hurt, was an understatement, but I left it on. Might as well face it head on.


    Jitters came back to the van, "We found a trail and it led to a resting spot."


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    "Good job. Lead on." I quickly followed through the muddy ground.


    We ended up leaving the nuclear plant''s grounds and arrived at a nearby warehouse, which as far as I could tell was empty. Then we proceeded to the eastern side of the build to look at a toolshed.


    I could smell it a ways off. Human waste. Argh.


    This is where Sinn had been... well camping I guess. There was a sleeping bag and air mattress, some personal effects, and a lot of discarded food packaging.


    There was even a camping toilet, the source of the stench, requiring me to carry the odorous canister a few hundred yards away. Then I gave the shed a while to air out. Night City fast food produces some extremely toxic waste. After sitting a few days in the unusual heat... I was just lucky I wasn''t spewing all over the place.


    When I could tolerate going back in there I went through everything, not really understanding why she had chosen this spot.


    I sat on her mattress to think, went I saw it. A small hole cut into the corrugated metal panels that made up the shed.


    Huh. I put my eye to it. The only thing I saw was a cluster of those tough but scraggly looking bushes that dotted the Badlands.


    What was so special about some bushes?


    I decided to get a good look at the bushes up-close.


    Tracks spotted before I even got to the bushes, weaving around through the mud, little ones. They looked familiar, rabbit maybe.


    I hunted around the bushes and found scat shaped like little pellets. Yeah, definitely seemed like a rabbit or something similar.


    After poking into the bushed themselves I found a burrow.


    Enough, I got the idea.


    I quickly headed back towards the van, I didn''t want to spook the little varmints.


    Sinn had been camping out to watch fucking rabbits. Because they were so rare, she had probably never seen anything like one before. Well maybe the odd rat, but even that was not a normal encounter in NC.


    Why she''d been out here in the first place, I''d never know but this was absolutely why she''d kept coming back.


    Oh, that hurt so much. I damned near started crying again.


    She just wanted to see some cute fucking critters.


    Big giant of a woman, just wanted to see some soft little animals.


    If I''d known, I could of shown her all the fluffy little beasts she could ever want to see.


    She''d still be kicking and at least somewhat happier.


    I knew it wasn''t my fault, but fuck that burned.


    I spent a few minutes calming down and then called Rita. I gave her the rundown. What I found, where it was and why it probably went wrong.


    She took a minute to process that.


    "That actually tracks. She was obsessed with movies and BDs that featured animals, especially ones where you interact with them. That''s so sad."


    She pause for a moment, "Hey Ryan, I''m sorry about Susie earlier. She under a lot of pressure, with Tyger Claws messing with our chooms. She''s starting to see enemies everywhere."


    "It''s okay. Water under the bridge." I stared down the road thinking about where to go next.


    "Look don''t be a stranger. I can tell this really got to you. I understand. You need an ear. I''ll listen." She seemed to actually mean it. Sometimes even hard folk soften up a bit.


    "Thanks Rita, I''ll see you later." I started the Van.


    The Probes reattached and we got going back to our little outpost.


    I was still trying to get rid of this pain.

 Chapter 46

    While heading towards my rented shop, I changed my mind and turned to go scope out if Vik had time for my check up, maybe chat with Misty as well.


    Misty''s place was calm and sadly empty. Say what you will about "spiritual" folks, Misty zeroed in on the fact I was hurting quickly.


    Barely, a glance at me and she started shaking her head.


    I didn''t have to say anything and she just pointed at that wonderfully comfy chair.


    Hopping up was a relief. I have to get one of these chairs.


    Music started playing, a soothing melody filled the shop. I let it massage my ears.


    It felt good to close my eyes. To let myself drift on the sound.


    Soon a gentle scent wafted from incense, jasmine or honeysuckle I was never very good at telling those apart. It used to drive my mother crazy. She loved plants and I helped her with gardening a lot growing up, but I never seemed to have the knack for it that she had. She had Honeysuckle on one trellis and Jasmine on another, and for the life of me I couldn''t tell the difference unless they were blooming. Not from the scent either, but from the shape and color of the flowers.


    Strange, I hadn''t thought about my family much since coming here. I''d just gotten caught up in the craziness here. The magic present in this world both real and metaphorical had captivated me.


    I hoped they were doing well, because I had the feeling I''d never find a way back. Not sure I''d even want to, if I could.


    For all the pain, I felt more alive here. Like I mattered even if only a little, or rather, my purpose mattered.


    Misty finally started talking.


    "So what has you so knotted up? You reek of horror."


    My starting to relax brain actually cast a cleanse on myself, without thinking because it took it a minute to understand the question.


    "So you are like Ciri. I had wondered." Misty snarked when my eyes snapped open in momentary panic. She chuckled, "Don''t worry, I''m not going to tell anyone."


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    She placed her hand on my forehead.


    I decided to trust her and closed my eyes again. Trying to get back to that floating feeling.


    She was doing all kind of things, maybe with those crystals I saw her with, or maybe with other things I hadn''t seen.


    She was chattering on about Chakras and how opening them up could aid with the processing of emotions. Most of it sounded like hooey to me, but hey I was really relaxed so I wasn''t going to say or do anything that might interfere with this pleasant feeling.


    I wasn''t quite asleep, but I wasn''t awake either.


    "So I''d like you to talk about what has you all messed up. Let it out and let it go." Her voice was compelling like a chanting monk. No clue what it meant by I listened anyway.


    So I gave her an edited rundown of my time in these lands of darkness. I cut out most of the events with the Aldecaldos because I didn''t want her involved it that mess. I did however tell her all about Sinn and what happened there.


    "So you''re bothered both by the terrible events and the fact you actually cared about a person you barely knew?" She seemed amused, but exasperated. "It''s okay to care Ryan. In fact... I''d say more than anything else, it''s what this City needs."


    She poked my nose, "You are adjusting to a new place, new rules, and new struggles. You are going to stumble, you are going to fall, just keep getting back up, and remember who you really are. Don''t let the pain drown you in the dark."


    I mean, I didn''t get it, but it also made sense. Have you ever been there?


    I drifted into a deeper relaxation.


    Dreams seemed to dancing before my mind''s eye. Tall spires filled with gears and circuits, being struck by lightning while vines grew up to surround them. A figure of moving light kept telling me not to stop the flow of information, while thousands of folks below cried out for water and food. Landscapes drifting in a void sprouting new greenery being lovingly tended to by automatons.


    A dark cloaked figure screamed at me not to get involved to just give up and fade into the night. It extolled me to embrace apathy and ignore its people, its slaves. Hmm, this one seemed different almost like when I talk to Mead...


    My eyes snapped open as my pulse ratcheted up to 200 bpm. I started gasping for air. I nearly jumped off the chair. What the fuck was that?


    Misty laid a hand on my head. "It''s okay, it''s alright. You''re safe here." She whispered as if to a small child.


    "Where did you go? What did you see?" Misty was really good at being concerned.


    I didn''t say anything at first. "Let me process it first."


    I stood all the way up, sad to leave the chair. "One day all this will change. I want to help folks, but it''s hard to figure out a good way to do it."


    "Sure that''s the dilemma of the visionary. How many things do you have to break to get to your goal? Who pays for it all in the end? Help these people and end up hurting those people, how do you choose?" Misty was a pretty perceptive person.


    I grunted, the inflection was, "That''s the way of it."


    "Just remember why you want to help. Maybe that will be your best bet." She punched my shoulder. "Vik''s ready to see you now. Take care Ryan."


    I shot her 200 Eddies. While grinning at her. "Thanks Misty. Wise as always."


    I got a chuckle for my lame efforts at humor.


    I did feel better though.


    Time to make sure my chrome was integrating properly.

 Chapter 47

    Sadly the cat wasn''t in the alley. No scritch therapy today. Bummer.


    Vik was in a good mood, he seemed upbeat and ready to have some fun.


    "Ryan great to see you back. Ready for a check-up?" I notice his gloves and workout clothes out to the side.


    "You boxing again Doctor?" I was glad he had something to keep him sane.


    "Nah, one of the guys I used to coach when he was a kid, has returned to the city. We went a few rounds to celebrate his homecoming." He gave a few punches.


    I was amused. The idea of having folks running around in the world, that could just show back up and we''d pick up where things were left off, was awesome to me.


    I hoped to have that someday. I never had any close friends in my old home. Lots of casual bros, but no one who had my back no matter what.


    Maybe I was getting there with the Aldecaldos. Maybe they''ll ditch me now that there''s heat attached to the association. In the end they may just be cozying up to me because of the things I can provide, but it didn''t feel like that while I was in the camp with them.


    Vik seemed to be a genuine good dude. Sure a professional and all that, but he actually seemed to care.


    Eh, couldn''t hurt to ask.


    "Hey Doc, you been around a while. I know, you know what it''s like out there. How do you keep caring about folks? Stay sane in the face of all this crap?" I was pensive, still trying to work through everything.


    "Connections, Kid. As simple, and as hard as that. You find your community, you invest in the people and their lives, their victories become yours, and their defeats as well. You share pain and joy and you grow together. It''ll keep you grounded. Too many people place value in becoming legends or making eddies, like the kid that just left, but the city wins that fight every time. Communities can rise and fall but they tend to keep going even when everything else turns to shit." He seemed a bit embarrassed to say all of that, but it was exactly what I needed. Best advice for this troubled place.


    I nodded, I understood that. I had to pick my connections, and work on growing them. "Which is why gangs are such a big thing. A sense of that connection even though they are using you."


    "That''s about the size of it. The biggest problem is learning to pick out the best people to hang with. Your real chooms. It''s a rare thing." He shook his head, remembering something from his past.


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    "Sorry Doc, didn''t mean to drag up old problems."


    "Nah kid, we all have things we''d rather forget." Nothing seemed to phase Vik for long. He was an excellent role model, it was good to know he taught kids, passing some of that unflappable-ness to the younger generations. The world could use more folks like Viktor Vector.


    "Hop up on the chair and let''s have a look at your chrome." He waved towards the operating chair.


    I jumped up, "If you don''t mind, as long as things check out I''d like to get a grip." I settled back into the chair. Looking at all the monitors told me next to nothing I really didn''t understand any of this stuff yet.


    "Oh looking to improve the aim?"


    "No aim''s good, just looking to know where it''s going after. My iron''s a bit more serious these days, and going to be more so soon. I don''t want to zero someone by mistake." I grimaced at the thought of killing some poor schmuck just in the wrong place at the wrong time.


    "Sure, look over the list while I scan your head." He dropped the scanner. It made me dizzy for some reason.


    I powered through the fuzziness looking at the options on the left hand monitor. Tons of options from lots of different Corps, each more expensive than the last. I settled on one from Bats Corp. it basically combined the feature of a ballistics coprocessor, a smart gun link, and a recoil manager all in one. It also had a better technical link to the weapon, so you would get info like gun part condition and other fine details on your feed. It ran me a whooping $50,000, but I had a feeling it''d be worth it.


    "Oh, now that''s something I don''t sell a lot of. Little too pricy for most folks." Vik raised his eyebrows at me.


    "Biz is good. Had a nice little gig out in the Badlands, with more coming down the pipe." I grinned at him. "Soon I''ll be able to invest quite a bit in a community." I saw his face clouding over.


    "I know, I know, not that kind of investment Doc. I was joking." I laughed. He really did remind me of my Gramps.


    "Well, eddies are good to have, but friends can save you when money won''t buy your way out of danger." He nodded like he knew I got the message.


    He flipped up a device on the right side of the chair, "Stick your hand in there. The Autodoc will get the grip implanted." He gave me a shot in the right forearm, once I got my hand positioned.


    "How''s that, feel anything?" I shook my head. He was already rolling his chair back around to look at the scanner. "Everything looks good, your neural pathways have already adapted to the circuitry. Clean connections all the way. The optic sockets report no problems and the nerve there has a good signal coming through. I''d almost say you were born to Chip in with results like this."


    "Sounds great, Doc."


    We waited a few minutes while the Autodoc finished my hand. He flipped the device back under the chair.


    "Alright pull your iron and check the sync up."


    I whipped out the Omaha, and everything had changed. It was like it had become part of me, I could feel it like it I could feel my hand. Awesome.


    In addition to that the ammo count was now displayed in my optics feed as well as a parts readout for the gun. A line traveled from the tip of the barrel showing the most likely trajectory, and even how it would ricochet off the sign I was aiming at. It even suggested a different line of fire to hit the sign for maximum damage.


    "Worth every ennie. Thanks Doc." I said hopping up


    Vik handed me another inhaler, same deal as last time. One puff now, another one every hour for five hours. I hit the first puff and a soothing mist filled my lungs.


    "Welcome, Kid. Now get out there and find your people." He waved me towards the door.


    Yeah. Find my people in a world of fucked up shit.


    I hoped I could.

 Chapter 48

    I drove back to my Outpost in the city.


    As I descended into the depths, I received 2000 CPoints and a Round Token made of the same material as the Hero Token. Which reminded me, I should really use that when I get back to the valley. That would be a loyal ally in a world where there were never enough. Plenty of hostiles though.


    The Psifield had strengthened in the tunnel. It was a comfort. Something about it seemed to prop me up, helped me recall my purpose here.


    The Probes had dug out four large areas so far. Three areas had two Robotics Facilities apiece. I immediately set those up to build Sentries.


    The fourth area had two Forges in it. We could break down just about anything and use those resources to build just about anything. I had a lot of future plans for that. All in good time.


    The Probe that were digging out these rooms had shifted to digging another tunnel to the north. It would be good to be able to pop up anywhere in the city that I wanted.


    I started tinkering in the Forges. I had the Probes tunneling North haul material back here to break down instead of banishing it to the void. Sure it would slow them down, but I''d decided not to be in a hurry anymore. We could take as long as we needed to accomplish ours goals. So long as we remained undetected.


    I started assembling the parts for a larger freight elevator. Once the parts were done, I had Buzz and Jitters start breaking down the stairs. A few hours later, I had a working lift to get back and forth. Bonus, the Sentries should be able to use it, so they don''t have to stay in the tunnels.


    With that out of the way, I assembled some basic furniture. Table, chairs and a bed. A couple of fridges and a stove for when I could stock the place, later. I had to tweak and combined a few different schematics to get a proper oven with a stove top from the odd collection of things scanned into the assemblers database.


    That made me realize I hadn''t been drinking nor had anything to eat for quite a while. Fuck.


    I took the lift, Buzz and Jitters floating about me to try to find some food that wasn''t too bad.


    Turned out there was a diner just up the street. It served what something called fusion cuisine. I ordered a noodle burger. This was a patty of "meat" and some "vegetables" wrapped in noodles on a bun. Tasted better than I thought it would but still didn''t quite meet my standards. I had a canned lemon ice tea with my meal that wasn''t too bad.


    I did grab a few more of those cans of tea to throw in the fridges back at the outpost.


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    I was going to head back to the valley in the morning. There was no point in sticking around the Probes knew what to do.


    My rest was mostly peaceful and I awoke in the morning ready to head out.


    5:00 AM good time to get started.


    Took Jitters and Buzz with me to the van and we got rolling.


    The drive out to the valley was uneventful, just the way I like it.


    When I got to the bridge though, I discovered a problem.


    There was grass growing everywhere. Minty smelling purple grass. The same grass that tends to grow by the waters of a Moon Well. From the bridge all the way up to the cave following the overflow troughs.


    Like the one Arasaka saw, at the other outpost. Fuck.


    I should have thought of this already. I groaned in frustration. I might have banged my head into the steering wheel a few times.


    Well it''s not like I didn''t have an idea of how to take care of that problem. I just had to get started on the solution.


    ''Hey Meadran, I''m coming up. See you soon.''


    ''Hmm. Good to hear from you Young One. We were starting to get worried.'' A sense of peace filled my mind at contact with him. The Valley really was becoming home.


    Up and through the cave which had even more offshoots now. I supposed the constant search for resources continued.


    Lumi met me at the entrance to the Valley and after some scratches and rough housing, he run off into the forest.


    At this point there was nothing but forest here the whole of the valley was flooded with trees. I was staring at a kaleidoscope of different colored foliage.


    Meadran himself had grown a bit more, not as dramatic a change as last time but still noticeable.


    The Rim of the valley had a fully built trail around it following the path set by the Pylons there. Photon Cannons and Keeper Statues where placed by each Pylon. this place was about as defended as we could get it, right now.


    There was all manner of undergrowth now as well. Various bushes and flowers all playing their parts in the cycle of life here.


    Movement outside the trails and path built by the silver Wisps would be difficult at best.


    Yet as I descended the undergrowth seemed to lean away from me as if to not get in my way. I did reach out to one bush to pluck a berry out of it and it seemed to lean into my hand almost like a dog seeking affection. I gave it a pat and it shivered. Okay, that wasn''t the wind.


    What was this?


    ''Meadran what''s up with the plants and trees?'' Trying to project my full meaning over our connection.


    ''They are happy you are home, Young One. Druids are ever bound to nature and all the subjects therein seek the favor of the Druid. We are all connected.'' His thoughts were deep and carried ages of meaning. Even at the speed of thought it would take a while to process all of that.


    ''There is someone you should meet, Young One.'' Meadran seem excited.


    ''Huh? Where?'' Someone got in the Valley?


    I ran to Meadran island, and there they were.


    A nine foot tall skinny tree person, a treant with Golden leaves and dark walnut colored bark. It waved at me enthusiastically, while performing some kind of dance. I could tell it was excited and happy to be here.


    ''While his connection is still growing stronger he cannot yet talk mind to mind. This is Faergin a descendant of the First Trees and one who walks the path of Lore.'' Meadran projected a sense of family and closeness.


    "Pleased to meet you Faergin. I hope you find what you are looking for here." I tried to project friendliness.


    After all trees seemed to be the best people so far, if Meadran was any example.

 Chapter 49

    Faergin was a charming tree, waving his arm branches around and doing a shuffle with his stubby legs. His dancing was a joy to behold.


    One day soon he''d be able to talk and according to Meadran, he would be able to tap into a lot of information over the Great Tree Network. He would also be able to train my spells into new configurations. I needed a mentor, if he was willing.


    My magic was a stranger to me. And nothing seemed to help me think of the best ways to use it. Sure Cleanse had become almost second nature to use, but perhaps there a more efficient way to use it, or could I shape it differently to get better results. What even counted as dirt anyway? Though all that usage did seem to improve the shaping process over time. Hmm.


    Which turned my mind to the fact that often notifications didn''t occur when things improved and I never remembered to check with my BTC on my progress. That was my only source of information on my progress right now, and I needed to understand it more. I could only try to do better going forward, I had a feeling my life would depend on it one day.


    However, my focus right now was trying to solve the problem of being observed by Corpos. We could do that by developing cloaking technology or by reducing or masking energy emissions from the Pylons, maybe both, so I could expand my base and my outposts in peace.


    Alina had been cranking away on several topics of research. Adapting Khalai technology to Human cyberware, designing AI cores for vehicles like the Dragoon, the Arbiter or the Scout, since I saw a need for a broader range of combat options. Lastly, she was researching how to miniaturize several pieces of tech for use in personal armor or even for the Probes like a cloaking field, revolving shields and maybe even small arms plasma weapons or disrupter beams.


    The Probes especially when infused by Wisps had proven their worth and their loyalty. I had no reason to not continuing to utilize them going forward, other than the pain caused by losing them. I would like to develop ways for them to serve in that role while reducing those losses.


    We might have to build something from the ground up.


    Heading to the Nexus, I stopped at the Company Store to see if there were any new quests or sales. No luck. Other than a huge batch of something called burrower mites, nothing was on sale right now, and I really didn''t like the sound of those things.


    Everything along the trails looked lush and overgrown, the air was humid and rich with mana. Even the Ley Line below our base had gained a golden hue and seem much stronger than before.


    Heh. I even spotted the Forest Cockerel, well I guess it was a Rooster now, almost as tall as me. Damn, mana really affected growth, and yet creatures that are immersed in it tended to live far longer lives. That seemed strange to me, was I overthinking it? Something to ask Faergin about when he grows up.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Huh, did that mean I''d live longer?


    Then I ran into the two Sentries, I had queued up so long ago. They kind of reminded me of a giant Roomba. About four feet tall and six feet in diameter, though that was broken up by the large crystalline sphere that acted as their energy core.


    ''Greetings, Executor.'' Even without being infused by a Wisp these robots seemed much more aware than the Probes. A result of more energy, or more data storage, maybe even better coding? Hmm.


    ''Keep up the good work.'' I told them while pondering how to improve them.


    I reached the Nexus slightly worried about how the Sentries would have a hard time in buildings. They were certainly powerful but easily avoided by using doorways.


    I spent the next few hours pouring over schematics as well as Alina''s research trying to find ways to apply them to the problem at hand.


    As fortune would have it, one of the Probes had scanned Optical Camouflage cyberware from somewhere. That helped by giving a baseline comparison between a human result of bending light that was practical versus the Khalai method of altering field effects to blend every signature into the background fields, including light, heat, vibration and Psi energy.


    We tried merging the two and after countless failures one simulated result produced a success. We built a prototype in the Forge. Layers of extra crystal circuits embedded into a suit of armor that combined the principles of both technologies.


    Testing showed it was a success. A small field was projected around the armor that muted all signals and emissions and even worked as excellent optical camouflage.


    Sadly, it wasn''t perfect. The energy requirements were rather large, so it had to be in a Pylon''s area of transmission. That really didn''t help right now, but I was sure we could figure it out later.


    The next prototype was a Photon Cannon. They already required being built next to a Pylon so no worries there. However, trying to fire while maintaining the cloaking field overloaded the circuits and melted the cannon after just a few shots. No go.


    Wait a minute. What was the common factor in all Khalai tech? Pylons! Why don''t I just alter the Pylons to generate the cloaking field and then invest the effect into every piece of Khalai tech around itself. It didn''t fix the armor issue but it was a resolution to the corporate spying problem.


    The Pylons as it turned out were very difficult to alter. To start with the schematic was semi-locked. Certain parts where not allowed to be messed with under Khalai law, no changing the structure of the crystal itself, for example. However, the control ring surrounding it was fair game though. Heh.


    The next morning, I had a working Pylon prototype that could generate a cloaking field, creating almost any appearance of any type of emission desired, but it had a cost. The Psi transmission field was decreased to just two miles in open air. It wasn''t a terrible problem, as we were going to need a ton of Pylons anyway. But that wasn''t the only issue. Things in the field were rendered into the image effectively disappearing, however the field would distort around them when they fired, or moved too rapidly. Only for a second, but it was highly noticeable.


    I threw my hands up, it was good enough for now. I was sure I could improve it later anyway, as I leveled my Warp-Smith...Son of a bitch, I did it again.


    There was probably a solution in the further knowledge I would have gained by leveling up. Argh, I''m such an idiot.


    I ended up shrugging it off, we still had gotten the job done.


    Finally, I could expand without worrying quite so much about Corpo interference.


    Now, I could think about a few other issues that had built up.

 Chapter 50

    (If you haven''t, please read the Author''s Note above it is important for you to understand certain things, that Ryan himself will never be told.)


    I wandered over to Meadran, to use my tokens, especially the Hero token. My thinking was that he would be able to help me talk to whoever showed up.


    ''Meadran which do you think I should use first, the Theme token or the Hero token?'' I honestly wanted his input because I was really worried this would derail some of my plans.


    ''A new faction might allow for a broader selection of heroes. However, I can not foresee it making much difference at this stage.'' As calm and peaceful as always. It''s good to have someone so grounded for advice, close at hand.


    Hmm. I reached into my pocket and just grabbed the first thing that I could. The Theme token. If it just adds a new faction why is it called a "theme" token? Also how do I use it?


    It seemed to vibrate between my fingers.


    [ Do you wish to use Theme token? Y/N ]


    "Yes."


    [ Rolling result... ]


    [ You have obtained faction, Lordaeron ]


    "Who or what the hell is Lordaeron?"


    ''Hmm, a faction of humans that lived across the sea on another continent. I remember them as being haughty and rude, also later they were broken under the might of the Legion.'' His pain was immense, I could feel the burning of Felfire and smell the scorched remains of my... his kin. Terrible deep sadness.


    "I''m so sorry Meadran." I tried to send thoughts of peace and comfort.


    ''It is alright, Young One. The past can not easily nor safely be changed.'' An image of giant winged lizards, oh right, dragons, with sandy colored scales. The feeling that they played with forces they shouldn''t have one too many times.


    A box had appeared resting on the ground, it was 2''cubed and seemed to be made of smooth grey stone.


    [ Please place box in desired location to start using this faction. ]


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "So does this help us? Will they be useful?" Magical Humans, maybe.


    ''I''m uncertain what we''ll gain from them, but I do remember they had priests and mages, and built well with stone and wood. But I worry that you can''t use them at all since we seem unable to summon the Kaldorei or the Khalai.'' Doubt filled his mental voice.


    "Built with stone and wood, so low tech then? Well there might be some advantages with that. Less likely to be detected for one. Would we be able to arm them with modern... no Khalai weapons and armor? Hmm." Well no sense in counting my chickens before they hatch. I might get nothing out of this.


    My hand reached into my pocket to grab the Hero token.


    It began to buzz in my hand.


    [ Do you wish to use Hero token? Y/N ]


    "Yes."


    [ You have Obtained the Hero James Eugene Raynor ]


    "Howdy, Commander."


    He just appeared, a stocky well built guy, a little shorter than myself, with dark hair and eyes. Older than me, but I couldn''t tell how much. He was in plain looking clothes, and some type of armor was laying beside him, also a long ass rifle of some kind. He was holding out his hand.


    I shook it, "Call me Ryan, I don''t feel like much of a commander."


    He nodded, "Takes a big man to admit it. Name''s James Raynor. Call me Jim." I could tell he didn''t smile much. This man had seen some shit.


    "Well, Jim, I don''t know what info you have about our situation, but how about I give you the rundown and maybe you can tell me how you can help?"


    "Ha. Sounds like a plan." He almost grinned. Very grim fella this Raynor.


    I started on my story, I figured it was best to hold nothing back. He just listened stone faced for the hour and a half it took me to get through everything. He lit up a cigarette at one point, it looked hand rolled. Honestly, I couldn''t tell a damned thing about what he was thinking.


    When I was done he ask, "So this is Terra... Earth, or a version of it anyway?" He seemed amused. I think.


    "Yeah, a pretty shitty version, but yes." I nodded.


    "Imagine that. Never thought I''d step foot on the ol'' homeworld of Humanity." He almost chuckled. "Way I see it, I can help with raiding and keeping any troops you have in line. I might have some idea about defenses, once I''ve seen them. Lastly Hoss, I can tell you I''ve been there, but you ain''t alone in this fight, not anymore."


    My BTC started shaking


    [ You have been awarded a gift. Do you accept? Y/N ]


    "Uh, yes?"


    [ You have received the Power, Mana Sink. ] ( AN: Hahahahaha! Sometime random rolls end up being really funny. It is a little broader scale than I wanted, but come on this is hilarious. )


    Mana Sink a power that let me ground hostile spells, or excessive magic energies. That seemed... really pointless. Me, Lumi, Meadran, Faergin and the Wisps were the only users of magic. All magic on this planet came from here. Why would I need to ground out hostile spells? A dud, I guess.


    I tried not to be too disappointed, after all I didn''t have a power at all a moment ago. Something''s better than nothing right?


    I spent another few hour showing Jim around the Valley.


    "Well, the Protoss tech looks like the stuff Tassadar used, different from Artanis''s army. I never did learn too much about either one. So can''t help you much there, and the magic and nature shit flies right over my head. But I can tell you need an army fast, and the Protoss don''t do fast, leastways not with building. So I''d say it was time to to see what this other faction... What did you say their name was, right, Lordaeron looks like."


    Hmm. Maybe it was time to start building outside the valley.

 Chapter 51

    We exited the cave and looked upon the Badlands. I had brought Jitters and Buzz and a dozen other Probes, whose data stores had been updated with the new Pylons. I was hauling the stone box.


    I spotted something going on far off in the distance, involving lots of vehicles. Well mostly I saw the dust they were kicking up. I wondered what it could mean. Well as long as they stay way over there, it was probably nothing to worry about.


    Raynor actually chuckled, "Doesn''t look too different from the Diamondback Wastelands. Spittin'' imagine of a dozen tired old frontiers. The more you see the more things seem the same."


    Yeah, he''d really been around the block.


    I had the Probes, start warping in the new Pylons. I had handed Raynor a brass bracelet embedded with crystal circuits, this would let friendly units operate inside the Pylon''s field without being tricked by it themselves.


    For some reason, I didn''t yet understand, I didn''t need one. But I didn''t want to take the chance that Raynor did.


    About half way down, I laid the box down on a gentle slope just to the side of the Northern trough.


    [ Do you want to use box containing Town Hall? Y/N ]


    "Yes."


    A large image of a building appeared in front of me. I could control it with my mind. Neat! I played with it for a while before settling on a final placement.


    The building itself rested on a raised foundation of stone blocks. Stone steps led up to the main entrance, which I had face the west. A tall clock tower was tucked in next to the entrance, it was made of stone with almost decorative wood bracings. The small windows I could see were made of glass, with heavy shutters. The front door was thick iron reinforced wood. Interesting. Everything about this building spoke of durability and basic security.


    After seeing Night City it was a breath of fresh air. Simple.


    A man walked out of the building. He had brown hair in a kind of flattop with a mustache and a strip of a beard. He looked hardened, a fact emphasized by his armor, some form of plate mail. He was also carrying an oversized spiked mace. His blue and yellow, likely supposed to be gold, tabard was emblazoned with a heavily stylized letter. Supposedly an "L" but it really didn''t look like one to me.


    Stolen story; please report.


    "Where the devil am I? Where did everyone go? Probably some cursed Mage playing a prank again."


    Oh right, guess the Pylons had finished while I played around.


    "Here take this bracelet." Waving one at him. Didn''t work, so the cloaking field mitigated sound. Good to know.


    I slapped the bracelet on him before he could react. Which was good, because my shield ended up deflecting his mace''s head upwards after he struck at me.


    He blinked. Stared at us for a whole minute, sweat popped out all over his forehead. Then he knelt. "Sorry, My Lord! I didn''t see you there!"


    "It''s alright. That''s the point. Please stand up. I''m Ryan and you are." I waved it away.


    "Marshal Dughan formerly of Stormwind, now in service to Lordaeron and yourself, Lord Ryan." He performed a quick salute with his right fist over his heart. His armor rang with the impact.


    "Do you know your purpose here Marshal?" He was way too uptight. this would get old quick.


    He went still for a few minutes. "My lord, I am to assist in the running of this town and see to it''s defense."


    "Yeah, that''s what I need you to do. Welcome aboard, Dughan. We have a lot of work to do." Walked over and touched the Town Hall.


    My BTC shook.


    [ Adjusting... ]


    [ Town Hall has been added to the Great Tree Network.


    Options:


    Choose Class


    Raise Level


    Summon Peasant (Builder)


    Summon Peasant (Farmer)


    Summon Peasant (Laborer) ]


    I queued up one of each type of Peasant.


    A few minutes later three people came out of the Town Hall. Two men and one woman. Simple homespun clothes covered them. I had Buzz put bracelets on them.


    They looked around in confusion and wonder. Then they saw me.


    They knelt low to the ground. "Milord. We are here to work."


    I sighed. Who ever wanted this shit? I had things to get done, I didn''t need people fawning all over me.


    "Stand please. Good. We need Farms. Tell me what we need to get started." Really going to get old quick. I could hear Raynor actually laughing behind me somewhere.


    "Wood and stone, milord." One man said.


    "Seed and stock animals, milord." The woman said.


    "A warehouse, quarry and lumbermill, milord." The other man spoke up.


    Jim took the opportunity to step forward, "Ryan how ''bout you let me handle this. I''ve worked a few farms in my day. Even worked on a settlement or two. You mosey over to the store and get some seed stock as well as some animals and feed. Oh and bring more bracelets."


    "Alright, better than me getting in the way. Jim I leave them in your hands. Marshal Dughan please take direction from Jim when I''m not around." Yeah, I''d have to learn about it all later, but right now I was sick of being lordified. Is that a word? Well, it is now.


    Dughan gave me another ringing salute, "As you wish, My Lord." He turned to Raynor.


    While I was walking away I heard them already chatting like old buddies. Was it an soldier thing?


    As I started the long trek back to the Company Store, I couldn''t help but wonder what classes the Town Hall would give me.

 Chapter 52

    It didn''t take long to find several dozen farming bundles in the CStore.


    It came down to what kind of farm I wanted, and how much I was willing to pay. More than anything I wanted some decent beef. There were three options available. A Eversong Dairy, a Varagian, and Stormhollow Cattle package. Diary sounded wonderful and I would come back for it later, but I wanted a damned steak, or a rack of ribs dripping with BBQ sauce.


    Ah, I made myself hungry. Curses. Never go shopping when you are hungry.


    I picked the Varagian Cattle. It was a blind choice and I hoped it would pay out. A wooden crate appeared again 2'' cubed. A repeated pattern. 500 CPoints down. 3300 left.


    Next, I looked through staple crops. Potatoes, corn, rice, wheat, and various beans. I settled on Loch Modan Potatoes to start. Another crate and another 400 CPoints spent.


    I knew there was decent wheat out there somewhere so buying here was a waste of CPoints. I was torn. Corn or rice, both were very useful lots of versatility. Eh, I went with the Westfall corn for no particular reason. 400 CPoints invested. 2500 left.


    Ah right, feed for the cattle and probably rations for the people. I could have them just eat fruits and berries, maybe even eggs too at this point. But I didn''t want to tax the trees of the Valley too heavily in the future when the population grew larger. So don''t make it an option now. They''ll stay treats and rewards for my troops.


    I found a subscription service for the feed. 200 CPoints for a daily crate of top quality feed, supposedly enough for up to 30 heads of cattle. The service was renewed monthly. I could just have Probes deliver the crates from here to the farm everyday.


    I also found another service for rations. 100 CPoints for a similar deal. Yeah, I guessed people were cheaper to feed then cattle. The Lordaeronians should have plenty to store for later.


    I called over a few Probes to haul the crates out to the Town Hall, then headed over to the Forge to queue up some more bracelets.


    The need for an assistant or at least a gopher was rapidly becoming apparent. Maybe more than one.


    Okay, next order of business. Levels. I pulled up my XP: 8362.


    Hmm. 3 levels of Warp-Smith, 1 level of Druid of Renewal, Then I''ll look at the options at the Town Hall. If I liked any of them, I could increase it to level 4 right away. I liked the symmetry.


    [ Warp-Smith has reached Level 4


    You have gained Psi Technique, Open Warp Portal


    You have gained Psi Technique, Power Psifield


    You have gained Psi Technique, Empower Constructs


    You have gained +6 Psi Resonance


    You have gained +3 Tech


    You have gained +6 Free Points ]


    Now those are some interesting abilities. Open Warp Portal allows me to link two separate points under the influence of a Psifield for a number of seconds equal to my Psi Resonance plus the Techniques level. Power Psifield allowed me to act as a Pylon for a number of minutes equal to my Psi Resonance. Empower Constructs allowed me to increase the abilities of anything I personally had a hand in designing or making for a number of minutes equal to my Psi Resonance.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Of course, I spent several moments just writhing on the ground in agony as several decades worth of knowledge on Khalai technology was unceremoniously shoved into my brain. Was it as bad as the first time? No, nowhere near as bad, but I still wanted to claw my eyes out.


    Once I regained control of myself I went to Meadran and added a level in Druid of Renewal.


    [ Druid of Renewal has reached Level 4


    You have gained spell, Nature''s Blessing


    You have gained +2 Spirit


    You have gained +1 Will


    You have gained +2 Free Points ]


    Nature''s Blessing was a spell to enhance all natural properties of a subject for a number of hours equal to my Spirit. (AN: This ability is every bit as broken as your gamer mind thinks it is, but Ryan isn''t a gamer.)


    Okay, why was it soothing to get new spells and the knowledge therein, but Psi Knowledge fucking hurt? Was there a way to fix that? Please.


    I felt so much better. A quick Regrowth, a Cleanse, and then I cast Nature''s Blessing on Myself, then on Meadran. Oh, nice, that felt amazing. Like a shot of adrenaline laced coffee, without all the side effects. I could get used to this.


    ''Ah, thank you, Young One. That makes my branches feel lighter.'' His chuckle of amusement was all the thanks I needed.


    Yeah, I''m casting this spell on all my friends.


    I didn''t even mind the walk back to the Town Hall where I received a pleasant surprise.


    Three farms had already been built. One designated as a ranch with little calves running all around. There were feeding troughs, a pond and a barn structure next to the ranch house as well.


    The other two Farms had about 5 acres of green shoots already sprouting from the soil. There were two new farmers out weeding the fields, which after looking at them for a while already had irrigation channels dug out leading from the outflow troughs.


    Damn that''s fast.


    By the Town Hall, the Builder and Laborer now had two new companions to help as they were putting up a Warehouse while Probes carted over lumber and stone.


    Raynor and Dughan had a group of ten peasants, training with simple wooden shields and really basic looking swords.


    "Damn Jim, I didn''t think I was gone that long." I was shocked.


    "You weren''t, but things seem to work a mite bit faster here." He seemed a little less grim as he went back to yelling instruction at the trainees.


    Dughan saluted me as I passed by to touch the Town Hall.


    I selected Choose Class.


    [ Mage of Transformation


    +2 to Will


    +1 to Cool


    +2 to Intelligence


    A Mage that specializes in transmutations.


    Starting Spells: Change Color, Alter Minor Property ]


    [ Paladin of Nature


    +2 to Body


    +1 to Cool


    +2 to Spirit


    Bring righteous fury upon those who would despoil Nature.


    Starting Abilities: Smite, Aura of Thorns ]


    [ Priest of Fertility


    +3 to Spirit


    +2 to Cool


    A Priest that worships Growth in all its forms. Aids in keeping Humans balanced with Nature.


    Starting Spells: Bless Crops, Bless Livestock ]


    Now that was a conundrum, but I really wanted something to help keep me alive. Only one class offered that.


    [ Paladin of Nature has reached Level 4


    You have gained Prayer Smite


    You have gained Aura of Thorns.


    You have gained +5 Body


    You have gained +4 Cool


    You have gained +5 Spirit


    You have gained +8 Free Points ]


    The pain this time was much more physical, it felt as if every muscle was being torn apart. I contorted and shook in spasms for several minutes.


    When I snapped out of it. Everyone was gathered around me. Raynor was holding me still, after seemingly rolling me on my side.


    "You alright there Hoss? You were flopping about like a landed fish there." Raynor master of finding humor in horrible things.


    "Yeah, just give me a moment to figure this out." I gulped air for a moment.


    Smite was a Prayer. It literally called the Wrath of Nature down upon enemies. The further from a natural path they strayed the more damage it would do. (AN: How much damage to Adam Smasher do you think?)


    Aura of Thorns was a field I could call up around myself that would return a portion of damage dealt to me. Interesting.


    I got up and stretched. "That hurt." I went with the deadpan delivery.


    Raynor chuckled, "Looked like it."


    "Do you need a priest, My Lord?" Dughan seemed very concerned. Not that you could tell by looking at him, no it was just a feeling.


    "No, I''ll be fine. I was just leveling up real quick."


    That got a bunch of blank stares, other than Raynor.


    Oh, can the rest of my troops not level. Only me and Heroes? No that didn''t make sense. Meadran levels and knew about leveling? Lumi and Alina as well.


    Huh.


    Another issue to look into.

 Announcement. (Not a Chapter)

    Due to a combination of personal and professional issues, my schedule has been disrupted.


    Sadly my writing time will be cut drastically. I have no clue how long the situation will last.


    This story will receive only sporadic updates, as I can catch moments to write.


    My other story will be put on Hiatus, until the issues are resolved.


    In the meantime, I wish all of you a joyous life and bountiful rest.


    [Obligatory ramblings to pad the word count. The worse part of all things, is the uncertainty of outcomes. Dramatic words are never a waste, unless you are already asleep.


    A Congress of Ravens flew into a bar, and asked the bartender for a filibuster. The bartender replies, "I''ve never heard that one before." The ravens proceeded to tell a long and convoluted tale about the time they served in the Owl Wars. When the story came to an end hours later the Bartender said, "Okay that''s great and all but you never told me how to make the drink." The Ravens proceeded to laugh and then left the bar. A whimsical smattering of only loosely collected thoughts and ideas.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Badgers are interesting until they decide your porch is the perfect spot for their new burrow. Then they become a problem.


    If everyone cared about why things happened, would anything ever get done?


    Dancing on the backs of others is a activity that has lost much of its appeal. I use to think that all movement was related until it was my back cracking. Do you tip toe around all the people or just those that actually pay attention to what you are doing?


    Why in the name of all the could be holy, are you even reading this right now? You could be out touching grass, or whatever the young folks say these days. There is no wisdom to be had here, nor an entertainment either.


    Bananas however are optional, unless you wish to rule then they are mandatory.


    What you are still here, well this will get rid you you once and for all. You are amazing and wonderful, and everyone should love you, despite all those dark corners in your mind. It is truly a shame that no one recognizes the unique individual you are. If all the stars were to spew forth their gases to make another world you would surely be the model for their new lifeforms. You brightness puts all the light in the universe to shame.


    Hmm. More? Tragically the heavens have not parted to give you all that you deserve. Unfortunately they will not part for me either. Thus as with all things my time singing your praises shall be cut short.


    Perhaps if time ever allows, I shall write a novel about why the existence of life was a mistake. But at least in your case it was an excellent one. It almost makes me what to keep existing myself.


    Nah, let''s not get ahead of ourselves. Our time has been but a short window into madness, and now it is done. ]

 Chapter 53

    My time over the next few days was largely spend doing what I had found I loved best, improving schematics. Mostly small adjustments to improve power flow, or to streamline chassis like the Sentries. In some cases, the new knowledge in my brain was proving very useful, like several improvement to the cloaking fields. For example, you no longer needed a bracelet to operate under the field provided you were designated friendly by one of the recognized authorities of the Valley.


    I branched out into coding, so I could better understand and regulate the AIs governing my robots. Probes showed remarkable improvement across all fields, and I even managed to include a few new tools in their latest redesign. Better lifting and pulling, expanded repair and upgrade features and especially in the baseline building programming. Now they could build any schematic from scratch rather than having to warp it in.


    How did this help? As I had learned from observing the Lordaeron builders it was faster, and didn''t emit anywhere near as much of an energy signature. Also they could now perform many of the functions of a Forge on their own, just on a much smaller scale. Good for making new equipment.


    Even the minor additions to Alina''s code were already paying dividends. Day to day needs and functions were handled with precision. She was running the base expansions now, with only slight input from Meadran and Raynor. Although at this point the Valley really had no room for anything else. So most new building projects were happening out in New Lordaeron as we had all taken to calling it. I figured it would be good for the morale of the people I summoned to have a reminder of their home.


    I had taken to training with Jim and the recruits for a couple of hours every day. Getting used to my new physical improvements, which were substantial. I still hadn''t spent my free points not understanding where I might benefit the most. My mind kept overprocessing the ideas, without any clear idea of what any of it meant in the first place. Though Meadran and Jim both said I should do something about my agility. That would be Reflex, right? Seemed to be the most likely canidate.


    I took this training time as well to cast Nature''s Blessing on everyone. Making the already ridiculously speedy construction of buildings that much faster, and the training that much smoother.


    During one training session I got, perhaps, my best idea yet.


    Raynor had been trying to get some of the Probes to cycle into the training, so the recruits would have something different to spar with. It wasn''t going well, the Probes really didn''t like being ordered by anyone but me. They were mostly just beeping angrily at him, but today Buzz was not having it. He rammed into Raynor and plinked off Raynor''s armor.


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    Raynor''s powered armor.


    Raynor had mentioned that mechanical enhancement of humans in The Confederacy was rare, and usually the last ditch method to treat someone. They mostly enhanced people genetically or chemically. However, his armor was powered granting him a fairly large boost to strength and speed.


    Watching Buzz ram into Raynor again and again, I couldn''t help but think that we could make more armor. Better armor. If my experiments with Khalai tech had taught me anything it was that human equipment was easy to replicate and improve using the Forge.


    "Buzz! Scan that armor." I pointed at Raynor''s armor. "Raynor can you teach these guys how to operate that armor or some just like it?"


    Buzz hovered around Raynor, his scanners working on every little detail of the armor.


    "Of course, they''re dumb as rocks and mule stubborn, but that was all my boys back home. I can whip them into shape, but where are you... I get it." His eyes lit up with understanding. "That''ll be something."


    Buzz beeped his completion. "When this is done, the Probes will help with training. We can use it to enhance their battle algorithms. Right, Buzz?"


    Buzz gave a sad beep. "Cheer up Buzz, it will help improve everyone. Isn''t that good?"


    A doubtful beep that meant, "Sure, but can you trust them?"


    "Maybe not as well as you guys, but sure, I trust them." I nodded at the grumpy Probe. Buzz flew off to get back to his work.


    "Is it just me or have they gotten more uppity lately?" Raynor asked gruffly.


    "Yeah, side effect of the infusion process. They developed an evolving personality and it gets more pronounced when they get a name. Kind of like kids. But they are way better company now." I shrugged. "I''m going to get to work on the designs for Terran and Protoss fusion armor."


    That was when I got a call. Sally.


    My face drained of blood. Oh fuck. I''d gotten too caught up in everything. I had forgotten to call them.


    "Sally are you alright?" I tried to keep my voice calm.


    "Yeah, they didn''t really chase us. We think they just wanted to drive us off. A couple of the old vets had eyes on them for a while after we scattered. They''re still guarding the area, not letting anyone near. They barely even seemed interested in the remains of your buildings other than the water. They were real keen on that."


    That was a load off my mind.


    "Can you guys meet up? Hell bring everyone if you want. I''ve got a solution for the Corpos watching us from above. We have water and food and plenty of room. Better yet, new weapons and armor coming down the pipeline soon." I said the last part like you might say hot steamy sex.


    "Ooo. That does sound like a good time. You talked me into it, you smooth devil. I''ll talk to Amanda and we''ll head that way shortly." The line went silent. She didn''t seem upset, good. I guess I hadn''t fucked up too badly.


    Raynor chuckled, "I know that look. Wife?"


    "Huh!? What!? No, we just met not that long ago. Still figuring all that out." I felt my face heat up.


    He gave me a stare, a you''d best wise up stare.


    "Oh, son. Your goose is already cooked, you might as well make peace with the idea. Been there a time or two. Before you ask, no, it never gets easier."


    Yeah. I was looking forward to their arrival, and dreading it all the same.

 Chapter 54

    The next morning caught me by surprise.


    I''d worked on the armor designs all night. The first and most obvious improvement, was replacing the plating and components'' neosteel for the Khalai alloy, I''ve decided to call crysbronze. During it''s formation the base alloy, a true slurry of dozens of different metals, is infused with an artificial form of khaydarin crystal and then the molecular lattice is vibrated into the most stabile formation possible.


    Did I really understand the chemistry of it? No, not yet.


    The forge handled the calculations, I only need to understand the process. It didn''t sit well with me. But I didn''t have time to dig into everything now.


    This one step improved the defensive performance of the armor by about 25%. Extra bonus it lightened the weight by 10% as well.


    The next step replaced the electrical system with the artificial Psicrystal. This gave the armor a 12% increase increase in reaction speed and extended the battery life of the suit almost 50%. Also a vast improvement to the onboard computer assistance for things like targeting and mapping. thought about replacing the battery, but I wasn''t quite sure how to get the psicrystal to give off a stable electric power flow.


    I had to alter the baseline code of the armor''s system to integrate with the psicrystal better, but it wasn''t that difficult.


    Lastly, I used some of the mechanical feedback systems of the Dragoon and the Khalai cyberware to cobble together a small improvement to the strength enhancement of the suit, only 6% but I was sure I could crank that up once I got some more experience with both technologies.


    I didn''t see a way to upgrade the gel impact lining yet. Most Protoss equipment seems to lack it or any equivalent of it. Hardcore, but maybe they didn''t need it?


    Oh and I figured out how to get the Forges to enamel the armor in other colors. I decided to go with a deep forest green with a midnight blue trim. A stylized version of Meadran, in silver, would be our emblem.


    When the first suit rolled off the assembler, I loved it. It looked amazing. I wanted to hop right in, but I didn''t make it for me.


    I had Jitters help me haul it out to Raynor. Oof, just the torso was hefty.


    We finally managed to drag it out to the Town Hall of New Lordaeron. The sun was just rising but Raynor was already running the recruits ragged, he stopped when he saw the armor.


    "Morning, special delivery!" I was excited. This would change so much. The Protoss robots were great and they could certainly defend our territory, but we needed faster to produce troops. So we could expand forcefully if necessary, and so we could start matching numbers with our enemies.


    He gave it a critical inspection. At his nod, we assembled it around him, making sure everything fit to a tee.


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    Raynor ran a quick diagnostics test and when that returned an all clear he started a series of movement tests.


    After a few minutes, "Handles like a dream. Smooth as silk and twice as useful. Might have gone a different way on the colors, but hey, it''s your rodeo."


    Now that I knew the armor worked properly, I had Jitters setup two forges on either side of and just behind the Town Hall.


    "It will be a hassle but we''ll scan everyone up and get them all a suit, probably by tomorrow." I was calling over a few Probes to get started on scanning the recruits.


    "Sounds great, Hoss. I''ll keep working ''em ''til then." Raynor had his faceplate close, and showed that I has copied his skull pattern on to the cover. Very intimidating.


    He started barking at his boys, getting them to redouble their efforts.


    Deciding to take a break I wandered over to the hill side and sat down to stare out into the badlands for a spell. The minty purple grass had already taken over the area and made for comfortable sitting.


    Jitters floated over to be next to me as I stared out at the terrible desert, trying to come up with plans to bring life back to everywhere I saw. He gave a troubled beep.


    "Nah, I''m fine, just a little overwhelmed, about all of this." I waved my arm to take in everything. "Half the time I''ve got no clue what I''m doing, and the other half I''m still confused about whether or not what I''m doing is the right thing."


    His counter beep was reproachful.


    "Hmm. Yeah, I know I''m doing the best I can. That what bothers me the most. Why didn''t they take someone who knows about the kinds of things going on here? I can''t help but feel like I''m missing opportunities just because I don''t understand how this all works."


    Jitters bumped against me. A show of support. I gave him a pat, and sent comforting thoughts at him. He flew off to get some more work done, leaving me to my thoughts.


    [ Adjusting...]


    [ Quest Offered


    Establish two new Outposts in the Badlands around Night City,


    They must be at least 50 miles apart.


    Reward: 2000 Company Points, 1 Mercenary Squad Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    [ Quest Offered


    Establish Outposts in Night City Charter Hills and Santa Domingo areas,


    They must be at least half a mile apart.


    Reward: 4000 Company Points, 1 Theme Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    [ Quest Offered


    Regain control of your first Outpost and rebuild it


    Reward: 3000 Company Points, 1 Hero Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    [ Quest Offered


    Kill 100 Gangoons or 50 Corpo Agents


    Repeatable and Ongoing


    Reward: 1000 Company Points, 1 Random Supply Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    [ Quest Offered


    Make an alliance with a local faction


    Reward: 1000 Company Points, 1 Adjutant Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    [ Quest Offered


    Survey a different city,


    Must have at least 1,000,000 inhabitants


    Reward: 2000 Company Points, 1 Power Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    "What the Fuck!" The flood of requests startled me. All this time not even a whisper. Now bam! Here''s a bunch of tasks for you.


    I started reading them. More outposts, already part of the plan so no stress there. I hit yes on those. A Merc Squad? So I have to pay them? Maybe not the best reward, but I surely wanted a another Theme Token, more power and flexibility.


    Take back my first outpost. You could bet your sweet ass I wanted that back, so again no worries there. I accepted that one. Another hero, please. I needed all the help I could get and Raynor was a godsend. He was helping the Lordaeron folks get settled in far better than I could. I''m just not much of a people person.


    Killing Gangoon and Corpos, well sure, I''d made my peace with killing for profit, as long as I knew the target was scum. Alright, no problem saying yes to that. Extra supplies were a great bonus.


    I''m already making an alliance with the Aldecaldos. So I grabbed that one. I wondered what an Adjutant would do for us.


    Survey a different city. Seemed like a hassle, I already had a ton of work on my plate. But there was no time limit and I''d need to expand to other cities anyway. So sure bring it on. While my first Power seemed to be a dud, maybe another one would be just what I needed.


    Well, it was better then sitting around moping. Next task, start some Probes digging back towards NC.


    More work, always.

 Chapter 55

    A dozen new Probes were commissioned for Project Underbridge.


    They would create a waystation to the north of New Lordaeron which would allow troops and vehicles access to an underground road. This road would travel back towards the broken bridge and a new bridge across the canyon 500'' down. The other side would then be aimed towards linking up with and expanding the tunnel the Probes from my Japantown Outpost.


    I wondered why the quest wanted me to build another Outpost in Charter Hills which was right next to Japantown.


    The waystation''s path down would be a gently inclined spiral road, so it''d be easier to walk or to drive up or down. The bridge would be based off the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge in Arizona because it was the only canyon spanning bridge I remembered well enough.


    That was a fun trip with my parents and sister, we saw a lot of the Southwest that summer. Though the real goal was to to see some band they were fans of. What bands were shared between this world and mine? Where was the deviation point? A good question though I''m not sure how useful it would be to find those answers.


    The good news was once I conveyed my thoughts to the Probes, my input was no longer necessary. I decided to just take a walk to clear my head. Thanks to my Cleanse spell I never had to take off my clothes or armor. At this point, I was so wound up, so worried about hidden threats, that I wouldn''t even take off my armor in the Valley.


    I slowly made my way over to the farms contemplating whether we should start a few more. The Nomads would be here soon and I''d like to have enough food for everyone. Speaking of, I should expand our rations subscription, maybe triple the current amount? More folks would be coming later I''m sure. Always better to have too much and not need it than need it and not have it.


    Enjoying walking amongst the already waist high stalks of corn, my eyes started to notice the differences. Mana was starting to saturate the area quite nicely, helping everything to grow not only faster but stronger. We would likely have the first crops within the week and future cycles would be even faster.


    I started to consider what the cost of all this accelerated growth might be, but thankful got distracted by the farmers weeding and checking the plants for pests. They had mentioned before that there hardly seemed to be any of the usual bugs. Magic or just the wasteland''s normal condition?


    Expansions of the base farm buildings had already created a little complex at the heart of each farm. They had their own wells now, toolshed, composting bins, silos and barns. Also a few trees already bonded to wisps and each farm no matter the type had a chicken coup.


    Apparently the Feralassian chickens were over populating the valley, so now new chicks were rounded up by the Probes and brought to the farms. The grubs that were the chicken primary food source had already found their way to the fields where they help aerate the soil.


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    Huh, starting to get the idea that I didn''t need to be so worried about the logistics.


    ''Course that didn''t last long.


    I noticed the farm houses were big enough to house the farmers and any hands, but what about the builders and the laborers?


    Alina assured me that housing was going up not only for the workers and the recruits but for visitors and guests and any new summons.


    Though right now the main priority of the Lordaeron builders was a barracks. A mini fortress where footmen and later knights could be trained. I wasn''t yet sure what the utility of these soldiers would be, but I was eager to find out.


    Walking back to the Town Hall I saw Probes scanning each of the recruits while Raynor ran them through their drills. I waved at everyone as I continued back toward the Valley.


    My goal was to hit the Company store for more rations and maybe some new farm stock.


    Lumi met me at the end of the caves.


    After we had some serious scratches, he got to his business.


    ''Small Brother, is it safe to start roaming outside the Valley yet?''


    ''Sure, just stay within the zone of the Pylon coverage and you should be fine. Let Faergin know as well if you see him, before me.''


    The treant sure liked to roam around, possibly to find a place to root, or maybe to make up for lost time.


    Lumi was already gone before I finished the thought. I guess he had his version of the zoomies.


    "Ha!" I was quite amused by his antics.


    I didn''t manage to catch sight of Faergin but did stop to check on Meadran. I''d noticed he was quieter lately, I asked if he needed anything.


    ''No, Young One, it is the nature of my kind to spend long periods in slow thought. We are quiet by nature and find the pace of other folk dizzying at times.''


    ''Ah, should have thought of that. Sorry Meadran, I''ll let you have some peace.''


    ''Thank you, Young One.''


    I finally got to the Company Store. I was starting to realize just how bound, trapped I was to this system. Feelings of being exploited were bubbling. It might be a while before it gets to a boil but they were there. After all, I never asked for this.


    Yet I had already accepted that helping folks was my responsibility, even if I didn''t understand why I thought that way. Maybe this is part of what Meadran meant when he talked about the difference between knowing and understanding.


    Since we were installing Moon Wells into each Farm, I went with rice this time. A nice sounding Pandarian Jade Rice for 500 CPoints.


    Then I scroll through the beans options. I picked up a Hinterland Hardy Bean for 300 CPoints. Those require trellises but I was sure it wouldn''t be a problem.


    Let''s see, I wanted some bacon. Bacon makes everything better. Well not really everything, but a lot of things sure. I choose a Camberland Pig for another 500 CPoints.


    I doubled the subscription on the livestock feed for 200 more CPoints.


    Lastly, I went with a bulk package of high quality rations for 1000 people for 500 a month. It rolled into my other subscription so I only spent 400 more CPoints.


    Leaving me with just 300 Company Points.


    I was really going to have to hustle and complete some of those quests before next month came around.


    After making sure the Probes knew about the new crates. I went back to the Town Hall and summoned two more builders and laborer along with six more farmers.


    I let Dughan and Raynor know about the new farms and supplies as well as explaining about the Nomads and how we were to treat them as honored guests.


    Dughan gave his typical salute, "As you wish My Lord."


    Raynor just laughed, "Tryin'' to impress your lady friend Hoss?"


    "What? No! I''m just trying to make sure there plenty of food." I grumbled.


    They both got into giving me shit for the next hour.


    Why me?

 Chapter 56

    The next morning, the Aldecaldos were parked by the bridge before I got up.


    No one had thought to wake me up. Maybe they just figured I needed the sleep.


    Alina hadn''t added them to the exceptions list yet, she just kept the cannons from targeting them.


    I cast a quick Cleanse and tried to put myself in order before walking over to them.


    Then I had Alina add them into the allies list.


    To say they freaked out was an understatement, most of them were half in their cars before I could get their attention.


    Sally had her monster of a rifle aimed at me before she realized who she was targeting. Awkward.


    "I said I solved the spying problem!" I had my hands up and they stayed up ''til she lowered her aim. I was still grinning though. Her face went through a thousand emotions before settling on relief and joy. That smile would live in my mind forever. I''d never seen anything so beautiful.


    She dropped her rifle ran over and tackle hugged me. Thankfully my increased strength let me absorb her energy. I returned the hug firmly but carefully. She smelt of gun oil and synth leather.


    Oh that felt nice. She genuinely missed me. Her warmth bled into me filling me with a sense of belonging.


    A moment later Megan had joined in. She wrapped her soft arms around us, trying to squish us. She smelt of some perfume, cinnamon and clove and something else I couldn''t identify.


    I was melting inside. Her face carrying a cocky grin that also plucked my heartstrings. I had never felt so... loved.


    Is that what this is? This fierce concern and protectiveness that burned deep inside me. This desire to never part from them again. Seemed awful quick. Yet I couldn''t imagine not wanting to be right there, right then.


    "We saw the explosion, we were worried they had killed you. We checked and couldn''t find you, but we saw your tracks, we knew you had gotten away. Then we were worried you were going to cut us out." Megan started talking real fast. Sally just buried her face deeper into my neck.


    It took me a second to parse what Megan had said.


    "What? Cut you out? Why the fuck would I do that?" I really didn''t understand the female mind. I slipped an arm around Megan''s softer frame squeezing her gently.


    "Some noble idea of protecting us." Amanda chimed in from the sidelines where she was watching with glittering eyes and huge knowing smile.


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    "Darlin'' you ain''t joking, this danged fool has been working himself to the bone trying to get the place ready for y''all." Raynor had snuck up on the scene while I was distracted. Well he had just ambled over, but I was really distracted. "Been awhile since I''d seen anyone so focused on fixin'' things."


    "Umm... " I was starting to get a little uncomfortable with everyone watching us. Even some of the Probes had stopped their tasks and were scanning us. Lumi was nearby with a wolfish grin. And Faergin was dancing close by while a few Nomads were looking at him in shock.


    I didn''t really like being the center of attention for too long. Short bursts are great but this was getting weird.


    "Shhh." Sally vocalized just holding me like she never wanted to let me go. Okay, suddenly I could just let it all go, and nothing else mattered. They were my world in that moment.


    Megan hummed some song she liked while we all just stayed like that.


    I really had no clue what to do now. So I just gave up and followed their lead.


    When the hug ended I no to desire to say anything. Neither did they.


    So, I led them over to the warehouse where the Probes had been storing the rations every morning. I grabbed a pull cart that had been put together by a builder and filled it with ration pouches. We brought them back to the camp the Aldecaldos had already set up and handed them out.


    I should mention that the rations weren''t "rations". They were stasis locked meals, preserved at the peak moment of their preparation. As these were labeled "High Quality" they were pretty damned good meals. However they weren''t labeled as to what meal was inside, so you got what you got.


    Today I ended up with a gravy coated country fried steak served with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon. A cup of rich dark roast coffee was also in the pouch. They was dimensional bullshit I could get behind. That was a jackpot as far as I was concerned.


    Sally had a prime rib with some fancy sauce, steamed vegetables and a couple of rolls slathered in honey butter. Her drink was a glass of red wine. A little too much for breakfast but tasty looking anyway.


    Megan''s meal was a whole 14'' pizza with all the meats and some veggies too with a side of buffalo wings. She got a tall glass of soda. That also looked good.


    I saw them trade meals. They took bite of each others and even grabbed a few bites of mine as well. I didn''t mind.


    While we where eating, I explained what I did with the Pylons. They seemed to actually listen and liked the idea of being able to work right under someone''s nose while they had no clue.


    "Any plans to make it mobile?" Sally probably wanted it for her truck.


    "Sure, some of the Khalai tech already has that feature, I just have to figure out how to adapt it." I nodded and explained how I was trying to get it down to something you could strap on your belt.


    Then I went into how I had used Megan''s idea of tunneling and Project Underbridge. The plan to have hidden wells and reservoirs was really exciting to them.


    "If you achieve nothing else, that alone would change the power dynamic in the badlands. We''d always be able to get away and be able to hide in the most remote areas." Megan was plotting how best to take advantage of all I offered.


    After we were finished eating, I walked over to Amanda who was talking with Raynor.


    Hmm. They seemed to be hitting it off. Interesting.


    I asked Amanda if she could formally agree to an Alliance between New Lordaeron and all the Aldecaldos. She said she would needed to call up a couple of folks and get their opinions but if they agreed we could work something out.


    I nodded. It would be a quick solution to the one quest.


    In the meantime, I decided to show Sally and Megan around while telling them my full story.

 Chapter 57

    I took them to the Moon Well where I first appeared. Why was I going to tell them the truth? Because there was no way to go forward with them not knowing about my past.


    "This is the place I came into your World."


    Then spent a few hours trying to explain my version of Earth.


    "So you came from 2024 and there was no Corpo War, no Johnny Silverhand, no nukes going off." Sally stared at me trying to wrap her mind around my tale.


    "Cyberware is still in it''s infancy, there is no widespread direct neural linking to the Net. Companies basically run everything but it''s behind the scenes, instead of out in the open." Megan looked horrified at the thought of no netrunning.


    "That about sums it up." I nodded. I hoped they could take it all in without it being a problem.


    I then led them on the same path I took when I started. What a month ago? No, not even that yet. Damn.


    I introduced them to Meadran.


    "Ah what lovely young flowers you have brought. I am Meadran, serving as the Tree of Life for this community, I wish you a pleasant stay while you are here." A tree has more game than I do. Sad.


    The ladies chatted with the smooth tree for a while, and then I took them past the company store. I explained it''s functions.


    "These interdimensional beings, basically kidnapped you before you died. Dropped you here with no explanation, and still expect you to fulfill tasks to earn "their" money so you can buy what you need to "save" the world." Sally seemed a little angry.


    "That''s an accurate summation, yes." I nodded.


    "What are you trying to do about it? Anything? You don''t owe anyone here. You have no skin in this game." Megan was shaking her head, probably trying to calculate what the real goal of the Company was.


    "Had." I interjected.


    "Had?" She squinched her face up.


    "I had no skin in this game. Now I have you and Sally." I got a pair of lovely smiles for that. Okay, maybe I could be charming too.


    We continued to the Nexus, where they met Alina, and learned more about the Khalai, and where my awesome technology came from. I tried to not bore them with my ideas and vision of future projects.


    I showed them how the Forges worked and the Cybernetics Core. Then I introduced them to some of the Sentries roaming around.


    We headed back to the Town Hall while I told them about my time in the Badlands and how I met Greg.


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    "He got you but not too bad. You had no way of knowing how much wood was worth." I loved how Sally seem slightly upset on my behalf.


    I explained how I got my Galena. Then the first trip to NC and the terrible not pizza, my time at Lizzie''s. How them treated me as a Bennie. Sinnamin.


    Meeting Misty and Vik.


    "Viktor Vektor is one of the best out there." Megan seemed to know of him. "He''s kind of a legend in his own right. Been thinking of finding him to get some work done."


    "So, about this Misty." I knew that tone.


    "She''s great, reminds me of my sister a little." Let''s try to head that off.


    I got the "I know what you just did, but I''ll let you get a way with it" stare.


    Moved on to my clumsy attempt at hunting Maelstrom. The horrors of the Scav den and how bad that messed me up.


    Getting chipped. How odd it made me feel.


    The first time I met Sally on my way back to the Valley.


    I skipped over events to where I was running from Arasaka and what happened there. The sacrifice of Scuff and Fix, Chuck and Barry.


    We had found a place to sit by the corn farm.


    "So I walked back to the Sunset Motel. Headed back into NC to try to setup the other outpost. The Mox had put out work to get me over to Lizzie''s. I figured it could wait."


    Biting through syllables, I told them what happened to Sinnamin, and my response.


    I got more hugs. Which I appreciated but didn''t help as much as I thought they would.


    "I don''t understand why it got to me so much. I barely knew her, but it seemed so sad, so wrong. A broken life that maybe I could have helped. Part of me thinks I should just flatten the City once I have enough power. Rebuild, try to make something better out of the rubble." I shook my head.


    "Wouldn''t help much. The Corps are the problem and how they twist everything into a commodity. How they destroy resources rather than let the people have them for free. Until you have a solution to that, you can''t change anything." Megan cut to the heart of the problem.


    "I have the answer right here. I will fill the world with clean water, and wholesome food. Charge little to nothing. I''ll eventually be able to out resource them, but I also need to be able to out fight them. Because as you pointed out, they''ll do anything to keep their control." I cast my gaze towards the City.


    They knew the rest about what I had been working on since I got back here.


    "I hope none of this changes anything between us." I ended story time there.


    My eyes took in their looks at each other, and my brain knew whole conversations passed between them. Not that I could get anything out of those looks.


    Then I was being held and kissed.


    Megan mounted my lap facing me. She held my face and applied soft but firm pressure to her lips. Then her tongue slowly worked it''s way into my mouth. Right that was normal. I tried to mirror her movements. Just as I was about to take the initiative she broke off the contact and Sally pulled my face to the side.


    Oh. That was amazing. Sally was fierce and demanding she wanted everything all at once and more of it. I felt like it was a battle and I had better get with the program. I went on the attack trapping her tongue and pushing it around. I pulled back and nipped at her lips gently.


    Our kissing continued and it was as if time slowed down. It was a slow building tension taking turns while we explored each others mouths. Tongues dancing, playing and searching.


    Honestly, I never knew kissing could be so... exciting.


    It seemed like it could lead to other even more interesting things, but we slowed and then we stopped. It was extremely painful to do so as my excitement had reached near critical levels. (AN: Fellas if you have never experienced this feeling consider yourself lucky. If you have no clue what I''m talking about don''t worry about it.)


    Regrowth was no help at all. Though when I cast it on them the ladies seemed to explode in ecstasy. Their cries made my problem worse, the pain was almost blinding.


    It was a long few minutes until I calmed down.


    Well, I had my answer. I thought.


    Eventually, after a quick cleanse, we made our way to dinner flushed and wanting more.

 Chapter 58

    The next week brought a lot of changes to New Lordaeron.


    Starting with the most important, a working sewage system. With scans from the Probes, my time in trade school and the Lordaeronian Builders'' knowledge we managed to install working plumbing in all the buildings. We established both a grey and black water system to improve treatment. While we had no need to reuse the water ourselves, I wanted to make sure we weren''t tainting any remaining water tables. The end result was basically using ionization fields via Pylons to separate impurities and then exposing the waste to plasma treatment from repurposed Photon Cannons. The remaining gases were captured with shields and disassembled at the Forges or converted into Vespene Gas. This took some trail and error to get right but wasn''t as complicated as it sounds.


    Raynor was a happy camper, he loved his new armor and the modified rifle based on his old one. He was even happier whipping the recruits into a more modern fighting force.


    Once the new recruits have been supplied with brand spanking new suits of power armor, Raynor had them live in them for the week. He even made the poor bastards sleep in them.


    I was waiting to design my own suit as I wanted to be able to incorporate all the adjustments and improvements testing was going to bring.


    They were quickly provided rifles based off Raynor''s, with my own modification. A few hours each day was spent at the new shooting range where they were learning to use the weapons as both battle rifles and sniping. Judging by the damage caused to the new berm, the average gangoon was as threatening as a kitten.


    He taught them different formations and tactics and divided them into two five man squads.


    The completion of the Barracks didn''t change his training, however it did allow each of the recruits to be converted into Footmen were raised their performance quite a bit. They also ate a lot more, but it wasn''t a problem, we had enough rations stockpiled for quite a while now.


    The end of the week brought the first three farms'' first harvest. We now had fresh corn, potatoes and beef.


    I wasted no time and designed a huge grill and smoker for all our BBQ needs. Soon enough brisket and ribs and steaks were available at meals. The Nomads kicked in plenty of the synth spices that enhanced the flavor of our meals. Though I swore I would one day have fresh herbs and spice to cook with, and knock the socks off of everyone.


    Raynor had mentioned that there had never been that much variety back on his family''s farm growing up. Later he got used to eating army rations, almost tasteless cubes of nutrients designed to keep you going and never spoil. While he quite enjoyed the excellent rations the Company sold us, it wasn''t enough in my book. Life owned this man a fucking badass homecooked meal of epic proportions, and I would deliver.


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    Project Underbridge completed both of it''s first stages. The spiraling road down into the earth and the bridge itself were finished smaller gem sized Psicrystals embedded into the concrete at ten foot intervals both to extend the Psifield and to provide lighting. At night the bridge seemed to glow with a soft blue light. A Pylon at the center covered the structure from prying eyes.


    I went down there a lot with Sally and Megan to just enjoy a different view of the canyon. From here I could see the the outflow of water from the valley had formed a small lake which had a stream running off to the northwest. It wasn''t much yet, but it was growing by the day, and might eventually rival the Colorado river.


    Speaking of Sally and Megan we continued our new found pastime of kissing every chance we got.


    Our latest date, saw us having a picnic down on the bridge. We sat on a blanket laid on the concrete while enjoying a meal together. We spoke of our dreams and goals, and that led into another passionate afternoon of kissing and petting.


    The talking did bring some perspective on why we were hitting it off so fast.


    "We usually find that anybody interested in one of us, is only interested in one of us. We decided when we were little we would never be apart any longer than we had to be, and so anybody we were with had to be okay with that. Surprisingly most men aren''t okay with that, stupid Gonks." Megan explained nearly breathless from the latest round of making out. Her shrug carried a hint of confusion. She returned to seeing if she could find all my secrets hidden in my mouth.


    A bit later.


    "We love each other but neither of us are into girls really. We fool around sure, but we''re just the best of Chooms and figured we''d be able to share a serious partner if it came down to it. Plus getting attached to non-Nomads wasn''t a good option until we met you, and there are some odd rules about the whos and hows of relationships in the Clans." Sally plowed into the topic full speed ahead, between lip wrestling and sensual massage jujitsu.


    Later still.


    "You''re the first input we''ve met that hasn''t tried to cut one of us out. Usually because they want to take one of us back to their family." Megan expounded, with her swollen lips and shimmering eyes full of pleasure.


    "Of course, it helps that you make us feel special and new to all of this." Sally liked to run hands over my new abs. Thank you, Paladin class!


    "I am new to all of this and just so happy to be here with you ladies. Was starting to think I''d end up alone for the rest of my life, and would be overjoyed if we could be together as long as you two can stand me." I had a smile on my face but I don''t think it was a happy one. Wistful maybe. Basically this was working because I wasn''t trying to tear them apart, but I still couldn''t understand how anyone wouldn''t want to be with both of them. Eh their loss, my gain.


    "Oh you are just sooo hard to get along with Ryan." Megan chuckled as she hugged me, pulling my face down to start another round of deep kissing. She was eager to get back into our current session. She had a thing about running her hands through my hair, she liked the texture. I liked the feeling.


    They really enjoyed that I had figured out how to trickle mana into my kisses, they said it felt like a shot of pure joy. The reality is that I figured it out because I was trying to mitigate the after effects of our fun on my anatomy. Running mana through my body slowly helped a lot when it came to dealing with pain. It was like trying to cast a spell but stopping right at the cusp of ignition.


    Sally slugged my shoulder, "I still don''t believe you weren''t fending girls off all the time." She had become fascinated with my ears and more specifically nibbling on my earlobes. It never failed to bring a shiver to my spine. She whispered, "Soon we''re going to make you all ours, too bad for all the others." as she started to nip as the rim of my left ear.


    What a fun date.

 Chapter 59

    The start of the second week since the arrival of the Aldecaldos brought some good news, Amanda had arranged a meeting with some of the other leaders of the family. We would be able to ratify some kind of treaty.


    The meeting was taking place today at Dakota''s, we would drop off some lumber and some of the fresh food.


    Nolan, Guzman and I were working on some of the cars, while some of the group''s teens were loading lumber onto Nolan''s flatbed.


    Megan and Sally loaded themselves into Sally''s Mackinaw, the bed of which was loaded with 10 full 55 gallon water barrels.


    Amanda was speaking to Raynor as she got into her Javelina.


    Hmm, what was going on there? Well, if they ended up liking each other good for them. I grinned at the thought of the two stern personalities finding each other to be pleasant company.


    Speaking of the Javelina, I was almost comfortable enough with changing it''s schematics to attempt my first Khalai/Terran tech hybrid car. It would have to wait a little longer, I just wanted to nail down a few more small details and really capture the power and style of the Javelina while utilizing the Protoss tech to it''s fullest.


    One of the Sentinels I had dubbed Rick, because he hummed the Rick Astley song, would be joining today. He was one of my newer streamlined models and fit nicely on top of my Villefort Columbus V340-F Freight. Buzz and Jitters and two new knuckleheaded Probes named Mort, because he always seemed depressed, and Glen, because he seemed to like the Valley''s trees, were loaded into the van itself.


    Thankfully nothing much happened on the way there. We pulled to find the area awash with Nomads and their vehicles. These were just the leaders close enough to get here in a couple of days, their closest advisors and some extra gun hands to keep things civil. More than I imagined there''d be.


    I parked at the edge of everything and slowly got out. My clothing and armor would set me apart and I didn''t want an incident before we even started speaking. I started walking slowly towards where Sally parked. I figured hanging around the ladies would at least buy me a moment of talking time before any trouble kick off.


    Megan had briefed me, that these families of Aldecaldos had more veterans from some war down south. Militech had screwed most of them over and they were twitchy about unknown faces sometimes.


    Right, be on my best behavior.


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    As I moved towards Megan, a woman launched a flying hug at her. "Megan! How''ve you been?"


    She was about 5''10" with deep brown hair and dark eyes. Her hug seemed to approach boa constrictor levels of power. Megan expelled air rapidly and flailed her arms ineffectually. She tried to say something but couldn''t draw enough air to form words.


    Sally howled with glee, "Panam you ol'' witch leave Megan and come get a real hug." She stood braced with her enhanced arms wide.


    "Oh hell no, you boar bitch. I''ll stick with soft and squishy here." Panam rubbed her face against Megan''s which was starting to turn a worrying shade of blue.


    I cleared my throat. Panam pulled away from crushing Megan to get a look at me. Megan gasped for air whispering, "I thought that was going to be the end..."


    "Well, hello there. You must be Ryan. I''m Panam." She thrust her hand out while stepping towards me, "Any friend of the terrible twosome is alright by me."


    I raised my eyebrow at the new moniker, glanced at Sally to see her blush in embrassessment. Oh ho! Ammo for later teasing. Locked that up safe in my mind''s vault.


    I firmly shook Panam''s hand. Rough and calloused. This was a Lady not afraid of hard work. My favorite kind of person. "I''m Ryan. Nice to meet you."


    "Have him heal you! Come on! You''ll love it!" Sally slapped Panam''s shoulder knocking her into me. Sally always wanted me to heal people, she thought it was so funny to see the look on their faces.


    I decided to oblige her. A Regrowth shaped in seconds sent a surge of mana deep into Panam''s body.


    "Ooooooooo!" Panam started convulsing. Her face screwed up in a combination of pain and pleasure. A look I was becoming very familiar with from my ladies. Maybe the best reaction I''ve seen to date. She must really have been wound up. Her body was full of micro fractures and muscle tears. Hard living build up now being washed away in a torrent of my mana. Something about this felt wrong, but I had to admit I was starting to enjoy the overwhelmed expressions on peoples faces. Especially the women.


    Maybe I shouldn''t indulge so much in Sally''s mischief.


    A moment later she slumped over into Sally''s waiting arms. Sally giggling whispered something into Panam''s ear. Panam''s eyes snapped open.


    "B-b-buy a girl dinner first! Whoo, I don''t have any socks left." She tilled her face toward Sally, "You lucky bitches having this input whenever you want."


    I hummed a question. Megan leaned into my side, "Don''t worry about it. Those two have had a rivalry for years. Same kind of truck, same kind of rifle, same sassy attitude. If it wasn''t for the hair, eyes and slightly different taste in fashion, you''d think they were clones or something." I snorted in amusement.


    "Well, I suppose I''ll have to let you heal me after all Medicine Man." A flat sarcastic voice sounded behind us.


    Yeah. Of course, it was Dakota. She was with Amanda, and a few other serious looking people. My guess, these were the leaders of their families. Panam''s little episode had attracted a bit of attention. Judging by one older man''s expression, I say he was her leader and likely more. Father perhaps. How unfortunate.


    I sighed. "Sure, Dakota whenever you''re ready."


    "Perhaps when the moon glow covers the land''s face." She half laughed at her own cleverness.


    Okay, whatever that meant. I was going to enjoy scrambling her brain. Well, scrambling it a bit more anyway.


    I really needed to have my head examined. I was getting villainish.

 Chapter 60

    "Dakota, I''d like to give your garage a gift." I met her eyes. Pretty sure she was only half as crazy as she played at appearing.


    "What the wind brings, I won''t refuse." She shrugged. So, I''m the wind, huh. We''ll see about that.


    I had the Probes assemble my latest creation above the roof of her Garage. I was tentatively calling it a War Pylon.


    Three double sized Khaydarin Crystals merged into a single unit. Two half again sized rotating control rings, each with three blue glowing hard points beside which floated half size Photon Cannons emitters. Its huge Psifield dampened only by the equally huge cloaking field. It served as a defensive turret, concealment, energy supply and communications relay. Its range reached all the way back to New Lordaeron. A very useful multipurpose structure.


    It was beautiful.


    "So ugly." Dakota grunted.


    I almost shot her right then and there.


    She turned back towards me. Startled she looked all around. It was like she lost something. Heh.


    Of course, she couldn''t see me or anyone I came with. Even our vehicles seemed to have vanished.


    The confusion was glorious. They started searching frantically for any sign of where we had gone.


    I had the field exclude us for now. They all jumped again as we just reappeared. Ha.


    "While my baby is active, no one can spy on us. If by some miracle they did find a way to see through the cloaking field, they''d be blasted by the cannons." I glared at her. My ingenuity called ugly.


    Megan squeezed a bit to get me to refocus. It worked even if I still grumbled about ungrateful wenches.


    Dakota looked at the Pylon then back at me. She smiled like she had won the lottery. "Good job, Medicine Man."


    Scoffing at her antics, I pulled Megan in for a kiss as I had the Pylon cover everyone with the cloaking field. As far as any satellite was concerned there was nothing here, just more desert.


    "Now we are almost ready to get down to business." I called everyone attention back to me. "But first..."


    Several of the teens we had brought along unloaded the water barrels and crates of food. I gestured to the pile. "I come bearing gifts."


    They all examined the piles. Some took cups of water from a quickly opened barrel. Exclamations rang out at its purity and flavor. Moon Well water always tasted sweet and tickled the tongue.


    That''s right, I had the best water.


    Grills where quickly erected and soon after a cook out started up. The smell of sizzling beef and roasting corn and potatoes wafted over the area.


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    Like my Mom always said it''s better to start with a meal. Then you know that when people are being rude it isn''t because they are hungry, that''s just how they are.


    Well except the guy still trying to kill me with his eyeballs. I lean my head down to Megan''s ear, "Who''s Grumpy over there?"


    "Hmmm? Oh, that''s Saul. Panam''s dad." I could feel her grin, "He''s not going to like you, might as well get used to the idea. To be fair, he wouldn''t have liked you even before you rocked his daughter''s world. He''s too cautious and thrives on control."


    "Lovely." I muttered.


    Once everyone had been fed, we started the negotiations.


    Since I didn''t really want anything from them, it was pretty simple.


    All I asked from them was news from other cities and the shifting condition in the wilds between them. Well that and their friendship.


    In return they would get access to any Outpost I built, a cut of any trades they help to transport, and most importantly knowledge of where some of the hidden reservoirs where once they where built. I threw in preferred trading status for any products, including food, made in any of my future locations.


    I showed off my the modifications to my Omaha and armor. While excellent I didn''t expect that to blow their minds. Though the shield got a lot of attention.


    Sally showed off the new Special Operation Rifle based off Raynor''s huge weapon. I hadn''t realized it at the time, but the damned thing was a gauss rifle, launching depleted uranium rounds. The ability to precisely manipulate magnetic fields of the Khalai tech as well as substituting crysbronze alloy bullets took the weapon from devastating to anti-tank nightmare levels. Not only was it half the weight, it could fire almost as fast as a Copperhead.


    When Raynor first fired the new model his comment was, "Ultralisk, who?" No idea what or who an Ultralisk was, but Jim seemed impressed.


    Still a little too large for indoor work, but I had a cut down model on my too do list along with a new full auto shotgun design.


    They loved the ridiculous damage and low recoil. Who wouldn''t?


    I wasn''t ready to show off the power armor yet, but I wasn''t going to hold it back from my allies either. I just wanted to get its functions smoothed out and some safeguards worked out for if anyone turned on me.


    Hey, I''m new to this not stupid.


    When the show and tell portion was over, I presented a simple contract clearly stating the aforementioned terms. All in plain, everyday English.


    Wouldn''t you know it, most signed on the spot. I had no illusions that it was due to my winning personality, or even my amazing goods on offer. No, it was that Amanda trusted me. Everything else was just frosting.


    Still a few wanted something else.


    At first I thought it was greed, but no, they just wanted to wait until I had "proven" myself to them. Alright, I told them that if they defined what that meant I''d be happy to prove myself.


    The hazing that followed was more annoying than anything else. A lot of silly little fucking tasks design to embarrass me, or make me uncomfortable. I put up with it for a few hours before I just started laughing after they wanted me to do the Chipmunk song and dance for the zillionth time.


    Then there was the drinking. I had to drink them under the table. Not that there was a table just a camp fire that we had to avoid stumbling into after a few bottles had made the rounds.


    Argh, never drinking again. Just kidding Regrowth and Purify took care of all the trouble and Cleanse cleared up the mess. By that point, I enjoyed watching them all have a few moments of extreme discombobulation.


    Finally everyone had signed except Saul. He said he''d sign if I let him punch me as hard as he could.


    I thought about shooting him and just dealing with Panam afterwards. Nah, she''d probably be pissed.


    So, I let him pop me one right in the kisser. My new high body stat made it not so bad. Sure it hurt, but no where near as bad as it should have. I suspect my face did more damage to his fist than the reverse. I started him in the eyes the whole time, trying to let him know I was going to pay him back one day.


    He kept his word and signed the damned contract.


    1000 Company Points and an Adjutant Token richer. Go me.


    Was it worth it?

 Chapter 61

    I gave the wily wench Dakota the option to lay down to avoid certain difficulties. She took me up on the offer and reclined on a rundown couch in her office. Megan and Sally were hanging around with matching looks of anticipation. Either they didn''t like Dakota very much or they liked her a little too much. Hmm.


    I pulled a chair over beside the couch and plopped down. Truth be told even with a few casts of Regrowth snuck in here and there I was feeling a bit run down. Maybe I''ve been working a little too hard, not enough sleep. But there was too much to get done to really relax.


    Eh, not like I had a choice. Not really. I wanted the best for people in general and even better for MY people.


    Weird thought that, my people. Who the fuck was I to have people?


    Nah, been down this rabbit hole before. Getting too caught up in my thoughts and concerns. Focus on the moment. I have a crazy lady to heal.


    I place my right hand on Dakota''s stomach. As the first pulse of my mana crashed through her body I was starting to get a sense of how unbelievably messed up she really was under all that odd rambling.


    Botched cyberware damaging the organs around them. Followed by so many residual injures that never healed completely. Gunshots wounds, blade damage, and the leftovers of massive impact trauma. Her lungs were garbage, seared by chemical cocktails and it felt like actual fire damage. Lastly her digestive system was barely held together by hope and prayer. No telling want did all this mess. Did she swallow razor blades at some point?


    "This is going to take a while. Brace yourselves." I started muttering about stupid doctors and crazy bitches letting themselves get wrecked this bad, as I dug deeper into the Regrowth spell than ever before. I started to instinctively alter the shape of the mana flow and poured every bit of energy I could fit through the new shape.


    Yes, that worked much better. The mana seemed to almost have a will of its own as it rampaged through her body. A primal hatred of the injures and a desire to fix the broken flesh resonated within the flows of quintessence. I lost myself in the task, trying to wrangle the energy to focus on one injury at a time.


    Her voice was rising in pitch and volume, heh. Let''s see how like a coyote you really are.


    The world faded out as I increased my concentration on the spell.


    When I became aware of my surrounding again, I heard a hoarse voice groaning and grunting in ecstasy. The body under my hand jerked and twitched in involuntary reactions to being overwhelmed in mana induced pleasure.


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    "You''re back with us? Good. You really worked her over good. She didn''t stop howling the whole two hours you where working on her." Megan was running her fingers through my hair.


    "Hahaha! I love it, you marvelous bastard. The legendary Dakota screaming like a new XBD porn starlet. Next target, Rogue herself." Sally gave me a crushing hug, I didn''t mind.


    "Who''s Rogue?" I was a bit woozy after burning all that mana. Also I felt cold, an effect I had notice from overuse of magic. I''ll have to look into that later.


    Both ladies started cracking up. "She only the most preem and baddest bitch in all of Night city. She owns the Afterlife THE place for the best mercs and runners in the city and maybe the world." Megan started rubbing the tips of my ears. Nice, I really liked that.


    "We could end up there someday soon. Especially once you start making waves, She''ll want you under her thumb. Don''t let her play you." Sally growl at the thought of this Rogue getting her hands on me.


    I stared at the mess I''d made of Dakota, who still spasmed in a gurgling tangle. I was curious if she would thank me or curse me when she regained her senses. Could go either way. If she did end up cursing me at least she''d be doing it with a healthy body. She already looked years younger, another side effect of healing most women would be thankful for, I hoped.


    Sally and Megan both looked almost eighteen again. I had started looking like a baby faced version of me, as well.


    I won''t lie, it made me feel both fulfilled and yet eager to grab Sally and Megan and rush home to express some more interesting sounds. The last few times the ladies had, after some conversation, made sure not to leave me hanging after our fun time. I was quite over having testicle cramps after our sessions. Thankfully they took a certain level of satisfaction from seeing how much they could get me to react to their ministrations, though it always turned into pushing my limits to see if I would loose control and ravage them. One day, and probably soon, I would give in and take them, but not yet.


    I wanted something from them first and to have something to give them before we took that last step into a deeper relationship. I''d also would like to know that everything was as safe for them as could be before we lost ourselves in the dance of passion.


    For now, hands and mouths were enough. In the depths of my darker thoughts, I enjoyed knowing I could turn them into puddles of mush at my whim while they had to work hard to achieve anything approaching similar results. Mana was like cheating at life, and I loved it. I supposed I wasn''t as much of a good guy as I had thought.


    Sometimes, I wondered if it was the classes affecting my mentality. A more primal nature from the Druid class, the desire to experiment and refine results from the Warp-Smith, physical dominance from the Paladin. While I had never been a push over, I certainly seemed to be getting more aggressive as my time here progressed. How far would it go?


    I was loath to bother Meadran with my concerns unless it was a critical problem. He needed rest after his transfer here, and time to absorb more mana, to integrate fully with this world. I didn''t know how I knew that, it was a idea that rose up when I thought of him, and I had no reason to doubt it.


    Faergin would soon be rooting as well, another thought that just shifted from the void.


    Lumi, when I brought it up, said I worried too much. His mindset was Power was good, control was good. Being the one with both was best.


    Raynor had just snorted at me, saying "Don''t worry, Hoss. You go bad and I have this great rifle you gave me."


    He was joking, right?

 Chapter 62

    After I regained some semblance of coherent thought from sleeping off Sally and Megan''s impromptu impassioned "treatment". They had been inflamed by my work on Dakota. So it was my duty, once we setup a tent, to see to their "cure". They in turn took care of my growing "problem". We collapsed into a heap afterward and had slept deeply.


    Hopefully, the noise didn''t keep anyone else up. Heh.


    I had a few ideas I wanted to run by them. A few thoughts on how to knock out one of my quests before we headed back to New Lordaeron. Specifically the reclaiming of the first outpost.


    With the new War Pylons, we should be able to sneak a few buildings in right under Arasaka''s nose. No muss no fuss. Then a new Hero to add to the roster. I hoped they would have the skills needed to help me take care of the other quests. Between Megan, Sally, Raynor and myself, we should be able to handle most issues, but we needed a real badass to take the fight to the enemy.


    As much as the Paladin class had helped me bulk up physically I wasn''t front line material just yet. I needed more training and a restructuring of my role in combat. Right now I was mostly cast into a support role. Fixing damage, cleaning up afterward, and increasing the abilities of my team.


    That didn''t sit well with me. Not sure why, but I wanted to be the one in the lead. I wanted to be the one to protect the ladies and my people.


    However, my time in the city with the Probes taught me that I''m not that guy. But I had a feeling that with the help of the Great Tree System I could become that guy and so much more. All it would take is time.


    Raynor and Sally filled the same role in a fight. Ranged overwatch. Though with the Power Armor getting close wasn''t too much of a problem


    Have to get the ladies fitted for armor, myself as well.


    A few hours later we were sitting in the Mackinaw about half a mile from the ridge line surrounding the old cyberware plant. Rick, Mort and Glen detached from the vehicle. Buzz and Jitters went with the van back to New Lordaeron.


    The girls and I would be on overwatch, while Mort and Glen would sneak with Rick to place the first War Pylon. The Sentry''s shield ability should be able the protect the Pylon long enough if they are spotted. though if everything went well it would be needed.


    I was going to watch the rear again. Heh.


    Strangely enough no one was out there but the remainder of the work we had done served as a grim reminder of how quickly things could go wrong.


    I took up the task of watching the desert and pretending I didn''t want to watch Sally squeeze off a few rounds just to watch the effect on her "assets".


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    What am I, a teenager? Focus up moron. Silly jokes about anatomy can come later.


    I''ve noticed that events seemed to repeat, if you don''t make changes. What people consider asymmetric or abnormal professions, such as merc work, still developed into routines. This job looks like that job from five years ago. This bothers some people, me I liked routine, I enjoyed having a nicely organized plan.


    Sally did not. She was constantly trying to "Shake things up". Starting fights and arguments out of boredom. A real shit stirrer my Dad would have said. Your best friend right up until there was nothing else to do and then she''d punch you in the nose, just the break up the quiet.


    Megan was a person that loved chaos. On the surface, she seemed organized and put together, but underneath she sought out trouble. She delighted in Gremlin like behavior, move things out of their proper places, dropping uncomfortable facts at the worst time possible. Poking her nose into every little tidbit of info, just so she could fuck with you more.


    It was why these two came as a set. Other folks had a hard time dealing with all the messes. I was still figuring out how we fit together, but I was learning to dig their quirks. As long as they didn''t point that shit at me.


    In moments like these, they put all of that aside and did their job with dedication. Because their normal behavior get you killed, especially out here in the Badlands. They had learned to block out their impulses, just as I was having to learn the same lesson.


    Here I was again fighting boredom while somehow feeling stressed out. My mind was running a million miles an hour while my eyes scanned the scrublands. Nothing moved, even the usual hot breeze was missing. That bothered me.


    I started concentrating more on my task, I couldn''t put my finger on it but something was wrong.


    ''I can''t see anything, but something''s off.'' I messaged. I pulled my pistol and scanned around the area. Still nothing, but that feeling wasn''t going away.


    I cast an Entangle changing the standard shape of the spell so that a small wall of grasping vines rose out of the baked ground. I repeated the process a few times.


    My suspicion was that a person using some form of optical camouflage was creeping about. I was throwing out a few entangle to see if I could net them. then I cast Growth on the small walls I had surrounded us with. The masses of vegetation erupted into giant edifices of plant life. Reaching out and probing the area.


    "Ahhhh! What the fuck is this shit?" The voice came from off to my right and I ran over to get a look at our peeping tom.


    The vines of the entangling walls knew to avoid grabbing me, though they did run against me a few times. What was that about? Getting to know me?


    When I caught sight of our voyeur, he was hanging upside down and cursing up a storm. I couldn''t help it I started laughing.


    "Hey! You rusting Gonk get this thing off me. Stop fucking laughing and let me out, shit head." His gear covered his whole body, including his face. All black and obviously high-end.


    "Yeah, I don''t think so slick. You can stay right there until we''re done."


    Speaking of. ''How are we doing ladies?'' I sent.


    ''Almost finished.'' Megan returned.


    I duck back around the wall for a few more minutes. No sense standing out in the open.


    I felt the change as the Pylon finished. Haha, now it didn''t matter. I let my spells go and while the giant shrubs remained they lost their animated qualities. Still didn''t free up, ol'' lookie-loo.


    Maybe we should take him with us, when we headed back.


    Eh, probably more hassle than it was worth.


    Since no one could see or hear us I rejoined the girls. I ordered Mort and Glen to layout a forge, a cybernetics core and robotic facility. That should count as an outpost. I''ll also queue up a few Sentries before we leave.


    We cuddled while the rest of the buildings finished and half and hour later I received 3000 CPoints and a Hero Token.


    I had a good feeling about this token.

 Chapter 63

    Once we made it back to New Lordaeron, the ladies ran off to see if the Bath House was finished.


    I based the design off my, admittedly limited, studies of Roman, Turkish and Japanese styles. Clean yourself off in the showers, then you can choose your temperature of pool to relax in. Take a dunk in the coldest pool at the end to really shock your system or just act like a normal person and proceed straight to drying off. We left it up to personal preference. Best part, the Moon Well water had all kinds of health benefits, making one''s skin smooth and silky to the touch.


    What was I doing again? Oh right tokens.


    First let''s try the Adjutant so I no longer have to deal with any of the day to day operations. Or at least I could stop feeling bad when I ran off to take care of other problems.


    [ Do you wish to use Adjutant token? Y/N ]


    "Yes."


    [ You have Obtained the Adjutant, Jaina Proudmoore ]


    [ Note: Adjutants can access the Company Store, and may spent any point you have granted them access to. This Adjutant is also a Hero. They are a potent Archmage. To prevent abuse of the token system Adjutants are not allowed to fight except in defense of themselves or the Main Base. ]


    "Hello My Lord." Said the lady that popped into existence. Tall and blonde, wearing fancy robes in blue and white with golden trim. Between her clothes and her carriage, her posture, spoke of nobility. I had a sense that this was someone used to getting their way.


    Her staff was a work of art with a large blue gem shaped almost like a spear''s blade and point.


    Mana flowed and swirled around her, but it was different. There was something more constrained about it than the mana I used, more structured maybe. It felt like the ocean and the rain, also rivers and lakes. A feeling of coldness as if her mana was trying to suck the heat from the environment not too much but enough for people to notice.


    "Lady Proudmoore. Welcome to New Lordaeron. A humble place for now, but we are growing." Did my back just straighten? Was I putting on airs? What the...


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    "New Lordaeron? Are we still on Azeroth then?" She was looking around taking it all in.


    "No, this is Earth." I gave her the a run down of history and events as I guided her around the town and the Valley. Then I explained my part in all of this as well as my currently limited goals.


    I introduced her to Raynor and Amanda, who it seemed were enjoying each other''s company. Nolan, Guzman and Marshall Dughan were next. Dughan even went down on a knee to greet her. Their conversation if you can call it that, showed they had a lot of shared knowledge. Though some events differed between them. So they came from a similar but different world? Interesting.


    Finally we ran into Megan and Sally coming out of the Bath House. I left them all chatting in that way women have, that switches subjects way too fast for me to keep up with. Should be fine, right?


    I flipped the Hero token out. Yes, I could feel that this was special.


    Here we go.


    [ Do you wish to use Hero token? Y/N ]


    "Yes."


    [ You have Obtained the Hero, John Wick ]


    My brain stopped. THE John Wick. Holy Fucking Shit!


    That''s it boys, we can go home now, because Mr. Wick will handle it.


    Dayum!


    There he was in all his dark brooding glory. Impeccable suit and all.


    I could tell this wasn''t the Wick of the movies. He was younger for one thing, maybe late thirties. Somehow he was gaunter, harder, and grimmer looking. Yet still unmistakably the same deadly man.


    "Mr. Wick, thank you for joining us." I held out my hand to shake, trying not to think of all the ways he could kill me.


    He shook my hand and I could feel all the callouses of endless training and hard work. Yeesh, made me feel like I needed to hit the gym more, and that was after my Paladin upgrade.


    "Yeah." That''s it. A man of few words, Mr. Wick was.


    He scanned the area and probably had instantly thought of how everyone nearby would die if that was his mission.


    It might be more comfortable to stand next to Thanatos himself, because Death was never supposed to be a man. Yet here he was, reeking of the slain. He even had a torrent of mana surging around him, it carried the feeling of precise, cold, calculated killing.


    He was perfect for our needs. Once we geared him up, we merely had to point out a target and that was it.


    I gave him the same spiel as Jaina, but I could tell he didn''t really care. He absorbed the information, so it could be used to better eliminate targets. He wasn''t concerned over the politics of the Corpos or the squabbling of the Gangs. He had no loyalties but to me.


    Suddenly, I understood Gandalf''s statements about the one ring a little better. This was a power too great and terrible.


    Yet, I was going to fucking use it.


    If it wasn''t for the need to check in with the ladies, I would be in the Forge with him now getting him armed and armored.


    Raynor was not a happy camper when I was introducing Mr. Wick around.


    "Hoss, that''s not a man. That''s a gun that walks."


    Yeah, my gun.

 Chapter 64

    My new house was finished. Jaina insisted that it was the first major project of her appointment.


    According to her, my status was a reflection of the status of the community. The more put together I appeared the more both the citizens and any visitors would believe in the strength, and more importantly, prosperity of New Lordaeron. She had a point. It would be hard for new folks to respect a person sleeping on the ground.


    Don''t knock it though the purple grass was quite comfortable.


    She had it constructed higher up on the hillside so as to overlook the town. The view was nice, or it would be once we brought more life back to the Badlands.


    While not the largest structure in our town it was the more ornate. She had discovered that the Assemblers and Probes could output just about any material that they had a deep scan of on record. Then she discovered that they could apply pretty much any color to a material on a molecular scale. So my new home was clad in gold veined blue marble blocks.


    When I confronted her as to the why of it, she replied that it looked both impressive and beautiful. Well, she wasn''t wrong, I just felt like a poser living in a tiny palace. At least the inside was done in rich dark woods. Solid seamless pieces of wood that would be impossible normally. She really enjoyed the abilities of Khalai manufacturing.


    Everything was engraved or enameled or painted in scenes of my time here. Some areas had images of stories told by Sally or Megan. I actually enjoyed looking at these tales given a visual form.


    The footprint of the building wasn''t much but it was three stories of small scale majesty.


    The top floor was a suite of rooms centered around my bed and bathing rooms. A tiny library/den, a sitting room, a decently organized closet. Also an armory slash tiny workstation, for if the mood to tinker struck but I didn''t have time to get to one of the Forges.


    The second floor was much the same minus the armory, for important guests or dignitaries.


    The ground floor was the kitchen, but most of it was taken up by the Meeting Area which was totally "not" a modestly sized throne room. Yeah. Well my new rather large, not a throne, chair was at the very least pleasant to sit upon. A little too much gold embellishment for my tastes, and were those fucking rubies in the eyes of the wolves heads carved into the armrests. Yes. Yes they were.


    At this point, I was wondering why the Khalai didn''t just buy the human factions off. Probably never occurred to them. Both their unique physiology and advanced technology mean that material goods didn''t matter to them. It was all about honor and purpose, and humans had a hard time with both of those.


    Eh, time to get some rest on my new giant and very comfy bed with the ladies.


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    Pops happened so fast that it was one sound.


    Mr. Wick was trying out a variety of guns I had assembled for him. He just put fourteen rounds into targets with near perfect accuracy, in about 4 seconds. To say he was impressive doesn''t begin to cut it. No augments no superpowers, just fucking endless training and practice.


    I was excited to see what he could become.


    He was quite as stand offish as he had at first seemed. He spent time with the Raynor and his troops running drills and we even set him up a suit of power armor. He performed amazingly but didn''t like wearing it.


    He had this stare that was his default look, most people felt judged or terrified by it. After a week or so of exposure, I can safely say that feeling never goes away.


    But he didn''t mean anything by it, that''s just how he looks. He helped the troops get more accustomed to the new rifles and their sidearms. He even taught them better ways to move and fight outside their armor.


    Which begged the question.


    "What''s wrong with it?" Worried about my latest design overhaul.


    "Nothing. Need to feel the air. Better sense of the action." He shrugged.


    Interesting. I hope any cyberware doesn''t screw him up.


    "So if you could change any one thing to make yourself better what would it be?" Speed, strength what could elevate this legend to the next level?


    "Better perception and reaction. Everything else can be trained or accounted for if you know what''s going on, and understand it."


    Huh, food for thought. I''ve noticed everyone has a different answer for that. I pondered who was right, or was this an all of them situation.


    Since Mr. Wick didn''t want the power armor, I made him a suit. Same style as his pervious one, but I managed to not only improve the armor rating and get the shielding in place, I snuck in a cloaking field. Now, it wouldn''t work for long when not under a Psifield, but it might help you get out of a bad scene.


    Not that Mr. Wick needed a cloaking field, he was really good at going unnoticed to begin with. Which really screwed with my head the first time he snuck up on me. He radiates such an aura of death that you''d think it would be impossible to hide. That was wrong. He could dampen his presence to almost nothing, it even affected his mana signature.


    Jaina had started giving lessons in basic mana shaping to everyone who was interested. Not only was I there to see what was the same and different in her methods, but Mr. Wick was there absorbing the lessons like a sponge. He said it was a another valuable tool for his collection.


    The though of him wielding shadows as weapons and just cursing folks to death was frightening. He could end up with a literal death stare.


    What a lovely thought.


    Megan, Sally and Jaina were thick as thieves. I rarely saw them without each being nearby.


    They said it was nice to have a woman around near their own age that didn''t treat them like they were crazy or one reason or another. Hmm. I hadn''t thought about that. I''m glad they had a friend, even if she was from a whole different culture.


    She was also fascinated by my healing abilities. Her mana couldn''t quite be shaped that way for some reason. To be fair mine had a hard time being shaped into a more focus damage spell. Sure, I could do raw mana blasted but they were highly inefficient, she was the same in healing sure she could flood your body with mana and it helped with your own healing abilities but no where near as well.


    As a side note, neither one of us was as effected by the mana of the other as say Sally. Nor did Jaina''s mana have as strong an effect on folks as mine did. Some sure but it wouldn''t be causing anyone to pass out anytime soon.


    She postulated that it had to do with the essence of our mana. Her was all about water, mine was all about nature. That said she was likely to start deeper experiments once her tower was done.


    Towers were required for Mages, she insisted. Just as a Druid must have a grove.


    A what now?

 Chapter 65

    A grove.


    Meadran had mentioned something about that before, right?


    Now usually when one is speaking of a grove, it''s a cluster of trees often older more developed specimens.


    In this new context, it had to mean something else. It invoked images of people in robes in a clearing doing... something mystical looking. I think I''ve heard of them in relation to the Gauls or Celts when the Romans were conquering them. They burned them down if I''m recalling it right.


    Why would they do that?


    To destroy a symbol, perhaps. A symbol of what? Gods? Culture? Nature itself? I had no idea. I was never very interested in that period of history, other than, Romans, for all their faults, were very excellent engineers.


    I also had the feeling that the Druids of those days and the Druids of Azeroth were only tangentially related.


    But trees were involved I was sure of that, so who better to ask than a tree.


    I didn''t really want to bother Meadran, but maybe Faergin would be able to point me in the right direction.


    One thing I loved about the Psifield is that with a little effort I could keep track of anyone and everyone within it''s influence. I reached out with my mind through the warmth of the psi energy. There he was by the edge of the potato farm.


    His mind was a bright beacon, yet he still hadn''t quite developed the faculties to interact with the Psifield himself. So I went to him.


    I hadn''t seen him in over a week and he had grown so much. Where once he was roughly my height, now he was 15 feet. Still skinny though. His leaves had shifted into fiery oranges and yellows, they were very similar in shape to oak leaves.


    His dance once a quick shuffle had morphed into a rhythmic swaying. Which he was doing now as he gazed out into the badlands north of New Lordaeron.


    What did he see, or what was he searching for?


    His eyes had started glowing a bright yellow, burning with the light of knowledge.


    "Hey Faergin, how are you doing?"


    While he couldn''t as yet respond verbally, I could still sense a lot of his feeling and intent. Whether that was due to my abilities as a Druid, or some function of his own skills, I didn''t know. Right now he was pensive and somewhat distraught. He found looking into the wastes both fascinating and dreadful, a feeling not dissimilar to ones I''ve had staring at graveyards.


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    "Yeah."


    There was a resolve there as well. A sense of needing to face uncertainty.


    "We''ll clean this all up one day. I sure you''ll be here to see it, even if I somehow am not around anymore." Oof, I was socked in the gut by my own reflective thoughts on mortality.


    For some reason, Faergin found this hilarious. He shook all over as the area was flooded with the tingling of his laughter.


    Then I had a flash of an image of old roots that couldn''t be dislodged from the soil long after the tree itself had fallen. Was he implying, I was a stubborn ball of roots, or that I''d be here still long after him? Either way, an unsettling thought.


    "I was wondering, do you know about groves?"


    Buzzing excitement filled the air. A thousand forms flooded my mind. A sense of peace, of connection, of focus.


    Too much. "Wait... calm down, please." Shifting through the ideas and patterns, after some struggle, I found a commonality. A set of trees arranged in a circle over something. Something powerful, something golden and flowing.


    The only thing I knew of like that was maybe the leyline. It had started as a muddy brownish color, but as more life and mana returned to the valley it had shifted more toward a golden shade.


    "So groves go over leylines?"


    A feeling of incompleteness. There was more. The grove connected to the leylines, sure. But why? Power? Maybe, but the treefolk didn''t seem all that interested in power. They saw it as a consequence of living, something naturally gained over time. No, there was an answer was in his feelings earlier, even if I was having a hard time seeing it. Then it snapped into focus.


    "Connection."


    He filled the area with a sense of approval.


    Groves connected Druids to the Trees, the World, and to the concept of Nature itself. There was more, but it was too deep for me to see now.


    This was a place to start, the rest I could figure out as I went. Now I just needed to figure out where to put it.


    We had started to eliminate the need for disturbing the Valley. Other than trips to visit the company store, there was no longer a reason for anyone to go in there. I could communicate with Meadran and Alina from anywhere a certain distance. The Probes had built a series of tunnel connecting the are next to the Nexus straight to the entrance cave, so the new Sentries wouldn''t disrupt the peace of the forest there. Small critters had started just appearing out of nowhere in there and I didn''t want them bothered.


    Also the mana density in the Valley was getting to a point where it could hurt folks without protection. I was fine, and Jaina, even Mr. Wick seemed to tolerate the higher levels of energy but the Nomads and folks summoned from Lordaeron quickly felt sick and even started having physical reactions if they didn''t leave.


    Better to make it off limits for now.


    We had, about a week and a half ago, started a new Wisp grown forest to the south of town and it was already baring fruit. Even a new Treant had emerged from it.


    He was more aggressive, and even had tusks. Meadran had said his name was Korvaith. He would grow into a Tree of War. It was bizarre at first watching a tree train with Raynor and his boys, but we all quickly adapted. I even made him his own custom rifle.


    What, was I going to have him throw rocks? Not on my watch.


    It was about time for some more farms, but first I wanted to knock out those outpost quests. It would be an excellent way to work with Mr. Wick and test Raynor and his boys. After all I don''t want a repeat of the Arasaka incident.

 Chapter 66

    Eleven folks in Power Armor take up a lot of room, and that was before a Sentry or two and a few Probes, never mind Mr. Wick and Myself.


    To solve that problem, I had the Probes scan one of the Aldecaldo''s MRAPS. The one I chose was an already heavily modified MTV or Medium Tactical Vehicle. The rear had been Modded into a cargo bay that could hold up to five large ATV with some sitting room left over. The top of the Bay had several antennas and dishes, most of which I was in the dark as to their purpose.


    A scary 25mm chain gun sitting on the roof of the Cabin rounded out the package. It was some variant version of a Bushmaster, that could be remote controlled from both the drivers and shotgun position and had a full suite of targeting sensors and the software to run it.


    I scaled it up a bit, replaced the engine and electrical system to work on the Psicrystal format, that freed up quite a bit of room in the engine bay, so more crystal for more power. Which I used on a cloaking field and shield emitters.


    The chain gun, now converted to a gauss format, took a bit of testing to get right, but I did finally get it running smoothly. I wasn''t sure how much oomph the crysbronze alloy added to the 25mm rounds, but I also wasn''t worried about it failing to penetrate any armor we came across.


    In the bay, it was set up with a series of 2 by 6 floor and ceiling clamps for the troops'' power armor. Just enough room left over for four Sentries to fit. The roof of the Bay had armored positions for the Probes to clamp themselves into and one focused psibeam emitter borrowed from the Observer''s schematics. This would allow us to communicate with the base from outside the Psifield. We weren''t sure how far yet, but it would at least be viable for now.


    Once the Probes had finished the assembly of the new vehicle, we ran it through a series of tests. Nothing major seemed out of whack, a few adjustments fixed the small issues.


    So I had Raynor''s boys load up. Then the Sentries and Probes. Mr. Wick took shotgun while I sat in the driver''s seat.


    Megan and Sally decided to sit this one out, they were planning something with Jaina, and it was occupying all their attention. When I stopped to ponder that, I got a sinking feeling in my gut. Not sure why. Maybe they were tired of me holding back from the next stage of our relationship. Probably not, but I tend to consider worse case scenarios first, before rolling back around to the more normal ideas.


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    Well, no help for it now.


    I had my eyes on a few different spots in the Badlands for Outposts. The first of which was North of the Ghost town, Rocky Ridge. The problem was right now the Raffen Shiv had taken over both the Ghost town and the area I wanted to set up in. Some new leader had started gathering a following amongst the outcasts.


    That just wouldn''t do.


    We were going to assault Rocky Ridge first, sweep it clear and if the assholes to the north didn''t get wind of the situation and high tail it out by then we''d roll up to them after. Conservation of ammo was unnecessary and my standing orders were to triple tap anyone who even remotely looked like a threat. I''d rather make a mistake in the hard to live with direction than the not alive anymore direction.


    We headed out and I decided to take the trip through the wastes themselves to really be able to evaluate the performance of the new beast.


    One great thing about converting a vehicle to the Khalai tech was how quiet they were. You could hear the tires on the ground sure and the air resistance made its own noise but no rumble of the engine, no belts or fans either. Kind of creepy when you were used to the noise an ordinary car makes.


    The troops were sticking to general conversation, and I have to say I was pleased that they didn''t seem nervous in the slightest. Hell Raynor was more worried than them, and you might think he had ice in his veins, for all he showed it. It was in the way he repeatedly checked his rifle.


    Mr. Wick was as silent as the grave, worse he barely moved. Not a fidget, or a stray cough, a sniffle, nothing. It was almost like he wasn''t there, but I could feel his nascent mana. Otherwise, I might think he was a hologram or a ghost.


    After a time I said, "Fuck it!" and turn on some tunes. A couple of station later I found something that sounded like Death Metal with some Industrial undertones thrown in. Good enough.


    Great timing too as that was when four vehicles came from the South. Obviously on an intercept course. It didn''t take long to make out the Wraiths graffiti covering the cars.


    Was that a multi tube rocket launcher?


    "Mr. Wick, it is too crowded out here, please see to our guests."


    "Yeah." He began to work the chain gun''s controls. The system made it easy. He used a joystick to line up the target, his small screen had a reticule that would flash red when the computer had calculated a hit. Pull the trigger on the joystick. Easy peasy.


    His first shot wasn''t a crack it was a boom. We learned that sound insulation in the vehicle was a must.


    The vehicle with the rocket launcher was cored by the 25mm round. A huge hole through now existed in the middle of the car and the passage of the round tore much of the rest of the material from the frame. I couldn''t tell what happened to the occupants, but I think it would be fair to assume they were no longer among the living.


    The other vehicles scattered but Mr. Wick was determined to leave no witnesses.


    Three more booms, three more piles of shredded metal. Though the last two were more felt than heard.


    The ringing took a while to stop. Thankfully the troops in their power armor were unaffected.


    I''d never forget the most unexpected sight of when John Wick turned to me and smiled, "I like it."

 Chapter 67

    That was maybe the most surreal thing I''ve every seen. The smile of the Baba Yaga. It''s brief duration, blink and you missed it, placed it among the most rare of events.


    Unlike a double rainbow it''s wasn''t beautiful, but it was amazing.


    I cast Regrowth on both of us to clear any linger damage to our hearing. The growling sounds of Metal from the radio came back into focus.


    When we were near Rocky Ridge, I let the boys in back know to be ready for action.


    Bullets start pinging off the truck''s armor almost as soon as the town was fully in view. Nothing with any real power came into play.


    I canted the truck and skidded to a halt with the rear of the vehicle facing the main road of the small town. I hit the ramp''s quick drop which also pops the clamps on the armor free at the same moment. Out leaps leaps Raynor followed by the rest in quick order.


    They don''t even pause, by the time the Probes and Sentries exit, even as rounds bounced off their shields, they are already taking cover and exchanging fire with the Raffen scum.


    I was pleased that Raynor trained them to get behind concealment or cover. Their shields would shrug off most rounds, and the thick plates of the power armor would deflect the rest, but it''s a bad habit to stand around taking fire even if it''s ineffective.


    The Sentries projected their more stable shield forward as the Probes started assembling a War Pylon. No reason to hold back. We were going to crush these raider bitches.


    Anything giving my people more of an edge was a good thing in my books.


    With the troops dropped off, I closed the flipped the switch to close the ramp and we went hunting in the truck. I swept wide around the east side of town.


    Mr. Wick had already started sending rounds into any vehicles he thought might be a threat, and especially any that were trying to flee the scene.


    To say we were overprepared, was an understatement.


    I noticed that some of our troops were using their power armor to demolish the buildings, bringing the rubble down on the Raffen fools. There was nothing here we needed to keep intact so it was a smart play.


    I also noticed their ammo was devastating, often penetrating the cover of our foes and splattering any flesh and rendering cyberware into its base components.


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    Once I had reached the North exit from the town I slowed to a stop. Letting Mr. Wick pick his shots with greater ease.


    On one hand part of me wanted to leap out and join in the fun. But that wasn''t the plan, and fucking with a plan that''s already working well is usually a recipe for disaster. So I once again found myself watching others carry the fight. It really sucked.


    A few minutes later and the War Pylon was finished. However its cannons didn''t get to fire a single shot. The fight that had already been in our favor became a rout, the few remaining Raffen shiv, no longer able to see or sense our troops, were slaughtered like bugs.


    The Probes were already building another War Pylon on the Northern edge of town, while the troops swept each building they had left standing. To be fair that wasn''t much.


    Later, I''d come back and we''d disassemble everything here and perhaps build a new town for folks wanting a quiet life away from the corrupt city. For right now it was time to push north to the area I actually planned to claim for an outpost.


    A small plot of land with a trailer home and a corrugated metal shed. A larger propane tank off to the side. Someone wanted their own place away from others, maybe to try to forget something or maybe they just didn''t like other folks underfoot all the time.


    Only a few Shivs had been stationed here. To keep an eye out for trouble and to scout out the northern trade routes for vulnerable convoys.


    It took also no time for us to put them all down. They were unprepared and underequipped. Mostly handguns and blades. The boys didn''t even waste any ammo and just beat them to death. So far the power armor was far outperforming any cyberware we had come across.


    While I wasn''t surprised, I hadn''t quite expected just how well the armor held up. As we set up camp to wait for the Pylons and Forges to be assembled, I broke out some of the rations for everyone. It might not have been much of a workout but good work deserves a reward.


    Raynor and Mr. Wick were training the boys in some bushcraft techniques, I kept half an ear out while I went over their armor and weapons looking for any damage, finding none. Most of it was simple stuff, basic shelters, starting fires, and finding edible plants. Given the simple lives most of the troops had led on Azeroth this was more like a refresher course, than an education, hell a few of the boys had good tips themselves.


    After we established the other outpost I''d bring Wisps out to set up Moon Wells and start some trees growing.


    Project Underbridge had finished before we set out, meaning we had a tunnel from New Lordaeron to Japantown. The first reservoirs were being finished up. we would link these new Outposts to the tunnel system down the road. Eventually folks would never have to travel the Badlands again if they didn''t want to.


    Of course, at some point it would all be green again and maybe, just maybe, folks would like what they saw. Though with some of the critters popping up in the Valley I''m not sure it would be any safer to travel just better looking.


    Raynor had found himself a portable radio, and a station that played an interesting combination of synth country western and electric honkytonk and some electro swing. As night fell the boys and him were swapping stories and telling tales around a crackling campfire. Just missing a pot of chili and some cowboy style coffee.


    Even Mr. Wick even seemed as much at peace as he ever did.


    Everything seemed to be going too well. I didn''t trust it. I decided to keep watch.

 Chapter 68

    Overnight the Probes had set up a perimeter of War Pylons and finished setting up several robotics facilities.


    The boys had drifted off to sleep. Even Raynor and Mr. Wick closed their eyes for a spell. A sign of their trust in me, I hoped.


    Thankfully nothing disturbed us and I had plenty of time to consider what to do with this outpost.


    Then it hit me.


    This little outpost was going to start producing Reavers. Large mobile heavily armored caterpillar like bots that produce scarab drones. Each would take two weeks, but their payload of explosive little scarab drones was well worth the investment in time. Later, I would adjust their payloads for a variety of tasks but even the power of the baseline explosions was truly a spectacle. Especially for such tiny drones.


    They would be great for assaulting any fortified position. Eventually, I''d need what others already possess. If I couldn''t bargain with them, then explosives often solved that kind of problem.


    I also wanted to get scans of the bots and drones from NC as soon as possible. Humanoid bots might make for an interesting experiment. As well as having the Khalai robots disguised as the standard bots that were already an everyday part of society, would make infiltration much easier. Hiding things in plain sight worked surprisingly well, and by the time the cat was out of the bag the number of the drones we would have should be sufficient to hold our own.


    On the other hand, the Khalai had tried something called the Purifier project. They digitized the minds of some of their greatest warriors, both those who were injured and volunteers, and placed them into robotic bodies. They thought it would be an extension of the Dragoon project, Warriors who were still alive but unable to fight normally, so they were entombed within the Dragoon weapons platforms, to continue in service to the Khalai. Their duty to their people allowed them to carry on and often make great differences in battle.


    Not so the Purifiers, mostly because the Khalai treated them like mere robots not the valued and honored warriors their minds were. Personally, I think their rebellion was both predictable and justified. Sadly, I have no Protoss to discuss the situation with to try to make sense of the whole ordeal. Alina only knew so much about what was mostly a classified operation. I wouldn''t have found out as much as I had if not for my Executor status.


    As the troops roused themselves the next morning, I cast Regrowth, Cleanse, and Nature''s Blessing on all of us. We had a quick breakfast of HQ rations and got going towards the next place I wanted to occupy.


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    We''d be a swinging a couple dozen miles to the east to avoid the mountains but for the most part we headed straight south.


    As I was perusing the satellite maps of the region. I saw that there was a massive solar farm south of the city. We were going to setup an outpost within striking distance of that facility. As my plans progressed I''d arrange my outposts next to critical infrastructure. If it was ever needed, I wanted to be able to grip Night City by it''s balls.


    I felt a desire to repay all the kindness I had received to date, with interest.


    I did get a little worried when we had to cross the border with the NUSA. The border was enforced by extreme application of force, be it from satellite, artillery, or drone strike. You''d get almost no time to retreat before you were reduced into atoms.


    However, I had a vehicle with a cloaking field. It wouldn''t last long, if we wanted to be able to keep moving, but it should be just enough to sneak by the kill zone.


    Somewhere the Wraiths had a tunnel through the mountains. Locating and appropriating that asset was a story for another day. (AN: I know and it made me very sad. IF you don''t get this, don''t worry about it.)


    We made it through without a hitch, and an hour later we were looking at the ridiculously oversized solar panels, and towering central collector. Knowing that the City needed this, at least two nuclear plants, and at least one hydroelectric damn, in addition to who knows what else, boggled the mind.


    Then again with the profligate displays of lights and holographs, I''m shocked they didn''t need more. Though from what little I saw, most buildings have their own methods of generating at least some power. Hard to say, I could look into it more later.


    Here we were not going to take over any existing buildings. No, we were just going to build the outpost in the middle of nowhere, out of the way of prying eyes.


    While the Probes and Sentries were working on that, Raynor, Mr. Wick and I were looking over maps of the city trying to get an idea of where in that rats'' nest our next two outposts were going.


    "Here." Mr. Wick pointed to a small shopping center next to Megabuilding 4. I liked it, mainly because I wanted an excuse to look inside one of those behemoths. It must be horrific to actually live in one.


    "Yup. That seems like a good bet, Hoss." I could tell Raynor didn''t like what he was seeing on the maps. "This city is messier than a sty, full of sick swine. With all these shops it''s going to be a nightmare to avoid notice. At least until we get some Pylons up."


    "I''ll try renting a space out first. It worked last time. Then we can setup underground. If that doesn''t work, we act like a gang. Smash the place up, drive everyone out. Still setup up underground. I''ll make sure the shop owners are compensated later." It would have to do, until we got a better look at the area.


    "What I''m worried about is the truck. It screams Corpo involvement. We''ll have to stash it and pickup other means of transport." I continued, looking for a warehouse area on the edge of the district. I saw a likely place and pointed, "Here. We''ll stash it here. I''ll buy a transport hauler of some kind, and we''ll use that to get to the shopping center. Best to act like we''re delivering something, until we need a different strategy."


    They nodded their agreement.


    Not long after that, the Probes had everything setup and the Quest completed. 2000 CPoints and a Mercenary Squad Token were now mine.

 Chapter 69

    We found the warehouses at the edge of Rancho Coronado.


    I''d noticed that while driving there many vehicles had given us a wide berth. Maybe it was the size of the truck, or maybe it was the massive chain gun on the roof, hard to say. The extra space was welcome though, the MTV was too wide for standard lanes. All this could lead to a situation where we attracted the wrong kind of attention, which was why I wanted to find something to travel deeper into the urban jungle of NC.


    The warehouses here stored a variety of goods for mostly mid level corps. Everything from cyberware components to supposedly organic but shelf stable food products, even raw materials like ores could be found in this place.


    I easily found a smaller unoccupied building, which I quickly rented off the NET and we stashed the MTV. One Sentry would remain here to guard the vehicle.


    Stage one complete, now to find something big enough to haul all of us to the shopping center.


    It took a while but I found an auction for a Kaukaz Zeya 420 model used as a garbage truck. It should be just big enough while not raising eyebrows anywhere we needed to go. Might need some work, but hey, between me and the Probes we''d have it roaring like a bear in no time.


    It''s onboard AI limped it to us, after I dropped enough eddies to just about buy it new. That didn''t matter too much, I had plenty of money, and you couldn''t just buy a new one without a special permit. There was an exemption for decommissioned vehicles though.


    Without a forge we couldn''t completely overhaul it, but I dug around in its engine while the Probes disassembled local trash into minerals to aid in repairing the chassis. The Probes even managed to convert some of the chassis to crysbronze. Meaning it was going to be armored.


    That was a relief. While I didn''t plan for us to get shot at it was pretty much a guarantee that a few bullets would head our way.


    Several engine components were shot, and the electrical harness needed all kinds of love. So, I had to make a few quick orders, all from different shops, to get what I needed to bring it up to a decent level of functionality. Later the Probes would scan it and we''d be able to fabricate the parts if needed, but by then we''d likely be able to completely convert it with Khalai Tech.


    It took a few hours, but it at least looked new. The poor garbage truck now ran far better than it had, though nowhere near factory levels. I gave up making more improvements for now, so that we could get started.


    Stage two down.


    We arrived at the shopping center to find two spaces were for rent. I took the one on the ground floor once again both impressed and disappointed that it was so easy to obtain a space. While it was incredibly convenient, especially for our purposes, there was a distance to the whole thing. It felt not just impersonal, but inhuman. You don''t know the owner and they don''t know you. Eh, just business as usual in this Cyber Dystopia.


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    Why do you need to know anybody anyway, money''s money right? Spends the same no matter who''s on the other end. As if. My knowledge of economics and currency is limited but even I knew better than that.


    Just like that stage three down.


    As we all stood around the empty space I had just rented, watching the Probes get started on carving out the underground space for our new outpost, we couldn''t help but feel the absurdity of it all. All that prep for nothing, just because it was so easy to rent even without a proper ID.


    Raynor smirking said it first, "Looks like we got all gussied up for nothing."


    Wick''s lips had the barest of upward curves to it, "Yeah. Shame."


    I was grinning, "Hey, it could have been the fight of our lives. You never know when a Granny with Cyberpsychosis is behind the counter."


    We broke down into laughter, even the troops joining in, draining all the tension that had been built up. Well, except Mr. Wick he kind made a noise that only the most charitable might call a chuckle.


    That gave me an idea. Mwahaha.


    I ordered a bunch of food to be delivered.


    Soon they were all staring at triangles of processed crust, supposed cheese, mystery sauce and a variety of dubious toppings.


    "Pizza?" Mr. Wick''s tone held all the doubt in the universe.


    Raynor and the boys were looking at theirs, not knowing a thing about pizza. Strangely for all the different things that could come out of a Company ration pack, pizza was a rare occurrence. But that was the reason they hadn''t pounced on the food. No, they were probably hesitating because they noticed I hadn''t even reached for mine yet.


    "Dig in, fellas." I gestured at the "pizza".


    Except for Mr. Wick they all all took a bite. Yeah, didn''t think I''d get him with this one. They all stared at me after the first swallow of Buck A Slice Pizza. Their second bite had their stomachs churning. As they kept eating, I felt the increase in their irritation. Their stares transforming into full blown glares and grumbling. I felt the accusation, but let it rolled off me like water off a duck.


    "What''s wrong, don''t like it?" As I pulled out a bag full of burgers from Tom''s Diner. I slowly unwrapped the first one and then took a big bite. Controlling my reaction took some effort but I think I pulled it off. Eh, not horrible, but after being spoiled by the food back in New Lordaeron, it just didn''t hit right.


    That looked at the burger in my hand and back at the "pizza". The yelling ensued. Some tossing might have happened.


    "That''s a low down dirty trick! Poisoning your own people like that." Raynor grumped. Choruses of "That''s right" and "You tell him, boss." rang out.


    I snickered as I pulled out more burgers and tossed them to everyone. They set upon the burgers with a will. Sure, it wasn''t great but after the false pizza that didn''t matter so much.


    In the silence that followed, I laid it out for them. "That "pizza" was the first thing I ate in this city. Think about that. Think about how bland these burgers are. This is what the folks here live on." I went from chuckling to serious. "This is just an intro to the hell this place really is, it gets a lot worse from there."


    That sobered them up. I could see the understanding take hold. Similar thoughts to mine from that time, played out on their faces. They were now at the beginning of the path, of why we were doing this.


    Heh heh, blame successfully diverted. Mischief Ma...wait wrong script.

 Chapter 70

    After the Probes had gotten the Outpost setup underground, we started looking at the Charter Hills area on the maps.


    I had already seen an abandoned building in the area, when I first rolled into the city, it was a 5 story office building. Not idea, too large and too close to the highway. Though the presence of such a building meant there might be more.


    "Oh look here," I pointed to a spot on the map. There was an abandoned auto shop, nothing too busy next to it either. That would be a good option.


    "Bad sight lines." Wick stated. He gestured at a CHOOH2 station that had gone under recently, he pointed at the fuel storage towers. "Better." The area around it was clear for a hundred yard in any direction. He was right, excellent place to setup defenses.


    I did a quick search of CHOOH2 and followed some threads gathering an array of information on it''s production.


    Which gave me a wicked idea. At the end of the day, all CHOOH 2 was just a burnable grain alcohol or an ethanol. I think the formula was for ethanol was CH3CH2OH or something like that. Sure that wasn''t all CHOOH2 was, but not only could we produce a viable ethanol fuel in the forge''s assemblers we could refine it into a better version. Hell, we could just copy the existing formula and modify it.


    Slinging their own fuel back to them to help pay for our efforts to bring down the Corpos. I liked the sound of that. I could get some bots to run it, and we could modify the whole place to be a fortress.


    But the longer I thought about it, the more I was sure it would be the fast track to armed confrontation. Petrochem was one of the big Corps and they had a near monopoly on CHOOH2, sure they licensed the wheat they used to make it from Biotechnica, but that just meant I''d piss them both off with my idea.


    Yeah, maybe hold off on that for now.


    Still, it was a good property to grab and it was selling for relatively cheap. I went ahead and bought it. What was a few hundred grand in the face of what we stood to gain. Our lumber trade was making big bucks right now.


    I nodded at them, "Alright no problem buying that one. Already went through. A drone will be by in fifteen minutes with the key fobs."


    Hmm. let''s see what else?


    I wanted to see the inside of Megabuilding 4 while we were nearby.


    I snapped my fingers, "Right." I rang up Misty.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Ryan! Been awhile. We''ve missed you. You doing alright?" She seemed to be in a good mood.


    "Sure, Misty... things are, um, preem. Just wanted to see if Vik had some time later to look over a couple of fellas I''m working with. Get them chipped." Seemed a good time to get Raynor and Mr. Wick fitted.


    "Let''s see... Vik has an opening in a couple of hours, that good for you?"


    "That''s great. Thanks Misty. You''re the best."


    "Misty, huh?" Raynor gave me a suspicious look.


    I rolled my eyes at him. "Don''t go there, Misty''s great and Sally and Megan already know all about it."


    I changed my mind about checking out Megabuilding 4 changing my target to Megabuilding 10 since it was on the way to see Vik.


    The fellas had left the armor down in the outpost under the protection of the Probe Sentries and a few War Pylons. Kept their rifles on them though. Going unarmed in Night City was a fool''s errand. They were wearing the casual dress of New Lordaeron, based off of blue jeans and t shirts, so they weren''t too out of place.


    Megabuilding 10 was a hustling bustling edifice to the Dystopia Gods. Built to withstand nuclear strikes and to be a completely self contained environment that was to my untrained eyes a gravity defying monstrosity. No, seriously how does all that work. You would think it would crumble under its own weight.


    Layer after layer, floor after floor, of concrete and steel. With barely a splash of paint to breakup the monotony, most of which was Gang graffiti. Endless advertisement blaring at you 24/7 from every direction. Driving you slowly but inevitably mad.


    And the people. They mostly looked broken and worn down, completely absorbed into an endless nightmare of corporate greed, or they looked jittery, nervous and ready to pull iron at the drop of a hat. Some small few were either more put together, ready to hit a Corpo job, or basically homeless using the quieter corners to squat until someone drove them off. A true spread of the standard Night City citizenry.


    It took no time at all for all of the fellas to become disenchanted with the technology of the era, after seeing the conditions forced on the everyday folks. I heard them talking about how the madness of Goblins and Gnomes had surely cursed this land. Something about never leaving things well enough alone.


    Huh? Now there''s a thought. I had an idea of little greedy green guys and human looking quixotic little folk running around with crazy contraptions getting into all manner of trouble. It made me chuckle. Which I needed after facing with the grim realities of life in this place.


    We left the building after looking through a few more stores and stalls. Junk. Most of the goods on offer were just junk. Who needs any of this?


    On the way over to Vik''s, a few wannabes tried to start a fight, perhaps thinking we were some new rivals for their territory. Ten low level street toughs looking to make a name for themselves. Maybe looking to join a bigger Gang after they had run awhile.


    Mr. Wick put rounds into each of their skulls before the rest of us had an idea what he was going to do. That fast. Faster than it took to say, "That''s not a good idea, fellas." Which is what I was going to say. You know, before somebody decorated the street with their brains.


    We all looked at him.


    "Sorry, reflex." He shrugged like it wasn''t the most badass thing we''d ever seen. Fucking terrifying.


    "We''d better get a move on before NCPD rolls by. Don''t want to deal with them if we can help it." I shook my head as I picked up the pace.


    "Not that they''d really give a damn." I whispered mostly to myself.

 Chapter 71

    We somehow managed to travel the remaining 200 feet or so to Misty''s Shop without Mr. Wick shooting anyone else. I''m going to count that as a win.


    I hadn''t realized just how much of a hair trigger he had.


    I had the troops head off into to to the Gomorrah, I gave then all some bills to get drinks and maybe contribute to their delinquency. Seriously though some ladies put a lot of effort into their routines. Realistically, they were probably saving up for better iron to splatter some gonks, or for some of those sick mantis blades I saw in Vik''s catalogue. Yeah that fits. I warned them not to get too excited and be respectful. I didn''t want any of them to go missing over an incident. I imagined the security at most of these places is shoot first, ask nicely later.


    Mr. Wick, Raynor and I walked into Misty''s shop. She stopped her conversation with a young guy to look at us. Her smile got a little steadier.


    Huh? Misty''s the friendliest person in this cesspit of a city, why would she look uncomfortable? Was this asshole bothering her?


    "Dr Vektor is ready for your friends, Ryan." Her head gesture back towards the alley.


    "I''ll show them the way, then I''ll want a chakra thingy." I gave her a cheeky grin. "If you''re not busy, that is?" I looked at the punk kid, some slicked back Corpo type. A wannabe or an actual wage slave remained to be seen. Honestly, he looked like he was in sales or marketing.


    "A cleansing sure. Just let me finish up with Mr. Hayashi here." She returned my grin.


    When we got into the alley, "Hoss, you are a little too flirty with the little lady in there."


    I sighed, "Jim, didn''t you catch how she reacted to us coming in? That was relief, that guy was pushing her. Also, no I''m not flirting with her, that''s just how we are."


    "Flirting." Mr. Wick chimed in.


    "Et tu, Brute? Seriously stop reading too much into this. She is a friend, and I like her, but don''t make a mountain out of a molehill." I shook my head and made a chopping motion with my hand.


    They both grunted at me. Raynor''s was the grunt of fatherly disapproval. Mr. Wick''s was a "don''t care, your problem" grunt.


    I sighed so hard, I felt my inner teenager reawaken from years of neglect, just for them to cringe. It was like having your dad and his scary best bro lecturing you. I''m thirty fucking years old, even if I no longer look it, I didn''t need to be parented.


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


    The hell is going on?


    Well, at least Vik wouldn''t give me any guff.


    "What''s this I hear about you flirting with Misty?" Fuck, he just grumbled at me in overprotective father. All that was missing was a shotgun.


    "Vik not you too." I felt betrayed.


    "Nah, just fucking with you kid. Misty''s a big girl, she can take care of herself." He grinned at me, that gotcha grin.


    I groaned. "Vik this is Jim Raynor and Mr. John Wick. Jim, Mr. Wick this is Dr. Viktor Vektor. Despite his poor sense of humor he is best ripper in Night City, and don''t let him tell you different." They nodded at each other. "Guys get whatever you want, but make sure you at least get the same head ware as me. Vik take good care of them and I''ll settle up before we leave." I nodded at them, "Now I''m going to go make sure that greasy dude doesn''t overstay his welcome."


    I pivoted and marched back to Misty''s shop.


    "Miss Olszewski, we feel that our offer is more than fair." He gave her an up and down stare but it wasn''t the lewd kind. More the looking where to best to cut to get maximum value from your organs. "Please, don''t make the wrong decision. We will be awaiting your reply." Asshole strutted out like he already owned the place, and he was deigning to let us use it.


    "Some folks could benefit from bullet therapy. He looks like a good candidate." I growled.


    "Now that would be the waste of a bullet. Some people have lost their souls, he murdered his." She laughed and pointed to her chair.


    "You know I could get you a nice drone. They''re friendly, hard working and good at frying assholes like that." I plopped down into the oversized chair. Ah, I missed you comfy chair. That''s right any designs I have on Misty are all for this amazing chair.


    She just shook her head at the offer of a drone.


    "Now, tell me about your latest adventures." She pulled our her crystals and began setting up for the cleansing while I spent the next thirty minutes filling her in on all the events since last I saw her.


    "Sounds like a lot of work, and you found some nice women." She smiled big. She turned on the radio and started up an ambient rain and flute piece of music. Not bad, needed some drums though.


    "I don''t know about nice, but I like them. No, I love them, even if I don''t understand it. I keep expecting the other shoe to drop." I''m sure I had a goofy grin on my face.


    "I find there''s usually no easy path to understanding love. You have to let go of that worry and just focus on the now." She started waving her hands as she guided me to close my eyes. "Relax and just listen to the music... "


    The darkness surrounded me. I didn''t know where I was or how I got here. I was running from a monster.


    Some vague and nebulous beast of eldritch origins. Blending completely into the lightless void around us. How I could even tell it was there, I had no clue. Yet the creature was already in front of me and right beside me as well. It was everywhere and nowhere all at once.


    I was nothing, just a small thing it took hungry notice of.


    It''s cold and clammy hands clamped down upon me pulling me down into an an even darker pool of writhing blackness. Wails of the damned and lost were faintly audible under the cackling of the beast.


    "Ssssoooon youuuu ssshaalll beeee aaallll oursssssss."


    More cackling.


    Hell No! You can just back off creepy stalker monster. I refuse to be your anything.


    I struggled and fought to break free, but each moment the tar like oblivion sucked me in deeper. I tried to cast a spell, to turn on my aura to say the prayer for Smite. Nothing worked and I shortly knew myself no more, just another soul wailing and gurgling in despair as the emptiness and meaninglessness of existence was used as a noose to strangle me.

 Chapter 72

    There was nothing. It didn''t matter.


    A pulse of pain. Pain was something.


    Nothing mattered. It was pointless.


    No, I was pretty sure pain mattered. At least my pain mattered to me. That was something to cling to.


    My thoughts started to gain speed.


    [ Give up, give in, let go, serve us. ]


    ''What? Not just no, but HELL no! Go fuck yourself... ''


    What the fuck was that?


    The pain and despair receded. My momentary defiance allowing some much needed clarity of thought.


    The lack of material space made it difficult to focus. The lack of air made it easy to begin to reject this present reality.


    So was this a dream? No, or at least not quite a dream. Something within myself sensed this was both a dream and real at the same time. Though could I trust even my own feelings at this point? No, best not to start down that twisted trail.


    A projection into my mind maybe. That''s as good an answer as I was likely to get for the what of the situation. The remainder of the classics, who, where, why and how eluded any insight at the moment.


    What could I do?


    I felt nothing, there was no pressure on my skin, none of the usual sense of an empty space. No sounds or vibrations. No sensation of hot nor cold. I could move but there was none of the feedback I associated with motion. Nothing to orient myself against or towards. Except myself which I felt only in the most faint of manners.


    What was left to do? Find a way out of this. Duh.


    How? Now that was a good question.


    I had better things to do than float around in... in primordial nothingness.


    I had no idea how long I pondered this odd situation. While the hamster wheel in my head spun, I could perceive my sense of self growing. I could almost feel my body again.


    [ You really should just give up. You are going to serve us one way or another. Come on, let go. ]


    ''You''re still here? The show''s over. Go home.'' I made a shooing motion. The classics always worked. No more peeping at my... My what? My inner space? My mind?


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    [ Well, this is a waste of time. Just send the quickhack. Fuck, he got that...shshshshshshshsh ]


    Quickhack! Oh fuck!


    I now had a pretty good clue what was going on. I''d been targeted by a netrunner.


    When did they find me? How did they force me into this state? Who the hell were they?


    I had to wake up, they could be after Misty. They could be after Vik.


    Argh. I felt my sense of mana come flooding back.


    It twisted in an odd new way, and released in a massive explosion.


    { WAKE UP! }


    And I did.


    Light. Blinding after so long in the dark. I blinked like there was money in it. My eyes were so dry.


    I was on some kind of gurney, covered in a thin white sheet. I couldn''t move very well yet, and most everything hurt.


    "He''s coming out of it. Tell me what happened, Misty?" Vik''s voice, I thought.


    "Hhhhhh... " I tried to speak, to warn them. Nope, my tongue went the wrong way and my lips just kind of flapped uselessly. My vocal cords didn''t seem able to catch the air from my lungs.


    "He was fine, then he seized and when rigid." She was calm, training and practice kept her together. I could respect and admire her professional demeanor.


    "Might be a rejection of his cyberware. Though he should have had symptoms before now." Vik sounded angry but still in control, like this offended him somehow. No, I got it. He went out of his way to make connections with as many of his patients as he could. Wonderful attitude but it had a cost. I couldn''t imagine the emotional toil of loses folks you genuinely cared about


    "Hhhhaaaacc..." Was all I could get out. Come on mouth. Work, damn it!


    "Hack? Someone spiked you?" Vik sounded almost relieved. If he had an idea of what was wrong he had a place to start fixing the problems.


    "Ya...." I managed to reply.


    He put an inhaler to my lips, "Take a puff. Do you have feelings of despair? Nothingness?" Deft motions forced the burst of mist into mouth.


    I breathed in ad deeply as I could. The rush of the stimulant burned through my lungs before spreading everywhere else. It was like concentrated expresso straight to the bloodstream.


    Things across my body started to wake up. Coming back online.


    I groaned at my own brain''s attempt at humor. Way too soon.


    "Yeah... said to let go. I would serve, but I didn''t and then they said to send the quickhack." My mouth still felt like it was full of mush, but I get the words out as best I could.


    "You seem to have avoided whatever they intended. I''ll run you through the scanner and then we''ll do a software purge. A hard reset should wipe out whatever they snuck in there."


    "Any-Anyway to trace them? I''d like a few words." Yes, a few words. Hackers this is Mr. Wick. That''s a few words, right?


    "Nah, we have to bring in a runner. I don''t think you''re in any mode to have anyone rummaging around in your chrome right now." Yeah, that didn''t sound like a fun time.


    Maybe a few more Observers hanging over the city... Wait, if I had one watching me, would it have caught the intrusion? Probably. Fuck. Was there some kind of guide or course you could take to prepare for these kinds of situations. There couldn''t be right?


    Vik took good care of me. Running me through the scanner, then performing the hard reset of cyberware.


    The hard reset was kind of troubling, my eyes went offline. Misty talked me through it though. She really was the best friend a person could have in this crap-hole of a city.


    Vik guided me through the system setup procedures. Then they wheeled me over to rest beside Raynor and Mr. Wick both of whom were still out from whatever additions Vik chipped into them.


    That was a good thing, I''d hate to see the reaction to my situation from these two. When they had even less context than me about how this shit worked.


    Hopefully they''d be calm once they woke up.


    I''m just going to shut my eyes again.

 Chapter 73

    The world slowly creeped up on me. I never saw it coming.


    One moment, I was lost in unawareness. The next, the terrible sounds of a boxing match in full swing. The plops and smacks of the gloves the over excitement of the crowd, and the too rapid voice of an announcer trying to fill air time.


    I left the sounds just pass through my awareness, not letting myself get too focused on their meanings.


    I needed to reflect, to parse everything that had been going on. I was too distracted in New Lordaeron. Always filling my time with some project or with the ladies. It was like I didn''t want to face myself. To deal with the pain bubbling under my conscious mind.


    So I pondered in my own way. I dug into myself to shake something loose.


    Something had changed, some part of me had shifted. I felt different. Things that hadn''t really made sense were starting to take root deep in my mind. I had been ignoring so much of my potential because it was easy to let others pick up my slack.


    Why was I okay with Raynor or Mr. Wick tracking down my hackers. Shouldn''t that be personal?


    Back not so long ago, why was I okay with the Probes handling most of the fighting? Even losing some of my first robo buddies to Arasaka''s interference. Scuff, Fix, Chuck and Barry. I barely knew them, and I still missed them. Their conviction should be my touchstone.


    I wasn''t really suited for conflict at the time. I''m not sure I am now. That had to change. Deep down I knew there was no changing this world without first cutting out it''s cancers. Some part of me just didn''t want to accept it. Thought that maybe I could convince people to work together to help each other, if I just provided a safe framework to do it in. That just wasn''t true


    I still hadn''t taken the time to process the sheer fuckery of this city. I kept distracting myself with cars and tinkering, and Sally and Megan. I buried myself in my obsessions, some part of me trying to move past the trauma of loss in the worst way.


    There was no room for me to ignore the world, it wasn''t going to forget me. Even the half-assed impact I''d already had was enough to attract all the wrong kinds of attention.


    I had the tools to do better, maybe I should start taking more advantage of them. I needed to start playing more attention to the BTC, to my status, and to the very real leg up it gave me.


    If my Intelligence was more developed would I have even gotten hacked? Or maybe my Tech stat would have been more help? That''s the problem, I didn''t know. I didn''t understand what any of these things meant except in the most broad terms. More Body had made me tougher, stronger. More Tech made it easier to comprehend the technology of the Khalai and the world I had been dropped in. More Reflex would make me faster.


    But was that all they did? What the hell did Cool do anyway? Did it make me more charismatic? Did it mean cool under pressure? Cause I sure didn''t feel any better in the heat of the moment.


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    Which also reminded me of my Classes. I still didn''t understand what a Druid was. Sure, I could cast spells, sense nature better, make plants grow and even connect with animals more. Yet, I also found myself staring at things trying to make sense of them in ways that never would have mattered to me before.


    The Warp-Smith leaned into my real hobbies, tinkering and scrapping, so I questioned it less. That could end up being a huge mistake. The way it just pushed knowledge into my head, had to have changed my perspective. Working with the Khaydarin crystal could actually be screwing with my mind. The Psifields themselves could be doing some form of long term damage to us. After all they weren''t meant for humans in the first place.


    The Paladin my newest and least understood Class. I felt even more upset, than before, when others fought for me. And why, despite being level 4 had I gained no new powers other than the Aura and Prayer I got for choosing the Class. Something was different about this one, but I had no idea what it could be.


    Soon, I''d get another Theme and likely another Class, how would it play into all of these issues?


    This was the first time I could remember being able to focus on these issues without getting sidetracked.


    It was like something had been interfering with my brain to keep me from really analyzing all of this.


    I was left with one conclusion though.


    I didn''t trust any of it.


    Which was both wise and a big part of why I was having so much trouble with using this system. How could I trust it after been dumped here with almost no explanation?


    Also since I didn''t trust the system, why did I have such unshakable trust in the summons brought here by the system? I had never once though that Raynor or any of the folk of New Lordaeron might betray me. The Probes and Sentries were a rock that my mind clung to.


    Something in my gut told me I could trust them.


    Meadran, Lumiar, Faergin and Korvaith. Were they actually loyal to me or to the system?


    Again my feelings said I could trust them. But I had never been a person to rely heavily on my feelings.


    I need to test it more. See what the rules were, then bend them.


    I cautiously opened my eyes.


    Raynor, Mr. Wick and Vik were sitting in front of Vik''s monitor watching the boxing match. It was good that they could enjoy something like that together. It was a scene of normalcy in this insane world.


    I had a few messages which I went through while slowly easy myself up and off of the gurney.


    Megan and Sally checking up on me. I replied quickly, filling them in. I wasn''t going to gloss things over and get and earful about it later. I cared about them too much to lie or prevaricate.


    Jaina with a few reports on expansion of the Town and the projected completion of the current constructions. She even had a report on the new Badlands outposts having already sent wisps to create Moon Wells and trees. She was on top of things.


    Still, I had an uneasy feeling as I thought of the ladies. Something was wrong, I was sure of it. Though maybe it was the recent hacking attempt fucking with my head.


    There was a long list of work reports from the Probes. When had they started connecting to the NET? Since I had no idea what we even needed right now I left all that to Jaina. There was that trust again. Hmm.


    Alina reported a breakthrough on the adaptation project of Khalai cyberware. Oh, that was very exciting. I dug into the files before shaking it off. There was the Warp-Smith affecting my thoughts.


    Receipts for the rental of the warehouse and store fronts and the sales receipt for the fuel station.


    Good.


    A message from Rita of all people asking if I was okay. Huh. I sent her a quick reply with a generic I''m alright.


    I looked up to see Mr. Wick staring at me. Of course he was the first to notice I''d gotten up.


    "What did I miss?"

 Chapter 74

    Mr. Wick was by Vik one second and the next he was right beside me. Even with my cybereyes I didn''t see the intervening steps. His hand was already on my shoulder, and even though part of me trusted him I almost had a heart attack.


    "Okay?" His tone was slightly less flat, maybe the beginnings of concern were there.


    "I''m fine. What, a little hack is gonna keep me down? Nah." I could see the difference in his eyes, he had opted for colorless irises. Probably thinking it made it hard to tell where he was looking.


    Raynor slid over to us, "Hoss, good to see you up and about. What happened? Vik told us you were bushwacked by a "netrunner" what ever that is."


    "Yeah." I shared my experience with them and gave them my impressions of the event.


    Mr. Wick''s face tightened up even more than usual, and Raynor was downright fuming.


    "So anyone can get hornswoggled by these varmints?"


    "Pretty much. As long as you have cyberware." I nodded. "When we get back home, I''ll see if Megan can dig up something on the rats that tagged me. We''ll pay them a visit." I didn''t need to express how that visit was going to proceed.


    Mr. Wick grunted, he understood.


    "Enough about this, right now. Tell me what you got chipped with." I grinned trying to dispel the angry edge the guys had started to build.


    Raynor showed me his palms, "Same grip as you got." He tapped by his eyes, "Got the Kiroshi optics, good for zooming in and seeing through some walls. Plus the ports and neural processor like yours." Patted his chest, "Muscle enhancements and bone lacing." He just waved his hands, "Dermal Plating."


    He clenched his fist, "Should pack quite a punch, even outside the armor." He looked at Mr. Wick.


    "Eyes and Grip. Sandy. Kerenzikov. Better neural processor and ports. Faster now." He grinned for a microsecond. I saw it.


    "Good deal. I''ll settle up with Vik, then we need to go take care of the Fuel station. Get that knocked out. We''ll go hunting for Scavs or Maelstrom after to test everything out."


    They stepped back and let me by, though I got the sense they weren''t going to let me out of their sight for a while.


    "What do I owe you Vik?"


    He glanced up at me from where he was watching the bout on his monitor. "Two million even. Though with how much I made off the chrome you brought in from the Scavs, I''m willing to call it even."


    Stolen novel; please report.


    "Nope. I''ll pay. Told you I wouldn''t feel right profiting off of that mess. I meant it." I wired over the eddies. I was certain it was worth every bit of it.


    He grumbled, "Good doing biz with you, but don''t be too good. Tends to be bad for your health."


    He waved us out and went back to watching the match.


    We stopped off to check on Misty, and inform her of what happened. She took it hard when I almost flatlined in her chair. It certainly wasn''t her fault and I let her know it.


    "Ryan Fate seems to have it out for you. Be careful." She blurted that out, like she didn''t want to say but had to.


    "As careful as I can be, in this messed up place." I gave her a jaunty wave as we stepped into the street.


    "Alright, Raynor go collect the boys. I''ll pull the truck around. Mr. Wick keep an eye on the folks nearby, see if any express a little too much interest in us." Orders just spilled out of me, as if I''d been giving them my whole life. For a moment, I though about apologizing, but then it clicked.


    Things were starting to come together in my head. I had power, I was in charge. We might be friends, but I had to lead. I had to take responsibility for our actions. And if I was the one who was responsible, then I better give the best damn orders I could. I fuck up, they might die. I sure as fuck didn''t want anyone else to die on my watch. I didn''t want another incident where my friend had to give their lives to keep me going.


    Hell, it might already be too late. Maybe my more scattered approach, my softer touch has already sent the wrong message and slapped a big juicy target on all of us.


    No, it was time to sack up and lead. It was a hard world and it only respected the powerful, the cunning and the ruthless.


    While getting into the truck I took a moment to go over my status. (I''ll include it in the notes down below, since a lot of folks even if they are fans of litrpg don''t like the filler like nature of the sheets.)


    Some of my abilities had grown like Regrowth, Nature''s Blessing and Cleanse because I used them all the time. Many hadn''t changed at all since I had no use for them in my day to day activities. I did get a few new skills like Administration and Leadership, also Mechanics and Engineering. Nice.


    I was sitting on 15,786 XP. That was a lot of levels, that I had let just sit there. Sure, It would be good to be able to bring a new Class up to par with the others, but that not why I hadn''t used them. I plain forgot about it. My mind simply glossed it all over trying to avoid the issue.


    My Company Points were sitting at 8,000 which seemed off until I remembered my subscriptions had probably already pulled the rest away. 125,627 Tree points. I had to start figuring out how best to utilize those. Another case of plumb forgetting about something until I needed it.


    I still had 16 free points. I used six to bring my Reflex stat up to 10. Then 3 points each to Cool, Intelligence and Will to round them out at 10. Last point went to Psi Resonance to, you guessed it, bring it up to 10. I liked symmetry, sue me.


    That was a lot of changes really fast and it crashed into me hard. Good thing I hadn''t started the truck yet or I might have mowed down a bunch of people before crashing into a wall. I twitched and jerked and spasmed all about the cabin, until it started to calm down. Fuck. This was probably the other reason I had been avoiding leveling, it sucked ass.


    Once I had regained control of myself I drove around to pick up the fellas.


    The troops looked like they had had a great time. Some of them so much so that they could barely stand. I threw some Regrowths on them until the staggering stopped. I''ll ignore their less than dignified reactions to the spell. Heh.


    The reek of tons of alcohol had me hitting them with a few rounds of Cleanse as well. Whew, a good time indeed.


    I messaged the Probes we had brought with us to meet at our destination.


    With all that sorted out we headed toward the Fuel Station, I had a task to finish.

 Chapter 75

    We arrived at the CHOOH2 Station, and immediately began to dig through all the left over junk from the previous owners. It seemed that folks had been using this place as a makeshift dump for a while now. There were old cars, appliances and all manner of electronics scraps. Thankfully the amount of organic waste was relatively small. Though the odd corpse here and there was disturbing, we were coming to accept that Night City was just that kind of place.


    While a couple of Probes began to dig down to establish the outpost, the rest started setting up a War Pylon and a Forge to begin disassembling all the clutter into usable materials, while scanning anything that looked remotely useful.


    I had been thinking about how to proceed once this outpost was done. I was leaning towards using the new theme token here and establishing this as a front line base for my eventual takeover of the city. Whoever was sent with the new base should be able to hold this territory, with support from New Lordaeron until it was time to expand. Hopefully, they would be combat ready, though I suppose it wasn''t really a problem if they weren''t, as long as they were trainable.


    I found myself liking this idea more and more as I pondered it. An underground base, to be the central hub of Night City operations. We could establish food and material harvest here, have a force to protect the area.


    Now I was no General or military history buff, but that sounded like a workable strategy in my head. I ran it by Raynor and Mr. Wick and they didn''t see any major flaws, unless the Corpos caught on quickly and bombed the neighborhood. I didn''t see how they''d figure it out, with the Pylons keeping us all under the radar. Still it would be stupid to underestimate them.


    My mind turned with the idea over that it was better to assume the enemy knew your plans and had every advantage rather than thinking we were the shit and untouchable.


    Hmm. I needed someone more than poor Raynor, he was great don''t get me wrong, but I got the impression he was more a small squad leader. Great with tactics, but not so much with strategy. Mr. Wick was all about individual performance, so not the greatest help in this situation. I needed a General, a Colonel, or even a Major to help plan all this out. Someone better at grasping the bigger picture than I was, before I made a stupid mistake.


    While waiting for the Probes to make progress, I had fixed up a few of the TVs and let everybody find something to distract them between running drills with Raynor and Mr. Wick.I also lost myself in working on a small scooter.


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    Hours later, I had just gotten it running, when I got the notice for quest competition. 4000 company Points and the new Theme Token.


    I was so excited. Who would they be? What could they do?


    [ Do you wish to use Theme token? Y/N ]


    "Yes."


    [ Rolling result... ]


    [ You have obtained faction, Astra Militarum Death Korps of Krieg, 999th Mixed Operations Regiment ] (See below Author''s Note 1)


    [ Please note that this faction is hazardous to utilize, we have established your relationship as one that they will obey without question. This identity will cause significant difficulties with your current build. It also has the potential to dramatically impact your personality. ] (See below Author''s Note 2)


    [ The Company offers a one time deal, you may exchange this theme for 2 Hero tokens and 10,000 Company Points. ]


    What the hell? A deal. Interesting. Let''s roll that around a bit.


    While the name was quite ominous, they sounded like an actually Military force. Which was I desperately needed. While a another couple of Heroes would be great, I don''t think they could change the course of this situation as effectively as an actually military faction. While it was warning me about affecting my personality, perhaps that wasn''t a bad thing.


    In the long run wasn''t my current personality a problem? Maybe it was worth taking a chance this would be a helpful change. Without risk, rewards can become elusive.


    I lost track of time, while I went back and forth in my head. After getting more and more frustrated, I finally just threw my hands up.


    Ah, fuck it!


    "Nah, no deal." (See below Author''s Note 3)


    [ So be it. ]


    A silvery cube appeared before me. I grabbed it. While focusing on the cube my BTC was able to give me an idea of what the building would look like and how large it was.


    Damn! 300 yards cubed.


    I descended, on a newly finished lift, into the depths of the new outpost to see how it was arranged. At the bottom of the lift, some 700 feet below the surface, they had carved out a plain square chamber. The only break in the smoothed stone were some small Psicrystals used for both lighting and to extend the Psifield.


    Two exits to the north, two to the south, and one to the east. One exit to the north led to the Japantown outpost, the other to a large chamber containing a couple of forges and several robotic facilities along with a War Pylon to power everything. One exit to the south led to the new outpost in Santa Domingo, the other a chamber with beds, chairs, and appliances needed for living. The one to the east would link up with the tunnel back to New Lordaeron.


    I got the Probes to stop digging tunnels and to dig down deeper to the west and then establish a 500 yard cubed chamber. That would take a while, so I ate and then informed the fellas I be getting some rest down below.


    "We''ll keep an eye on things, Hoss. Get some shuteye." Raynor gave me a jaunty salute.


    Mr. Wick grunted, "Sleep." Before turning back to whatever they were watching. How they could tolerate any of the brain rotting programs on the TV confounded me. Eh, to each their own.


    I laid down and soon was dreaming of vast armies grinding my foes into dust. Been awhile since I''d slept so well. (AN: A nice moment before epic headaches to come.)

 Chapter 76

    Awareness returned slowly, faint whispers chasing me from the dream of endless war. It was as if they were from far away, but I neither doubted they were real nor that I was meant to hear them. I recognized the dream as a warning about the nature of the people that would serve me. I really didn''t enjoy what I was seeing.


    "In the name of the Emperor, BURN!" Screamed dour white haired women, facing countless demonic beings. Flames poured forth from their weapons purging the unclean.


    "The Emperor protects!" Chanted countless bright eyed young men and women marching in unison towards a battle almost none would return from.


    "In his glorious name, CHARGE!" Implored an imposing General, sword leading the way, as he stood abreast with his seemingly endless battle line of troops, surging forward toward a much larger mass of green foes.


    "By the Emperor, not one step further, Xenos filth!" Declared a young boy holding a readied grenade, while trying to keep himself between his remaining family and an odd looking suit of power armor.


    More and more, dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, then millions, then billions of voices softly reaching out to... not me, but a version of me that was unimaginably far away. Golden light trickled into my mind from this connection and I felt something shift in me. I couldn''t have pointed to where the changes were happening yet I could feel them none the less. The light burned with a fury and a purpose I would have thought could never have existed, before now. This was the essence of the people I was about to inflict upon this world.


    My BTC shook,


    [ You have received Faith energy. ]


    I felt something shatter inside me...


    [ Your Class Paladin of Nature (???) has rejected you. Reason not given. Please return to the Town Hall to redeem your Class XP and select another Class. ]


    Suddenly, all the points into Body and Cool that the Paladin class had provided were simply gone. A horrid weakness creeped into me. A sucking emptiness where those points used to be.


    I could barely open my eyes, never mind crawl out of the bed.


    It took a long time to adapt to my new state, everything inside me felt jagged and broken. I tried casting Regrowth and it did soothe the pain and emptiness for a few seconds, but seemed unable to help with the underlying issue.


    Slowly I focused on each muscle, tensing and releasing them until I could force them to move together. It if seems like I was calm, I assure you I wasn''t. My frustrating led to anger which led to a spiraling series of self incriminations.


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    Had to pick the fucking Theme it warned you about. Fucking dumbass. Admit it you thought the name was too cool to pass up.


    ''...''


    Even my inner voice was pissed at me.


    I gritted my teeth and pushed up off the bed, and immediately regretted the decision. Everything spun and my legs felt like a couple of those paper straws trying to support my weight. I had grabbed the bedframe to stabilize myself without even realizing it.


    I snarled, "Move you fucking idiot."


    Thus began my epic 27 step journey to the kitchen area, time lost all meaning in the drive to get to food and water. I was as dry as a desert and my stomach was as empty as the void between galaxies.


    I supposed it was a small mercy that no one was in here to see me like this.


    Thankfully, one of the Probes had moved some ration packs down here. I hadn''t even considered what I would have done if there hadn''t been any vittles down here.


    We won''t talk about how embarrassing eating was then. Or than I demolished two packs before beginning to feel better.


    Later after I had reached some manner of normal I made my way to the lift chamber and turned west to see the progress the Probes had made.


    Oh, they were already done. An empty 500 yard cubed space greeted me after a few hundred yards long hallway that was made up of more stairs than not.


    I had a hard time grasping the size the area until I saw it. I had no idea how they had kept the ceiling from collapsing, but it was a perfect cube, in so far as I could tell. Probes are a blessing. Everyone should have some.


    I sat on the last step into the giant room pondering.


    No, it was too late to turn back. Damage done. Let''s see this through.


    I messaged Raynor and Mr. Wick to come down and grab the cube on the way. There was no way I was doing this alone.


    They arrived with the troops. They had all donned their armor, probably a good idea.


    Raynor handed me the cube, "You okay, Hoss? Looks like someone danced on your grave."


    "No, because I didn''t take a deal, I''ve lost my Paladin Class for now, and all the points it granted me. I''ll be messed up until we can return to New Lordaeron to get it sorted out."


    Mr. Wick growled.


    "No, it''s my own damned fault. I think these guys are what we need, but they are going to be different. I get the impression that they come from a... universe of unending war."


    I gestured wildly at myself.


    "This already has caused me problems because I have to be someone they obey without question. Or they would kill us all in the name of their... God? It''s not a very clear idea, but yeah this will be intense. They will likely believe I am their God or the agent of their God. As shitty as that is, don''t disabuse them of that notion."


    I smashed my fist into my other hand.


    "They have no tolerance, no pity, no mercy. Expect truly grim psychotic people. Their first reaction is usually going to be to destroy anything they don''t understand. We have to be very careful how we utilize them, otherwise they just murder everyone and flatten everything."


    "Hoss, are you sure you want to bring these bastards into this?" Raynor sounded worried. Hard to tell behind his skull faceplate.


    "Want? No. Need to? Probably. Some part of me thinks this will be the best chance to change the nature of this mission. They have forgotten more about war then all the people on this world together have ever learned. We need that knowledge, even if it''s hard to deal with."


    Mr. Wick grunted.


    "Alright, but I reserve the right to complain about this later, when it blows up in your face." Jim really knew how to lighten a mood.


    "Our faces." I raised my eyebrow at him.


    "Sure, sure. Whatever you say." He was smirking behind his faceplate, I was sure of it.


    I activated the cube.

 Chapter 77

    A large concrete megabunker appeared in the center of the space.


    Round with nothing I''d call a window. Only a few slots to fire out of and even those had metal plates ready to close them up at the moment. Rusted steel razor wire surrounded the base except for the armored warehouse door. More razor wire blocked climbing access to the roof. Several double headed eagle stencils decorated the building.


    Why double headed?


    Everything about this structure screamed both efficiency and impregnable. If there was a architecture style called Military Brutalism this would be a prime example of that style.


    An entire culture dedicated to nothing but war, and I was the moron who thought it would be a good idea to bring them here.


    The armored door slid to the side.


    Five figures stepped out of the building, all of them armed and all of them ready to shoot anything they didn''t like the look of.


    Thankfully the couldn''t see us right now. Though that might bite us in the ass when we included them in the ally selection of the Pylons.


    They fell into a wedge, no words spoken between them, their actions and movement spoke of familiarity.


    The leading figure was dressed in what might be mistaken for a combination of WWI and WWII German uniforms. A golden cuirass with the same double headed eagle design under a almost steel grey great coat. A helmet decorated with a winged human skull framed perhaps the most disturbing feature. An old fashioned looking cloth gasmask with lenses dark. A pistol of a design I didn''t recognize was sweeping the area while an ornate sword glowing faintly with energy was held ready by their side.


    The two figures on the left were similar though they lacked the cuirass and instead had what looked like an almost normal plate carrier under their great coats. The helmets there were less sweeping though they still displayed a winged human skull. Their masks were also the same, except there was a hose running from them to something I couldn''t see from this angle. They had rifles of some kind, interestingly the rifles were connected to a pack on their backs by a couple of tubes.


    One of the figures on the right was robed in white wearing a rather large cylindrical hat. There were all manner of wax seals placed on their robes and skulls everywhere. They also had a gas mask, which really didn''t go with their priestly vibes. Instead of a gun of some type they clutched a double headed eagle staff with one hand and had an open tome resting in the other. A bizarre golden energy, not dissimilar to what had seeped into me earlier surrounded them.


    The last figure was the most odd. A cyborg of some kind was the obvious part. The parts appeared to be a mishmash of mechanical pieces thrown together at random. They wore red robes and started chanting in... modem, yup they sounded a lot like a modem from the days of dial up internet. Four mechanical limbs, of differing types, sprouted from their back and two held weapons. One a blocky looking assault rifle of some kind and the other glowed with ominous blue light.


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    I didn''t like the look of any of them. Something told me I''d like their personality even less.


    I sighed and added the leader to the exceptions list.


    They reacted predictably by shooting. The laser bolts didn''t get through my shield, nor my companions, but I didn''t want that to continue. Seeing their shots had failed they charged.


    "Please stop. It makes it difficult to have a conversation."


    He froze. Just like that. Like an automaton.


    "Please keep your troops from attacking, when I let them see us."


    The figure nodded.


    I added the rest after the figure spoke softly to their fellows.


    The white robed figure dropped to his knees and started chanting in what sounded like Latin. The red robed figure also started chanting while kneeling.


    Huh, oh right. Fuck this was going to be a pain in the ass.


    While the other two lowered their weapons slightly.


    The leader also after a moment of observing the two robed figures, also knelt.


    "My Emperor, Marshal 999 serves."


    The other two followed suit.


    "Watchmaster 5 serves."


    "Watchmaster 26 serves."


    They chanted in unison, "In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement."


    "Hoss, I don''t understand a word they are saying." Raynor whispered to me.


    "They are praying, it is every bit as grim as I feared." I whispered back.


    I wondered if I could do this. Golden energy rose from them and linked them to me, I could feel this new energy grow inside me. Warm and terrible. It made me feel, tall and powerful. It was good and it was horrible. I felt refreshed and like I was going to vomit.


    It didn''t run counter to the Mana of Nature, or the energy of the Psifield. It mixed into them and made them more.


    "Please rise."


    Everything stopped and my new followers rose.


    "Tell me what you know about why you are here." Better to get them to talk, than say something they didn''t like and get shot at.


    The priestly figure started talking, "Most Glorious Emperor, the you of our World sent us here to protect you while you are vulnerable, in this World, to the predation of Chaos. We were entrusted with this holy mission, instead of your more worthy sons because we were stationed by a place suitable to transferring us. You said it would take too long for the Astartes to arrive."


    "This made sense to you?"


    "Not at first, Most Holy One, I suspected the treachery of the Enemy. Trickery is ever their way. However, your most Glorious Light filled us and no foul spawn of the Warp could so fully imitate that Holy Power."


    Yeah, I pretty sure that wasn''t true, but there was no way in hell I was going to say that out loud.


    "Your name?"


    "I am, if it pleases you, Preacher Grais of the Adeptus Ministrorum, these Guardsmen sought my aid when the visions began. I humbly beg pardon, Holy Emperor, I killed many before understanding this was not the taint of Chaos. I have no excuse for my failure to perceive your greatest at first. The energy you radiate reveals your Truth."


    It''s the Spanish fucking Inquisition on crack. Shit. How was I supposed to respond to that level of rabid zealotry? I''d have to wing it.


    "I forgive your overreaction. So long as you understand we have no resources to waste here. Slay none without my express permission." Hopefully that would work.


    He bowed, "I obey, God Emperor."


    I turned to the last figure.


    They started speaking modem at me, but in a strange turn much like when I began to understand the Probes, I understood.


    "This one is Magos Errant Delta 9 Helifern. Praise the Omnissiah, you register as one with the Machine-Spirits. Call upon me if you need aid." The voice was artificial, flat and emotionless.


    This person creeped me out the most. Something was truly wrong with them. Maybe it was that they were more machine than human. Perhaps it was the way they were pushing signals into the environment. They were trying to access the Psifield somehow.


    "When I need you, I will be sure to inform you." My teeth itched just saying it.


    These broken people in front of me, freaked me the hell out.


    What had I done?

 Chapter 78

    I let the troops from New Lordaeron go back to relaxing, while I tried to figure out how to handle this mess.


    I called the Probes to build a table and chairs for the eight of us that were left. Which almost caused another incident.


    "Beware, My Lord! They reek of Xenos'' rot!" The Guardsmen rushed to do what they saw as their duty. Protecting me.


    Mr. Wick twitched, he was about to reflexively shoot the grey clad men rushing to "save" me. He stepped closer to me to keep them back. Watchmaster 26''s rifle snapped up to aim at him.


    Raynor''s rifle came up for the first time in this encounter and he moved closer to my side, aiming at the newcomers. Watchmaster 5 countered by training his weapon on Raynor.


    Marshal 999 aimed his pistol at the Probes, while edging nearer to me.


    The Probes themselves beeped, "Hostiles? Engage?" My head, my poor aching head.


    You know what, fuck this.


    "STOP!" I bellowed loud enough everyone took a step back. There was a snap of golden light mixed with my mana as I lost my shit for a moment. The energy released was both like lightning and an aura. The air crackled for a few seconds.


    Okay, that was new. Caught everyone''s undivided attention as well. Let''s use that.


    "They are my allies, and help me in my tasks. Leave them be." I glared at the Guardsmen, who flinched back. Fear of disappointing me, I could feel it flowing into me from the golden link that had connected us earlier. It felt not unlike I had beaten a loyal dog. Horrible feeling. Even the Preacher''s unwavering righteousness stuttered in the face of my irritation. Though his heart was full of vanity. How did I know that?


    Only the Magos was unaffected, though his attention was mostly on the Probes. He pushed something at them and they responded in a similar fashion. Then I could feel his excitement. Oh, I saw where this was going, let''s nip that in the bud.


    "No, you may not disassemble them for study. I''ll show you the forges and robotic facilities later."


    I read his startlement from the air it seemed, "Apologies. This one was lost in the idea of new technology." I got a jolt of disapproval from the priest.


    It was getting difficult to keep track of whose feelings were whose. Great, another problem for the pile, as if I didn''t have enough to go around.


    The Probes assembled the table and chairs and then returned to their previous work.


    "Look, I am sure all of this is very different from where you where from. I understand that very well, as this is not my version of Earth either. To help us all get on the same page, why don''t you fill me in on the general course of life in the Empire back home and your places in it."


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    Hours pasted as they explained life in the Imperium of Man. We took a break and ate some high quality rations, I didn''t think Buck A Slice would be a good prank here and now. Humor seems to have largely died out in their time, unless it was darker than pitch. They were quite confused by the food, but seemed to enjoy it as much as people like them could enjoy anything.


    Not only were they from a different universe but a time far into the future, the 41st millennium if I understood it correctly. They filled me in on both a general history and their own lives and experiences. Their time was a Hellish Warscape where mankind was beset on all side by enemies I could scarcely imagine. The "Necrons" and "Tyranids" were particulaly terrifying to me.


    I would pray, if I could, that no such beings waited out in the dark of this universe''s reaches.


    After I got enough of an idea of who they were, for one day, I laid out what life was like for people in Night City and on this version of Earth in general. There was a lot of misunderstandings that were going to have to be corrected as time went on. However, I think I at the very least got them to accept that things were very different here and their usual methods might not be the in the best interest of my cause. It only took a few hours.


    "It is like the start of a Grand Crusade for the soul of Holy Terra itself!" The Preacher maybe didn''t get it. Fervor flooded our connection.


    "We will grind all foes into dust. For your honor, Emperor!" Marshall 999 might be a lost cause as well. The Watchmasters seemed eager to slaughter any who opposed me. If I understood them all properly they were Kriegsmen and even amongst the people of the dour Imperium they were seen as grim. Joy. Great, I guess I just wasted my breath, trying to explain things to them. Water off a duck''s back.


    "So many new machines to study! This one needs to make a new servitor skull, perhaps this will help to allow interface with this version of the Noosphere. The Machine spirits here are quite strange, but this one detects no Heretek." Okay. It was a horrid realization that the almost soulless seeming man-machine was the one that seemed the easiest to get along with. Does that say more about me, or them. Its "mechadendrites" twitched about, appearing to be more "alive" than the body to which they were attached.


    You know what, I''m going to see what the Command Bunker, as they labeled it, had to offer me.


    As I place my hand upon it, my BTC shook.


    [ Adjusting... ]


    [ Command Bunker has been added to the Great Tree Network.


    Options:


    Choose Class


    Raise Level


    Summon Servitor


    Summon Tech-Priest (Random)


    Summon Krieg Infantry Squad ]


    What the hell is a Servitor? Are they like Probes. I queued one up as well as a squad of infantry. Wow, hours for the Servitor and a few days for the squad. I wasn''t going to wait around for this though we had already spent enough time here. I just wanted to take Raynor and Mr. Wick to hunt some Gangoons and then go home for a while.


    Might as well see what Class I was offered.


    [ Voice of the God Emperor of Mankind


    +2 to to all stats


    You are the embodiment of the nascent God of another reality. Wield Faith to bring about a Glorious Future.


    Starting Abilities: Divine Wrath, Blessings of Mankind ]


    [ Daemon Prince of Hope


    +5 to Intelligence


    +5 to Cool


    -5 to Spirit


    You bring Hope to the troubled masses, but is it real? What is Hope anyway? Hehehehehehehehehehehe!


    Starting Abilities: Daemon Form, Eldritch Blast ]


    [ Lord of the End


    +5 to Body


    +5 to Will


    -5 to Spirit


    You follow nature. It is the nature of all things to die. Bring them all to their proper rest.


    Starting Abilities: Rest, Peace ]


    What the... Nope, not going to think about it. Too much fuckery going on here. Too much bullshit I don''t have a clue about.


    I took the only one it made sense to choose. Fuck my life.


    How many ways can I get railroaded today?

 Chapter 79

    I wanted to raise the VotGE Class to match the others but found that it was a whopping 5000 XP per level. That seemed bloody expensive. No, I needed to see what it could do for me. I went ahead and increased it once, leaving me with almost 12,000 XP.


    +1 to all stats per level seemed like a good thing, but the cost was hefty. The Class also added a new special stat that didn''t go up when I leveled, Divinity: 1.This stat had a sub category, Faith: 51. My head just kind of went blank when I started thinking about that and what it could mean.


    Had I somehow highjacked my way into godhood, or at least the path to godhood? The class said I would embody a god but who would believe that? I''ve never been particularly religious, and my exposure to faith of any kind was minimal. Until now.


    Wait, Faith was probably that golden energy. I nodded to myself, that made sense. So Divinity was what, how well I could use it? How much I could store? Maybe both. Not enough information.


    I had gotten a new ability with the level up as well. Foresight. From what I could sense it was pretty literal, I could get images of the future, though it would be extremely limited at first.


    I turned my attention to the other abilities. Divine Wrath was pretty similar to Smite. Had the same feel and everything it just didn''t require a prayer, also it would damage anything I considered an enemy, but spare anything I considered an ally. Nice, no friendly fire.


    Blessing of Mankind burned Faith energy to give courage and fury to my chosen targets, or despair and dread to my enemies. Hmm. So only useful in battle? It required more study.


    While I would have to use the abilities to really start understanding then, I was reluctant to start experimenting in front of the newcomers. I had a feeling showing any weakness in front of them would be a very bad idea. For some reason, I didn''t get the same feeling of trust with them in my gut as I did with Raynor and Mr. Wick. Correction, the Kriegsmen were absolutely loyal. It was the Preacher and the Magos that twisted my guts up. Maybe for different reasons, but I couldn''t trust them, like I could the others.


    They were turning out to be a problem. One that I had no ready solution for. I wasn''t sure how useful they would be. Otherwise, I might just eliminate them.


    Huh? Where the fuck did that come from? I rolled that around in my thoughts.


    Oh!


    Oh.


    Oh, no.


    This was what I was warned about. My personality was already being affected by the new identity. Shit.


    My pile of problems grows. My bag of solutions seemed empty, unless I started thinking like a ruthless tyrant hellbent on a, "My way or the Highway" policy. If I went that route I had as many solutions as I had bullets. I could make a lot of bullets.


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    I grew weary of contemplation. I seemed to be going in circles. If I had to be an asshole to control these messed up people, so be it.


    "Marshal 999, your orders are to secure this area while avoiding contact with the locals. Minimize time on the surface and do not go more than a hundred yards from the lift when you do. Harm none that are in my service, regardless of what they look like. Any others capture and hold until such time as I or one of my representatives can pass judgement on them."


    I waved my hand towards the walls.


    "In the meantime, build your infrastructure underground. Go deeper if you must but not closer to the surface. Get your production lines setup for weapons and whatever else you require. I will have food and material supplies shipped to you as fast as possible. Build me an army loyal to me and me alone. Do you understand?"


    His fist smashed into his chest and he bowed, "Yes, My Emperor! I obey!" The Watchmasters mirrored him. The preacher look nonplussed, I could feel his irritation, even if I didn''t fully understand it. I suspected he didn''t actually see me as his Emperor. Perhaps, I was just a mouthpiece. Argh, his heart and mind were labyrinthine, loaded with twists and turns.


    "Preacher Grais, you will come with us. I want to see what ideas you have about the expansion of our bases. Also, so that I might learn more about your Imperium, after all success is worth emulating."


    That shut off those sour feelings. A sense of pleased self importance. What a piece of work, this guy was.


    "Of course, It would be my honor, Emperor." No "glorious" this time? Seems the mask begins to slip.


    Emulate their Empire, of course not. It sounded horrific. No, but I needed him to think I was on the same path. I''d absorb the lessons and mistakes, probably couched as victories, and use those to forge something better.


    "Magos Helifern, I have considered also taking you with us. Learning more about the technology of Mars had great appeal to me."


    A flash of jealousy from the preacher. What a child like level of emotions. Considering he was supposedly approaching 200 years of age, that was highly incredulous.


    "However, if I understand your talents properly, it would be more efficient to use you here. I''ll show you the forges we already have set up and how to use them, though the robotics facilities are working on important projects that cannot be disturbed right now."


    "As the Omnissiah decrees." His "Vox Modulator" still bothered me, but I was getting used to it.


    "Lastly one of my Probes will scan all of your equipment, so that they may be reproduced in the forges. We''ll determine later if your methods of manufacture or ours are more suited to our needs."


    None of them objected, though the Magos''s mechadendrites writhed almost like they were afraid.


    With that I think I''ve covered my bases for now. There would probably still be a ton of mess ups to fix later but this was a good start.


    After we got the scans sorted, I took the Magos to the forges and explained everything he needed to know. He seemed joyous, if such a being was capable of emotion.


    Raynor, Mr. Wick and I were sitting in the living area south of the lift, discussing out impressions of the newcomers.


    "Those folks are a few stalks sort of a bale. If I understand even half of what they said about their home, that place is a nightmare." Raynor shook his head, frowning. He was worried.


    "Fast. Accurate. Always ready." Mr. Wick paused, "Too quick to shoot."


    Raynor and I whipped around to stared at him like he had grown another head.


    Silence grew heavier, as we couldn''t believe he had just said that. Mr. empty a mag before anyone can get a word in edgewise.


    Then he started laughing.


    Was the World about to combust into a ball of flame? John motherfucking Wick had just cracked a joke. Will miracles never cease?


    Raynor and I looked at each other and shrugged.


    After a moment we joined him. The laughter itself built up until it became an uncontrollable release of tension. All that frustration of dealing with such strange people, released in a torrent of sound.


    Wasn''t it wonderful to have friends.

 Chapter 80

    We finished laughing. Hell ,I even wiped tears from the corners of my eyes. That was a great laugh.


    Something had improved, the air even felt lighter somehow. The gloom cast by the Imperials dissipated.


    "You can call me John."


    Whoa. I turned to look at Mr. Wick, wondering if this was another joke. Nah, seemed legit.


    "Alright, John." That felt so bizarre, "Are we ready to go hunting for metal freaks?"


    "Good to go, Hoss." Raynor placed his rifle over his shoulder. Still had his faceplate down, so I had no clue how psyched he might be.


    "Sure." John nodded.


    "Alright, I''ll go get preachy. Just so we are all on the same page... he''s not coming back, right?" I felt uncomfortable even saying that much, but that man was a problem. Ideally, he''d get flatlined by some Gangoons.


    "Hoss, uh, are you feeling alright?"


    "Honestly, no. I feel pretty off since this little episode started. My Class broke, and I''m supposed to be some incarnation of another reality''s God. All because these new bastards are fucking insane. I feel like garbage and my new class is some path to Godhood. More problems, not many solutions. Not good ones anyway." Maybe I was snarling a little bit at the end there.


    "Yeah. Rough." John nodded.


    Raynor hesitated, "It''s just you''re the last person I would expect to plot an endin'' like that. Fight, sure. Kill, of course, but this is a bit cold for you." He waved his hand.


    I closed my eyes and unclenched my teeth. "Cold is a good way to describe how I feel. I''m furious but it''s not like before, all emotion, this is a calculated thing. As wrong as that sounds it''s worse to feel it. Like something has a plan and that plan is for me to be angry. I know it''s not me, but it''s still there burning coldly." I opened my eyes. "Something is trying to get me to play a role, I sure of it. The Company, this other God, or something else, I don''t know." I sighed, trying to let it out. No real help there.


    "Sorry, Hoss but I had to ask. I''m worried. Amanda''d kill me if anything happened to you. If Sally didn''t get me first." He chuckled.


    "Ah, the truth at last. How''s that working out?" I smirked.


    "Good, Hoss. She''s a good woman." His voice sounded wistful. There was some pain in there too.


    "Don''t worry." John said looking at me. "I''ve got this."


    Well, if John said it, I believed. After all he was as much an idea as a man.


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    I made sure the Probes were far down their tunnels digging toward the other outposts. I was a little worried the Magos would chase after them when we left.


    I was finally getting input from the total Psifield. I could sense things all the way back to the Valley. I called some Sentries to keep an eye on the newcomers and an Observer to monitor the activity here. I set a fixed order of Rations for them to be delivered by Probes once the tunnels were done, and called some wisps the make them a Moon Well. I still couldn''t get it out of my head that something was going to go wrong.


    I shook my head to clear it.


    Well, I had done what I could. Time to hunt.


    Collecting Grais before taking the lift up. I kept a part of my attention on our connection to monitor his erratic emotional state. Something wasn''t right with this guy. Everything he saw made him twitch or growl. Mutters of "Heresy" often passed his lips. Twenty times before we even got off the lift.


    Well, it wouldn''t matter for too much longer.


    We gathered the troops before getting into the truck. I figured we''d head north to Watson and start some Maelstrom hunting there. After we were done we could swing by Lizzie''s and decompress a little before heading back home.


    Though I was contemplating stopping to see the Mox before we got rolling just to see Grais''s head explode. He''d probably declare them some sex cult and try to burn them all. As hilarious as that image was, I think we''ll wait. The Mox deserve better. Heh.


    Strange thing was Grais calmed down a lot when looking at the boys in power armor. It reminded him of something, something holy. Then there was shame. Betrayal.


    My head snapped to him. He startled, backing up. Worry, fear and resignation.


    "What did you do?" I didn''t mean to say anything, I figured it could wait. It just slipped out. Everyone turned looking to figure out what was going on.


    "Emperor, I... I did nothing. To my shame, I did nothing while they burned."


    He began to speak haltingly,


    "I was hunting a cult on Paraxis IV. (AN: couldn''t find a Paraxis, Praxis sure.) Your holy angels had been dispatched to deal with an infestation of Xenos. The Xenos were actually daemons of Chaos. A common mistake amongst the uninformed."


    He took a deep breath shuttering.


    "I ended up working with the Astartes to find the source of the daemonspawn. The Cult was located and further than usual on the path of corruption. Many were full sorcerers of the Fel Powers."


    His eyes were clouded, he wasn''t really with us anymore. He was back there.


    "We slew many, but in the end they had summoned a Daemon Prince. It shouldn''t have been possible, but there it was so terrible that my mind began to tear. Were it not for my Faith and the holy protection of my Rosarius, I would have been destroyed then and there."


    I glared at him as I recognized that term. He flinched.


    I began to see the nature of the issue. He was broken. He was tested and he wasn''t enough, and it shattered his self-image.


    We have all failed, but he couldn''t move past it.


    "The Astartes resisted and began to attack the Foul Creature but in the end they weren''t enough and they began to fall one by one. To my shame, I didn''t help, I could barely hold the Rosarius anymore. I failed."


    He wailed like a bereft child. He had been vulnerable. Who hasn''t been there?


    "When they were all slain, the Daemon turned to me and smiled. It said, "Another time false priest. After all you are already mine.""


    He wept.


    He had lost his way. Hadn''t we all?


    I both felt pity for him, and was furious at his weakness.


    I couldn''t shake it. I saw it from two different angles.


    I didn''t know for sure. But I had an idea of how to find out.


    I coiled my mana and cast Nature''s Blessing on all of us. I shaped it again and cleansed us, then I gave us all a Regrowth for good measure. He flinched from each as it washed over him, not the usual reaction.


    Even the act of him telling the story was foul. It was a poison of the soul. I could sense it now. He was tainted. I used Blessing of Mankind on all of us.


    His screams confirmed my suspicions.

 Chapter 81

    My mind existed in two states. One observing this tragedy. One calculating a thousand moves for a game I wasn''t playing...


    Game? What game?


    Grais''s skin pulsed. Then it rippled with all the shades of all the colors you never knew existed, all the really unpleasant ones. Swelling masses grew then erupted in a haphazard manner, as if they couldn''t be bothered to be shocking or truly grotesque. Honestly, it lacked the horror you might expect from an eldritch horror tearing it''s way out of its former human host.


    There was no weight to it, something was missing.


    It spoke in a voice that sounded like a thousand out of sync throats trying to imitate a Theremin. The syllables were random at first, nothing but discordant gibberish. Then actual works emerged.


    "Where is the SONG? The sickly sweet sounds of PLEASURE! The gurgle of DECAY! The braying of WRATH! The giggles of CORRUPTION! Where? Where did you go my lord?


    A ripping noise preceded the final discarding of its man-flesh. Wails and screams flooded the air, and shortly after only a warped, twisted mass of writhing tentacles, snapping fang laden mouths, and soul-less eyes remained. The flesh, if you could call it that, had settled into a color somewhere between madness induced purple and ruptured intestine pink. (AN: I have both of those colors in my paints set.)


    First impression: That''s a lot of tentacles!


    Second impression: Damn that''s ugly!


    Third impression: KILL IT! KILL IT WITH ALL THE FIRE!


    Its screeches continued, carrying a note of loss.


    I snapped into the moment one longer a mere observer with a separation from the events unfolding. My mind cleared and my resolve firmed.


    "Shoot it, now!" My bellow broken everyone out of the daze the transformation had inflicted on them. "Before it attacks!"


    John was the first to get rounds into the beast, followed by the deafening report of Raynor''s weapon. The cacophony of the troops guns barely a split second behind.


    Give the unknown nature of the creature before us, I had a brief concern that our bullets wouldn''t have much effect on the disgusting beast. Thankfully I was wrong, each round hit it and erupted with a small burst blue flame. It seemed the minute amounts of Psicrystal in the crysbronze alloy reacted violently with the baleful purple energies the creature radiated. The damage was small but it was something.


    Raynor started shouting orders. The troops hustled to follow them.


    I took stock of the situation.


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    Mostly flat ground, the Station and it''s covered pump area where behind the crazy ugly thing.


    Sadly, we had spend time earlier clearing the area of trash to feed the disassemblers in the forges. There wasn''t much left to use for cover on this side of the building.


    We had tons of spare magazines and even more loose ammo.


    It''s wailing grew louder, "It hurts, it hurts to be alone. Forsaken. WHY?! Why does it hurt?" It then burst into giggles followed by more screaming.


    It''s energies that seemed muted somehow. It also seemed confused, if such a term applied. I expected something more. It showed signs of damage from the barrage pounding into it. Chucks thrown free to burn in blue flames.


    I used Divine Wrath, hoping that the golden energies of faith would burn the foul thing to a crisp. While the energy appeared to increased it''s agony, it was hardly the conflagration I was looking for.


    It finally seemed to understand it was being attacked.


    "What are these souls, tainted by soft energy? Why are you not drawn to my belly? Come, come food and join the blurp and the glorp of my stomach."


    The beast charged it''s movements halting and sluggish, tentacles flopping and dragging. Slow but inexorable. Getting use to the new manner of locomotion. As it move closer I realized how much volume it had gained, now a massive pile of wiggling flesh. Even now it''s nature seemed to be shifting.


    The damage of the sustained fire, began to add up. Larger chucks began to be torn from the main mass to burn upon the ground.


    I leveled another Divine Wrath at it, as I pulled my Omaha, added my share as bullets to the fray.


    We started spreading out as we backed away, trying to hit it from as many different angles as we could, while making it hard for it to pick a target.


    It paused again. "What is the meaning of a heart beat? Who counts the cost of a tearful eye?"


    It leapt and caught one of the troops as he was changing his magazine. Tentacles pulled his limbs in different directions and tore him into quarters. The pieces of the man''s body were absorbed into the tainted being.


    "Little soul, little voice. It joins me, IT joins US!" A face morphed out of the pink flesh, it began to sing.


    "It killed Huskler! You''ll pay you bastard!" Someone yelled.


    Another one of my men charged and shoved his rifle into a mouth, dumping his whole mag into the beast internals before getting smashed into the ground by a dozen fleshy pseudopods.


    "Keighvus! No!"


    This man too, was absorbed into the beast. Another face formed between the tentacles to add to the dirge sung by the other face.


    "MY souls, my song. Twisting and loving peace for the little pretties." There was a new quality to the creature


    It had no right! How dare it! I would make it pay!


    I snarled and dropped another Divine Wrath on the fucked up amoeba. This time the light seared deeper into the mass of the beast. A lasting golden flame ignited in its pustulant innards. We were weakening it.


    "Hold strong! We are hurting it! Keep it up!" I yelled fury burning in my heart.


    "Roughnecks! Pour it on! Fight!" Raynor bellowed. His rifle blew basketball sized holes into the abomination.


    "Fight!" 8 voices responded as one.


    John had snatched up Huskler rifle, and a few mags. He reloaded the weapon and started popping eyeballs. One shot, one eye. He danced between tentacles as the foul thing turned it''s full attention to him. It cheered in frustration, it laughed in pain.


    I reloaded, continuing to add what damage I could.


    Twitching oddly the foul thing started to sway, its momentum stalled. Everyone was still firing and reloading as fast as they could, determined to end this monstrosity.


    "Why do the little souls not submit? We not longer wish to be alone!"


    "Rot in Hell!" I blasted it with another Divine Wrath.


    The gold flames rushed to consume its corrupted meat. This time the volatile nature of the energies resulted in a small explosion. Foul shreds of the thing Grais had become pelted the whole area.


    We had done it. Hopefully the souls of our friends could now find peace in death.


    Though, I still was left wondering what the fuck just happened?

 Chapter 82

    We had won against an unbelievable foe. Why was something bothering me? Was it something they had said earlier?


    Chaos corrupts...


    That had to be a daemon, right? A servant of the "Ruinous Powers".


    "Raynor! Status!" I yelled to him, half because my hearing was screwed up. The other half was to make sure he could hear me all the way to where he was already checking to see if anyone was poking their noses into our business. At least Night City had some good points, people here didn''t usually run towards the sounds of massed gunfire."


    I cast a quick Regrowth on myself to bring my hearing back up to normal.


    "Ryan, Huskler and Keighvus are KIA, bodies missing. The rest of the troops are good to go, no other casualties. The area is clear, no lookie-loos."


    That had me thinking about, how the daemon had just torn Huskler apart. His armor did jack all to stop its power. Then when it absorbed him...


    Oh Shit!


    I called, through the Psifield, all nearby Probes, we needed to hurry.


    "Raynor! Start the boys looking for all the scraps of the creature''s flesh. Gather it all into a pile. Don''t let it touch bare skin. Same for anything covered in its blood. This may not be over."


    "Hell. Let''s get to it boys!" He hurried up to start the job.


    "John, you alright?" I saw him just staring at the largest chuck of rubbery flesh remaining.


    "Yeah." He sounded odd. Offended.


    "What''s wrong?" I cast a Regrowth on him just to make sure he was okay.


    "Too many bullets."


    Oh. He was pissed it took so many rounds to bring the damned thing down.


    Despite everything, I chuckled.


    He gave me a look, if it was anyone else I would have said it was a wounded look. Nah, John Wick ain''t other people, it must mean something else.


    "Don''t worry. There was probably only the one. Even if there were more, I have a few ideas percolating in my head to help counter them." A higher purity of Psicrystal in the alloy of our ammo for a start. Infusing mana and/or faith into the rounds on top of that might be a long overdue experiment...


    An image of the disgusting beast flashed into my head.


    It had been hidden in the flesh of it''s human host, I guessed that the Company missed it. At least, I hoped they missed it and it wasn''t intentional.


    I doubted the others were tainted, but I''d check them before we leave. Best to be sure, this was too much of a threat to ignore.


    The first Probes arrived, and I told them to scan for every bit of the daemon''s flesh and stack it in the pile, Raynor and the troops had already started on.


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    At first I had a concern that maybe the daemon''s remains could corrupt the Probes, but I remembered the violent interaction of crysbronze and the daemon''s chaos energies. Not quite as good as faith energy but it gave me confidence that the Probes would be able to resist any taint.


    That reminded me, I gather everyone up and cast Blessing of Mankind on them again to increase the amount of faith energy left surrounding them. My faith was running low, but there should be enough to ignite the pile once we were sure we had gather everything up. I also cast Cleanse to get rid of the filth splattered across everyone, I still had plenty of mana.


    After a couple of hours we were certain all the foul meat was ready to be burned.


    Divine Wrath called down golden light, and set the mass ablaze.


    With that messy issue out of the way, we went back underground to restock our ammo, and check all our equipment.


    I rounded up the Kriegsmen and the Magos before casting Nature''s Blessing on them. My breath hitched as the mana hard a hard time latching on to them, especially the Magos, but after a larger pull on my reserves than normal the blessing finally took. They didn''t flinch or seem bothered, quite the opposite, actually. They were vibrating with vitality. A good start.


    Then just to double check I granted them the Blessing of Mankind, that one went far more smoothly. The golden light wrapping around them like a comforting blanket. Excellent. One less concern.


    I let out a sign of relief as I explained what happened.


    Their reaction was simple acceptance. No anger, no doubt, no questions, no horror or fear.


    It was okay that I had killed Grais because it was me doing it. If I said he was tainted by Chaos, then to them it was absolute fact. The grimness was such an ingrained part of their lives that even the reality that they were that close to a tainted beast didn''t rattle them in the slightest.


    I shook my head and let them get back to their jobs.


    Insanity.


    Finally shed of our burden, and loaded up for another few rounds of fighting, Raynor, John, the Boys and I finally got underway to Watson. We had lost half the night already and despite everything were eager to hunt some Maelstrom.


    The ability of the Troops to keep going was amazing. Was it because they were summons, or the harshness of Raynor''s training? I was impressed yet saddened that I was leading them once more to a fight. And so soon after that cluster fuck with the daemon. Maybe we should swing by Lizzie''s to let them unwind. It''s not like the Maelstrom was going to vanish overnight. Even if they did, there were other Gangs. There was always another Gang.


    Part of it was that I was still shaking on the inside. That had been terrifying. That such things existed anywhere in all of reality freaked me the fuck out. I was also fairly certain that hadn''t been anywhere near one the the worst of those daemons. Who knows where another of those abominations was lurking.


    It didn''t help that I was back in this monument of corporate greed. To once again immerse myself and the people I was responsible for into the underbelly of the most depraved place I could have imagined.


    Well, before today, anyway. Night City was nothing next to the most common Hive Cities of the Imperium, if the tales of the newcomers could be believed. How could humans survive such bullshit?


    That thought had me spiraling in my head for most of the drive. I was driving shitty, almost hitting a few folks, before recovering. It was so bad that the onboard AI took over managing the wheel. That stung a bit.


    John seemed to understand.


    "Stop thinking."


    "It not easy to just turn it off." I scoffed.


    "No. But can you do anything about it, now?"


    "Not that I know of." I responded after a moment to examine the question.


    "Then push it to the back of your mind. Let your subconscious work on it. Here, I''ll show you some techniques to manage your reactions."


    I focused on his lessons and honestly managed to fixate on the present more clearly. The techniques took decades to master but even the first steps were helpful. Damn, I should have asked him for some training before now.


    This let me take in more of the city and not be so centered on myself. I noticed things I had missed before. A gang of kids helping a lady to carry her things. A cop actually just chatting with a citizen while keeping an eye on the area. Some Gangers cleaning up a park, who would have thought.


    Even in this broken city, people were people. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. I had mostly seen the bad and it had dug it''s way deep into my heart, coloring how I perceived everything else.


    And it was, John Wick, of all people who opened my eyes.

 Chapter 83

    We were all still processing what had happened. The mood was somber, but everyone seemed in much better shape mentally than I would have though. Losing companions, losing your battle buddies had to hurt, but they were ready to jump right into the next conflict.


    Everyone''s emotions were clearer to me now, then they had been through the Psifield. A function of Voice of the God Emperor probably.


    What a fucking name. I didn''t like it. It made me feel like I was some fucker''s puppet. Cross Universal puppetry? That sounded like a nightmare.


    I was rattled. The technique that John showed me helped, but I had barely started using them. It would be ages before my mind had been reordered into a bastion of quiet reflection.


    What I was examining now was my actions during the fight. I''d been barking out orders like I had known what to do. I suspected the influence of my new class. My only other exposure to battle command would have been war movies, and the majority of those were highly exaggerated. Hardly a decent basis to start my combat command career.


    No, everything had felt like something remembered from a long time ago, being brushed off once it was needed again. I ran the situation through my mind again, calmly analyzing what I had gotten wrong and what I had done well on. How I knew what was even the right actions would have been was a mystery, but every critique seemed logical, each suggestion for improvement was part of an obviously consistent methodology.


    That my thoughts seemed to move faster now was both a blessing and a curse. It led me to start reviewing my actions since my arrival, and was I felt quite a few strong moments of self recrimination. Opportunities squandered. Time spent whining when I could have been improving. Allowing myself to get catch up in my own misery at the exposure to the horrors of this city.


    If everything was rotten, I had to do everything I could to reclaim it. turning it all towards a better purpose, a better tomorrow. No matter the cost.


    Even myself.


    I was not important, I was merely a vessel to bring order to this benighted land...


    What?


    There it was again proof that the classes were affecting my thoughts, burrowing their concepts deep into my mind. Was that on purpose or merely a consequence of gaining knowledge from this system? How much of me would be left, when all this was said and done?


    That line of thinking earlier was some kind of sideways tyrant justification. It not for me, it for your own good. Easy to say, hard to trust if you studied history at all. Maybe they genuinely sought to improve the world, but that didn''t mean your definition of "improve" matched in any way shape or form. So what were they going to do to you?


    No, hell no. Let''s try to stay off that path.


    Sure, I wanted to help, but at any cost? Absolutely not. Too much had already been lost. More loss was inevitable but I should exhaust very option to keep it as low as I could. Victory at all costs, often left you with nothing worth having.


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    Let''s not forget I''m ultimately here to bring life back to this world, not destroy it. Patience would allow us to reach the goal as well as aggression. Spread the water and then the green. Soon enough life would march over the land again.


    And there was the Druid class shifting my thoughts into its preferred methods. This was a rollercoaster of pin the tail on my brain.


    How could I be sure any of my thoughts were my own?


    When we arrived at Lizzie''s it was packed. I guess fire codes were not a thing, because it was standing room only. Even the lobby was jammed with bodies.


    Some band was playing there. I hadn''t known that was a thing in this city.


    The Rev/Des had quite a large and loyal following. Being a bunch of street kids who had found music together and used it to channel their struggles into art.


    Then they sold that art and made millions of dollars, but I digress. I had strong feelings about art vs commodity.


    They were on the cusp of becoming a phenomenon. Maybe they would as big as the greatest names of previous generations. Maybe they would burn out before they got there.


    Why were they playing here? Turns out they had run with Mox for a while to make ends meet. Heh. This was a second home to them, these were their people.


    While they were still mostly independent, the Corpos were circling smelling all the money they could extract from the genuinely talented band. You could see a lot of them mixed into the crowds of street folk and gangers.


    I liked that in this overly automated world they still played real instruments. Might be nice to check out what passes for live entertainment.


    Hmmm. On one hand the crowd would be a ton of stress for us right now, on the other the right kind of music could help lift the spirits like nothing else.


    Nah, we needed at least a little more quiet than this.


    I was just about to get everyone back into the truck, when Rita caught sight of us.


    "Hey Ryan! Wait up!"


    I turned to see her just plowing her way through people like they weren''t there. For some reason, I found that funny. Especially since she was smaller than most of the folks in the area, not that size meant quite as much in a cyberware future. Watching her shove a giant gonk out of her way with barely any effort proved that. He saw it was Rita and didn''t say a thing, though his eyes did flash.


    I was chuckling when she arrived. Which stopped when I realized that John had turned all his attention on her. Even Raynor who was playing herd dog with the fellas, had stopped to watch this little bundle of "fuck you" come our way. Now that would be and interesting fight, but no I liked Rita, she was a good egg in a carton full of bad ones.


    I held up my hand to calm them.


    She stopped in front of me, she seemed excited. She noticed the others and her excitement grew. That probably wasn''t a good thing for me, but I''d been wrong before especially with the Mox.


    "Ryan, help! We ain''t got enough girls to cover all the angles. Especially out here." She was scanning the crowd with quick side glances before refocusing on me. Her appearance was disheveled, she had already been through something tonight. It wasn''t surprising, trouble and special events go hand in hand in my experience.


    "Rita..." I owed the Mox nothing. That said, I had nothing against them either, and I did appreciate their attitude in the face of this city''s bullshit. Use what you got. Make others notice you and take what they were willing to give, and a bit more besides.


    Fuck to Death!, indeed. I could see how that was a valid response to this world. Maybe even a sane one.


    "Don''t say no! We can pay well and the afterparty will be preem, once we clear everyone out." She looking like she was about to kick ass, but her tone suggested she was actually worried.


    This really didn''t sound like anything worth our time, until she mentioned the afterparty. That sounded swell.


    "Raynor, are the boys good to go on crowd control?" I wasn''t really expecting the answer to be yes.


    "We covered a few lessons on it. So a tentative yes?" He nodded. He started going over the best methods to works a crowd with the troop.


    "John, you good to work a concert?"


    "Not my first time." John smirked. His body was already facing the crowds and his new eye were scanning for threats.


    Fuck it. It beat trying to find a new place to go on short notice. What kind of concert started at this ungodly hour?


    "Alright, you keep Susie out of my hair and we''ll do it Rita."

 Chapter 84

    I''ll give Rev/Des this, I felt their pain.


    The music itself was kind of a bland, bass heavy, fast rhythm, and light melody sound, similar to a thousand other pieces, even from my world. The notes served as an innocuous background to the message of shared suffering.


    The vocals though, amazing. Truly marvelous.


    The lead singer''s performance was so haunting, so soulful that I caught myself a few times becoming entranced by their voice, even though I was trying to ignore the music and pay attention to the people swaying in the masses outside. I was curious if the voice was the product of chrome or not.


    The band itself was playing on the roof, only a small crowd got to be up there to see them live. Big eddies for that privilege. Likely all wheelers and dealers perhaps some idle rich, with just a handful of super-fans splurging on a once in a blue moon show. Security was all the Mox''s heavies. No one was getting near the band, without major iron and a lot of blood.


    The club was jammed full of folks getting a full live broadcast experience for a lighter but still considerable price. Most folks were behaving and the general vibe was one of joyful sorrow. The Mox had a lot of their mid-liners keeping the peace in there.


    The outside was sectioned off and a small fee was charged to hear the band from here. To be fair, it was a great experience out here. You could hear everything and still felt like part of the show. To all of our shocked expectations, no one caused any major trouble.


    A few too handsy folks, and a brief scuffle over some imagined slight. Easily diffused by the boys.


    We where working the event in pairs, I was with Jarous. Who was one of the first folks summoned by at the founding of New Lordaeron. He was a calm and jovial fellow, always with a lite quip or jape. A really likable guy.


    Mostly we talked about how different things were here. Though the consensus amongst the troops was fascination at all the technology. To them, it was almost as if they were part of one of the legends of their world.


    Well, I''ll try my damnedest to make sure they really were legends in this world.


    When the show was over. We helped hustle people out of the area. Then we helped with the clean up.


    A few Probes would have speed this up considerably but I wanted the outposts all connected as soon as possible so I didn''t call any out here. Though that did highlight that the Psifield now covered a good portion of the eastern half of the city. I could sense them working if I concentrated on it for a moment.


    Nothing seemed out of sorts and I had no messages when I checked briefly.


    Once everything was tidied up, we were allowed in the club for the afterparty.


    Which was a subdued affair, at least by Mox standards.


    Softer music, the lights were at a normal level. Most of the Mox were showing their real personalities rather than their working personas.


    I was sipping a modest whiskey while sitting at a table with Rita, Raynor, John, Kimmie, Mateo and the Lead Singer of Rev/Des, Revy. Revy was a spitfire of a tall redheaded woman, she lived and breathed the stereotypes of redheaded women. Lots of fire.


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    It didn''t hurt at all that she was quite a stunning woman. If I hadn''t had Sally and Megan, I might have made a fool of myself. She was hard not to fall for.


    The boys were mingling with the Mox and thankfully everyone seemed to be getting along just fine, maybe a little too fine... Nah, let them have their fun. We''d have some other crazy bullshit to deal with soon enough.


    "Remember when you pulled Mateo down and spanked his ass in front of the whole club, all because he hit on your sister?" Rita was half way to drunk, which had me wondering what was wrong.


    Though the out of place question pulled my thoughts back to the table. I scoped Mateo to see how he took it. The answer, with a shrug.


    "I liked her, still do."


    "Well, she needed to focus on her studies. Plus, we all know how your relationships end up Mattie." Revy laughed making a spanking motion.


    Rita went quiet, thinking of something. Probably bad judging by her face.


    Kimmie chirped, "You sister was Saphie, right?" Her tone was off. Ah, I saw where this was going.


    "Yeah. A toast to my sister. May her name live a little longer." A toast for the departed. Revy did have an interesting way with words.


    We all lifted our glasses to that. What heartless bastard wouldn''t?


    After the toast, I saw that Rita was looking at me with a thoughtful expression.


    I raised my eyebrow at her, and circled my hand, even in this place it meant "Get on with it."


    "Ryan you still have those drones right?" She began softly.


    "Sure."


    "Would you be willing to do me another favor?" She was subdued.


    "Spit it out Rita, I promise the worst I''ll say is no."


    "Saphie''s missing almost a year now. We have no clue what happened to her, none at all. Would you be willing to look into it?" She was looking down, she knew asking was crossing a bit of a line. Poking a sore point.


    "Rita... " I struggled with myself for a moment. Then I saw the look on Revy''s face. It was a sick kind of hope. She knew her sister was gone but not knowing the how or the why of the situation was slowly eating her up inside.


    "Fuck. Okay, I''ll look into to it. Send me all the detes, and I mean all of them. I don''t care if you think they are not relevant. I don''t care if it makes somebody else look bad. All of them."


    Yeah, I was going to cheat my ass off. Feed all of that data to Alina and between the Probes and an Observer or two, if there was anything to be found we would find it.


    "I''ll pay you." I wasn''t liking this version of Rita.


    "Shut up, Rita. Tell me how you think you screwed up." That was the only reason I could see her behaving like this with an acquaintance like me.


    "I was suppose to be her escort for a run up to Portland. We were going to meet up at Tom''s for breakfast and head out, but she never showed." Her head was between her shoulders. She was slumped and had a defeated look.


    "Rita, you gonk. Let me guess, you blame yourself. You think you should have let her stay with you the night before or something. Right?" She nodded, "Yeah, I''d likely carry that weight too. It ain''t your fault but it sure would feel shitty. Hindsight''s a bitch." I growled.


    I looked at John. He nodded.


    My glance at Raynor confirmed he was doing the same.


    "Look, we''ll do what we can. I don''t need payment. Money''s not our problem. We need connections here in the city. Promise to help us meet the right folks, and get us wired into the pulse of this town and we''ll do everything we can to figure this out."


    "Tha.." she pulled herself up a bit.


    "Yeah, none of that. I''m not promising we can find anything, it''s been way too long. So don''t thank me for effort that will likely end up with nothing. If and when I find anything, then you can play kiss ass." I tried to show I was joking with a grin.


    Rita gave me a smirk, "If that''s what you want."


    Kimmie chimed in, "Can I help?"


    I gave her my best, "Are you Serious?" look.


    Rita laughed, "He''s dating Longshot Sally and Murdermind Megan, you''ll have to talk to them about sharing."


    What''s this? Why is this the first time I''ve heard those names?


    Kimmie blanched. So, they had quite the rep.


    Revy whistled, "You must be some input. No one''s had the balls to actually date those two. Though I know about a few of their conquests if you want to hear..."


    "Let me stop you there. The past stays in the past, at least where that kind of thing is concerned."


    The rest of our time there was light conversation and good company, with a few more drink thrown in.


    I was going to have to have a conversation with the ladies when I got back.

 Chapter 85

    The sun kissed the city and we were all more than a little inebriated.


    I myself could barely mumble out a semi-coherent sentence. The others, well lets just say they all were worse off than me, except for John. John was bright eyed and looked like he was having a ton of fun watching us make fools of ourselves.


    In what I thought was a brilliant move, I had a solution for that, and I used it. Regrowths and Cleanses all around. You get a Regrowth, you get a Regrowth, and you get a Regrowth!


    I was channeling minute flows of mana on several folks at a time. If I hadn''t been riding the booze train I might have realized what an accomplishment that was.


    It wasn''t until I hit myself with a Regrowth, that the idea that pouring mana into a bunch of Moxes who weren''t used to magic was a dumb play on so many levels.


    Shit.


    Thankfully, I didn''t have to hit any of them with enough mana to cause Those kinds of issues, alcohol took only a brief burst of mana to dissipate. If I had gone that far, I''m not sure things could have been calmed down at all.


    They certainly noticed I was making them feel a lot better though. The responses varied dramatically.


    I got accused of jacking them with drugs, chemicals or nanites. Which given what little I knew about the Mox was a no go. They have a hair trigger when it comes to that shit.


    If it hadn''t been for Rita and Mateo sticking up for me, they might have tried to remove certain equipment that my ladies hadn''t had the pleasure of fully using yet.


    As it was, I apologized profusely, because causing trouble even unintentionally needs to be rectified if you want to maintain trust. And I had come around on the Mox, they were alright in my book, so I wanted to keep a connection open.


    Now some where just miffed at losing their buzz, and others were intrigued by the feeling mana gave them. So it''s not like the whole room wanted to skin me, but it was enough people to be a problem.


    Oddly, it was Susie herself that settled the whole affair. A few quick tests showed I hadn''t spiked or hacked anyone, and that everyone was healthier than they were before. Not much because I wasn''t really focused when I was throwing spells around like they were going out of style.


    Susie said that pending a demonstration I was not doing anything wrong, and she thought it was all a misunderstanding.


    That was very reasona...


    Wait, that was very suspicious. Okay, what the hell did she want?


    So I suggested that she should pick two different kinds of folks, one close to fully borg and one close to being fully ''ganic. Why did that matter, they asked. I explained that it would become obvious after a few minutes.


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    First one of the girls that worked as a bouncer, she was mostly chrome. Her name was Sam. She laid down on a table, nervously fidgeting, when I asked to touch her.


    "Do you have to?" She sounded scared almost.


    "Strictly speaking no. But I can work faster and better if I do. I don''t have to touch anything other than your hand if that makes it better?" I kept my voice even, not quite the tone I''d use with a stray dog, but not far from it either.


    She nodded and gave me her hand.


    Sam was roughly 80% chrome at this point. Mostly only a few muscle groups most of her digestive tract, the majority of her brain and her reproductive organs were still meat. That said practice on the Nomads back in New Lordaeron had shown me I could soothe the interface between flesh and chrome and that''s what I focused on here. A lot of her chrome was poorly implanted. Outside of that I fixed a few hormone imbalances.


    Did she have one of the most wild experiences of her life? No, probably not, but her voice sure let everyone know she was enjoying her treatment.


    "Did you actually just give her several orgasms just by touching her hand?" Rita stare at me incredulously. Folks were riled up again though the focus of their attention seemed more positive, at least for the moment.


    "Technically, yes, but it''s just a side effect of the process. Something about the energy used causes this in people who lack a certain amount of the energy to begin with. Though I was told if I found myself flooded with a higher level of energy than I normally can handle the same thing would happen to me." I explained while pulling more mana from the thin atmosphere.


    Everyone seemed to calm down a bit after that.


    Finishing with Sam, I suggested that she find a better Ripper. Which on reflection was another obvious landmine. Of course, shitty work like this wasn''t done with her consent at least not originally. I had been looking at the attempts of a Ripper to fix the mess left behind by some Maelstrom bullshit.


    "Fuck, I''m just poking all the buttons today. I sorry, Sam." I meant it.


    "No, it''s okay. You had no way of knowing that that hadn''t been a botched job. I feel so much better now. Thank you." She seemed a lot more cheery than when she laid down.


    She got up and went to sit down for a while.


    Next up was George.


    George worked the bar with Mateo, and was about 70% ganic.


    He laid down on the table and shoved his hand at me like I was offering the job he always wanted.


    Outside he was a well put together dude. Nothing seemed wrong with him.


    Inside he was a fucking mess. Every organ was to some degree messed up. I worked on them one by one until I finally got down to his private areas. At some point someone had tried to remove his bits. Also someone had done severe damage to his waste exit port.


    Was this Scavs, Maelstrom, or the vengeance of a jealous rival? The ministration of prison violence? I couldn''t make sense of it.


    What the hell was going on here? Poor bastard had been through a blender and then the blender violated him.


    That didn''t set right with me. On a fundamental level I now felt obligated to correct this mess.


    I put all my effort into fixing him. Every bit of concentration I could muster and every ounce of mana I could draw was turned toward making this man whole again.


    When his man tackle was whole once more and his other issues were healed, I started to come back to the world only to find him crying. Sobbing uncontrollably.


    I didn''t know what else to do, I gave him a hug. We could all use more hugs, right?


    All the sudden I was a flotation device and he was drowning.


    "It''s okay now, Brother. It''s over." Fuck me, I didn''t know what to say. So I said the first thing I could think of.


    "George!" Susie latched on to both of us and George slowly transferred all his attention to her. This allowed me to separate myself.


    Good thing too. They started making out right then and there. Whoa!


    I realized after a moment this is what Susie wanted, or was hoping for. This was Susie''s input and someone had scrambled him good, probably because of her.


    This city was still showing me it''s cards, and I didn''t think it was even remotely through yet.

 Chapter 86

    It''s nice to help folks, though I was noticing a worrying tendency to shift into different mindsets around different groups of people. Usually, I hadn''t even realized I had changed. Maybe, I had always been that way adapting to suit the needs of the moment. I had never needed to change much back home so I couldn''t see who I really was.


    That begged the question, was there a "real" me? Nope, set that aside for now. I started breathing in the manner John had shown me while running a list of things in the room. This technique helped to ground you to where and when you were. This helped wrangle your thoughts towards your goals and not get lost in your own bullshit. Ironically, the method was developed to help distracted children with schoolwork, ages ago, but Assassins seemed to love it. Fun facts from John Wick.


    Refocused, I watched the display of affection taking place right in front of me. Way too close. I backed off and left them to their fun.


    SusieQ was kind of a bitch, but at least now there was an obvious reason for her behavior. I''d have been pissy too.


    While George and her continued, uh, testing his new equipment, the rest of the Mox crowed me again. This time asking for their own turns under my hands. The thought crossed my mind that I really should start charging folks for this. Then I thought about whether we really had time for all of this, or was I letting myself get distracted as a means to stop thinking about my latest fuck ups? Then my brain countered with a, "Nah, don''t be a dick about it", I could work on my issues later.


    So, I had John and Jim line them up and started helping them one at a time.


    So many small issues with cyberware. Even having access to a good Ripper was no guarantee that your body could handle the chrome. Also, over time even the better install jobs started to wear the flesh down, not to mention the stress on the cyberware itself. Thankfully, I could easily take care of the damaged flesh and even strengthen the connection to their chrome.


    Healing the Mox fell into a routine. Just to break the monotony, I tried examining them while bringing out some of the instincts and knowledge from my Warp-Smith class. I could identify wear and damage on their chrome while still running Regrowth on autopilot. However, no matter how I tried, I couldn''t affect the cyberware with Psi or Mana. No surprise there, just mild disappointment.


    There where a few stand out cases. The Mox had a lot of enemies and rivals and often ran afoul of their competition. This had lead to an unreasonable amount of old bullet wounds, poorly healed cuts and misaligned broken bones. Medical care was very much a matter of how much you could afford spend on it. I wouldn''t say you got what you paid for, but it did make a difference if you could drop an extra thousand eddies here or there. So, I was seeing many different levels of treatment.


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    With Phillis, who like to go by Ly, there was nothing but issues. Malnutrition, addiction to a few different drugs, improper nanite function. I couldn''t affect the nanites directly but I could get the body to flush out the messed up batches. There wasn''t an organic part of her that hadn''t faced extreme damage at some point in her life. Her cyberware was some of the cheapest and poorly chipped junk that I had seen to date.


    She looked and felt like she was in her eighties and on her last legs. But I continued working on her and lo and behold she really did seem like a whole different person on the other side of my treatment. No one could have imagined she''d look like a lady in her twenties again. There was no way in hell I was going to ask her actual age.


    Then there was Kaz. She had been the captive of a deranged group of AI worshipers. She was so twitchy she hit me a few times by accident, while she was going over the treatment she had received at the cults hands. I''ll spare you the details. Once again, Rita had been front and center in the group that smashed the cult down. I healed the last scraps of flesh left in her and did my best to smooth the ridiculously raw connections.


    More and more tales of tragedy.


    At some point, my awareness caught golden energy flowing from some of the folks I healed. Sure that made sense I guess. They had faith in me from my acts of healing. Isn''t that one of the paths that got us Saints in the past?


    As long as they didn''t start chanting about me in, what was it? Oh yes, "High Gothic", I didn''t see the harm. Might even protect them a bit if another Daemon is running around somewhere.


    When I was finally done it was well into the afternoon. And I felt like a wrung out rag. I didn''t think I could channel more mana if my life depended on it.


    So the fellas and I sat with Rita, Revy, Susie and George, while we shared our rations. No offense to the Mox''s cooks but I felt like real food would help me recover better.


    Rita, Susie and Revy sent me all of their data on Saphie. I sent all of it on to Alina and asked her to give me the Highlights, while I munched away on a sandwich from a ration pack.


    BBQ Brisket. Nice. I noticed it was apparently okay for all the ladies to steal food off my plate. I barely got any of the crispy beer battered fries that came with the sandwich. I didn''t see a one of them going for Jim or John''s food. What the fuck was that? I had even offered them their own packs, which they declined. Did I have sucker tattooed on my forehead? Sigh, whatever, I had more ration packs.


    The next one had a Chicken Rice Casserole that was so delightful, I almost decided to stab Rita when she snagged a bite. I grumbled a bit instead. Once again, I was saddened that my side dishes disappeared before I could get to them. Seriously!?


    Alina returned with a profile on Saphie, laying out in simplest terms who she was and what she wanted.


    She was a genius. I didn''t have a better term for it. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge and spat out amazing ideas. My poor simple brain couldn''t follow half of what she had published on her own. A thousands ways to improve life especially where cyberware was concerned. All before she even took her first steps into Academia proper.


    As little of her work as I could understand, I already had a good idea what had happened to her, if not who had done it. It was pretty obvious she had been snatched up by some Corp. either to eliminate her before she could become a problem, or to force her to work for them. I didn''t need Alina for that much of the puzzle.


    Hmm. It sure would be nice to find her alive, but I was not going to bet on it.

 Chapter 87

    The hunt for Saphie should start at her last known location. However, the apartment she was renting at the time was in the hands of another renter, preventing a closer examination, at least by me and the boys.


    We could wait until nighttime and have a Probe sneak in and scan everything. Risky, but feasible.


    A better method was to park an Observer over the apartment and use its powerful scanners to peal back any long forgotten secrets hidden there. It might take longer but it would be far more thorough, and the occupants should remain none the wiser. While that was taking place, we could take a Probe and hit all of her known favorite hangouts.


    Other Observers would be tasked with investigating the most likely culprits. Which with the information we already possessed appeared to be Raven Microcybernetics, Biotechnica, and the Tyger Claws. My gut leaned toward Raven right now, but I had nothing concrete to base that on, other than most of her innovations involved Cybernetics to some degree.


    In the meantime, we would continue with our original plans. It could take weeks or months before we might pry a viable clue from the datastreams. It might seem cold but everyone, including her sister, thought she was already dead, so there was no rush in their minds. As to my idea that the Corpos might have her stashed away pumping out ideas, I kept that to myself for now. If it happened to be true, a few months were unlikely to change anything about her status.


    Haste would be detrimental here. So I swallowed my desire to charge into the situation. I needed to wait and let my people do what they do best. Alina would coordinate the efforts of the Observers and keep me up to date on their findings. That would have to be enough for now.


    John, Jim and I got the troops into the truck and headed further north into Watson. I kept us moving at a slow pace, looking for clusters of Gangoons. Instead of immediately jumping out and going balls to the walls, we marked their positions and continued looking for more.


    Another Observer followed us keeping tabs on the groups we marked. Maelstrom, Scavs, and Tyger Claws along with a few lesser known gangs like the Fire, Harpies and the Corded. The only really common factors between them were a wiliness to ignore the law and a lack of empathy for anyone not a part of their Gang.


    Why were we scouting them out? Why not just put foot to ass as fast as possible?


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    The goal was to find a central location we could take over from each group and then defend while racking up a body count. Then after a while fade out and on to the next target. Maybe duck under a Pylon for a short rest and to dodge heat. An excellent test of our weapons and armor against normal threats. It also killed some time while we waited for night to fall. The light of day might see us tangle with some NCPD or Corpos who decide to investigate the commotion. At night, the script was different, the cops would rarely stick their necks out in these neighborhoods, and the Corpos were busy doing their most critical wetwork and networking.


    While much could still go wrong, that was all part of the testing. How are they going to respond? How aggressive are they going to get? What level of tactical sense would they maintain while under fire? Would the Power Armor keep up with Borged out psychos? How well will crysbronze ammo tear through cyberware? So many questions.


    As night crept in like a thief sneaking up on a client, we had managed to find a handful of prime targets. We might not be able to hit all of them tonight, but we were in no hurry right now.


    The first of course, was a Maelstrom run garage. A trashy looking pile of scrap metal and crumbling concrete, held together by a hope and a prayer probably. It was fairly isolated yet their people tracked through there constantly, hundreds every hour. It had to be a drop off and pick up point for goods, weapons and cyberware. Scans had shown the Garage itself was a cover for lots of underground activity, and no fewer than 24 Strom were their at any one time, often a lot more. Clearing this building would be a good start to the festivities.


    John was eager to get started. Jim was worried something would go wrong. The Boys were joking and seemed as stable as ever. I was somewhere in between, a mass of nervous energy that was ready to uncoil on the unsuspecting gangers.


    The plan was for John to sweep the perimeter working his way deeper while Raynor and four of the boys hit the North side of the building. I would take the other four troops and hit them from the west.


    A quick weapons check and  the reports from the Power Armor systems showed everything was good to go.


    We had parked in an abandoned lot a block away and slowly worked our way into position. Raynor split off with his group and vanished into the darkness. A minute later John just vanished. It was going to be impossible to track his progress, so we had agreed to give him a five minute head start before lighting the place up.


    I doubt we could hit him if we tried, never mind hit him by accident. So I wasn''t too concerned about that. What I was worried about was that he would be mostly out of contact once he worked his way underground. While I had every confidence in his ability to clear the warrens down there, well, shit happens.


    We had covered ourselves in a grim silence, staring intently at our first targets. Probably a dumb move since some folks can sense that kind of thing, but it was hard not to.


    Waiting always sucks, doesn''t it.

 Chapter 88

    Raynor''s group popped off before we did, but the brief delay didn''t matter as every Maelstromer outside of the building was blown to pieces almost instantly.


    Without my own set of Power Armor, Keighvus''s former SOR was almost too much for me to handle. It kicked like a mule and knocked me back a couple of feet.


    As bad as that sounded, I hit the Strom I was aiming at, his chest burst into pieces with milky grey fluid splattering into the night air. I knew that trying to handle the recoil again was not a good ideal. So I left the rifle fall, its strap keeping it ready if I needed it again.


    I started a shuffle step jog towards the building, while my squad kept pace scanning the roofline for any signs of movement.


    My trusty Omaha was swiftly out and I squeezed the trigger at a few borg heads starting to peek out of the garage door. All misses, but they caused the Strom to flinch allowing the rifles of my troops to be brought to bear. The roll-up door despite being made a strong aluminum was poor cover against our iron. The crysbronze bullets, unimpeded by their passage through the otherwise durable material, found their marks in the gangoons. More foul fluid was released all over the garage''s bay.


    I dropped back a step letting Arvigh plow through the door before me, his armor absorbing the impact like it was nothing. I could see that Raynor and his squad were already in the building and had pinned a few Maelstrom behind some cover. We caught them in a deadly crossfire making short work of their position.


    A quick visual scan allowed us to determine that the coast was clear. We had already put down every threat currently above ground. We all took a second to swap to fresh mags.


    That was way too easy. My gut churned with suspicion.


    After our squads ran a quick sweep around the grounds, Raynor''s Squad broke off and descended in to the warrens to aid John if it was needed.


    My squad posted up and the corners of the building to wait for the inevitable influx of fresh enemies, that had to already be on their way. I was gathering shards from all the bodies. Credits and possible intel on the Gang''s movements was never a bad thing.


    However until the others finished up below it felt like the squad was too spread out, so I was trying to keep an eye on all of them at once. Making sure that they weren''t surprised by any sneaky bastards. Nerve wracking work. Half my attention was on a feed from the Observer that parked above us. I could make out the swarm of Strom bodies circling the garage. They were painted by the Observers scanners.


    We heard gunfire from below several times while we waited, twitching a little with each report. Knowing we were about to be similarly engaged.


    Leens yelled, "Contact! Northwest!" Before firing several rounds into the night.


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    Arvigh started shooting to the Southeast, his demeaner was calm his voice barely heard above the rounds already tearing through the night. "Contact."


    Hopper kept up his watch before a round deflected off his shield, "Orc tits, I didn''t see them!" Before his weapon joined the others in their song.


    "Coming around!" Tous called out before firing at his guests.


    I wanted to start shooting myself, to run out and cut down Strom with my bullets. But that wasn''t the plan, I was to monitor everyone and pull them back to cover and/or provide healing if needed. It sucked to be the healer. I could only watch the feed from above seeing many marked Maelstrom fade out as their lives did the same.


    Soon enough both John and Raynor''s squad returned from below ground. John was covered in spatter as he appeared at my side. Raynor and his boys took up the corners.


    "Looks like the still want to play, Hoss!" Raynor barked in amusement.


    "Show them how we do it!" I called back trying to be encouraging. Our fire burned into the dark and the enemy fell.


    "Fight!" They sounded off.


    "You alright, John?" I asked the legend.


    "Yeah." He responded. Verbose as ever.


    I nodded before turning my attention back to the link with the Observer. The Strom were almost all down, out there.


    "We should be able to roll the rest up, and break away." I couldn''t see anymore Strom approaching the area.


    "You heard the man! Move! Move! Move!" Raynor bellowed.


    We formed up and rushed back out into the night steamrolling the remaining borgheads pumping extra rounds into them just to make sure that they wouldn''t survive.


    Once we got back to the truck, I hit everyone with a Cleanse and a Regrowth just to help keep us pepped up.


    Somewhere John had found some earplugs for us both that cut any sudden loud noises but left us able to heard most sounds in a standard range. They were a godsend, and I thanked him for finding them.


    Our next target was a long way back towards the bridges where Watson lead into Japantown. We were hunting a Tyger Claw operation boosting goods from the small dock warehouses clustered there. This should be a quick smash and then we''d head for the Outpost in Japantown to lay low until tomorrow night. I figured we''d be starving and tired by the time we got there so decided that resting was a better plan then pushing on tonight.


    I kept telling myself there was no need to rush.


    We caught the Tygers with their pants down. A dozen of them were just milling around outside an open warehouse door. It was obvious they had just finished stripping the place and the trucks full of goods had already left to drop off their plunder. The remaining Claws were celebrating with synth sake and music. Basically daring anyone to challenge their crime.


    They weren''t expecting anyone, never mind us.


    Despite that, they fought hard, their smart weapons arcing bullets at us in large bursts. Unfortunately for them our shielding held. Our return rounds started picking them off.


    Interestingly enough when some of them charged us with katanas, the blades got caught in the shielding. That was odd. maybe something to worry about I''ll have to study that when we got back home. At least for right now, it made them easy prey as they tried to free their blades. We blew them away without mercy.


    Only one of the Claws stood out as he was a full borg and engaged a Sandy, but John had him covered and both appeared a nanosecond later with John''s pistol under the Borg''s chin already pumping a few rounds through the top of the Claw''s head. The Claw''s blade still too far out of line to be a threat to John. Damn!


    The last Tyger skinned, we swapped mags again. Looked for any stragglers but finding none, we were all somewhat disappointed. Way too easy.


    We gathered all the chips and left.


    A good start.

 Chapter 89

    We spent the day lounging underground, taking naps and enjoying our rations while watching stupid Night City Vid Programing.


    It was interesting seeing our work last night being sensationalized by the media today. I was watching one of the reporters chattering nonsense at the Garage scene when something hit me. The police were going over the area in the background, basic forensics in 2074 involved all kinds of scanners.


    The blood drained from my face, we had done nothing to hide from the cameras. We hadn''t policed our "brass" or recovered the bullets from the bodies. All manner of identifiers for them to latch onto. I hadn''t even thought about it. My lack of forethought had just burned us good.


    They had John''s and my face already plastered all over the Net. They''d be able to back trace our movements... Shit!


    I took a moment to consider my next steps, then I started doing what I could to mitigate the damage.


    I sent a quick message to Rita, Mateo, Vik and Misty telling them to just cooperate if the NCPD came a calling. I sent a message to all available Probes to button up the Outposts by sealing them off from the topside. We''d have to expand the tunnels to have any freedom of movement around the city and hope the NCPD didn''t have sensors that could penetrate the ground too deeply.


    I shifted one of the robotics facilities'' queue to produce a squad of Probes before returning to pumping out more Sentries. I still wanted to complete the killing quest at least once before we went home. That meant we needed a dedicated digging team to get us to the buildings we had marked yesterday.


    Though it was a little too late, I designed masks for John and myself in the one of the forges. Cursing at myself the whole time. It took three tries before I managed to produce a mask we could both use without any problems.


    This was why I never got around to to hiring anyone to help me back home. I was always worried that if I screwed up I''d be dragging others down with me.


    Fuck, how could I be so stupid?


    I really thought I was doing better about planning, and the aftermath of these actions never even crossed my mind.


    Now we had to do the rest of this like some kind of mole people.


    While the Probes were being assembled, I worked on some upgrades for their Particle Beams. Simple adjustments to their crystal matrix allowed for a longer lasting beam, and a reordered power distribution increased the output of the beam by around 5%. I had the ideas weeks ago I just got distracted from the implementation stage.


    The new Probes were easily updated and soon all of our Probes would get modified.


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    The fresh Probes lacked vitality of a Wisp infusion, but we could handle that later. Right now they started digging with their new beams. Two worked on the excavation while the other two followed behind disassembling the debris and adding the small version of Pylons into the walls. Every 400ft they added a set of Photon Cannons just in case.


    The best part is now I can occasionally throw Empower Constructs on them. Which increased their workflow dramatically. What should have taken days merely took hours and we were now directly under our next target only an hour or so later than I had initially planned.


    However, within moments of digging upwards, we the humans, had to retreat from revulsion. The Probes had broken into the sewage system. Thankfully, they were undeterred by the foul sludge that started cascading down upon them. Soon enough they had dammed the flow and created a workaround. The redirected flow allowed further progress towards the surface. Only then did I creep close enough to throw a barrage of Cleanses over the whole area.


    The smell... blugh.


    This happened two more times before we were directly under the floor of the Metalworks that had been confiscated by a gang known as The Fire.


    A group of pyromaniacs that loved to burn anything and everything they could. Sadly, for them, the concrete used in modern construction could withstand incredible temperatures and so they had taken to burning other Gangs and random citizens with their plethora of incendiary devices. They even had their own makeshift flamethrowers.


    We had no clue how our shields would match up to burning accelerant. So we were going to move as a group and not let them get close.


    Better yet, unless they saw us come into their base, I was going to let a Probe drop a War Pylon in the mouth of the opening. Then they''d never see us at all.


    The Observer that was now hovering far above reported only a dozen members in the building. The rest must have been running around causing trouble.


    The encounter went off without a hitch, the Pylon hiding our presence until we were already shooting. Even the few survivors didn''t have time to react to our sudden presence before we had cut them down.


    Once we had cleared the area and collected the data and credit chips of the Gangoons, I let myself observe the automated Metalworks. I found the machinery fascinating, and I actually enjoyed the smell of hot metal.


    The smell of burnt flesh not so much. We found piles of crisped corpses.


    Given their condition The Fire hadn''t gained anything for these deaths other than whatever sick satisfaction the psychos got from their victims'' screams.


    I wanted to give them all a proper burial, provide a little comfort and peace to the souls of these poor folk. Bring some order to what could only be called insanity. It would have to wait though, until we were sure no more of those pyro assholes still sucked air.


    The Probes were scanning everything while throwing the bodies of the gangers into the tunnels where they would disassemble them later.


    We waited, once again hidden by the Pylon''s influence.


    As the members of the Gang showed up, we simply disposed of them. Then tossed the remains into the tunnel. After each encounter I had the Probes recover any cartridges while I cast Cleanse to take care of any blood or any other sign we were here.


    So easy, so efficient.


    A part of me was repulsed by this, another part of me celebrated that none of my people were in any real danger while removing these scum. I merely needed to look at the mounds of victims to keep calm and stop feeling any sense of pity or remorse for the gangers.


    This wasn''t about honor, it wasn''t about being the good guys, it was about exterminating a cancerous growth. Terrible but necessary.


    When we were sure we had gotten as many as we were going to get tonight we returned to the tunnels and left. The Probes sealed up our entry point and disposed of the bodies.


    A job well done.

 Chapter 90

    "Sources at NCPD have revealed that The Fire''s primary members are all missing. Cameras in the area caught glimpses of a conflict with the unknown gangers in green and blue armor that are responsible for eliminating a Maelstrom distro hub. Well good riddance to all of those freaks. I for one welcome our new, more fashionable gang to Night City. We at the Point Review can''t wait to see who they flatline next. Up next, is your neural interface trying to kill you..."


    The show''s host faded into an annoying NiCola commercial.


    We were relaxing while going over our gear and making plans for tonight. The Probes were expanding the Tunnels to points just below the next two targets. Either one should net me the first completion of the Kill Quest and I''d get to find out what kind of goodies came from a Supply Token. ( AN: Yes they are Random, don''t worry I reworked all the lists. Probably no Universal Disharmonizers. )


    "How''s everybody doing?" I let my voice carry so everyone heard me.


    I got back a chorus of "Fines" and "Okays" which had me nodding. Morale seemed to be holding up, and we still had enough rations to push for a couple of more days, more if we could stomach some of the local fare.


    Some part of me wanted to head home, but reports from Jaina, and messages from Megan, Sally, and Amanda let me know everything was going well in New Lordaeron. New farms were going up, new Footmen were being trained and outfitted. The Smithy, Church and Jaina''s Mage Tower were complete or near completion. New homes for the people and new local business had started, like a restaurant, a bakery and a butcher. Many more acres of the Badlands were now new growth forest. It had only been a few days, I was amazed by the steady progress. It really was a town now.


    Even Meadran was talking again, and Faergin had found where he wanted to root for the first time. The Smith had already fitted a restless Korvaith with some armor plates.


    Alina had obtained some interesting data from the observers, she would send me the files to review later today.


    My only worry about events there was no one had seen Lumi since before we had left, and I couldn''t reach him with the Psifield. My gut clenched when I thought about it. Yeah after we took care of these next two groups we''d head back and I''d go looking for him.


    Far in the distance we heard a bizarre noise, we immediately snapped into combat mode. We formed up and trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. It didn''t take long to determine it was coming from the tunnels dug to the west. Where the Probes had been digging. A dozen Sentries entered the tunnel single file. What was going on?


    After a couple of minutes we could tell it was a combination of sounds. Screeching and the sounds of Photon Cannon, Disruptors and Particle Beams. After a few more minutes we saw what was going on.


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    A seething mass of pale flesh and metal was advancing slowly through the tunnel, while three Probes and four Sentries were engaged in a fighting retreat. Even as we watched the mass of angry "cyborgs?/androids?" overran another Photon Cannon emplacement. Many bodies were burnt or cored by Khalai weapons but they were dragged back into the mass and more were always ready.


    One of the Sentries threw up one of it''s stationary, nearly indestructible shields. The rest of the robots fell back to our position. The Probes beeping frantically.


    "Run Executor! Countless Enemies! Relentless! We will delay!"


    I looked at the things beating furiously on the purple shield of the Sentry. Vaguely human. Their faces, all identical, carried the same mask of rage. Every one of them seemed to have different cybernetics, haphazardly grafted onto their pale bodies. No weapons, or armor, not even any clothes. All sexless, just a smooth patch of skin were something should be.


    Very disturbing.


    Their screams were a mixture of real vocal cords and voice boxes.


    The shield shattered as I was still trying to analyze the foe.


    "Back! Back toward the Imperials!" I ordered, trying not show my fear. I figured their Bunker should be able to withstand this threat.


    We ducked into the tunnels leading to the south east. We began to run. The Probes and Sentries went back to trying to slow the tide. The screams followed us the whole way.


    When we arrived near the Charter Hills Outpost we were meet by a squad of Kriegsmen.


    They bowed to me.


    "No time for that! Enemies inbound. Setup a defensive position here."


    They voxed the Marshall and we began helping them set up a choke point. We managed to barricade the tunnel with some kind of metal panels the Kriegsmen had already had nearby.


    Once I had a moment to breath, I used the Psifield to order all available Probes and Sentries to seal off the tunnels leading from the Japantown Outpost to our other locations. They were to use whatever methods they deemed fit. We couldn''t allow these creepy things to get to New Lordaeron.


    "One side!" We all backed out of the way of a large field gun of some kind. It looked like a small double barreled howitzer. Even without seeing it perform, I liked it. A lot. I went to the nearby robotics facilities to queue up some more Probes, with the goal of scanning that weapon.


    After the Gun was settled into the barricade we waited while the screams once again grew louder. Two more squads of Kriegsmen approached as well as Marshall 999 and Magos Helifern.


    "Emperor! What approaches?" Marshall 999 asked as he come up beside me. John and Jim watched him like hawks. Helifern stayed back a ways, probably not wanting to appear as a threat.


    "Unknown, Marshall. They likely come from further under Night City, They appeared from tunnels that were newly excavated to the west. No weapons or armor, unknown random cybernetics. A seemly endless tide of bodies, full of nothing but rage. They also have no concern for survival." I kept my voice steady. I counted in my head like John had taught me.


    The Marshall chuckled. "Excellent. If they do not fear death, they shall not run from our guns. A proper foe to display our devotion, My Emperor!"


    What the fuck? He was happy that the enemy was coming, I could feel it.


    He turned to his men and roared, "Krieg! We Stand! They shall advance no further! Hold this line! For the Emperor!"


    They were silent, but I could feel their willingness to fight and die. For me.


    Golden energy burned into me from every Krieg Guardsman. It felt wonderful.

 Chapter 91

    As I was trying to come down off the high of a flood of faith energy, the strange creatures reached our position.


    Suddenly, all I could hear was a zap, crackle, hum of the field gun unleashing hundreds of beams of light. All of the Guardsmen eagerly watching the barricade and the devastation of the weird beings in the tunnel. They wanted the enemy to get through so they could fight up close.


    A minute passed and the barrels of the field gun were glowing a dull orange. Soon the weapon would have to stop.


    Two squads of the Guardsmen flanked the "lascannon", bayonets already affixed to their "lasrifles". They didn''t shuffle, fidget, or make any unnecessary noise. They waited for the gun to stop, so they could fight and die for their Emperor.


    Disappointment greeted them, the flood of twisted flesh and warped had stopped. Their emotions were flash bulb bright in my new sense of the world.


    The lascannon went quiet.


    My mind was already racing to order my thoughts, and I took some time to ponder this empathetic ability.


    Jim''s or my own emotions were heavy complex things, John''s were hidden and obscured. The troops from New Lordaeron had simple, clear, but deep feelings. Hmm. Why could I sense my own emotions?


    A sudden burst of dizziness as I tried to latch on to own feelings. Nope, let''s save exploring that for another time.


    From the Imperials the only being that possessed an emotional quality similar to mine or Jim''s was Marshall 999. Though his were more focused, a sense of directed fury and pain. Helifern''s were faint things barely noticeable, however there was a sense of something getting in the way of them.


    The rest of the Guardsmen though, if I had to put it into words, seemed like addicts. Everything dialed up, but somehow it was all reined in.


    Thinking back, despite the outward expression of rage on the faces of the strange creatures, there was no sense of emotion at all. How could that be?


    Helifern was already using his mechadendrites to disassemble several of the scorched corpses for study. He used a variety of instruments to examine the pieces. He called out in Lingua-technis "Initial study indicates Heretek, and the possible presence of Scrap Code. However, there is something different about these readings. I recommend immediate incineration of the tainted remains and limited contact with the subjects. Further safe analysis would require a Sanctified Temple to the Omnissiah. "


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    I still had no clue why I could understand the binary based language.


    I had the first of the new Probes start scanning the bodies. Then of course the lascannon. I was looking forward to modifying the weapon. The lasweapons in general could be an excellent step in the development of our armaments.


    Just as we started to move away from the barricade, we could hear the screeches of more of those creatures approaching.


    I shook my head, "We don''t have time for this." I was beyond annoyed at this point, every plan I made got derailed or sidetracked by outside influences. How do you account for the unknown?


    "We could leave it to these men." Raynor suggested. John was nodding beside him.


    That was a... good idea.


    The Imperials were born and bred for war. It was all they knew. I had been trying to think of someway to use them, or limit them, to keep them under control. This swarm of odd beings was an excellent target, and something useful.


    "Marshall 999, would you be willing to make this your focus?"


    The Marshall snapped to attention, crisps and precise. "Of course, Emperor. If you command it, it shall be done."


    That was a heavy fucking burden. Could I handle this? I really had no desire to be a leader of any kind, never mind an Emperor. I only started taking command of the troops, because it seemed the best way to achieve the long term goal of saving this world.


    No, I was doing it again. I was finding ways to shift responsibility. To try to avoid blame. Everything all of these folks did, was ultimately on me. They wouldn''t be here without me.


    Sure, I wouldn''t be here without the Company. I was absolutely certain that, there was no way in hell, they were going to accept their part in all of this.


    So it was on me. I had to lead, because there was no one else. I should be thankful that many of the folks I brought here were good at helping me be a better leader.


    With that firmly in mind, I turned to face the Marshall directly.


    "Marshall, destroy this threat. Do everything in your power to keep this from spilling onto the surface. I will send you supplies and the means to sustain yourselves as soon as I get back to New Lordaeron. Send me reports on any major changes, otherwise I''m leaving this in your hands."


    "We will not fail, Emperor!" He snapped a salute. He marched off to start giving orders to his troops.


    I wanted to sigh, but I held it in. The men deserved better than that. I was going to have to figure out how to become worthy of such devotion. I certainly wasn''t now.


    I turned to Jim and John, "We are going to call in the MRAP. Hit a target with the chaingun. If all goes well, we won''t have to even get out. Once the quest is complete, we head home."


    They shared a look.


    "Hoss, you don''t have to hurry. We have time, and we only get stronger the longer we work."


    "I know that, Jim. I know, but something is wrong. Something we missed. It''s not just these monsters down here; something has been messed up, but it''s only with this new class that I can sense it." My glaze turned back to the tunnels we had just abandoned.


    "Can you tell what it might be?" John asked. Nice of him not to question my sanity. I know I was.


    "No, not yet. I think these powers are still too new to get that kind of information." Somehow I knew these premonitions would get clear with advancement in this new Class.


    The lascannon started another round of clearing the tunnel.


    Where was the creatures'' pain?

 Chapter 92

    We left the Kriegsmen to their duty. It was time to finish this quest.


    The Probes cleared the path to the surface and once we were standing by the CHOOH2 station, they sealed the underground away once more. Let the monsters have their realm.


    No more hiding or skulking, it made me sick to my core. We would expand and face our foes. This test had proven that most of the weapons of this world were no match for ours.


    Next we would have to take the skies, and then orbit. From there we shall rain fire upon the sick and twisted, and offer succor to the worthy. Then the stars...


    I shook my head. This was getting out of hand. I''m not some all conquering asshole. I just want to help people, and heal the land.


    One thing was certain, I would have to be very careful before I fed the Voice of the Emperor class. Its influence on my mind was too great already. The struggle to remember who I was grew more difficult by the hour. Not that I wasn''t inclined to burn this city down to begin with, but there were more humane ways, more surgical methods to get the same results.


    ''Spare your enemies, suffer the rewards of your foolishness.''


    Great. Now it spoke to me.


    We got ourselves loaded up into the MRAP, along with the new Probes. I had a feeling we''d need a War Pylon or two to hide under before today was through.


    It was just past noon. There was a sense of time loss. The events we had just been through had done a number on our internal clocks.


    The bright sun only slightly obscured by pollution. Not a cloud in the sky. For some reason this felt like a good omen. Probably just wishful thinking.


    I drove us to the next target.


    Another building under Maelstrom control this one was a clinic of some kind. From the data the Observers had pulled up they initiated new members there. That made it an excellent target to send a message.


    We pulled into an empty lot across the street from the three story structure.


    The Probes began assembling a War Pylon above us, while we went over the feed from the Observer. Hmm, about 32 fugly bastards in there.


    John would run the chaingun back and forth once on each floor. Then we''d take off, and be three miles away before anyone could even spot us again.


    If we managed to kill even half of the gangoons, then the quest should be complete and we''d head home. If not, then we move to the next target and repeat the action.


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    I was surprised no one in the area came over to ask about the very noticeable construction process taking place right above our heads. It''s Night City''s mind your own business attitude, I guess.


    As the War Pylon came online, we could feel the Psifield snapped into place. The Probes quickly reattached to the vehicle.


    Using the controls, John walked the barrel of the chaingun through his intended actions.


    Once he was satisfied with the movement, he nodded.


    The gunfire cracked the sound barrier repeatedly. After the first couple of rounds, individual shots couldn''t be distinguish from one another, creating a singular crackling roar.


    I was very thankful for the earplugs John had found.


    It took just over a minute to complete the pattern. It was just long enough to make every nerve in my body twitch in a matching rhythm. Then it was over, and in the quiet my skin prickled.


    The front of the building was collapsing as many of the supports had been destroyed by the chaingun''s heavy rounds.


    I saw the quest completion come up and floored the pedal.


    Time to go home.


    We made a brief stop to check on Greg at the Sunset Motel. I introduced him to Jim and John. Bought the boys some drinks before we moved on.


    Greg told me everything had been fine, barely any trouble since the last time he saw me. Good. One possible source of this dreadful gnawing in my gut, could be marked off the list.


    ''Meadran, you there?'' I figured it was worth it to check in.


    ''Young One, I sense you.'' He seemed unbothered.


    ''Are you okay?'' Better to ask...


    ''Yes, everything is okay, as far as I''m aware.'' He seemed to snap to alertness.


    ''Can you check on the others for me, I can''t shake the sense that something is wrong.'' I could feel him reach out through the trees.


    ''I can sense nothing amiss, and Faergin and Korvaith report they are fine.'' He was now fully awake and worried.


    ''Thanks Meadran. I''ll check in with Alina and she if her sensors have picked anything up.'' Hmm. Really what could it be?


    ''Be careful, Young One. Premonitions are often misunderstood until it is too late.'' Once again images of dragons chasing shadows. Green ones this time.


    I reached out for Alina in the Psifield, ''Alina status report.''


    ''Everything is within operational expectations, Executor.''


    Would she even be able to conceive of covert actions? I tried to consider how our operation might be fucked with. I needed more information but fortunately we had the means to gather all the data we could possibly want.


    ''Alina, have an Observer scan the whole of New Lordaeron and the Valley. Report anything even remotely anomalous.''


    ''By your command Executor.''


    I thought about my next actions carefully. I was worried it was too late to stop whatever was coming. I looked at the troops drinking and snacking.


    "I need all of you to stay on alert after we get home. I still can''t shake this feeling that something is wrong." I was going to want to bury myself in distraction, tinkering or spending time with Sally and Megan, even working on mana shaping. I couldn''t let myself lose focus.


    The first thing I had to do once we got back was to fix or replace my damned Paladin Class, somehow I knew that it made it easier for the Emperor Class to screw with my thoughts.


    Raynor shared a look with the men, "Hoss, I think I speak for all of us, when I say we trust your gut. We''ve been through too much shit together to ignore you now."


    John nodded, "Yeah."


    They all raised their drinks to me.


    I returned the gesture.


    "However this all plays out, know that I am proud of you all."


    We all took a drink.


    My mind was already turning back to the ways someone could screw us over. I couldn''t let that happen.

 Chapter 93

    We headed out.


    I wanted to wait for the Observer''s report, but I also felt a sense of urgency. A "let''s get this over with" attitude.


    On a happier note I could see that the spread of the purple grass was beginning to reach as far as the Sunrise Motel. Small patches of it here and there, even new bushes of an obviously different character than the scrub brush native to the Badlands. A small victory.


    Small triumphs could add up. Small changes could become large shifts over a long enough timescale.


    How long did I have? A very long time, judging by Meadran''s lessons. Even Jaina thought that Mages (and presumably Druids) aged much more slowly. Then there was the issue of Regrowth seeming to reverse at least some of the effects of aging. With all of that working in my favor, I could see living a few hundred years. That was hard to grasp.


    Looking out at the mixing environments, desert and alien grasslands, I pondered what it would look like in a century. Would all of this be forest by then? Would the jealous Corpos scorch it all?


    As we got closer to home the mana in the air had me buzzing a bit. Moving back and forth between the differing densities was interesting. Could that be a way to train my mana capacity? Like running in high altitudes to benefit your lungs. Hmm.


    Arriving at the new outskirts of New Lordaeron. So much had changed with Jaina''s guidance, and even the few days we had been gone gave her ample opportunity to expand. She had also snagged a good chuck of my CPoints. Even with the thousand I had gotten from the Quest I was now down to 4000 total. When did that happen?


    My eyes bulged, "What the hell has she been spending my Points on?"


    John looked over at me.


    "Jaina has used 5000 Company Points for something, or more likely a lot of somethings." I wasn''t really mad, but I was fucking shocked. I trusted her, but wow that was a lot. I thought back to her reports, did anything in there indicate where all the points went? No.


    In the future, I think I''m going to require an itemized list of expenses. So this odd sensation of being stolen from, wasn''t as much of a thing, going forward. I didn''t need more unpleasant feelings, especially right then.


    "That''s a lot?" John asked.


    Oh right, I hadn''t really discussed the Points situation with them. While we were parking I filled all the fellas in on the way CPoints worked, and what kinds of things they could buy.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I stopped to take in the view of the Town.


    Several new buildings were present close by. The obvious ones were the Church, with its belltowers and giant golden rayed sun iconography, right by the Town Hall and just in front of the Barracks. The building next to that, billowing out smoke while creating a clatter we could hear from here, must have been the Smithy. Others were likely new housing for everyone, they looked some where between apartment complexes and medieval villas.


    Off to the north, I could make out several new farms. I couldn''t yet tell what they were growing from here. Okay, that explained some of the CPoint usage.


    Up on the hill next to my mansion was an ornate tower, its peak was maybe 400 feet high and surrounded by a aura of mana that even those with no talent could see. the base was larger around than the Town Hall. What was all that space for?


    We stayed together as we made our way from the parking area to the Town Hall. Folks greeted us warmly as we passed them. Lots of these people were new faces to me, summoned from the Town Hall I supposed. In fact I didn''t see any of the people I was most familiar with nearby.


    In fact, I thought it was bizarre that Jaina wasn''t here to greet us.


    I reached out through the Psifield, ''Jaina?''


    ''My Lord!'' I could sense surprise with a tinge of bright joy and recent deep pleasure. I chuckled, wondering who the lucky bastard was. ''I''m so sorry! I got caught up in my latest spellwork that I didn''t sense you.''


    ''No worries Jaina, just checking in on you. We''ll be at the Town Hall when you are ready.'' I tried not to let my amusement bubble through the connection.


    ''Yes, My Lord.'' I cut the connection.


    My gut didn''t like it. Something was burning in the back of my mind.


    All I could do was keep on task, until I had a clearer picture.


    As we passed the Church a white robed figure, hood raised, exited the large double doors.


    "My Lord! It is so nice to finally meet you." A man''s voice from under the deep hood.


    I was immediately on guard. I could feel the rest of the boys tense up as well.


    "Is something wrong?" The voice sounded genuinely concerned.


    I reached out with my new senses.


    His mind was a gentle place, his thoughts full of devotion to his God. I relaxed a little. Golden energy surrounded him. Faith.


    Something growled in my heart before I clamped down on it. The Emperor Class was angered by Faith not directed towards it.


    "Sorry our last encounter with a clergyman didn''t go very well." I decided to be friendly once I could tell he was nothing like old Grais.


    "Oh, I''m sorry. It is always a shame when a priest loses their way." No condemnation, no suspicion, and no doubt that we were honest. This man might be the purest adult soul I''ve ever met.


    "It was a shame indeed." I didn''t have the heart to explain more to him.


    "I am Father Mauris if you need to talk my door is always open to you. I''ll leave you to your work." No pushing, no proselytizing, what kind of priest was this?


    "I might just take you up on that. Good day, Mauris." I meant it too. I felt a need to get to know this person. More importantly protect them from this world. Odd, where did that feeling come from?


    We crossed the last few yards to the Town Hall.


    I reached out to touch the building, then hesitated. My BTC was twitching like crazy.


    "I don''t know what''s about to happen, but I might be stuck for a while. Please guard my back."


    "Don''t worry Hoss, we''ve got your six."


    "Uh huh."


    My hand made contact with the building and everything shifted.

 Chapter 94

    Endless white space in every direction.


    Oh, this place.


    I scanned around until I found the expected desk. All matte black. The figure behind the desk a vaguely humanoid shape of greens and yellows.


    "Well, haven''t you managed to create a ton of paperwork."


    I reached out with my senses.


    A vast force slapped me to the "ground". It hurt, but not it any typical way. It was the essence of pain, a condensed feeling of pain.


    Nothing had ever hurt more. Yet, all of the usual reactions to pain were missing. No increased breathing, no sped up heart rate, everything stayed level.


    "How rude. It would be wise to keep your primitive mind to yourself. Unless you wish to find out how much damage your soul can endure."


    Ah. That would be why. I wasn''t here physically.


    "Pardon, you seem different than the first time I was here."


    "You''ve never been here... Oh right, you can''t see where you really are. Which means you also can''t see who I really am. Bother."


    The figure seemed to flicker for a moment.


    "No. Well, I guess I don''t get to crack your psyche today. Another time then. I am your Case Worker."


    I remained silent. I didn''t see a good way to respond to any of that information.


    A chuckle.


    "You can restrain yourself. Good primitive. Now listen up, we are going to fix the hole in your soul. You may express your gratitude now."


    I raised my eyebrow. "Thank you?" Doesn''t gratitude come after you fix the problem? Also, shouldn''t I be pissed right now?


    It sighed.


    "I guess that will have to do."


    It pushed a stack of papers at me.


    "Fill those out. Might as well make yourself useful. Bugs like you aren''t good for much else."


    Again, I wanted to be angry, but something prevented it.


    Knowing that without compliance I''d just be stuck here, I started looking over the paper work.


    It was all extremely vague statements. It took almost 25 pages of reading for me to determine that this was a description of my time on the New Earth. That''s how bland and obscure the wording was. It could have been the stripped down details of almost any other person on almost any other world, doing almost anything.


    No telling how long I was there reading. The being had told me to fill out paperwork but there was nothing to fill out. Not even those little annoying places to initial.


    For all that I recognized this as boring, I simply didn''t feel any of the frustration that I knew I should.


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    That I couldn''t feel the normal range of emotions almost bothered me. The tickles of annoyance danced haunting close.


    Several hundred pages later, the first actual form arrived. It was just basic information. I tapped the blanks and they filled in with what I wanted to write there.


    So on and so forth. Countless, pointless forms filled out one after another. The pile kept refilling itself. Adding pages just as I thought it was over.


    When the last form was filled out and disappeared, I couldn''t believe it.


    "Finally! What took you so long? It was only ten million pages. Hardly an afternoon''s worth of work. I''ve dealt with twenty five other cases since you started. Luckily for you we altered the flow of time a bit."


    How much? I could feel another flutter of emotion.


    "No matter. Well since your class selection was hijacked by several cosmic level beings, we are going to give you a choice."


    Oh a vague sense of interest stirred in me.


    "We can''t remove the offending class without permanent damage to your soul. That sucker dug in deep. We can give you two classes to compensate. This will help balance out it''s influence, while cleaning up the mess left by the broken Paladin class."


    It laughed.


    "That still cracks me up. You. A Paladin. They are just handing the good stuff out to anyone these days." Its laughter continued to ring out.


    My hand clenched. Yup. I almost felt something that time.


    "Alternatively, we clean up the shards of the Paladin class, and then evolve either your Druid or Smith Class. That''s actually a better deal than it sounds like. Class evolutions are rare. You can still take a new class from the Town Hall when you return to your disgusting body."


    A question of quality over quantity. At least if I understood its ranting correctly.


    Actually, It wasn''t really a choice at all. I was already annoyed by the influences of the Classes on my mind.


    At least with the Druid and Smith Classes I thought those influences aligned pretty well with who I was before. Or who I thought I was before.


    Two more random classes, while they might solve the problem at hand, would cause more problems later. More directions to pull my identity out of shape.


    Even the thought of taking another class once I returned was troubling.


    "The second option."


    "Interesting! Which class will you evolve?"


    That wasn''t really a choice either. As long as I had a stated goal, I needed to improve my ability to achieve that goal.


    "Druid of Renewal."


    Two sheets of crisp green paper appeared on the black desk. The Being gestured to the paper.


    "Pick."


    [ Archdruid of Renewal


    +3 to Spirit per level


    +3 to Will per level


    +2 to Intelligence per level


    +4 free points per level


    An evolution of the Druid of Renewal. A deeper connection to the Cycle of Life.


    Spells: Renew the Cycle, Reincarnate ]


    The other page read...


    [ Grove Keeper


    +3 to Spirit per level


    +3 to Will per level


    +2 to Body per level


    +4 free points per level


    By increasing a connection to a Grove, a Keeper gains understanding of Nature.


    Spells: Awaken Trees, Forest Walk ]


    I picked up the Arch Druid page. The Grove Keeper was likely very potent, but I didn''t even have a grove to begin with. I was beginning to wonder if any of the choices I was presented, were actually choices...


    "I''ll give you a moment to look it over. Then back you go. Have fun, bug."


    The insulting being vanished.


    I turned my attention to the changes in my class.


    Better. I already felt better even without my emotions.


    My stats were looking rather ridiculous. Good. I would need to be as powerful as possible.


    I had spells evolving. Interesting.


    Let''s see.


    Renew the Cycle. It took almost ten hours to cast. So, not something to use in the middle of a fight.


    It also required an array of components. It returned any one living being to it''s best state of health, removing any anomalies. For additional components and increased mana costs it could alter the target in any number of ways. The spell would instantly destroy any undead or unnatural target.


    Interesting, I could cast it on myself.


    Reincarnation was not a spell in the strictest sense. Nor was it an ability. It would activate upon my death and allow me to return to life. However, I would have no choice in who or what I returned as. It could only be activated once a century.


    I pondered that. If classes and abilities carried over, and I didn''t die more than once every hundred years, I was now possibly immortal. Maybe.


    I could get trapped in something like a Weasel''s body. Which might last two to five years normally. Mana might extend that, but probably not out to a century. So I couldn''t count on it. Also the body would likely affect my identity to some extent. A few spins on this wheel and I''d no longer be me.


    Not that I was sure I was me anymore.

 Chapter 95

    I snapped back into my body, my hand jerked back from the building.


    Shuddering, I looked around. It hurt to move my head. I was surrounded by the troops. Some of the new footmen had already received their power armor and had joined in guarding me. Now, 18 pairs of eyes watched every shadow, scanned every roof top and examines every person who come near.


    John and Jim kept their attention on me. I could tell they were ready to put me down if I wasn''t myself anymore. I had mentioned the possibility at some point, after we dealt with Grais.


    "That went well. How long was I out?" My voice slurred, I wobbled a bit. Yup, all the alteration of my stats had messed with my balance. Not unexpected. I still had more to do so it would likely get worse.


    "About an hour, Hoss. You Good?"


    "Yes, the main problem has been fixed. Now, I have to pick another class. Please, keep an eye out?"


    "We''re on it." John gave me a nod.


    I placed my hand on the Town Hall again and picked Choose Class.


    [ Mage of Transformation


    +2 to Will


    +1 to Cool


    +2 to Intelligence


    A Mage that specializes in transmutations.


    Starting Spells: Change Color, Alter Minor Property ]


    I had to admit I didn''t see how this was useful. Changing something''s color while interesting didn''t seem necessary. Alter Property could be very useful or it could be worthless. I wouldn''t be able to tell without picking it.


    [ Elemental Mage


    +2 to Will


    +1 to Cool


    +2 to Intelligence


    A mage that wields the Elemental forces. Specializations are available.


    Starting Spells: Flame Bolt, Frozen Shackles, Displace Earth, Breeze ]


    There was a lot of utility there. The Elements and Nature would likely synergize well. I had noticed nature mana seemed to have some of the properties of the four base elemental forces. On the other hand, It might end up being a hat on a hat situation. Raw Nature Mana could be shaped to do most of the things the starting spells seemed to do.


    [ Mage of Space


    +2 to Will


    +1 to Cool


    +2 to Intelligence


    A Mage that manipulates the fabric of Reality itself.


    Starting Spells: Dimensional Pocket, Expanded Step ]


    I had no clue. It sounded badass. It would really depend on what I could learn down the road. A dimensional pocket would likely be a good way to hide things. I wasn''t sure what Expanded Steps did but it seemed interesting.


    Hmm.


    I took a chance but not much of one.


    [ Mage of Space has reached Level 6


    You have gained Dimensional Pocket


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    You have gained Expanded Step


    You have gained Between Points


    You have gained Know Location


    You have gained +7 Will


    You have gained +6 Cool


    You have gained +7 Intelligence


    You have gained +12 Free Points ]


    My hand flew from the Town Hall. Everything whirled around me. Stop the ride, I want off.


    I stumbled backwards


    Managing to catch myself before my ass hit the ground, I then struggled to not throw up.


    "Someone get me the number of that truck." I groaned. Swallowing back the raising bile.


    "Deep Breaths." John encouraged.


    He was a wall of darkness, his thoughts and feeling hidden deep. Maybe even from himself.


    It took a few minutes of sucking air and pretending that controlling my breathing mattered for me to regain a semblance of normalcy.


    "Alright, that step two down. Now we need to hit the Nexus and then see Meadran, so I can increase my strength."


    "Hoss, you don''t need to shoulder everything yourself. It''s okay to lean on others." Concern burned in his voice, and I could feel it coiling around him. He didn''t want to fail again.


    What? How did he fail? No, not my business. He''ll tell me when he is ready.


    "Would you? Jim, in my situation, would you really want others to help you? Even if you did, would you let them?" He shrugged and I nodded, "I need your help and I am doing my best to share the burden, but some things I have to do myself, because there is no one else."


    Even all the folks I summoned would likely go their own ways if I died. I might never be the hero. I might not be the one to bring our enemies to their knees. I had a hard time accepting that.


    I was the glue. I could see that now. It was my task to gather all the people who still cared under one banner. To create a place for them to thrive. I don''t know why it took so long to see it.


    That resonated all the way down to my toes.


    Let''s look at the new Class.


    Dimensional Pocket creates a space of (Level of skill) yard(s) cubed. This space couldn''t be accessed by others. Sadly it couldn''t contain living beings. After the initial casting I only had to spend a small amount of mana to open or close the space.


    Expanded Step increase the distance my steps traveled. Additive. So at skill level one my steps gain one extra yard of distance. At skill level two, two extra yards and so on. It would last as long as I provided mana. I could see this being very useful, but it would likely take a lot of training to use it effectively.


    Between Points was odd. I could change the distance between any two points I could see. That would require some testing.


    Know Location was a spell that could locate anything that was A) not protected from scrying and B) within the same causal reality. That wasn''t exactly clear to me. Some testing required.


    Alright I''ll let all of that percolate in the back of my mind. Time to get some food.


    "Come on, we''ll grab a bite before we head into the Valley." Somehow, I felt a lot more alive.


    We wrecked quite a number of ration packs. It''s like we had been starving. I wonder why.


    When we were finished, we marched up the path to the Valley.


    Of some concern was that Jaina hadn''t shown up. Nor did Megan or Sally. Not even Amanda had come by to see Raynor. Something was going on. I just hoped it was unrelated to the burning fear in my gut.


    We bypassed Meadran and headed to the Nexus first. Partially because I wanted to save bumping up the Arch Druid Class til last. Partially because I wanted to stop in real quick to look at a few of the lasgun schematics. Maybe, make a few adjustments and build one. Just one.


    I mean, Come on, it''s a laser gun! My inner kid was fucking going nuts.


    Sometime you have to listen to your inner child, dammit!


    [ Warp-Smith has reached Level 6


    You have gained Psi Technique, Overclock Self


    You have gained Psi Technique, Expedite Build


    You have gained +3 Psi Resonance


    You have gained +2 Tech


    You have gained +4 Free Points ]


    After the screaming agony my first coherent thought was, Nice!


    Overclock Self let me speed up my thought processes.


    Expedite Build was an ability to speed up any form of construction. That''s was just what the doctor ordered!


    Giggling like a schoolgirl I ran to the forge and loaded up the schematic of the Marshall''s Laspistol. I immediately used Overclock Self.


    I didn''t even notice the judging stares of my men. Even if I had I was too invested in this idea.


    Less than 5 minutes later I had an improved design ready to go.


    Just switching it to have a Psicrystal power and control system increased it''s output and stability by quite a bit. It could even be overcharged if it was operated under the Psifield.


    Using crysbronze for the shell decreased the weight and increased the durability. I altered the design to look a little more like a modern firearm.


    Using Expedite Build had the first prototype out in three minutes.


    I danced a jig.


    Again I barely noticed the guys all laughing at my attics.


    I took the newly forged weapon out to the testing ranged just behind the Nexus and let loose a few shots at the crysbronze targets.


    In a phrase, Great Success!


    A couple of shots slagged each target. The beams were a bright electric blue, and crackled like plasma. Yet they had the stability, distance and accuracy of a laser.


    This was without the overcharge feature.


    I now had a light weight pistol that could function as an anti vehicle weapon.


    I immediately cast Dimensional Pocket. Once, I could feel the space open I gently laid the pistol inside. I liked that the spell had no obvious opening.


    Once everyone stopped giving me shit for splurging out, we went to visit Meadran.

 Chapter 96

    We got a surprise once we made it to Meadran''s island.


    Faergin and Korvaith were there waiting for us.


    Faergin had grown almost five more feet in height, though he had not gained much girth leaving him with an overly skinny appearance. New mystic symbols had developed on his bark, each glowed a faint blue.


    Korvaith had trended in the opposite direction only gaining a few inches of height, while thickening up quite a bit. His new armor plates already needed to be adjusted. He had his oversized rifle''s stock resting on the ground so that the barrel leaned up against him.


    ''We were waiting for you Young One.'' Meadran''s concern bled through the tree network.


    ''Hello, latest Arch Druid. It is good to finally be able to speak to you.'' A mellow voice, like the wind through leaves, entered the network. There was the sense of seasons passing while my roots grew deeper.


    ''Faergin?''


    Three voices laughed in my head.


    ''Korvaith, too? That''s great!''


    ''Not... quite... yet.'' A deep growling voice faintly responded. A deep anger threaded the connection. A desire to strike back at those who would despoil the forest, filled the air.


    ''Still, any progress right now is good. Look, I don''t know what is coming but something has me all muddled inside. If you all could watch over the Valley until it plays out, it would help me out a lot." I tried to let them sense the turmoil inside my gut.


    ''Yes, that is definitely some form of prophecy. Though not a very clear one.'' Faergin sent a vision of branches becoming snarled together.


    ''Hmm. A dark intuition, Young One.'' The determination to grow through rock and stone, bubbled through the link.


    ''Whatever... Break... Through... '' A desire to smash foes was Korvaith''s answer. I had a feeling that was going to be his answer for everything. Heh.


    I asked the question I had been dreading, ''Have any of you seen Lumi?''


    ''About three days ago, I saw him running across the Badlands to the north. He never said anything about where he was going or why.'' Faergin responded.


    I pondered everything. Lumiar was meant to be my companion. Yet from the start I got the impression that Lumi wasn''t really a team player. Even when we could spend time together he prefered to do his own thing. Nothing wrong with that. At least until nobody any any clue where you were, or if you were okay.


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    No, the more I thought about it, Lumi wasn''t normal. Now that I had been exposed to the divine, I knew that Lumi was somehow related to those energies. I was absolutely certain he wasn''t what the Company had in mind for my companion.


    Heh. I really had been hijacked from the start.


    The question now was, what did a divine wolf want? What could such a creature want here of all places.


    Nothing came to mind.


    ''I''ll have to hope he can handle himself for now.'' I shook my head as I placed my hand against Meadran.


    [ Arch Druid of Renewal has reached Level 5


    You have gained Shapeshift: Serpent


    You have gained Shapeshift: Lesser Treant


    You have gained Aura of Regrowth


    You have gained Aura of Growth


    You have gained +12 Spirit


    You have gained +12 Will


    You have gained +8 Intelligence


    You have gained +16 Free Points ]


    I added the levels one at a time letting each settle before adding the next. I tried not to dwell on the interesting additional abilities, for right now. I moved on and used all the accumulated free points with the same mindset, one at a time. there were so many that I likely would have fried my nerves if I did it all at once.


    While I had little in the way of a model for comparison, they looked quite high to me. Considering that peak human was 10, I was now... What? Superhuman? Demigod like? I really had no way to know how I stacked up.


    Jumping and stretching to test my new range of motion led to some interesting discoveries. My balance was insane, which came in handy because even what I thought would be a lite hop, launched me high into Meadran branches. However, the mistake which would normally have caused a bit of mild panic, had no effect on my emotional state. I stayed calm and easily caught myself.


    Just as easily, I dropped twenty feet to the ground. My knees barely flexed. Something about hitting twenty in a stat changed things. Though I had not yet noticed any real difference when Will, Spirit or Intelligence crossed that line. Why would that be?


    Feeling like I had a handle on things, for now, I turned my attention to the new abilities.


    Shapeshifting was mostly self explanatory. Though I had no desire to experiment with either version right now.


    Snake or tree. The Treant I got, but why a serpent?


    The Auras were passive effect versions of the spells. Their standard state was on, I had to concentrate to turn them off. Basically, I made plants grow around me and also made people feel better just by being near me. Yes, Aura of Regrowth still had that effect, just not as intense.


    The fellas were all shifting uncomfortably, until I managed to shut off the Aura. Thankfully, the Treefolk were unaffected.


    Another interesting note was how little mana the Auras used. Maybe a quarter as much as casting the spell at the same level on all of same amount of people. That didn''t seem to conform with my understanding of how energy worked, but I was somewhat inured to the oddities of magic at this point.


    It was time to head back to the Valley.


    But first...


    ''Meadran, in the worse case scenario, can you uproot and leave the area?''


    ''If I must.'' A sense of reluctance.


    ''We will aid him, if it comes to that.'' Faergin''s thoughts were of green shoots growing through ash laden soil.


    ''Grrrr...'' Korvaith projected confidence he could shoot anything before it was a problem.


    ''Thanks you guys. I really do worry about you. Stay safe no matter what, please.''


    ''Your concern is touching, Young One.''


    I turned to the humans, "Alright time to go and figure out what the hell is going on."


    ''Executor, I have a report.'' Alina''s voice flooded the Psifield.


    I held up my hand to indicate contact.


    ''Alright Alina, let''s hear it.''


    I was certain, I wasn''t going to like this.

 Chapter 97

    ''Every Pylon outside of the Valley was showing anomalous energy readings. The readings indicated explosive devices. I sent a Probe to investigate one of the Pylons up close. Every Pylon in New Lordaeron had been compromised.''


    My fists clenched as my heart rate spiked. I ground my teeth. "Treachery." I growled. It was the only thing that made sense. It was incredibly unlikely that stealthed agents got past the sensors in the Pylons. My mind raced, it couldn''t be any of the summons. That only leaves the Nomads. After all what did I really know about them?


    The troops upon hearing my outburst surrounded me. Their weapons at the ready, sweeping the area for hostiles. John  seemed to fade out of existence. Raynor was using the scope of his rifle to scan every possible overlook.


    ''Probes are already in the process of removing the explosives from the Pylons. Searching for the signature of the explosives has revealed there are more devices installed in every major structure of the community.''


    "Fuck." I snarled. "Every Nomad is a suspect. Scan them for residue... that wouldn''t work. All of them have worked with explosives of some type. They have been completing jobs for Amanda or Dakota. They had been helping Probes clear large areas underground. Maybe all of them are in on it." My body had frozen in place. I started to really think about my relationship with the Nomads. With Sally and Megan. I had never questioned the ease of our relationship. I turned it over examining all the angles.


    Now I started trembling with rage. The thoughts of them being involved burned my mind and brought my lunch right up to the back of my throat. That acid sear in the back of my mouth ignored as the pain in my heart burned fiercely.


    "Hoss... " Jim turned his own thoughts inward, examining his interactions with Amanda. I could feel him run through a similar path in his thoughts. that more than anything gave me a pause. What if I was wrong?


    That snapped me partially out of the spiral of anger.


    "We don''t know." I whispered, suddenly everything I was feeling drained away leaving a cold knot in my belly. "Until we are certain, make no assumptions. We have a treaty. I will not have it broken because I jumped to conclusions."


    My eagerness for a sense of belonging would have been so easy to exploit. I held up the mirror of myself in my mind and could only call myself a fool.


    Something inside cracked. It was a almost audible sound. The soldiers felt it and twitched before regaining control. My aura erupted, green mana laced with golden threads. It spread quickly over a huge area before it contracted back down to a thin shell just over my skin.


    My momentary interest in the effect almost knocked me out of the bizarre cold feeling. After all my mana was a part of me. Understanding it, helped me understand myself, and the changes I was going through.


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    "We have to gather intel on them. Alina set up Observers over the Town. Have the Probes add new War Pylons. Keep them on a separate network. Do not add the Nomads to the exemption list. Put all the Probes in the area on this. They may trigger whatever scheme they had plotted when they notice our reactions." I was half issuing orders, half thinking out loud.


    I ran through different scenarios in my head, I even used Overclock Self so I wouldn''t waste time. Most of my ideas returned to establishing a Stargate. We needed some form of air superiority and then the means to control the orbital lanes above us. I had the sneaking suspicion that their satellites were catching glimpses of our activities. Hints of our presence.


    I switched back to communicating with just Alina.


    ''Once the Probes have a new network of Pylons up, start them on a Stargate. I''ll try to expedite it.'' It was the best next step. Other then finding a way to remove the Nomads from New Lordaeron, without offending any that were not involved.


    "Let''s take our time, gentlemen. Nothing is certain. We''ll figure this out. Meanwhile we add loyal troops, and make sure whoever is working against us can''t do much damage."


    This was my mess. I''d clean it up. First let''s play with some designs for the future.


    After waiting another few hours to give the Probes time to work, we walked back into the Town.


    We had mostly managed to get ahold of our emotions during the wait, so we wouldn''t potentially give anything away.


    Jaina, Amanda, Sally and Megan were waiting by the Town Hall. They were chatting amiably, and all turned to look at us. Megan looked like the cat who got the cream. Sally had a slight frown while Jaina had an almost guilty look on her face. Amanda move over to Raynor immediately and hugged him. I could get a strong sense of any of their emotions, they shifted too quickly. They were rich and full of multiple feelings all at the same time.


    "Do you need him for a while?" She gave me a look that said I better not need him. She was steel, and then butter melting. Eagerness and joy, anger and sorrow all at once.


    My smile was authentic, "No, have fun you two. In fact... "


    I turned to the men, "Dismissed, get some rest, and relax. I''ll see you all tomorrow."


    My eyes took in the Ladies, "Sorry we took so long, there were some unexpected developments." My smile grew even though my stomach felt like it was on a boat in a storm.


    Their emotions all spiked, Annoyance, irritation. Some Joy and glee. Jaina felt like a whirlpool of regret and purpose. She was happy to see me but also sad, and yet full of anticipation.


    Why were their emotions so complex, while the Mox had been so much easier to understand. Was it the drugs and alcohol, their different lifestyles, or was it something about me that was different?


    My mind ran laps around a track of questions, looking for the best lane.


    "How have you been?" I tried to put as much affection into my voice as I could.


    "We''ve been helping Jaina with her tower." Sally patted Jaina on her shoulder. She was upset but happy. Desperate but resolved.


    "Y-Yes they''ve been very helpful." She wouldn''t look me in the eyes. Her gaze shift anywhere but me. What the fuck? Her feelings scattered through the full range of human emotion.


    "Now, Sally don''t try to take a bunch of credit, we didn''t help all that much. If fact we probably got in her way more than we helped." Megan was still grinning that Cheshire smirk. I didn''t like that one bit. I sensed almost pure smug from here. She felt like she had gotten away with something and it tickled her inner gremlin, a lot.


    "Well why don''t we all take a look at the Tower. You can tell me all about it."  I kept my smile intact. Inside I was sure this was going to suck.


    But I had to do it. Had to play like I was a blind fool.


    All so I could figure out why the voice in the back of my head was screaming I was fucked.

 Chapter 98

    Everything about the tower screamed magic. From the formations and runes and sigils carved into each surface, to the glittering gems burning with the mana of all the elements. Jaina had even somehow worked Psicrystal into the structure. White stone sparkled with ingrained crystals, though the sparkle was magnified by the mana density of the immediate area.


    I''ve slowly become aware that while Psi energy and Mana are not directly related, they are very compatible. You could use one to power the workings of the other, albeit at a increased cost. I suspected that there was a way to merge the two forces completely, but what that would look like or if it was even a good idea, I couldn''t guess.


    Somehow the tower was pulling in mana and concentrating it into a denser form. It took a moment of observation to figure it out, but it was obvious after standing in it for a while.


    Over all I was very impressed. Even if the tower lacked any other function, which I highly doubted, it was worth the expense.


    "I''m so sorry, My Lord. As you can see, this is where many of the Company points were spent. Certain gems, stones and even a few metals had to be bought, at least at first. The Assemblers needed samples to be able to replicate the materials." She bowed deeply. Her emotional state was a wreck, she fully expected me to strike her down.


    I felt the eyes of my ladies on me. Gauging my reaction.


    Which was to laugh my ass off.


    "This. This is why you were so upset? I thought you had killed someone, or majorly fucked something up. I was over here worrying about nothing." Of course, my gut hadn''t calmed down at all. But I wasn''t going to let them see my concern.


    "We told her it would be fine, kind of goaded her into it actually." Sally with her eyes cast down.


    "I told them they were just worrywarts. There was no way you''d be too upset by just... money." Megan with the Grin of a Thousand Smuggeries, waved her hand vaguely.


    "Yes, yes you are very smart." As I patted Megan''s head, enjoying the silkiness of her hair and the warmth of contact. All the while, wondering if I''d have to crush her skull soon. Then I grabbed Sally into a side hug and maybe squeezed a little harder than I intended. She didn''t complain and in fact latched on to me like a koala. There I was, thinking how I might have to crush her into paste.


    That really fucks with your head, by the way. I honestly don''t know how spies and assassins do this kind of thing. My empathy and sympathy were warring with my rage and sorrow. Unless they truly felt nothing, I just didn''t get it.


    Meanwhile, I kept a smile plastered on my face and forced my voice to an even tone. The counting technique really helped, I''d have to thank John for his guidance somehow.


    Jaina slowly unkinked herself, and her magic nerd started to show. Her excitement built by the second, as she realized that I wasn''t mad. Her face flushed and her eyes gleamed with a fey light.


    She turned to the Tower with her hand emphasizing her words, "This is an advanced Mage Tower, let me show you it''s features!" Her face lit up with such joy that had I been upset with her to begin with, I''d have dropped it after seeing that expression.


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    For some reason, I didn''t fully understand, I let out a rolling deep belly laugh. Her antics were just so entertaining.


    For the next few hours she explained every decision that went into the tower in exhausting detail. To say I was impressed was an understatement. As she slowly guided us up the floors she would point out her formations and what each of the runes did. She was truly lost in her own little world as she expounded upon each detail.


    Not only was the tower a mana concentrator, and storage; it could after a period of exposure to higher density mana, spark a mana reactor. It would literally become a fountain of magic energy, flooding the area.


    I had a second of concern before she explained that the mana would be filtered, and presented very little risk to the town''s population. Also it would be years before the reactor could gather the required amount of mana to ignite the reactor.


    Hmm. Interesting.


    Each floor had enchantment built into it to aid in all the tasks of daily life. Cooking, cleaning, and so on. On top of that, the tower had enchantments that would improve the skills of any teacher to convey knowledge and any student to absorb knowledge. Soon we would have mages underfoot at all times. Nice.


    Finally, the massive gem on top of the tower not only stored a huge amount of raw mana it could be used as a Mana Cannon. She talked about all the modes of use she had painstakingly scribed into the gem. From a thousand seeker mana bolts, to one thick beam of pure raw mana and everything in between. That was an excellent use of Company Points as far as I was concern.


    At this point we were in Jaina''s chambers, just below the pinnacle ritual room which in turn was right under the Massive mana gem.


    "Well what do you think, My Lord?" She was smiling at me through her eyelashes. Her gaze darted to Sally and Megan, who were latched onto me at this point. She licked her lips.


    Um. What? Now, I''m not the most emotionally intelligent of men, but thems was signals.


    Sally and Megan squeezed me harder as if trying to restrain me.


    Jaina swiftly closed the distance and kissed me like her life depended on it. Maybe it did?


    I was too shocked to respond to her kiss. What the fuck was going on?


    Two sharp pains entered my kidneys at the same time.


    "Rrrrrraaaaaaa!" I very intelligently bellowed as I thrashed throwing both ladies to the sides of the room.


    Jaina looked just as shocked as I felt, which was the only reason I didn''t attack her first.


    My aura flared no longer restrained by my will. A good thing too, it was the only reason I wasn''t laying on the ground bleeding out. It was the only reason I didn''t immediately fall into shock and freeze up. Healing mana working quickly to keep me alive.


    Megan was laughing as she picked herself up.


    Sally wasn''t. She looked at me with all the focus of a killer looking at their next victim.


    Megan taunted, "I guess we have to explain now that you survived the first strike." Her eye flashed as she launched some quick hack at me. Thankfully, Vik did some good work when he updated my ICE. My chrome was safe for now.


    Sally snarled, "No, he should die in ignorance." She seemed to hesitate though, probably realized I wasn''t at the same level of strength as I had been before."


    I backed up, so I could keep them all in my sight. Snorting in contempt, I answered with a groaning, "Figures. I never had any luck with the ladies. I am, however, a little surprised at your involvement Jaina." Swallow the pain, push down the despair. Deal with it later when your kidneys aren''t trying to emulate water sprinklers.


    "No! My Lord I would never... " Jaina was shaking her head in denial, and she started summoning something with her mana.


    "Now, now don''t blame poor Jaina. She had no idea. She thought she was going to get added to our fun. Sally and I were certainly convincing as we filled her out like an application. Every. Single. Chance we could get."


    My brain made the connections.


    Well, that was just depressing.


    Megan giggled like a lunatic, her face started to change. "Oh, I love that look." She had produced a pistol from an unknown location.


    I glanced towards Sally and yup she was changing her appearance as well. "Who cares, let''s get this over with." Her rifle was leaning up against the wall, but she pulling out a long curved knife.


    I grumbled internally. What a fucking mess.

 Chapter 99 (Disturbing Content)

    Since "Megan" seemed to be the one in charge and wanted to yap about hurtful things, I took a second to notice all of the differences in their features. Her face was much thinner now, elegant but more severe. The eyes were the biggest change as now they were just a field of blue.


    "Sally''s" face was now equally severe but her bone structure was more bold, maybe even masculine. Her eyes were now just reticules. Fitting somehow.


    "It doesn''t have to be this way..." Megan started.


    I tuned it out, I figured I had a moment to initiate a few plans.


    I cast a Regrowth on myself. While the flare of mana gave the action away, neither woman reacted to it.


    " ...Despite the words of my colleague, we are not here to kill you. Just agree to come with us, and all this doesn''t have to get any worse." Not Megan said. She wanted me to drop my guard. Whether to actually capture me, or to just end me, I couldn''t say.


    My next step was contacting Alina, ''Remove all non summon exceptions on the lists and activate the secondary Pylon network. Leave me, Jaina and the tower visible to everyone.''


    ''By your command, Executor.''


    "If you want me to come along, peacefully, I think a few answers are in order." I kept my voice as neutral as possible.


    "My bio monitor says he''s up to something." "Sally" barked. Drawing not Megan''s attention.


    "Of course he is. That''s the way the game is played, Ingrid. I''ve told you before, they always have plans, we always have plans. The fun is in seeing whose plans work better." "Megan" turned back to me, "That''s her name by the way, Ingrid. Mine''s Velma for the record. I figured that''d be one of your questions. Ask your next one."


    At that moment, Jaina''s spell finished and a Water elemental Coiled around her. She looked terribly distressed. Probably felt violated. I know I did. Sexual activity with an enemy is a horrible feeling. Guess I should be glad I hadn''t gone all the way with them.


    Jaina''s emotions roiled like the water of her elemental. Hmm. No way I was going to get a good read on her feelings. Only thing I was sure of there was that she hadn''t been part of this little kerfuffle.


    Ingrid grunted, "Didn''t know she could do that." She backed up to her rifle. Pure aggression wafted from her in waves. She pointed her weapon at Jaina.


    Velma shook her head, "Doesn''t matter, they can''t do anything to stop our people." Confidence.


    She sure was certain, wasn''t she. Maybe she was right, I doubted it though.


    "When?" I asked. I wasn''t sure I cared anymore, but the question came out anyway. Bizarrely, I was just empty inside right then. My anger was faded, my concern was muted, even my pain was almost gone.


    "When, what? Velma responded, she knew what I was asking, she thought it would be more fun to drag it out.


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    "When did you switch with the real Nomads?" Now that my kidney''s were mostly healed, I slowly started pumping mana into my aura letting it grow.


    "Oh honey." She shrugged, "About a year ago. If you are wondering how Miss friendly over there was able to convincingly act like Sally, it was a personality imprint chip that was copied from the real deal. Same for me. It''s why she''s so grumpy, it overrides your own personality. Deep Cover Agents like us don''t get to control it." She grinned, it was much more disturbing on this face.


    That revelation hurt more than I cared to admit. I had hoped, perhaps, that some of it had been real.


    "It''s also why Arasaka jumped us. It wasn''t about you, it was about us." She tapped her chest with the pistol. "They didn''t want us to find out what they had buried there."


    I nodded. Pursed my lips. "Who do you work for and why me?"


    "Militech. Technically, a branch of the NUSA, but you understand how it is." She knew I didn''t. "As to why you, I think it''s obvious. Advance materials and technology." Air quotes, "Magic and more. Sadly, without you we can''t control it, or we''d have just put a bullet in your brain. Kind of like we did to your friend, who you are almost standing on." The twisted grin went into a full horrible smile.


    Of course, I looked down. I wished I hadn''t.


    I hadn''t thought much of the rug when we came in. A fur rug fit in with the d¨¦cor. Though I suppose the golden gleam should have given it away. There was no other identifying factor, no head for instance.


    I wanted to deny it.


    But I knew.


    Now that I was paying attention to it I could feel the divine energies trapped in the fur.


    All that remained of Lumi.


    Suddenly, I wasn''t seeing Lumi''s fur I was seeing Ruger''s.


    Hmm. What was that feeling inside? Oh. I was angry. Very angry.


    My aura erupted filling the whole room. The cast to the green light was perhaps a little off from normal. Somehow this didn''t bother me.


    Here''s something most people don''t think about. Did you know there was always some E. Coli present in your intestines? What would happen if I caused it to rapidly reproduce and grow? What about all the other harmful bacteria that hang out in our bodies, but don''t have the numbers to do much harm?


    My mind had always shied away from these darker ideas. But right now? I couldn''t be bothered to care about why it was wrong.


    There was something enjoyable about watching Ingrid start vomiting blood almost immediately. But no she couldn''t die yet. Even as she was torn apart from the inside, I kept putting her back together. It required hardly any effort so why not.


    I could feel her pain as if it was my own, so I made it hurt more by exciting her nerves. After all, I deserved it for failing so spectacularly.


    Her screams were a bit annoying though. Easily fixed by altering her vocal cords. Regrowth really was a versatile spell. So many options.


    With Velma I had locked on to several groups of cancerous cells, Fueling their growth into large ponderous tumors before excising them, back into small clusters. Rinse and repeat. Less overall pain than with Ingrid but a few little changes in her fluid pressures, and her life was now one of endless misery.


    Thankfully, she didn''t scream anywhere near as much as her little friend. The look of horror on her face, though. Priceless.


    The really hilarious part? They were climaxing the whole time. I wondered how long it would take to complete fry their brains with pleasure? Maybe we would try that later after I had calmed down. Right now it all mixed together so they really didn''t comprehend what they were feeling, not completely. It just hurt.


    They should have passed out, but there was no way I was going to allow that. Oh no, I don''t think I''ll ever let them sleep again.


    After all my new toys need to be always ready to be played with. It was only fair after what they did to us.


    I turned to look at the third lady present.


    I had accidentally rendered Jaina into a gibbering orgasmic puddle on the the floor. The Elemental dispersed, after it was disrupted by my aura. It seemed my mana far exceeded hers at this point. I still didn''t think she had done anything unforgivable. So I had no desire to punish her, this was just a side effect of my anger.


    I didn''t even feel any strain as I pumped out tons of mana.


    Emotion really is fuel.


    And I was very upset.

 Chapter 100 (Disturbing Content)

    Continuing to stare at Jaina lessened my rage. I had no solid sense of time. This could have taken seconds or days. All I knew was that I didn''t want to hurt her anymore than I already had. So I rendered her into a comma. Healed her as much as I could and tried, and mostly succeeded to envelope her in a shield to protect her from my mana.


    Even without my direct attention the two new experimental voluntolds remained locked in their new personal hells.


    A while back, I had started each on rounds of their cells tearing themselves apart only to be pulled back together again. This would happen randomly across their entire body, to prevent them from getting to used to any one source of suffering. I made sure they stayed awake so they could watch each others'' fates.


    I had long since taken away their ability to scream. The silence, other than the sounds of tearing or erupting flesh was perhaps worse than their pitiful cries of agony.


    Honestly, by this point, I think their minds might be too broken to really understand what was going on anymore. I felt very little other than intense pain from them, it might be all they could feel anymore.


    Bizarrely, their pain no longer affected me. Was I adapting to it or had I burned out my own pain receptors?


    Hmm. Yeah I wasn''t really back to myself yet.


    There was something both artistic and revolting about how their blood was splattered all over the room. I felt a great sense of satisfaction while also loathing myself.


    As my wrath died down, I thought I might have gone too far. It wasn''t that I hurt them that bothered me at this point. As much as it was that I let their actions bring me to that state where I felt that this was the appropriate response.


    I spent quite some time healing them to a physically perfect state. Though I disabled the connections to their non vital cyberware. Let''s see if they could recover from my "treatments". Maybe it wasn''t too late to fix this.


    Probably not.


    Yeah, I was pretty sure I was too fucked up right now to trust myself.


    Breath in, Breath out. Focus on your heart beat. Keep Breathing. Count something odd but interesting to myself.


    Not really helping. Well some, but not enough.


    My BTC was trying to tear my arm off and had been for a while but I was busy and mostly ignored it. Now I felt I could find out what it was complaining about now.


    [ You have seized control of a Mana Nexus ]


    Huh? Oh.


    I took Jaina''s tower from her. Whoops. Didn''t mean to do that. I''d have to figure out how to give it back to her later.


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    [ You have evolved Regrowth into Flesh Crafting ]


    Hey, that didn''t sound anywhere near as pleasant as Regrowth. In fact, it sounded kind of creepy. Was I going to become a villain?


    Maybe I already was one?


    [ You have evolved Growth into Propagation ]


    Okay, that didn''t sound so bad.


    [ Due to extreme stress you have merged the spell patterns of Flesh Crafting and Propagation ]


    [ You have gained the spell Life Crafting ]


    Nice, that sounded much more friendly. Though maybe it was too late for me to try to be friendly to folks. Yup, pulling apart two ladies piece by piece and forcing them to watch it happen probably burned all of my nice guy cred.


    Hey! I put them back together but I didn''t know if that was a good thing or not.


    [ Due to extreme stress you have evolved and merged your Auras ]


    [ You have gained Aura of Life Crafting ]


    Ah that''s why everything had seemed so effortless. The Aura was more of an automatic effect and as long as I had the mana to feed it it could affect everything it touched. The tower had  allowed me to draw vast amounts of mana. Normally, even with the evolutions, I doubted I could do so much at once.


    I nodded to myself, I hadn''t become some all powerful demigod. I was just a pissed off asshole with a huge mana battery.


    [ You have evolved Cleanse into Purify ]


    Could I use that to clean out my brain from the sickening things I just done?


    Ah, seems my sense of morality had woken up. Yup, there''s the guilt and remorse, took it long enough.


    Turns out, no, Purify doesn''t effect ethical or emotional quandaries. I cast it three times to be sure.


    My clothes and I were sparkling clean though.


    Movement caught my attention.


    Ingrid was struggling to move.


    Already? Damn she was tough.


    To be more accurate, she probably wasn''t actually aware, this was likely a subconscious movement.


    Her left hand creeped into her left pants pocket. Her nomad cloths though horribly stained with gore were mostly intact.


    She pulled out a small box shaped object. I was pretty sure that was a remote detonator.


    Ah, that answers that question. They planted the explosives, sure it was logical to assume so, but it was better to have confirmation.


    Suddenly, I felt a little less horrible about how I treated them. Using explosives was always a bad play in a population center, too indiscriminate. If you were willing to consciously risk children, you didn''t deserve much in the way of mercy by my standards. Tarnished though they were now.


    What kids you might ask? The Nomads'' kids. Also a few of the first Lordaeron folks summoned here were expecting. Yay.


    Now that I thought about it, all the Nomads were unlikely to be in on this plot. Who brings their kids to a cluster fuck like this. Unless... no that was the path of paranoia.


    Ingrid''s finger kept pressing the button, but of course the explosives had all already been dealt with by the Probes. Robo buddies are awesome, I won''t let anyone say different.


    I was just staring at Ingrid repeating the same futile action over and over again, when I felt a hand grasp my shoulder.


    I didn''t even flinch, if they were that close they were in my Aura, which meant if I wanted them dead they were dead. Even Mr. Wick.


    "You okay?"


    "No, John, I''m pretty fucking far from okay. But thanks for asking." I turned to look at him, "How much of that did you see?"


    He grimaced, "All of it."


    "Let me guess this was the first moment you felt it was safe to approach." I shook my head, trying not to let my shame get the best of me.


    "Yeah." Good ol'' John.


    "Really sick, huh?" I asked already knowing the answer.


    "Seen worse." John deadpanned.


    I gave him a stare.


    "Take what you did, now apply it to children. Sure not quite as intense at any given moment but almost so, over months and then years. That''s what they did to failures back home. Training Materials. Object Lessons." I didn''t detect an ounce of deceit.


    I nodded, "There''s always someone worse."


    He grunted, "Until there isn''t."

 Chapter 101

    Purify made quick work of the mess. The spell even dissolved all the chucks of discarded viscera that remained.


    It was interesting that it could distinguish what was wanted and what wasn''t. Then again the shaping of the mana was a couple of orders of magnitude more complex than the shaping of Cleanse.


    Maybe, it was kind of like programming? Not that I knew a damned thing about coding. On the other hand, it could make more sense to look at this like a circuit issue? That''s what the shapings looked like to me, organic curvy circuits.


    Hmm. It did bring up a few interesting ideas. What could be changed before the spell failed? I''d have to sit down someday and explore that thought, but not today.


    I walked over to the remains of Lumi. I''d have no better opportunity to try to bring him back, any time soon.


    Renew the cycle? I didn''t have the needed components, I''d have to buy them in the CStore. Also ten hours, when I wasn''t certain we had one, before Militech came to find out what happened to their agents.


    I''d have to try Life Crafting.


    "John, I''m going to try something watch my back please." I kinda hated that my requests were starting to just sound like orders.


    "I''ve got you." He vanished. I really wanted to know how he did that. If it wasn''t for my Aura I''d have no clue he was there.


    I sat down by the rug and rested my hand on it. I could feel his energy and his presence.


    Maybe that was enough.


    I drew the Tower''s mana to me as I started shaping Life Crafting consciously, for the first time. It was so complex, layer after layer of winding paths of mana, new shapes and formations embedded in the mostly circular patterns. I poured all my focus into making it perfect.


    Soon, I lost track of anything unrelated to the spell.


    When the final curve of the last layer was complete mana rushed to flood the channels of both myself and the spell construct. Oceans of energy ripped through us and slammed into the remains.


    It didn''t seem to take long before the flood died back down to a trickle and then stopped.


    There was the glorious form of Lumiar the Golden Plains Wolf, at the very least a semi divine being.


    Unmoving.


    I hugged his large head to my chest, giving it scritches even if there was no one to feel them.


    I used the remnants of the spell to start his lungs and heart, then forced the brain stem to take over the job of keeping them running. The higher order functions wouldn''t spark, no matter how hard I tried. And I tried so very hard.


    I checked and double checked everything seemed to be physically fine.


    The things that made up Lumi simply did not return to the body. Maybe they couldn''t.


    I failed.


    I failed again.


    I failed dozen of times.


    Some part of me could not accept it, so I kept trying.


    At some point John stopped me, pulling me away from the body I had clutched ever tighter, scritched ever harder.


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    Why couldn''t I do this?


    The body would be "alive" for a time, I could keep it that way indefinitely. Should I? Maybe he would be able to come back with time?


    A wild idea emerged from my despair.


    Maybe I could merge the faith energy into the spell.


    Waved John off and started again.


    Weaving the spell and threading a small amount of golden energy through the construct.


    Golden light flared.


    {[NO!]}


    I was slapped by some undetectable force.


    A black wall greeted me...


    When I came to Lumi''s body was gone.


    We had never gotten to know each other as we should have. For some reason that hurt the most.


    I turned to John but he just shook his head.


    What? Tears? No. No tears. I was too tired for tears.


    After a while I managed to pull myself back together. I couldn''t afford to be idle for too long.


    Breathe. Listen. Count.


    It helped and it didn''t.


    I checked in with Alina and it seemed that everything else was still fine. Folks were only just starting to worry about us. Which meant I had a bit more time to think.


    Today I had to settle on a plan one way or another. I needed to buy time until Alina could complete the Stargate. That could be months, it would certainly be at least a couple of weeks. Then I would need even more time to design and build a strike force.


    What would make all the Corpos back off for that long?


    I had to start with the understanding that at least one Corp knew everything I had ever told "Sally" or "Megan". Which if I understood their dynamic at all, meant at least the rest of big five, had some of that information as well.


    That put a lot into perspective. It limited options severely.


    There was an answer I didn''t like that was immediately obvious. Pick one of the Big Boys and spread my metaphorical legs for them. I really needed to work on my imagery. I reflexively cast Purify on myself, nope I still felt unclean from that thought. I wanted a brain bleach spell now.


    Alliance would at least buy some time, but I was under no illusion that I would get good terms. They would come in and strip everything bare, fucking locusts that they were. Then force me to pump out whatever bullshit they wanted nonstop. We''d be treated like valuable slaves at best.


    We couldn''t risk expanding underground too much more. That was apparently where they hid all of their mistakes. We had gotten extremely lucky that it took as long as it did to run into the consequences of Corpo experimentation.


    Though I''m sure the Death Corp was loving the light work. It was probably like a vacation to them.


    At some point, I could use them to just bulldoze every thing under their boots, but I had a feeling I would not like the end results. Even if I wanted to go that route, they weren''t ready to be deployed on that scale.


    The last option is to just sit under the cloaking fields for as long as possible. I kept thinking that it would only be a matter of time before they just bombarded the area. I could expedite some of the building sized shield generators to counter that. Though that brought up the issues of power generation. Which wasn''t really very much of an issue with the odd properties of the Pylons. Hmm.


    We would need a source of Minerals and Vespene. Which led back to digging if we were huddled under shields.


    Which led to a mixed solution.


    What if I tucked in the Town and Valley with Shield Generators and Cloaking Fields? As secure as I could make them in just a few days. Then I''d give myself up, with a Probe and enough Wisps to make one Moon Well, obviously in exchange for keeping everyone away from our small area.


    Make them an Outpost at a place of their choosing. They could knock themselves out studying the Khalai tech and the "Magic" of the Well. Even run tests on me I guess.


    They already knew they needed me to make it all work properly. So my willing cooperation potentially had more value than just hijacking what we had right now. At least for long enough to bring us up to the next level. It was time to upgrade everything I possibly could. I''d have to make lists for areas of responsibility.


    I''d have to see ahead and try to outthink the Corpos. Just long enough to punch through the sky.


    I could then prepare a few surprises to could myself from being overly exploited. If they figured out a work around, I''d just have to last long enough for my people to come for me.


    With an Observer following they would always know where I was.


    My mind even without overclocking was shifting from thought to thought at a blistering pace.


    My hands shook a bit. I just told myself to stop being a pansy.


    Was it worth it? What where any of these people to me? I might end up being a Guinea Pig in a lab. Then death would be a mercy.


    NO! Stop. This was not a track I was going to entertain.


    The responsibility was mine. I''m why any of these folks were here. I''d step up to protect them now, so that they could have my back later. Otherwise, I didn''t see a way out of this.


    I wanted a good path, a safe option. There were none.


    I shrugged to myself. Fuck it.


    So I would pick the best of the bad options.


    Yeah. I would buy my people the time.


    This was a gamble. I was betting on the premise that they wouldn''t be able to understand the technology in a usable manner for years maybe decades. They''d never understand the mana aspect of things, no way.


    The first step would be choosing who to approach.

 Chapter 102

    Wow, I really must have been still fucked up from everything that just happened.


    Give myself to the Corpos.


    Was I fucking insane?


    I went over everything that a few more times in my head.


    Yes. Yes, I was very messed up.


    This wasn''t a good time to make decisions.


    I couldn''t trust anything right now, including myself.


    Well that wasn''t completely true, there was a few folks I could trust.


    "John, I think my brain is too screwed up to function properly right now. Let''s get the cleanup and after action done here, then I need some sleep."


    "Good idea."


    Waking Jaina up wasn''t difficult.


    She immediately started crying.


    I did my best to comfort her, but in many ways I was just as devastated as her. I guess it was a team effort to pull ourselves together.


    I discovered that I couldn''t cry. Something blocked it off.


    Well it was handy for right then because it let me seem calmer than I was. That in turn helped Jaina to reach a state of calm.


    Me being dysfunctional for the win. Yay.


    Wait, was I really being that guy?


    Argh.


    I gave myself a mental slap.


    This wasn''t about me. It was about Jaina.


    "Jaina, I know you are not okay right now. I going to let you process this, but lets start with this. None of this was your fault." Yeah, it was mine.


    Her eyes opened wider but she didn''t seem to have any other reaction.


    "Going forward we''ll get better at searching out assholes like those two skanks." And I''ll do the same or worse to them.


    She nodded as her face firmed up. Her eyes narrowed. She went grim real quick. I couldn''t blame her, it was a better reaction than I expected.


    But I couldn''t sense her emotions right now. In fact, the part of me that could do that seemed asleep right now. Huh.


    "I think we both know I''m not very good at emotional stuff, so I''m just spitballin'' here. If you need to talk, once we clean this up and we all get some proper sleep, I''m here for you."


    She smiled a little before her face went back to stone. She nodded again.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "First we need to figure out to give you back the tower. This is too much power for me to safely handle. I''m certain there will be a lot of consequences for what went down here today."


    "Yes my Lord. It is simple, just hold still." She placed her hand over my heart.


    I felt a brief pulse of cool clear mana.


    She frowned. "You really latched on to the command sigils hard, my Lord. It will take a moment to untangle this."


    "Take all the time you need." I gave her a grin.


    Seconds stretched to minutes and the minute stretched to just about an hour. I felt her working the whole time, her mana control was leagues above mine. I could sense her dedication and passion for magic in every little adjustment, every shift of energy. That part of my abilities still worked. Hmm. Why would one set of abilities be offline while the rest worked fine?


    Finally, I felt the Tower''s control return back to her. Thankfully, she left me a connection but only a minor one.


    "You''ll still have a student''s access permissions. I think it would behoove you to come for lessons soon, my Lord. Your strength is frightening, made worse by your control being rudimentary."


    I laughed, "Yeah, that sounds about right. I''ll try to make time for it. I have a feeling time is going to be in short supply, though." My mood shifted quite a bit during that statement.


    I wanted to sigh but held it in. I read somewhere once people found it annoying. Some even thought of it as a sign of weakness.


    I could no longer afford to be weak. Nor ignorant for that matter.


    All my efforts were too scattered. Too random, from one thing to the next.


    I was reacting, not acting.


    The one thing my previous thoughts had made clear, I... no we required a long term plan.


    There was a need to sit down with everyone and plan. Not just for tomorrow but for the next few years at least.


    Jaina still had her hand on my heart her mana was softly pulsing as she was searching for something.


    I gave her a questioning look.


    "Just making sure you are still yourself my Lord."


    "Ha! Good idea." Trust but verify. What a good phrase that was.


    With Life Control I could suss out the cyberware that allowed impersonation. We could go over all the nomads, and likely find any other moles.


    One thing was certain, whether she was an agent or not I wasn''t looking forward to dealing with Amanda.


    I had some Probes drag the two still catatonic imposters to the town square in front of the Town Hall.


    Alina had restored the nomads to the exceptions list. Needless to say their exclusion had ruffled some feathers, but no where near as much as explaining why it happened.


    If I hadn''t shown them the agent and let Ricky, their Doc, examine them they wouldn''t have taken my word for it.


    They let me go over them one by one. I was shocked when no one objected. I was more shocked to find no other moles.


    I let them get back to their routines.


    Which left John, Jaina and me with Amanda who was clinging to Jim as hard as could be. She wasn''t crying though. Real steel, she was.


    They had been, ahem, being intimate, when I called this gathering. I was sorry I stripped the moment away from them. It was a day for crappy feelings.


    It also told me Raynor had decided to trust her before this had all played out. I''m sure he had his reasons, I was also sure he was better at dealing with people than I was.


    "I don''t know what they did to the real ladies, but they said they had been embedded with you for a year. I don''t know if they could have been lying. I can''t really trust my opinions on it right now."


    She stared at me with an iron gaze.


    "They''re probably dead. Once they had a personality imprint they wouldn''t have needed them anymore." Her voice was flat, just another list being read. I wished I had that level of control.


    She shook her head, probably trying to wrap her head around how she of all people didn''t notice.


    I nodded. I had been avoiding thinking too much about that part of things. I had never really known the true ladies. Did that make it better or worse?


    "It doesn''t change our position, unless you want to count it as a violation of the treaty." Again that flat tone, maybe it wasn''t control? Maybe she had just shut down?


    "No, Amanda. I''m not going to hold this against the Aldecaldos. If you can stand continuing in this with us, that''s what I want."


    She nodded.


    The light of this day, almost two days from when we had arrived back in town, was almost gone.


    "I suggest we all get what rest we can and then meet up after to figure things out going forward." Raynor with the sage advice.


    We all went our separate ways, to our own beds.


    To think and perhaps to dream.


    I found that despite my blankets, my bed was very cold.

 Chapter 103

    My rest was fitful. Nothing I did seemed to let my get comfortable enough to sleep.


    Hours went by with me just starting into the dark, my mind trying to chase itself into a cycle of blame and ridicule.


    I did my best to ignore it.


    Eventually, I simply passed out.


    I woke up feeling if not good, then better.


    I''d been running myself hard for a while now. I barely napped while we were in the city and only for brief moments at that. Who even could begin to guess what the events in the tower had done to me. A quick check of my BTC showed no difference from the last time I looked at it.


    Trying to revive Lumi had been a mistake. Not because it didn''t have a chance to work, but because death isn''t something I should be fighting. As hard as it was to accept, bringing someone back from death didn''t seem very natural. I don''t think that was my intended path. Then again I couldn''t help but think that healing was kind of not very natural either, at least not the way we did it. Well no one said life itself was hypocritical.


    I kept trying to pick everything up and be a part of everything I thought was important. Maybe that wasn''t the best idea. In fact, not one person, had ever said I was suppose to be a hero. I had thought it before but I was having a hard time internalizing it.


    But there were folks called Heroes around me.


    Raynor fit the term to a tee. There was something dark in his past that he had pushed through. At least on a small scale he was a natural leader, able to guide his people through all kind of trouble. He just needed to know he and his people were valued and that his leaders were worthy.


    John didn''t really fit my ideas of a Hero, but he was heroic. He had all the skill, and all the will needed to achieve anything. If had lacked anything it was motivation. And he was no people person.


    Jaina may have been an Adjutant, but the system had said she was also a Hero. Brilliant and driven. She only lacked self confidence, which recent events had probably screwed with tremendously.


    Amanda didn''t have a system granted title of Hero, but I couldn''t help but see her as one. Her ability to face the shit that had just poured down on us, was nothing less than impressive. She was a leader and a fighter, plus she had knowledge and experience I desperately lacked.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I had to rely on them more, I had to help them more. I had to get the fuck out of the way so they could get their jobs done. I was here to fix the world, they were here to do everything else.


    I was the glue.


    I repeated that thought from earlier. I was here to bring the strong and competent folks together. Both the ones from other worlds and the ones already here.


    Support. I was support. The majority of my abilities were there to help others or improve utility. Maybe I should figure out how to be supportive. I wasn''t very good at it.


    I was the medic, and I knew nothing about being a good medic.


    Only the Voice of the Emperor seemed different. But that whole event seemed to be an anomaly. Some outside hand playing with the system. I couldn''t begin to guess why.


    Even now that class seemed muted, I figured it had something to do with whatever smacked me when I tried to bring back Lumi. For all I knew, it was Lumi''s soul.


    For that matter what game was Lumi playing? He was obviously up to something. I guess there was no way to find out now.


    I got up and went to the bathroom.  A quick shower helped rinse the last of my brain fog away. I could have just use Purify but this was more relaxing.


    After getting dressed I went downstairs to my kitchen. Most of the appliances in here were of the more industrial kind. I open what I thought was a fridge to find it was a walk-in model. There were veggies, eggs, cheese, butter and milk in here. There was even some sandwich sliced bread in the back.


    We had cheese! Damn that was fast. Were the farms'' cycles getting faster?


    I checked the next door and it was a walk-in freezer. Various meats were vacuumed sealed in there.


    Who was stocking all of this? Probably the Probes. Just how many Probes where there?


    I let my mind touch the Psifield and took count. I blanched.


    Hundreds almost to the point of a thousand. 976 Probes to be exact.


    About two dozen Sentries and almost twice that amount of Observers.


    Alina had build massive underground Pylon clusters to power and spark everything.


    What a good job, no wonder everything was operating so smoothly around here.


    Which reminded me I hadn''t told Meadran the coast was clear.


    I felt for Meadran''s connection to the tree network and informed him that the danger seemed to have past for now.


    "You need more rest Young One. I can feel your anguish clear as day."


    Huh? What anguish?


    Over being duped and betrayed, why should I be in pain over that?


    Because for a moment I thought my luck with women had changed, nah, I should have known.


    I shook it off.


    I think some scrambled eggs, hash browns and bacon were in order.


    It took a while to find everything. But when I did, cooking my own breakfast, for a change, felt good.


    "May I have some?" Came a voice from right behind me.


    I jumped about three feet. Spinning around thankfully nothing was in my hands at that moment.


    "Damn it, John! Got me good." I chuckled.


    "Yeah."


    "No worries I''ll whip you up some too."


    "How about us?" Jim and Amanda walked in to the kitchen.


    "Sure, it may take a while, but I don''t mind." I really didn''t.


    As I started to expect at that point Jaina soon followed.


    In short order, (heh) we were sitting around eating and chatting.


    Not a bad way to start the day.

 Chapter 104

    It might seem strange but it wasn''t that difficult to have simple conversation. Good food can work wonders.


    The Feralassian chicken egg were great to begin with but with just a a sprinkle of cheese made from Varagian milk. Excellent.


    The bacon was cut thick and took a deft touch to get crispy without burning the edges.


    I even toasted up a few slices of bread for each of us. The butter spread like a dream.


    Served with fruit infused Moon Well water, it went over quite well.


    When it was done everyone helped with the dishes. Yes there was a dishwasher, but I''ve always preferred to hand wash.


    Everything clean we settled back into the dining table while coffee brewed


    "Alright, you guys have let me run around like a chicken with it''s head cut off long enough. We need a long term plan, and it should be obvious I don''t have a much of a clue."


    "Hoss, you are doing fine. Stop with all the disparaging yapping."


    "Could you have been more focused, sure, but no one''s perfect." Really, Amanda. You were the last person I would have expect to blow smoke up my ass.


    "My Lord, perhaps it would be best to clearly define our goals. It might make plans for the future far simpler." Jaina''s advice was solid. Had I even shared what the overall goal was here?


    "Keep striking the targets. Everything will sort itself out." What kind of advice was that John? That would literally have me killing everyone other person I cam.. oh, right. John Wick.


    "Before all that. Sorry Amanda, I have to ask. Do you want to do anything about the agents and Militech? I figure you have the right to ask for help with dealing with those assholes." I really wanted to know and I really didn''t.


    "Yes. I very much want you to help get some pay back against those Corpo scopmunchers. But I think we should wait till you have the upper hand. One day you''ll have the preemest iron. On that day, I''ll ask for your help to get even." She grimaced. "Just don''t take too long."


    "Fair enough. That''s a plan and a promise right there." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jaina jotting down notes on a roll of parchment. With a quill. A magical self inking quill. Neat.


    "We need more human troops geared up and ready to deploy. More vehicles with heavy weaponry. Finally we really need air power." Raynor listed out his thoughts.


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    "Better iron and chrome." John added. Uh oh, somebody liked his cyberware. Let''s not turn John into a Borg beast.


    "Time to train mages and priests." Jaina added.


    "That reminds me. What do you think of Mauris?" I remembered the priest as when he stopped us what was it three days ago now?


    "He is the best of the clergy. Devoted without being self-righteous. He has made himself very helpful with healing and blessings, my Lord." Jaina seemed to think about it, "However he wouldn''t be the first to betray our trust."


    "Hmm." A beep rang out. "Coffee''s ready."


    I got up to fix everyone a cup.


    With that out of the way, we got back to it.


    "Amanda, do you think Militech going to retaliate for their agents?" Jaina asked.


    "No, at least not quickly, it''s not their way. All agents are considered expendable. That''s pretty universal with the Corpos. They''ll pour over the data they obtained, maybe try to insert more agents at some point. Direct confrontation over this is unlikely." She rocked her head back and forth, "They might try to tank any business we are conducting, but it is not a certainty. I''ve seen them wait years, even decades before striking."


    "Hmm we need more business then, more money coming in. If we can''t fight then one way we can fight them another. We can ramp up food production and corner the fresh food market." Make sure the folks of Night City could get better healthier food cheaper. That has been in my head for a long time now.


    "We have reached the point we should no longer need the subscription services my Lord. However we would need more expansion before we could make a dent in the Night City food markets." Jaina tapped the tip of the quill on the parchment. "One month perhaps two before we could really afford to enter the food industry. That is accounting for the expansion of our own forces up to 400%. The Moon Wells are the greatest blessing anyone could have hoped for."


    "So we can round up, what another 60 footmen?" Raynor asked not very impressed.


    "Also some mages and priests but yes, that''s about the size of it." Jaina responded while obviously running the numbers in her head.


    "Not enough." John said.


    "In two months, we''ll have better arms and armor if I have to chain myself to the forges. Also by that time we''ll have the Starport up and running, that will change everything." I was sure of it.


    There was an urgent knock on the door.


    "Who could it be?" Everyone got up to answer the door.


    It was a farmer. He looked exhausted.


    "My Lord, something is forming in the corn field on my farm. It looks similar to what the Probes do but the energy feels wrong."


    That got our attention.


    We all ran for our gear and met up near the farm not long after.


    A swirling vortex of dark purple energies hovered above the field.


    My BTC shook...


    [ Congratulations your ambient mana has reach the first threshold ]


    [ Woe betide you the first Mana Sink forms ]


    [ Explore the extra dimensional realm of the Mana Sink to gain great rewards ]


    [ Fail to tame the chaotic currents and be drowned in corrupt mana ]


    [ The realm in the Mana Sink will draw from your themes to present challenges ]


    [ Defeat all challenges to temporarily close the Mana Sink ]


    I read the description to everyone.


    "Fuck!" yelled Jaina, "It''s a bloody Dungeon!"


    "What the hell is a Dungeon?" I asked.


    "They suck up aspected and pure mana and spew out corrupted energies. Also if you don''t deal with them quickly enough they erupt and throw monsters everywhere."


    We all looked at each other. Then looked at the Vortex.


    "Fuck." We all said.

 Chapter 105

    [ You have new Quests ]


    [ Quest Offered


    Complete the Challenges of the First Mana Sink


    Reward: 5000 Company Points, 2 Random Supply Tokens


    Accept: Y/N ]


    [ Quest Offered


    Complete the Challenges in under one hour


    Reward: 2000 Company Points, 1 Hero Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    [ Quest Offered


    Slay the Optional Boss


    Reward: 5000 Company Points, 1 Building Upgrade Token


    Accept: Y/N ]


    As I stared at the Vortex, I felt no dread, no worry.


    Sure the idea of the Mana Sink sounded bad, but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Actually, if anything, I had a good feeling about the whole thing.


    I felt an eagerness burning in my gut that I had felt in a while. Excitement for the new. Why or how I was all of the sudden so gung ho about this I couldn''t begin to say.


    I quickly accepted the quests. I really wanted to find out what the Building Upgrade Token did. Hero Tokens were also a reward I couldn''t pass up. That also reminded me I had a Supply Token burning a hole in my pocket. Still I didn''t really see a need to open it yet. Maybe if I hit a wall in development. Also there was a Merc Token but I had a feeling those were one time things, so best to save them.


    I wanted more before I started playing with them.


    The system sure was good at getting me to want to face danger. Which was strange, since facing danger wasn''t the reason I was here. It was almost like the system was designed for a different purpose than what I was here to do.


    [ Don''t Worry About It ]


    [ This message was brought to you by your Friendly Neighborhood Case Worker ]


    Well that wasn''t freaky. So they knew what I was thinking, confirmed.


    I shrugged.


    "You alright, Hoss?"


    "I''m peachy, Jim, just got some quests." I grinned at him.


    "There it is. That crazy grin. He''s excited about something." Raynor pointed at the Vortex, "We going in there?''


    "Oh, absolutely. We are going to wreck whatever is in there. But not yet. Let''s got some of our plans started and I''ll crank out some upgrades." My right hand cradled my chin, while I tried to plot our next steps. "Jaina do we have at least two weeks before this thing blows?"


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "I''m not certain. This was never my area of study. I''ve never seen a Dungeon formation before. If I had to offer a guess, we have maybe a month, before its first disgorgement of monsters." She shook her head while smacking her staff''s butt cap against the ground a few times. Probably a nervous tick.


    My lip bunched up in a odd way, "Should be more than enough time to get some new shiny gear ready. I''ll be in the forge working and testing until I think we are good to go. Jaina keep me informed of any important issues."


    "As you will, my Lord."


    "Jim and John get those new footmen and the ones we will be bringing in sorted and trained up. Now that you have a little more time on the equipment make some suggestions for improvements."


    "Sure thing, Hoss."


    John just nodded.


    "Amanda you are our connection to the outside world, keep your ear to the ground in case the Corpo scum make a move."


    "What about those invisible drones?" She pointed up.


    "The observers are not infallible and they just collect raw data. Alina does her best to parse all of it, but she is not just a machine but an alien machine. She misses some of the context. I''ll trust you to catch the clues she just can''t grasp."


    "Alright, we''re in this for the long haul." She confirmed while glancing at Raynor.


    Oh. That was a great reason for her to help. I was still impressed with how she was holding up, after the shock of her daughter''s likely fate. It spoke of how much death she had seen over the years.


    I could learn a lot from her. Some part of me was a mess. I was also about to push all of it aside with work. That never had any consequences. Nope, not a one.


    "Alright I''ll stay and get some Probes to set up some defenses here in case the Vortex pops early. You guys take care of yourselves and call me if you need me for anything."


    They said their, "See you later(s)" and went off to get started on their projects.


    Probes were already arriving, like they had anticipated my intentions.


    Hmm.


    For now, lets just surround it with a double ring of Photon Cannons and station a few Sentries. That should trip up any invaders until we come respond with more force.


    In short order, a ring of death took shape. I checked it over. It would have to do for now.


    Before I went to isolate myself in the Forge, I decide to get a Stargate started. It was like a thorn in my mind, I couldn''t let it go. I was dead set on getting one.


    At first, I thought it was because I recognized the value of air power, and more pertinently control of the planet''s orbit. However, I had begun to suspect that deep down I just wanted a space ship to ride in. I only had a couple of real obsession''s and the thought of being able to travel in the Solar System was one of them.


    It had to be done, so I was going to get the Probes moving on it.


    I walked northeast, well past any of the farms and the perimeter of the Pylons and defenses, looking for a space big enough.


    There was a gap between the mountains and hills surrounding the Valley and another line of mountains running off to the northwest. This gap should be just wide enough and with a few Pylons at key locations should be easily cloaked from prying eyes.


    Once I had marked out the area, the Probes evened up my spacing and started the assembly of the Pylons. Any Probes not needed for the daily maintenance of the town would be involved and cycle out as needed. With close to a thousand of the robo buddies we shouldn''t need to build more for this project.


    With that out of the way, I marched back to the Town and then into the Valley. I briefly pondered why the Mana Sink didn''t start in the Valley since the Mana was almost twice as dense in here as out in the town. It was getting to the point that regular folk without armor couldn''t survive the environment. The summons were somewhat better off, but they would get loopy after a while. Mana Drunk, Jaina had called it.


    Me, I just felt a pleasant tingle on my skin.


    Which was why I was going to use the Valley Forges instead of the ones in town, to keep from being interrupted.


    I also noticed that Wisps were everywhere. Meadran informed me that the Wisps were starting to form on their own. Blue and silver Wisps by the Moon Wells and gold and green Wisps in the forest.


    I could hear their laughter now. Like small children full of joy. It brought a smile to my face. Life energy was so strong here. It lifted my mood and improved my already ridiculous health.


    They were growing more intelligent and more aware. Normally I''d probably freak out about that but for right now it seemed like a good thing.


    Once I arrived at the Forges I got to work.

 Chapter 106

    Over the next two weeks, I worked like a fiend. I popped Overclock Self every chance I could get, pouring over all the currently available schematics.


    I made hundreds of small adjustments to all the Khalai units and buildings. Primarily integrating larger crystal cores for better processing and expanded shield capacity.


    Going over both the Shield Generator and Shield Recharger led me to reject their baseline models and go with a much larger combined structure. I even managed to incorporate a small Pylon into the design. The final product could generate a very solid, quick recharging shield. Without the support of the Psifield, when under the effect of the field the shield was almost impossible to penetrate, with any of the weapons I used to test the prototype. Even when it did fail, which happened when I used my new Laspistol with it''s overcharge feature, it rapidly recovered.


    They might not last under sustained barrages from multiple sources, but it was better than the individual shields of most Protoss buildings. Never mind the Lordaeron buildings with no shielding at all. Those rolled out on the 3rd day after my isolation began.


    Next I rebuild the Power Armor from the ground up, using some of the ideas from the Kriegsmen armor for internal padding. A denser version of the crysbronze for the most vulnerable areas, led to increased weight, offset by embedding extra crystal nodes to act as regulators for more efficient power draw. Then I integrated psiblades into both forearms for in close work, or if they were divested of their SORs. Lastly, I expanded the programing of the onboard V.I. including some protocols for locking down the armor and even self destruction if the user was not on a approved genetic list.


    These rolled out on the 5th day. I had an idea to try Wisp integration with the Armor, but decided to wait until we could do thorough testing.


    Weapons were next. I was torn. There were advantages to both Las weapons and Ballistic models. The modified SORs had perform exceptionally well, so I was loath to change to the different platform now. However, later I had a crazy idea.


    First I shortened the SORs another couple of inches, improving handling when indoors. Decreased the now insane recoil by including a micro field generator to sort of push against the recoil from the gauss weapon. That took hours of programing work to get the timing right. Might require further adjustments later.


    I also added a Psibayonet module. Because you can never have enough utility. Heh.


    Then I spent a day designing many new ammo types, from armor piercing to explosive, EMP to Psiburst rounds. Psiburst rounds were my answer to the fear that a Daemon might shown up again. They were a compressed Psicrystal shard with a nanoscale explosive core. This resulted in a violent release of Psienergy and throwing out crystal dust.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I required our troops to have a mag of Psiburst ammo available at all times. Just in case.


    All of my experiments to include mana into ammo failed.


    On the third day after switching to ammo testing I remembered the movie Predator. Which gave me my crazy idea.


    I mounted a redesigned version of my Laspistol on the Power Armor''s left shoulder. I linked it in to the V.I. for better targeting. The first two versions blew up, but persistence paid off, and the third version worked like a charm.


    I did have to remove the overcharging option though. Bummer.


    All of these improvements rolled out on day 9.


    I was pretty happy with all of that so far. So I turn my attention to combining Mana and Psienergy. The initial tests resulted in a high energy event. I had to switch to a different Forge while the Probes replaced the now totaled one.


    Too much, too fast. Probably.


    Well, lets try... nope. And how about... uh, that looks like a portal. Oops a tentacle. Let''s just detonate a mound of Psicrystals, right about there.


    On day 13, I had a small break through. By mixing a very small amount of each type of energy very slowly a new mineral was formed. Pure Mana with Psienergy resulted in a bright neon blue metallic mineral. Life Mana resulted in a dense seemingly nonreactive light blue gas.


    I had no really idea of the utility of each as yet, and I had run out of time to test.


    I decided to check up on my messages. Just reports from Jaina.


    Jaina''s reports only had a few events of note.


    Back on day 4 Alina had finished her study of human anatomy and adaptation of Khalai Cyberware. As much as I wanted to play with that I felt I was too busy, so the first trails were conducted by Jaina with a volunteer from the new footmen.


    He quite enjoyed the increased speed and strength. Roughly a 100% increase for both. Adjustments were needed but were nothing requiring my intervention.


    We didn''t have time to run all the tests, so full integration of Khalai Cyberware would have to wait.


    On day 8, Ingrid regained full consciousness and promptly killed herself. Nobody had been paying attention to them by this point. I didn''t know how to feel about that, so I buried my feelings for now.


    Velma remained in a coma.


    Back on day 10, there was a fly over event by several different Corporations'' AVs. Both and forth they flew over our area. They didn''t stop and no scanning was detected. So we did nothing. It did however negatively impact the nerves of many of the Lordaeron folks. They had led simple lives before being brought here and were unused to the sights of AVs.


    Maybe the Corpos were trying to bait us into action? That would give them a good idea of where to hunt for us. though they were already too close for comfort, probably due to the agents reports.


    Day 12 had a small snafu between some of the Aldecaldos and some of the New Lordaeron folks. Supply orders for sales were going out with Amanda on a run to Dakota. The orders got mixed up. I didn''t get the full details but some heated words were exchanged. Thankfully, Amanda kept it from escalating to violence.


    I spent day 14 tweaking my own Power Armor Design. I tricked it out with a a heavier shielding module and two shoulder mounted Laspistols. Also I removed the V.I. and added a clone of Alina so I could rely on her to defend me if I needed to heal people.


    When in came out of the Assembler it I patted the Armor. "Take care of me, alright?"


    The best part, it fit like a glove.


    My excitement grew by leaps and bounds. I wanted to bring the pain.

 Chapter 107

    Returning to the lower mana density of New Lordaeron was a let down. This reaction triggered a contemplation of whether someone could develop mana dependence.


    I''d be willing to bet it could happen, and was common in places with widely variable concentrations of magical energy.


    My message system, let everyone know I was making my way towards the Mana Sink.


    I was ready to go, and already armored up. I had my own SOR and several hard cases full of loaded magazines for all occasions. Other than my second shoulder mounted lasweapon I had added one more identifier to my armor. A golden wolf''s head emblazoned across each pauldron. It really stood out against the dark green. A remembrance to Lumiar as well as a squad marker. Later I''d have the squads create their own markers, which would expand out into platoons and so on.


    Now that I had spent some time in relative quiet and isolation, my Life Control aura was much easier to control. I allowed it to be active but I pulled it in to just coat my armor.


    I had worked on both keeping it contained and flaring it out to its limits. I also had allowed it to grow and collapse colonies of bacteria in my own body, both beneficial and harmful. I wouldn''t recommend this to budding Biomancers. Purify worked wonders in just erasing unwanted microorganisms.


    Oddly, I was still having trouble feeling pain properly, but there were no signs of nerve damage. I could heal it if that was all it was. Perhaps a psychosomatic effect.


    John was the first to be ready at the Vortex, as expected.


    I saw him manipulating a pool of shadow. How does that work? I mean darkness isn''t a thing, it''s an absence of a thing. Is he really working with the absence or the thing? I''d have to talk with him about that at some point. Truly interesting.


    Raynor, and almost 50 footmen all geared up and ready to rock, were next to arrive. Followed by Amanda and Jaina who were discussing something, they seemed to be getting along well though.


    On the other hand, Jaina had been very perfunctory with her reports. Given that, and that her eyes avoided me, I thought we might have a problem. We probably needed to sit down and have a chat just the two of us. Not that I had any idea what to say, but letting things like this grow, was not a good thing.


    "How''s everything going?" I started, trying to put as much pep into it as I could.


    Raynor chuckled, "First Platoon''s ready, Hoss." The Troops behind him saluted, right fists to hearts. They were synced up and looking deadly.


    "Good." John grunted. He let of ball of condensed shadow dissipate.


    "Everything''s fine my Lord." Jaina stated while looking at John. Her eyes sparked with blue mana.


    "We just got back from a run. Should be a fat chunk of Eddies coming your way soon." Amanda pointed back towards the parking area. New buildings were just barely visible from here. Workshops and Garages probably.


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    "Anything you remember that could help us in the Dungeon, Jaina." Her gaze snapped to me. I couldn''t make out much of what she was feeling. Just some shame and embarrassment, not in any large amount.


    Thankfully the overwhelming nature of the Voice of the Emperor Class had not returned, only some of the abilities, though only at a muted quality. The faith energy, however, was as strong as it ever was. More golden energy flowed into me daily, probably from the prayers of the Kriegsmen.


    "Only that they usually allow limited interaction. Perhaps 5 people, perhaps 10? It changes. There are usually stronger monsters at certain points, that have to be defeated to progress." Her eyes had returned to John. What was that about?


    Ah wait, she was helping him with his magic, right? Maybe they were getting closer? That might be a good thing, or it might explode horribly. Kind of depended on John.


    "So only some of us can go in? How do we know how many?" I asked.


    "I don''t know my Lord." She stared at the Vortex trying to pierce it''s secrets.


    "So we wing it. Nothing new there." Jim chuckled.


    "Be careful." Amanda said it as a general statement, but we all knew who it was addressed to.


    Raynor nodded.


    "How about this? We line up in rows of five in front of the Vortex. First group goes in, then the next group tries, if they can good, if they can''t, oh well." Best idea I could think of without more information.


    Everyone voices their agreement.


    "First group should be the "best" to make sure we have the greatest chance of success. John, Jim, me... not Jaina she can''t due to her restrictions and it''s best if Amanda gets armored up before she tries this. Hmm, Jim pick your two most adaptable men to roll with us."


    He nodded, "Eagers and Borfen fall in."


    Eagers was a mountain of a man, a full head and more above the rest of us. He carried a honking huge hammer in addition to the normal loadout. Borfen was just normal sized but had covered his armor with cloth with leaves and branches attached. His SOR was modified to match Jim''s, a sniper''s weapon.


    We lined up, while another Squad of Jim''s troops lined up behind us.


    "Ready?" I asked.


    "Good to go!" Barked the Troops.


    "On your mark, Hoss." Jim nodded.


    "Yeah." John replied.


    I lowered my visor, enjoying the HUD for a second. Everyone but John did the same.


    "Let do this!" Letting my excitement bleed into my voice.


    We stepped forward...


    ... and into an Alleyway. Concrete and Brick surrounded us, while steam billowed up from grates in the asphalt.


    Nighttime according to the sliver of sky I could make out above us.


    Our weapons were up as we scanned the area.


    A concert was going on nearby its music a distraction and the cheering of the crowd almost unnerving.


    Where were we?


    The sound of rushing steps.


    "Johnny! Johnny where have you been?"


    A body threw itself at John. Of course, they missed.


    We found ourselves looking at a figure in what I would term punk garb. Quite revealing. Young and aggressive. Her side shaved blue green hair waving back and forth as she tried to figure out who the rest of us were.


    "Wait what going on?" She had a pistol out in a split second, which was a bad move as we all focused on her at the same time. "You''re not Johnny, who are you?"


    I noticed some figures stalking up behind her. They were armed and ready to rumble.


    "Rogue, what going on?" The largest of them called. He had chrome looking skin.


    Rogue, that tickled my brain a bit.


    "I don''t know, he looks like Johnny but he''s obviously not him. A twin?" She wasn''t even a little worried about the rifles pointed at her. Bizarre.


    "I''m John." There''s that old Wick charm.


    "You even sound the same." Her pistol came down to her side. She cocked her head.


    "How about we all lower our weapons and have a talk." I suggested.


    "O-okay." She agreed.


    Everyone relaxed slightly.


    What was going on here?

 Chapter 108

    A moment of each group staring at the other passed.


    "So, who are you guys?" Rogue belted it out while eye fucking John. Maybe, she liked what she saw there more than this "Johnny" she asked about.


    I raced to come up with a plausible story.


    "We''re Mercs hired for a gig. No names given, just be here at this time. Do what our contact needs. Are you the contact?"


    "I... don''t... Shit this is just the kind of stunt Johnny would pull." She bit her lip and paced back and forth, and taping her pistol against her thigh. "That fucking gonk. Yeah, I guess I''m your contact."


    "Excellent. What do you need?" With my visor down nodding was kind of pointless but I did it out of habit anyway.


    "We are hitting Arasaka Tower, while the riots have them distracted. Johnny was supposed to be here, but I guess he sent you instead." Her scowl could have started wildfires.


    [ Challenge 1 complete - 1 Reward token ]


    [ Meet Contact - 1 Hero Upgrade token ]


    [ Meeting was peaceful - 2 Unit Upgrade tokens ]


    Whoa! That was a lot for just talking to someone. These Mana Sinks were awesome!


    But the tokens didn''t appear. Probably got them all at the end.


    I turn to my group.


    "Let''s head out." I turned back to Rogue, "Lead the way." I almost gestured but I caught myself in time. Best not to seem too flippant.


    We followed Rogue''s people to a more open area of the Alleyways. Lots of dumpsters. The most interesting thing was the very loud AV hovering just above the ground.


    The side door was already open and a very aggressive heavy machinegun of some variety was jutting out ready for someone to lit up the night.


    "Mine" John said. Let it be a testament to his obvious deadliness that no one said a word of objection.


    We mounted the AV, Rogue went up to talk to the pilot.


    Eager and Borfen went with Raynor to stand towards the back, to keep an eye on everyone else.


    I posted up next to John, So I could look out the side door. I grabbed onto an overhead grip bar lightly. While I kept my SOR pointed out, my accuracy would only slightly be affected by using one hand to shoot, thanks to the enhancements of the armor. Alina''s clone, nested in the suit, could practically shoot for me, if needed.


    Hmm. there was no exit on the other side of the vehicle, a design flaw as far as I was concerned. It did seem to be quite a sturdy beast though. Shame I didn''t have a Probe to scan it right now.


    The chrome skinned guy chuckled as John familiarized himself with the HMG, "Good, you know your weapons. Call me Shaitan."


    John grunted. He must be warming up to the big guy.


    I took quick stock of the rest of the vehicle''s occupants. There was a guy in a business suit and a small camera drone. He was speaking to the Drone.


    "It will be on this day, August 20, 2023 that the underdogs strike back against Corporate tyranny to liberate one of their comrades... "


    Some kind of reporter, I guessed.


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    That was shocking, we were 51 years in the past, almost exactly. Wait, I remember Sinn talking about this... fuck I don''t really recall what she said about it, just that it changed everything.


    There were a number of other folks, some looked military and some looked like nomads. All of them looked ready for a fight.


    Then there was a little wisp of a thing, messing with what looked like an extra thick laptop. She was wired straight into it. She hummed and sang little rhymes while working. I had a feeling she wasn''t all there.


    This time''s equivalent to a netrunner. Probably.


    So where was Johnny Silverhand? Rogue thought we''d be him. He was supposed to spearhead this group right? I think that was what happened. There should be two other groups, right?


    As the AV rose into the air I saw two other vehicles fall into formation with ours.


    Rogue came back from the front.


    "ETA 5 minutes." She announced. She turned to John, "There are going to be turrets, those are your priority targets. The security forces shouldn''t be able to dent this baby with their iron."


    One thing I was finding odd, sure the tech had advanced. But not as much as you would expect for 50 years, and the culture seemed much the same. As I looked out at Night City I could see tons of differences in its layout. So why so little change?


    A stagnate culture and and barely improved tech. Something was deeply wrong with this world.


    Ah screw it, I better get my head in the game.


    Other than the reporter and the netrunner everyone was quiet. Lost in their own thoughts or just silent by nature.


    Of course, it started raining.


    "Alpha Team, 30 Seconds to Contact!" Rogue barked out.


    We had swung around most of the city to come at this area from the other side. Though not the same this section of the city mirrored the City Center from our time. Thought the architecture was somewhere between mine Earth''s version and the crazy physics defying buildings of this world in 2077.


    "Missiles! Deploying countermeasures!" The pilot called over their shoulder.


    The AV started yawing back and forth as several light thuds popped off from the tail of the vehicle. Flares and chaff.


    Then John fired a short burst, taking out a missile as it was passing our vehicle. Showoff.


    Then the AV turned giving us a clear line of sight to the tallest buildings rooftop. We were still farther I than wanted to start shooting from, but not John.


    Using tight controlled bursts he took out the first turret before they had even started firing at us. By the time the first turret responded he was already finished with the second.


    "You are good!" Laughed Shaitan. He seemed the type to enjoy a good fight.


    We circled closer, the security forces had begun trying to hit us, but they were mostly bouncing off the heavily armor fuselage of the AV.


    I targeted a few of them and added my two cents the heavy pounding John was laying down. He simply never missed.


    The third turret down before we completed the first full circle of the building.


    Then a round bounced off John''s shield which shattered but kept him intact. Thank goodness no one else was on that gun, they''d be going home in a bag.


    The brush with death only seemed to increase John''s determination. He walked his fire over to the last turret cutting several bodies in half on the way.


    I had managed to hit a couple of the bastards myself, though keeping a stable footing was hard.


    A moment later the last turret was down. John turned the gun on the rest of the security forces and nothing they did could save them. Run or hide the bullets found them.


    We hadn''t even completed a second rotation around the building when John let the gun rest. No more targets.


    "Take us down!" Rogue yelled to the pilot.


    Less than a minute later we were back on solid concrete and forming up to find out the next step.


    The other two AVs set down next to us and disgorged their own cargos of mercs.


    The rain hadn''t let up, I was happy to be in a fully enclosed suit. Everyone one who wasn''t, got drenched in no time.


    Most of them didn''t stand out too much, but one guy in a trench coat, gave off a similar feeling to John. Not quite as dark, but very close.


    "Anybody injured?!" I yelled.


    I got a chorus of noes.


    Rogue gave me a questioning look.


    "Team Medic." I responded with a chuckle.


    "Scariest looking medic I ever saw." Said the guy in a trench coat as he walked over with a upright looking fella.


    "Morgan, Ronald, are we ready for the next phase." Rogue shook hands with the two guys.


    "Yeah, let''s get moving." Morgan, the dangerous one said.


    "We are ready." Ronald echoed. His team looked like Black Ops soldiers. They were carrying a large duffle bag that seemed to require two to move.


    "Alright, we return in 30 minutes, no longer. Don''t get left behind." Rogue nodded to them before turning back to us.


    "Our target is on the 120th floor. It''s a series of labs, we are looking for the mainframe. Extract the target and return here. Questions?" She barked it out, it was obvious this wasn''t her first rodeo.


    "Can you guide me? We should lead, our armor should be able to hold up to most of what they got." I answered.


    "Good Idea. I''ll follow you and point the way." Rogue smirked at me. Probably thinking we were about to be torn to pieces.


    She had better get ready to be wrong.

 Chapter 109

    As we prepared to descend the stairs leading to a door, I got a notice.


    [ Challenge 2 complete - 1 Reward token ]


    [ Lose no units - 1 Hero Upgrade token ]


    [ Destroy all turrets before AVs reach 50% armor loss - 2 Unit Upgrade tokens ]


    The hits just kept on coming. Nice.


    I lead the way down, but the tiny netrunner squeezed by to get to the door. She started to jack in.


    My rifle stayed focused on the doorway, just in case they are waiting.


    Let''s be honest, they were waiting.


    But there is no way they are ready for us.


    The little woman kept chanting her little poems about spiders and webs while her fingers danced across a very interesting non standard keyboard. "Ah, there it is. Another fly caught in my web."


    The door slid open and the shooting started immediately.


    My SOR answered tearing through three guards in short order.


    "Clear." I called back.


    Spider girl had shied to the side when the shots whizzed by and stayed there as the rest of us rushed the stairway.


    Nothing else greeting us.


    The sign on the wall was simply labeled Rooftops.


    Raynor had lined up behind me and Rogue behind him then John followed by Eager and Borfen. The nomads and then Rogue''s mercs running the tail.


    I started the show.


    I tried to cut the pie, just peeking around the corners of each descending stair. Safer but tedious, and in this case taking too much time.


    By the third floor, I just said fuck it, and fast marched boldly downward.


    Right into a hail of bullets. None of which did a damn thing. At least to me. A few bounced back doing some damage. Ha!


    Watching me just stride through their attack had them pissing their pants. Thankfully for them, they didn''t have to live with the shame for long.


    Raynor and I mopped them up with a few bursts. It was almost an afterthought.


    It felt like a chore rather than a fight.


    Despite being on a short clock, we had a long night ahead.


    A few floors later.


    More rounds were caught by my shields. So far nothing the Arasaka forces had thrown at us was enough to even pop our shields never mind our armor.


    This squad, at least, had the good sense to try to take cover.


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    Their lack of proper tactics made sense, if you thought about it. Arasaka''s goons were used to having the best armor in any conflict. Probably the best gear all around.


    Jim''s and my return fire blew through their cover and slaughtered the lot. Two volleys and it was a done deal. We loaded up fresh mags.


    We had reached the right floor, 120, and once through the door the space opened up drastically. In fact, the floor seemed to be an open concept deal with pillars. So far everything was concrete and steel, black and red, very minimalistic. This floor was no exception. The labs themselves were self contained modules in red and black.


    Separating the lab spaces like that was not a bad idea. Kept cross contamination of results down. Gotta respect proper lab procedure.


    Now that we had more room, Raynor, Eager, Borfen and I were side by side serving as a shield to the folks behind, as we scanned the area.


    Nothing, silent as the grave.


    "Clear!" We called.


    I was still running on excitement. Though honestly, I was both ecstatic and mortified at how easily we cut through the enemy. My mood might be a tad less manic then before.


    "Feels a bit like we are the bullies here, huh?" I gave voice to my thoughts.


    That got a round of chuckles.


    "Better this way, Hoss. Doubt they''d be as nice about finishing us quick." Raynor cut in.


    He got laughs. Touch¨¦, Jim.


    "Where did you get that armor?" Rogue asked. All her people had been eyeballing us from a while now. All wondering the same.


    "Experimental. We Merc ourselves out to help pay for it." They didn''t look surprised.


    Lying was getting easier. That wasn''t a good thing, but I''ve always been bad at it. However, no one was calling out my bullshit now. Maybe because they weren''t real, and were like a dream. They seemed pretty real though. I''d bet we''d die all the same to the Arasaka scum.


    Given the size of the floor, and the fact that the plans Rogue had didn''t show the mainframe, We split up into smaller search squads.


    John, Rogue, Spider lady, one of the nomads named Raul and myself when straight through the middle of the floor. The mainframe itself was likely to be a larger unit than the ones for the labs or a series of containers clustered together. Should be easy to spot.


    For the next few minutes, we heard nothing unusual. No roaming guards to cause trouble. Which helped make finding the Mainframe a breeze.


    Dead center of the floor, of course. It was one container the size of about ten of the the others.


    The only problem was the ten foot tall fully automated war bot. It reminded me of something out of Robocop.


    Right now, it seemed passive, but I had a sneaking suspicion that if we got any closer it would get hostile, fast.


    "Maybe it wants to be friends." The spider girl chimed in. Her eyes had sparkles in them as she gazed at the bot.


    "Unauthorized access is not allowed, come no closer," replied the death machine in a soulless voice.


    We signaled the other groups and surrounded the bot.


    My squad changed their mags to the armor piercing rounds.


    We all aimed for what looked like vital spots.


    And go!


    I would like to tell you it was a hard fought battle and that many feats of valor were performed.


    That''s not what happened.


    It went down like a sack of potatoes. One burst of armor piercing rounds from each of my team tore through it like tissue paper. We must have hit something important, because the bot never got to respond, despite not looking that damaged. A few sparks and some smoke were the only signs of activity from it.


    I hoped we hadn''t damaged the servers.


    [ Challenge 3 complete - 1 Reward token ]


    [ Lose no units - 1 Hero Upgrade token ]


    [ No damage to the servers - 2 Unit Upgrade tokens ]


    Answered that question. Good.


    I was really enjoying this trip. We were dominating everything. I felt like I was actually helping this time. I liked it. Plus, lots of tokens!


    Rogue took the Spider girl and marched into the mainframe.


    "Guard the area, until we return." She called over her shoulder, hair flashing blue in the lights. "Spider we have to get her out as fast as you can... "


    Heh. Spider it was then. Nice to have a name for the crazy girl.


    They were back in less than five minutes. We were pushing the time she had set. No one had bothered us, my guess was that the other teams had caught all the attention.


    [ Challenge 4 complete - 1 Reward token ]


    [ Lose no units - 1 Hero Upgrade token ]


    [ No damage to the target - 2 Unit Upgrade tokens ]


    Well, I sure happy to see that, even if it felt a bit undeserved.


    We were hit by a massive shockwave. The sound arrive just a split second after. The building itself shook.


    It took a moment for us to pick ourselves up from off the ground. No one seemed hurt, but I could clearly sense the fear of Rogue''s people.


    Something had just gone very wrong.


    What could it have been?

 Chapter 110

    "Get to the Evac Point!" Rogue yelled. She was worried. Almost on the verge of panic. What had they done.


    We rushed back the way we had come. We were a thundering herd and lacked organization. Again a dearth of guards allowed us to ascend uncontested, and saved our asses.


    The rain was still determined to wash away the sins of the city. As if their would ever be enough water for that.


    Upon arriving on the roof, we saw Ronald''s team returning from another exit, many yards distant. They were shredded, and had obviously been through the ringer. He didn''t seem to have lost anyone and none of them needed emergency treatment. They utilized some hypos to ease their pain and speed up the healing process.


    "They were waiting, somebody tipped them off!" His yell carried all the way to us. He was decidedly pissed. That was the voice of a person when everything had gone wrong. His stride was half marching half dragging himself towards us.


    We crossed the gap quickly. "Was that your package?!" Rogue demanded, she was no less ready to skin someone.


    He threw me a look, shrugged and swung back to Rogue.


    "No, ours is set to go off in... " He looked at his watch, "12 minutes. We nestled it snuggly at the bottom of the central elevator shaft." His scowl raked the roof. He didn''t know who to trust.


    Rogue was thinking, eliminating options. She scanned everyone. Probably thinking about shooting everybody just to be sure she got the traitor.


    "We met almost no resistance. Whoever squealed didn''t know the whole plan." Rogue sounded like a cat building up a good hiss. "The only people I''m sure it couldn''t be are you, me, Morgan, Johnny and the newbies." She lowered her voice, "For all we know one of the suppliers or fixers put it all together and sold us out for a quick Eddie." She really didn''t like that idea.


    I was looking out over the city. My stare was half admiring and half castigating. I really hated this place.


    Just then I spotted a grappling hook catch on the ledge of the roof, a furtive tug secured it in place. If I hadn''t already been looking that way I never would have noticed. My suit picked of the sounds of a winch working to bring it''s load up.


    I pointed it out to Rogue. While raising my rifle to be ready for whoever came up. Let her make the call, she was the star of this mess after all.


    "Shit! Contact!" She had her pistol out.


    Everyone was ready for whoever was climbing up.


    A moment later Morgan''s face was staring down all our barrels. He didn''t look the slightest bit put out by it.


    He did however look like he had gone through the blender, and into the oven. Cut to shit and burnt to fuck. He was moving on willpower alone.


    I stepped up to him and starting pouring mana into him. I kept it to a trickle. I also reached into my right side waist hardcase and popped out a syringe filled with a harmless mixture of glycol, saline and some vitamins. I slammed it into him and dumped the contents into his veins. All to cover up what I was really doing.


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    Megan... Velma (not Megan) had suggested it a while back as a way to cover up my magic. Terrible source but a great idea. I whipped up a bunch of different cocktails of harmless pick me ups.


    I helped him limp over to everyone else. "My mission failed. Package lost." His voice was robotic as if he was held together only by his duty. He came to deliver his report and then he was sure he''d die. Whatever he did, he didn''t expect anyone to be able to save him.


    Fuck that! I was going to keep this asshole going. I wanted answers.


    Plus, I hated to let anyone die if I could help it. It looked very bad on my after action report. Heh.


    "What happened?" Rogue got his other arm around her shoulders and kept him upright. She had to get her ear real close to hear him, his voice had dropped so low. My suit let me hear every word.


    "Smasher happened. He killed my team and his own when he hit the package with a rocket. Dumbfuck, but he''s probably on his way up. We should move." He seemed to shut down.


    Smasher that name tickled my brain. Where had I heard it?


    I couldn''t place it just yet. I dug deeper into Morgan''s damaged body, trying to figure out the best way to help him.


    His burns were odd, somehow they were not just the product of regular fire. They were much more difficult to treat. There was damage down into the very memory of the cells. I had to rebuild them from scratch.


    "Fuck!" I cursed as I started pumping more mana into the dying man.


    And then it clicked. I remembered what Sinn said happened here today.


    "This is radiation damage." I growled softly, "You were using nukes." I pulled out another syringe and jammed it into Morgan, he didn''t respond at all. I acted like I was hitting him with a radiation treatment.


    Meanwhile, I was looking for healthy cells with undamaged DNA so I could build him back properly.


    Ronald and Rogue turned to look at me. I saw the look they shared. They were wondering if I had just become a liability. Then they stared at Morgan and their tension passed.


    "Yeah." That''s it, that''s all I got. Dicks the both of them.


    I couldn''t abide when people risked civilians casualties with standard explosives, never mind nukes. They had lost any sympathy from me.


    Looking down at Morgan for a second, I thought about stopping.


    Couldn''t do it, some part of me refused to stop healing the terrorist fuckwad.


    I groaned and made my decision, "John, Jim this has turned into a full cluster fuck. I have to heal this asshole and a big nasty fucker is coming. Put him down. Fast and hard."


    I turned back to Rogue, "Leave one of the AVs, and get out of here. I can''t move much while helping Morgan stay whole. We''ll talk again someday." Probably not, bitch.


    In fact, you''d better hope I never see any of you ever again. I could already see the bodies of children dying of radiation poisoning.


    "Please, don''t let him die." Ronald pleaded even as he and his team mounted the closest AV.


    Whatever, fuckface.


    "Meet me at the Afterlife. I''ll settle the bill there." Rogue and her people loaded up into the farthest AV.


    Yeah, I''ll be seeing you.


    The two AVs rose into the dark sky, and quickly vanished into the distance.


    Without prying eyes, I opened the flood gates on my mana and shaped the flows of Life Control. I dug into Morgan''s cells and started making progress in replacing the damaged DNA.


    Making me part of this. I was pissed at the Merc, pissed at the Mana Sink, pissed at myself.


    My only real hope was that it wasn''t real. That no one would really suffer because of our actions.


    Fuck, I was being a hypocritical bastard. I had thought about burning the city down myself. But I didn''t actually want to hurt the normal every day folks.


    Shit, got to get my head into the game and save this fucking asshole.


    I heard my squad get ready.


    Heard some commotion.


    I turned to look. Part of the rooftop was rising. Some kind of Cargo elevator opened up and out stepped this terrible figure.


    If you told me he was a bot, I would have believed you. His body was a boxy frame of metal, barely shaped to look somewhat close to human proportions. Scorch marks covered the frame along with a few dents. Brutal and inhuman.


    Adam Smasher. His face looked like flesh, though he had full tech goggle style cybereyes.


    He stared at us all, grinning a manic little smirk.


    Then he caught sight of John.


    He looked pleased.


    "Johnny-boy, I thought I killed you already." He laughed, a soul chilling sound.


    "What a rare thing to get to kill someone twice!"

 Chapter 111

    One vast improvement Life Control had over Regrowth was that I didn''t need to concentrate exclusively on healing.


    I made sure that Smasher was in plain sight and moved around Morgan. Then I starting dragging him towards the AV as gently as I could. Life control was working well, but I had to excise cells that were themselves, putting out more rads. I was slowly winning the war, but it was going to take a few more minutes.


    If it wasn''t for our shields, I''d be worried about our ability to reproduce viable offspring in the future. I noticed the occasional small red streak pass over them.


    I was missing Jaina''s Tower right about now.


    "Where are you going with Blackhand, Meat?" Smasher taunted. He stepped right into the middle of my team''s killbox. "That''s my prey. No one likes a Scav."


    Anyone else and I''d have said they were the dumbest son of a bitch ever born. If half of what Sinn had said about this dickhead was true, his arrogance was well deserved.


    Then Raynor opened up on him, followed by the others. Except John, he was staring at Smasher with an intensity I hadn''t yet seen from him before. The results of armor piercing crysbronze rounds slamming into the borg''s body? Surprises for everybody.


    We were not shocked that Smasher was rocked back a few feet, with a few dents and small holes in him, but by the fact that didn''t even begin to flatline him.


    He was shocked he took any damage at all, if I was reading him right. I got it, he had just tanked a small nuke after all.


    Then he started laughing again.


    "Use the lasweapons!" Raynor hollered. Good idea. Melt his damned armor.


    I wondered what it was made of?


    For probably the third time since we entered this messed up place, I wished we had a Probe to scan things.


    I wondered if there was a Hero Probe, somewhere?


    Serious why does my brain go off on these tangents?


    Smasher started stalking towards Raynor, "I''m guessing you''re in charge of this little bunch." Beams from Eager and Borfen hit him.


    Smasher looked down where the beams barely started to turn his armor to a dull red glow. "Lasers? Seriously? My armor''s made out of the stuff they use for space shuttles, if you think you can melt through it, we''ll be here all night." Oh, at least one layer of ceramic composite. Nice.


    My guys started to back up, firing their SORs, while their suits'' VIs focused the lasweapons on very specific areas.


    Hey, where had John gone? He did the vanishing thing again, hadn''t he?


    Morgan started to stir. He muttered some garbled noise.


    "Stay still, asshole." I growled at him, "Don''t waste my work." Pouring more mana into him, I felt a stutter in the flow. I was reaching my limit.


    He complied.


    I took stock of the situation.


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    Eager and Borfen were playing flank the borg. While Raynor kept putting rounds in the same spot over and over. Damn, color me impressed.


    Still what was Smasher''s play here? He had to have some weapons hidden in his tin can shell. Why wasn''t he using them?


    Fear? Tension? Was he just a Drama Queen?


    Suddenly he leapt, and I couldn''t track him.


    When I saw him again, Borfen was knocked flat with Smasher''s foot pressing against his shield.


    "Huh? What kind of bullshit is this?" He pulled back his foot and slammed it into the shield rapidly before it shattered. Borfen managed to roll out of the way of the next stomp. Which demolished the concrete.


    "The eggheads are going to love getting a hold of you, once I scrap you." This guy never shut up. He reached down to grab Borfen.


    That''s when John made his move, and dumped his whole mag into the back of Smasher''s skull at pointblank range.


    The Borg''s skull was heavily dented and he staggered, but he didn''t go down.


    "W-what?" Smasher spun, he seemed unsteady but still very much functional. What kind of braincase did they put in there?


    John had already vanished again.


    "What the fuck happened?" Smasher scanned the area. Whatever chrome he had, still couldn''t detect John. Not surprising, even Observers lost him when he pulled this stunt.


    Raynor''s next round torn through something major. Disgusting fluids leaked out of the borg''s chest from right about where the heart would have been on a normal human.


    "Arrgrgrgrg!" He vanished once more.


    This time he had bullrushed Raynor and knocked him 50 feet away. His shield disabled, Raynor tumbled ass over teakettle.


    "Fucking gnats! I''ll crush you!" Smasher disappeared again.


    This time the borg rammed his fist into Eager. Popping the shield and throwing Eager into the railing at the edge of the roof.


    Then a crouching John showed up and dumped another mag into Smasher left knee joint, before just fading away.


    The joint was trashed. Sparking, burning and leaking oil, yup toast.


    Smasher''s leg wobbled. It possibly could have held him if he didn''t move quickly, but Smasher didn''t get the memo.


    He spun around trying to backfist whoever had shot him and fell with a massive thump. He flopped about like an overturned turtle.


    Borfen had managed to get a hold of himself and was approaching Smasher while pumping burst after burst into the borg.


    Raynor was raising up. He staggered a bit before stabilizing himself with his rifle.


    "God damn it, I''d just broken this baby in," he mourned. His rifle''s barrel was bent almost 90 degrees. He pulled his side arm and started plinking away at the borg.


    Eager was off the railing and also working his way toward Smasher, changing his mag to explosive rounds. Those seemed to do a good bit of damage now the the ridiculous armor had been breached.


    Morgan, still under my hand said, "I don''t believe it. You have TPW on the ropes." (AN: If you know, you know. Yes, kind of a Fourth wall break.)


    I looked down at the asswipe I was treating. "No, he''s already dead. He just hasn''t stopped breathing yet." I growled.


    "Why are you so hostile? Why are you healing me? Why not just let me die?" He asked it calmly, like ordering the same meal for the thousandth time. The man just didn''t value his life, how could he be expect to value others.


    I looked back toward the closing act of the fight. It was all over, but the dying.


    "Because I want you to see the consequences of your actions. You used fucking nukes." I shook my head. "I get it, I really do. Fuck Arasaka. You thought the building infrastructure would shield the rest of the city from any fallout. Maybe you were right. But rads are hitting us right now, all because things went wrong. Things always go wrong."


    "Yeah, I didn''t like it either, but things had to change." Morgan voice was flat.


    I nodded, "I understand. It''s why I didn''t put rounds into all of you, but it doesn''t make me any less pissed. It might make me a hypocrite, but who isn''t?"


    He chuckled. "You sound like an old friend of mine."


    My attention went back to the fight.


    Smasher was trashed. His mighty borg body was ready for the scrap heap.


    Maybe we could take it with us when we exited the Mana Sink?


    John had stopped hiding. He walked over to Smasher ready to finished it.


    "1-1 Johnny-boy. S-see you n-next time." The defeated legend started to laugh a deep rolling sound, like he knew something we didn''t.


    I had a bad feeling.


    "John!" I yelled.


    I needn''t have bothered. John was already gone, rushing away with his chrome jacking him up to superhuman speeds. He had great instincts.


    Smasher''s body exploded. It wasn''t a huge blast. But if you had been close enough to deliver a Coup de Grace you would''ve been pasted. Nasty and effective. A good summation of Adam Smasher.


    "Good bye, asshole." Whispered Morgan.


    I had fixed enough of him that any doc worth his salt could finish fixing him.


    I stood up, "Let''s get out of here guys. Time to go home."

 Chapter 112

    [ Optional Challenge Complete - 2 Reward tokens ]


    [ Lose none of your Team - 1 Hero Upgrade token ]


    [ Slay Optional Boss - 1 Hero token ]


    [ Save Morgan Blackhand - 1 Power token ]


    [ You have completed the Mana Sink ]


    [ Type: Historical Event ]


    [ Starting Deviance 24.6% ]


    [ Ending Deviance 76.2% ]


    [ Major Impact - 5 Reward tokens ]


    That was a lot to stare at. But it seemed like we had done well.


    A Purple vortex appeared on the roof, it''s pulsing energies beckoned us home.


    I turned to Morgan. "Get out of here."


    He didn''t hesitate and hobbled into the last AV, I heard him tell the nervous pilot to take off.


    I watched as the bulky vehicle sped off.


    "We good here, Hoss?" Raynor asked as he cradled his totaled rifle.


    There was nothing left to do here. "Let go home."


    Once again the transition was seamless. No sense of movement.


    We were back. New Lordaeron.


    No one was there to greet us, which was as expected. There had been no way to know how long the trip would take.


    The once roiling Vortex was now a smooth shiny purple orb hovering over the ground. I could still feel it drawing mana from the environment, but the mana it was returning now was less nasty feeling. I needed to look into if there was a way to filter out the tainted element of the mana.


    I turned to my team. "Great work everyone. Let''s get some rest and chow. I''ll see you all tomorrow."


    They saluted and then went to enjoy their day. I think they could tell I wanted some time to myself.


    That number 24.6% starting deviance, was bothering me. Most of that was Johnny Silverhand being dead before the run.


    If I could trust the system''s assessment that made the Dungeon a fairly accurate view of the event. At least before we got involved.


    I raised the visor on my armor and sucked in a lung full of earthy, clean, mana rich air.


    The corn field around me rippled in a refreshing breeze. My thoughts drifted away on that current for just a moment.


    I was starting to love this place. Despite everything that happened or maybe because of it.


    I guess my roots were getting a firm connection to the soil finally.


    [ Quest complete ]


    [ 5000 Company Points and 2 Random Supply tokens ]


    [ Quest complete ]


    [ 2000 Company Points and 1 Hero token ]


    [ Quest complete ]


    [ 5000 Company Points and 1 Building Upgrade token ]


    This was how to get a ton of points and tokens. So it would be a good idea to take advantage of these Mana Sinks as often as possible. It wasn''t lost on me that the power I had gotten earlier was also called Mana Sink. But I really didn''t think of it much, as I didn''t need to worry about magic wielding enemies.


    That had changed. Anything could be on the other side of a Vortex.


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    Everything was useful. I should stop judging things solely on the needs of the moment.


    Let''s look at the loot.


    Total rewards, 11 Reward tokens, which my BTC told me were completely random chance lotteries. Anything was on the menu. I could get a Theme or a Hero or something utterly new.


    5 Hero Upgrade tokens which where exactly what they sounded like. They would raise the level of a Hero. Think about John with 5 more levels.


    I shuddered. I saw the future of dead bodies everywhere.


    No, realistically I should use them on Raynor and Jaina and probably the new Heroes I was going to get from these 2 new Hero tokens.


    8 Unit Upgrade tokens which affected all unit of one type. If I used them for Probes all Probes would benefit. If I used them on a higher order of unit I would have a devastating army. The upgrade could be any of a number of factors. Health, Armor, Damage... and so on. It might require a lot of thought on how best to use these.


    1 Building Upgrade token which took any building to its next level of technology. It had a note, it was best used on Prime buildings of a theme.


    Another Power token, I was eager to see what I''d get this time.


    This felt like a massive haul. But I''d wait until tomorrow and open the tokens with everyone else.


    I checked my XP, it had soared to 154,829.


    That was amazing and terrifying. How far could I go?


    I was already at the heights of modified human levels. At least relative to this world.


    What good would it do me to reach godlike levels of power? Unless I wanted to join in on some greater conflict. No, I really didn''t want to get involved in anything that.


    Though maybe exploring the Galaxy would be fun someday.


    Plus, I was already struggling with my self image. Don''t get it twisted I liked being stronger, and loved having a goal, but I felt parts of me being shed away.


    It was already so easy to jump to killing. So easy to hurt others for my mission.


    I think it is time to get back to my roots, or at least as much as I could.


    Some simple labor. Maybe working on some cars. I had that idea a while back to make an upgraded version of Amanda''s car.


    But even before that, it was time to search the company story for some fuzzy friends.


    Several purchases later, we had squirrels and other little varmints running around. All of them with some magical quirk or feature. That was 400 points.


    While some small critters were already running around thanks to the strange nature of Meadran''s presence, I thought a few more conventional ones wouldn''t hurt. Some people found squirrels adorable.


    They scattered into the forest of the Valley. Good thing too.


    Next I looked at fluffy murder machines.


    I ended up purchasing two different clans of cats. One, a breed that reminded me of the Norwegian Forest Cat called the Temerian Deep Stalker. The other clan reminded me of the Sandcat, they were called Rostvian Shorthairs. They both had all kinds of tricks. Deep Stalkers could work shadow magic. Rostvians could play with earth based energies.


    They ran me 800 points.


    Both breeds were noted for being naturally friendly with humans. I figured why not, some people like cats.


    The little psychopaths didn''t have me fooled even if I gave them plenty of scritches, before they went off to explore their new home.


    Cute is cute.


    Then I started scrolling the canine options available now.


    I damn near threw all my point at the store right then and there.


    The assholes had filled the front images with the puppy version of every breed. They hadn''t done that with the cats!


    They were out to bankrupt me.


    I was muttering about a Company conspiracy to drowned me in dogs.


    I tightened my mental grip on my myself. Two types, I promised myself that I could buy two types of Doggos.


    Though many were strictly speaking not Doggos. There were wolves and foxes of dozens of varieties. I could safely ignore those, since I wanted pets as much as working dogs.


    Hmm.


    They needed to be human friendly and at least other animal tolerant. Then they need to be useful.


    Helpful on the farms and ranches. Yup, that was a good plan.


    Oh, there was a breed that reminded me of Border Collies. An excellent herding breed. Their high energy and intelligence were great provided you had plenty of room and work for them.


    Let''s see this breed, the Adraigh Trap Dog, seemed to be a close match for the Border Collie in intelligence, except they were a hunting breed. They used a broad array of abilities to stalk and trap game. If improperly handled they could turn mischievous.


    Maybe not. A hunting breed wasn''t a good fit right now.


    The Fae Coursing Hound was out for the same reason. Beautiful though. With their snowy fur and red tipped ears.


    The Mana Hound was a versatile breed. Easy adaptive to any task. Human levels of intelligence. Though lacking many of the negative human traits. They were natural mages. Their fur would become stripped with different colors depending on what areas of magic they learned.


    I looked at the picture of a wolf like pup with light blue fur and immediately bought the lot. 1000 points.


    Six yearling dogs appeared. They were fairly large about the size of a full grown German Shepard. It was clear they still had a bit of growing to do.


    They were instantly friendly and full of pep.


    I spent a while playing with them, before summoning a Probe to guide them to the farms.


    They seemed to understand right away what was expected of them.


    Then something caught my eye in the list.


    It was a individual puppy. He was a Seffiveelian or an Elven Dancing Dog. Glorious silver fur with undertones of black. Sharp slightly oversized ears stood proudly. His eyes were whorls of shifting colors. Mostly greens and blues.


    He was the runt of his litter and was already the same size as a small horse. He would get much bigger.


    They were used as mounts by the Elves of their homeworld. They had a smooth gliding gait which looked like dancing hence the name. The Dancing Dogs would often carry two Elves, one to guide while fighting in close and one to shoot.


    "Mine!"


    I slammed the buy button. 2000 points.


    A head butted into me and even in my armor I fell back.


    I felt a tickle in my mind.


    ''Hi, Hi, Hi! We play now?''


    I bounced up and did my best to wrestle with the oversized pupper. All my issues and problems seemed to melt away.


    It was a great way to kill the rest of the day.

 Chapter 113

    The new mound of fluff and I fell asleep on the grass by the Company Story.


    The armor wasn''t the best to sleep in, but it wasn''t too bad.


    I had the Probes bring us some breakfast. I had some bacon and eggs and the pupper got a side of beef.


    He crunch the carcass down fast and then drank from the nearby stream. Typical puppy behavior.


    I could tell the Mana density was actually benefitting him. The Store had been sparse in describing the abilities of Dancing Dogs, only that the World they came from had a Mana Density level of 5. Whatever that meant.


    Sure I get that we are probably somewhere between level 1 and 2 here in the Valley, and just over level one in the town. However I had no idea what the ramification of these levels were. The BTC couldn''t or wouldn''t give me all the answers. Even Meadran, perhaps the most knowledgeable being available, could only explain so much.


    The question remained, why was a lower density of mana helping him?


    I could conceive of a few answers, but I didn''t like the implications.


    The puppy was chasing a wisp. A bouncing rollick.


    ''Play? Pretty light, play?''


    The Silver wisp circled the pup several times before getting distracted by something else and floating away between the closely packed trees.


    ''Aw... ''


    "You''re going to need a name."


    ''Oh! I know names, they are wind calls.'' The puppy came bouncing over next to me again.


    I laughed.


    ''I told I not need wind call, too small. The small brights took from mama. Gave to big brights. Then sleep, then here.''


    That didn''t sound good.


    So far, my naming scheme for dogs had been to name them for some personality trait or quirk.


    Babble? No definitely not. Bounce? Eh... no.


    I could go with the classics and name him for a physical trait.


    Silver? Maybe? Change. No. Shift. Nah. Whorl. Nope.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Hmm.


    Name him for what I hoped he would become?


    Brave? Noble?  What if he didn''t want to be either?


    Perhaps, I was making this harder than it had to be?


    Silver was pretty good. Wait what was the name for silver in all the fantasy books. Miril... no Mithril. (An: Yes, yes, I know, I know. Ryan doesn''t.)


    Mithril. It had a nice ring to it. I could call him Mith for short.


    "Do you like the name, Mithril?"


    ''Oooooo. What means?''


    "Silver, I think, like your fur."


    ''Like, like. Yes. I Mithril!'' The oversized puppy bounced with joy. ''We run, soon?''


    "Sure, Mith, we can go running soon. We need to meet up with my friends. They are good people so don''t be scared."


    ''Me good, not scared.'' I gave him a good scratch behind his ear. Given his size, I barely had to gentle it up for him, even with the armor.


    After playing with him for most of an afternoon, I had learned a few things about him. His bones and muscles were extremely dense, maybe on the same level as a wolverine. Despite this, he was also graceful, taking puppy awkwardness into account. He was obviously smart, but still easily distracted. He could channel nature mana, and once I showed him the pattern for Regrowth he could repeat it flawlessly.


    All in all, and excellent companion and future friend.


    "Let go, Mith. You can meet the other people that live here."


    Everyone trickled in to the Town Square over a hour or so. There was a buzz of excitement.


    As should easily be predicted, Mithril was a hit.


    The fact that he was the size of a Morgan horse, didn''t put anyone off at all. He got all the attention a pupper could want.


    John showed up and had a Mana Hound trailing him. There was also a Deep Stalker wrapped around his shoulders.


    I raised an eyebrow at him.


    "Yeah. I like animals." He said it flat, but I could see the nascent smirk.


    I chuckled.


    "I hope everyone had a good rest." I called out.


    The Team and I, spent the next thirty minutes detailing the Mana Sink and the events therein.


    "Wait. You went back in time?" Amanda blurted out. She had a stunned look on her face.


    "While I don''t think we should take anything for granted here, I don''t think we literally went back in time. This seemed to be a snapshot of an alternate way the events of that night could have gone. I mean Silverhand was dead before it even started."  I shook my head, "What worries me is that the system rated the deviance for the actual history. How does it know? If it knows that much, what else does it know? Everything?" I pointed out to the waste, "Does the Company know all of this? If so what is the point of me being here? Entertainment?"


    "There is no way to know." John chimed in. Short and matter of fact.


    "Right. Hoss, this is like dealing with far off governments, but worse. There is no telling what they are planning, no telling what they do or do not know. So we keep on doing the best we can. We help you and you do what you think is best. Worrying about the rest is a recipe for going batshit insane." Raynor had either gotten a new rifle or had his old one repaired.


    ''Too jumping mind sight.'' Mith thought.


    "One problem at a time." Amanda was staring into the distance.


    There was quite a bit of debate about what everyone wanted to do. Help other people, fuck over other people. There was no consensus.


    "Nah, we examine each group and decide whether or not to help on a case by case basis." I spoke up. "Some people suck, some are monsters, others are good folk in a bad place. Painting people with a broad brush rarely works out in the end. We might not end up helping any group and just make deals with certain individuals. But first we have to get to know them, it''s hard to do that from out here."  I said it, but I knew I did the painting myself sometimes.


    "It will take time to figure all of this out. How about we switch to something more fun?" I shrugged.


    It was time to open some loot.

 Chapter 114

    I piled up the all the tokens except the Merc Squad one. Then I separated the pile into each type of token.


    I decided to start with the reward tokens, since they could end up as anything.


    The first was a tech schematic for a Light Saber! It appeared to be similar in design to the first one used by Luke Skywalker.


    I loved the Star Wars films. So I was very excited.


    I quickly realized that maybe this wasn''t so great. What if the assemblers and forges couldn''t produce the right materials?


    Thought the idea of a Light Saber focused through a Psicrystal sounded awesome.


    Later. I took a deep breath and went to the next token.


    This one became a Supply token. So did the next, and the next.


    The fifth reward token became a Theme Restriction Reduction token.


    This token would remove either a small restriction or reduce a larger one. The only restriction I was aware of was the one that kept me from summoning non human sentients.


    That was going to Meadran or the Nexus. I wanted to meet the Kaldorei or the Khalai. Very exciting!


    The sixth Reward token gave me another Merc Squad token.


    The seventh gave me a Building Upgrade token.


    YES! Now I could advance both Meadran and the Nexus! Sweet!


    The eighth was another Supply token.


    The Ninth was a Return token.


    This would bring you back to where ever you considered home.


    Wait. Could I go... home?


    I looked up at everyone. It must have been pretty boring watching me turn one piles of tokens into other tokens but they seemed riveted. Other than Mith, who was running around chasing something.


    My eyes snapped back to the token.


    "Is that one special, Hoss?" Raynor looked puzzled.


    "It can send someone back to where they consider home." I answered not looking up.


    "Oh." He looked at Amanda who shrugged.


    Jaina looked worried. She among everyone here both understood why I''d want to use it and would covet it herself.


    It would be the height of selfishness to use this token if it could take me home. Major grade A dick move. Leave everything unfinished.


    It was temping. I would always be thinking about it. If I has easy access I might use it when things got difficult.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I rolled it across my fingers like a coin.


    I couldn''t risk it.


    "John, hold on to this for me." I tossed the token to John. He caught it and made it vanish.


    He nodded. Approval.


    Besides now that I knew him, I could never leave Mith behind.


    The tenth reward token became a Hero token.


    The eleventh became a stone. It was perfectly round and a dull grey.


    My BTC shook.


    [ Eye of Thoth ]


    [ Data Unavailable ]


    That name was familiar but the memories eluded me.


    I shrugged and put it into my storage. I would research it some other day.


    The seven Supply tokens were next.


    The first was a crate of Elven Plum Brandy. 20 exquisite glass bottles packed in some kind of foam. The crate itself was a wood with rich dark tones etched with fine scrollwork.


    The second was a box of 10 Phasers. Heh. Both the greats are in the house. I didn''t recognize which era of the shows they were from.


    The third was a container of boxes of Jelly Beans. Bertie Bott''s Every Flavor Beans. Hmm. No clue where those come from. Haha. Also no desire to find out the hard way what flavors are in those. Maybe the kids will like them.


    The fourth was a crate of five complete suits of chainmail. Made of some golden metal with a green cast to it. Otherwise the mail was very plain. I couldn''t tell what they were made of, but them radiated a lot of mana.


    The fifth ended up being a huge barrel of Dwarven Mead. Which dwarves from where? Who knew?


    The sixth was, I kid you not, a crate of 30 bizarre muskets. No powder or rounds. The muskets had all these valves and switches, and extra piping. Strange.


    The last Supply token yielded a a box filled with bags of dragon jerky. Interesting.


    I opened a bag and took a bite. Rich and sweet. Smokey and spicy. Delicious. Full of mana. Thankfully not very salty.


    I passed the bag to Raynor. Then it made the rounds. I soon heard many sounds of approval.


    I used my Power token.


    [ You have gained Psychic Warning ]


    Hmm.


    This was basically three second prescience concerning danger. So kind of like Spidey Sense or Jedi reflexes? Useful.


    Time to summon some new Heroes.


    [ You have summoned Probius ]


    A very large version of a Probe without any fins appeared. It was much larger than a human.


    It''s beeps almost sounded like speech.


    ''En Taro Adun, Executor!''


    Probius had a very big presence in the Psifield. It was quite a calming influence.


    ''Greetings Probius. We will talk later.''


    ''By your command.''


    [ You have summoned Tassadar ]


    A strong and clear voice rang out through the Psifield.


    Tall and odd. Glowing blue eyes. No nose or mouth, and sharp steer looking features. Bundled cords sprouted from the back of his skull. His connection to the Khala. If I remembered  Alina''s lessons correctly. He worn light crysbronze armor studded with worked Khaydarin crystals, and flowing robes under that. His hand had four fingers and had a more box like grip. His legs were birdlike.


    ''En Taro Adun! Executor, long may I serve.''


    Despite the differences he felt noble and kind.


    Raynor stood up quick, "Tassadar, old buddy!"


    ''Friend Raynor. It is good to see you well.''


    I chuckled, "I''ll let you two catch up."


    I picked up the last Hero token.


    [ You have summoned Corusaltusvermilliondeku, Slayer of Honeypots ]


    A small cat sized dragon appeared. Blue scales with multi colored stripes running down it''s side. It had butterfly wings. A kaleidoscope of different colors ran over each other on those  gossamer wings which were fluttering at insane speeds. They produced a droning noise. Also manasparks flew every which way.


    "Hellohowareyou?" Staring from my left but traveling to my right. It was very hard to keep my eyes focused on the little creature. The voice was high pitched and squeaky. Super annoying.


    "Huh?" It took me a second to parse what it said. "Oh, sorry. I doing fine, how about you?"


    "I''msuperexcitedtobehere!" It went from up above to down near the ground.


    My brain caught up with the situation.


    Oh no. A hyperactive dragon. A hyperactive faerie dragon hybrid thing.


    "Nice to have you. Um, why don''t you explore the Valley."


    "Where''sthat?"


    I pointed the way and it took off like a bullet, squealing something about honey.


    Maybe it would have fun chasing wisps.


    Plus, I only had five upgrade tokens, and I didn''t want to hurt the little guy.


    Headache avoided.


    I gave Raynor, Jaina, John, Tassadar and Probius one each of the Hero upgrade tokens.


    They were surrounded by light.


    They had moved up a level.


    It felt good to see them grow.

 Update not a chapter

    Imagine my surprise that none of my notes were posted and the story is on hiatus.


    Well that''s one of the ways things can go wrong when you have to take an emergency trip for work.


    Chapters will resume next week, though I''ll probably be shifting the story a bit... or a lot.


    Sorry to have worried anyone.


    See you soon, and I hope you are all having a wonderful life.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Obligatory Filler


    Time tapping the wires of your thoughts, broken pieces wrought of misery''s lens.


    Ever encroaching shadow picking out the dress for your bride.


    Lost filaments burning with hope, that all the people disdain.


    Growing beams of light carrying all the sorrow of the demented.


    Does meaning really matter in a World filled with endless reinterpretation? Or does bullshit reign?


    Gentle reader are you happy? If not, are you content?


    Else do you despair?


    Well for what it matters, I wish you well.


    May your days be filled with the purpose so may lack. May your heart be swollen with the praises of the masses.


    Author''s note: We will not be held liable for exploding hearts. Nor cult like behavior.


    So anyone watching Danmachi this season? Rough, bad times.

 Chapter 115

    I let Jaina organize dealing with the supplies. Then I bid everyone a good day. I figured the showy stuff was over for now.


    Raynor lead Tassadar around showing him the town. Probius was scanning everything, and unsurprisingly his scanner was much more potent than the ordinary Probes'' version. Amanda was talking to Guzman and Nolan about something.


    John vanished, his pets emulated his ability. Already had them trained. Figured.


    Mith was bouncing around smelling everything. He got lots of pets as his met each person.


    Let''s see, that left the 8 Unit Upgrade tokens. I''d wait on using those. I figured it be best to use them on any powerful limited units that were coming up, or maybe save them for units I could get after I used the Theme Restriction Reduction token.


    The Building Upgrade tokens were next.


    I trekked back into the Valley, Mithril trailing behind me. Once upon a time this was a tiring activity, now I barely noticed it.


    Alina let me know that the Stargate was complete.


    I paused. I wanted to go look at it before it warped into orbit, but I had a lot to get done and it would still be there tomorrow.


    I felt my BTC squeeze.


    [ Congratulations you have survived Phase 1 ]


    What?


    [ You have been determined to be the Victor of this Phase ]


    Well, we have done some amazing things, but I ready don''t like the tone...


    Wait, victor against who? Who was I competing against?


    [ Your awards will be available at your Hub ]


    My what now? Where the hell is that?


    [ Prepare for reset ]


    What? NO!


    The whiteness claimed me.


    There was that fucking desk again. This time it was all green.


    The infinite expanse of bright white nothing crashed into my perception. The glare hurt.


    Worse the brightly glowing asshole, somehow looking down on me, despite not having any discernable eyes.


    My unnamed Case Worker.


    "Well look at you, slick. Managed to take first place. That''s going to look great on my quarterly report." A sneering tone.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Wha... " I began.


    "Now don''t go talking and ruining the little sliver of good will I''m feeling right now." The vaguely human-shaped mass of energy snapped it''s fingers. Who did it think it was, Thanos?


    My mouth refused to work, and even my thoughts became sluggish.


    "What kind of luck do you have? You got advanced technology right at the start. A fucking Demigod animal companion which kept trying to work more fortune into the very land around your starting zone." Cockbag, yeah I''m going to think of it as Cockbag from now on, tsked.


    "Then you got the Class 6 threat of John Wick. We all just about shit ourselves. We reclassified him as a Level 8 after you got done equipping him, and he learned magic. Holy fuck what a nightmare. The paperwork - well you know about the paperwork." Cockbag shrugged.


    "We threw in the towel when you summoned the pint sized Cosmic Disaster. He''s not even in the lists, we checked. You Ryan are broken." It was yelling by the end of that sentence.


    Cockbag visibly shuttered.


    Who was he talking about? The little Dragon?


    "It doesn''t matter anymore. I get to take it all away, now." Cockbag cackled like a crack fiend finding a whole bag of rocks.


    Huh? No, no, no, no, no. What happens to my people, my friends? Mithril?


    "Sadly, I can''t take without giving." Cockbag reached down to shuffle some papers. "What''s this you ask? This is an already notarized Adjudication stating that the package we have prepared for you is fair."


    Pretty sure that was a lie.


    What kind of bullshit is this? Cosmic level lawfare. In the name of all that is holy, why?


    "Guess what the best part is? The best part is, I don''t have to explain, annnnnyyyything!" There was a sinister glee in it''s voice. Seriously, what had I done to piss this asshole off this much?


    I tried to struggle against whatever was binding my tongue. I couldn''t do anything, but listen to the rambling entity that was a match for any ridiculous cartoon villain.


    "Let''s get rid of those pesky classes shall we. Oh, this is going to be so much fun." No, everything about how it said that was a clear indicator it wasn''t going to be fun for me.


    Cockbag reached inside my chest, but it was worse than it sounded. It stirred it''s arm around like it was rummaging for something. I felt nauseous, but I wasn''t allowed to throw up. I wanted to yell but I was forced into silence. I wanted to attack but couldn''t move.


    "Ah-ha!" Cockbag latched onto something in me and pulled it out. The pain was worse than when my Paladin Class shattered, but similar.


    I went blind, my senses trying to shut down. Really my brain was trying to give up and shut down, but even that was denied me.


    My very soul was being violated. I could do nothing. I had thought I had known rage before now.


    "Do you know why I hate you?" A burning oil slick poured into my ear.


    It reached into me again.


    No, please.


    Out came another piece of my soul. I was burning and freezing all at once, every one of my nerves screamed in agony.


    "It''s because you don''t deserve this. You have been giving a golden opportunity, and your ideas about how to use it are so... ordinary. You are here to entertain, so be entertaining. Or become the entertainment."


    Cockbag dug in for another part of me.


    Not again.


    This time the loss of another bit of my soul felt like every rejection I''d ever received, every time I''d ever failed, and the loss of everyone I''d ever loved. All at once.


    "That''s three Ryan. Three paths to power you were wasting. Three methods to shake the foundations of reality that you practically ignored."


    I wanted to weep but nothing came out. Something about not being able to express my pain and rage was somehow worse than the pain itself.


    It patted me on the head.


    "There, there, all done. A rest in a Lethe Waters Vat will fix you right up." Insincere sympathy laced with contempt.


    I still couldn''t see properly, but I tried to glare at the sadistic entity. I couldn''t talk, but I tried to spit.


    No good. Fuck!


    I felt Cockbag lean close.


    "Don''t worry Ryan, we are going to take the memory of this away. Come tomorrow, none of this will have happened as far as you are concerned." It knew it was going to get away with this, knew there was nothing I could do.


    I felt myself being moved but it was distant like it was happening to someone else.


    As I was picked up and then lowered into a liquid I heard,


    "I''ll take good care of your people."


    I had never heard anything more dreadful, than those words.


    As darkness finally made itself known, I heard mocking laughter.

 Chapter 116

    I woke up pissed off. I was also in the dark, in more ways than obvious lack of light.


    I couldn''t remember why I was so upset, but I was ready to fucking kill motherfuckers with my teeth if need be. This feeling was a deep burning pain mixed with loss and betrayal. Something terrible had happen.


    And I couldn''t recall a damned thing. I could vaguely pull up fragments of memories of what I thought was my early life. Blurry faces I was sure were my family. A fluffy ball of fur that grew into a fur monster of massive appetites. A smattering of other people and events. But I was completely missing anything recent. Only a vast sense of loss and rage.


    How did I know that? I was completely sure myself, but I had a very strong impression that someone had done this to me. I wanted to find out who and rip them to pieces.


    I pushed it down, it wouldn''t help right now. There would be time later to figure things out, now I needed to take stock.


    I started to pay attention to my environment. I couldn''t see but I could feel grass under me, it smelt minty. If I wasn''t so angry I knew I would find it comforting. I heard water nearby, and could smell it. It also carried something else... "mana" a voice in my head whispered.


    That summoned a cascade of thoughts and feelings. I couldn''t sort all of it, but I knew I had this mana and could use it.


    Yes, I could feel it inside me coiling like a serpent. It felt like fresh green plants growing and savage hunting and storms scouring the land. I liked it. It felt proper.


    I couldn''t see but I could feel so I explored with my hands. Huh, I was naked, but something was wrong my body. What I was touching didn''t match any of my admittedly unreliable memories.


    My limbs seemed longer, but my frame more narrow. I was really shocked when I got to my face. Very sharp chin and cheekbones, more gaunt features. My ears had points, long ones. My tongue felt that my teeth were sharper and my canine were now true fangs. What the fuck? Well, they might come in handy to tear somebody''s throat out.


    This wasn''t right, and I felt a wave of disorientation pass over me.


    As my left arm brushed against my face I felt something strange there as well. Huh, it felt like a branch or a vine was coiled around my forearm and dug into my flesh at my elbow and wrist. For a moment, the branch was gravely concerning but another instinct seemed to accept the bizarre growth.


    My hands started feeling the area around me just in case there happened to be some clothes close by. No luck.


    I slowly got up. I didn''t seem to have any injuries nor any problem with my balance.


    Orienting the sound of the water proved easy. I took light measured steps towards it, I didn''t want to fall in or otherwise run afoul of unseen obstacles.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    It took some time to gingerly stalk the source of the water in the dark. Close to two thousand steps. Which highlighted that my hearing was sharper than I thought it should be. My frickin'' huge ears were good for something after all.


    Part of me thought I had to be outside, the presence of grass and water seemed to agree. Yet the more primal part of me knew this wasn''t true. No stars or moon, no random breezes, no animals sounds or scents. Something was fishy and it wasn''t the water.


    No when my foot found the edge of the water, the smell was overwhelming. Clean pure water infused with mana, lots of it judging by the sound.


    A few minutes of investigation with my hands and feet led to an interesting discovery. It wasn''t a stream nor a spring as I had suspected, it was a circle, a moat surrounding something in the center. I could sense vast quantities of mana there.


    I wasn''t sure I wanted to wade through the water to figure out what was there.


    Taking the time to drink my fill, I pondered what to do next. I had thought the water might lead me somewhere I could get information, but that was a bust.


    Finding myself playing with the mana subconsciously was interesting. I was shaping the energies both in me and in the environment. The shapes meant something even if I didn''t quite recall what that could be. This was instinctive, it had to be from long habit and/or training.


    I tried to dredge up anything useful in my noggin but drew a blank.


    Wait, was that light in the distance? Faint blue light far above my head and quite a ways away from here.


    It was growing slightly stronger ever second. An artificial dawn perhaps?


    Now that it was stronger something about the light called to me. I felt my mind reach out to it.


    [ Pylon #01 coming online... ]


    [ No connections found... ]


    [ Standby... ]


    What was that?


    Something about that line no connections deeply disturbed me. There was supposed to be more... more what?


    There was supposed to be a system of Pylons and, and what? What am I missing?


    A memory of a voice saying "Breathe" and then something about counting.


    Feelings of awe and terror accompanied that voice.


    Who?


    If there were people around me, where did they go? Why am I alone?


    "I''ll take good care of your people." another voice whispered through my broken mind.


    Pure hatred flared through me.


    Something, someONE took my people from me!


    A deep growl welled up from my gut.


    Someone must pay.


    I let it flow over me, that anger and pain. Once I started to get blindingly pissed, I buried it. Not to put it out, or ignore it. No, I was going to stoke these fires, so that when I got my chance I could incinerate the asshole that wronged me.


    But now it did me no good to be consumed by my own rage.


    The light was quite bright now. I could clearly make out a Well in front of me. So familiar yet I still had no idea what it was. It seemed to be glowing now, a silvery light. IT needed light to glow like the moon.


    Moon... Well.


    It was a Moon Well! I had no clue what that meant but I was absolutely certain that was the name of this type of well.


    Maybe, I could find more things to unlock memories, however limited.


    I was standing in a vast field of purple grass. That felt right.


    I looked past the Moon Well towards the light now blazing a merry blue too bright to look at directly.


    There were buildings, were they there before?


    One was very tall, maybe fifty stories. It had words on the side MB: Treeside. The style of the building seemed off to me. Like it was too big, too futuristic. Yes, something a bout a broken future.


    There were walls and a ceiling I could barely make out now surrounding everything.


    This huge field of purple grass and the massive building I could see along with the smaller ones next to it, were contain by an even larger structure. That seemed impossible to me, though I didn''t know why.


    At least now, I had a clear goal. Get to those buildings and explore them.


    Answers could be there.

 Chapter 117

    ''Place one foot in front of the other, repeat... ''


    A song came to mind, though I couldn''t remember where it was from. My own brain was an alien place full of hidden treasures, and probably garbage.


    Now that I could see, I did feel more confident moving forward as quickly as I could. My long legs ate up the distance to the buildings rapidly, as a walk turned to a jog and then I was running.


    Something in that simple act brought me joy.


    While I currently had no basis for comparison, some deeper place in my mind noted that I was very fast.


    The field of grass ended and concrete began, I didn''t enjoy how that felt on my bare feet.


    Soon, I was standing in front of the giant building, marveling at it''s size. A truly massive edifice of concrete and what I was certain was steel. MB: Treeside was amazing and intimidating.


    A series of steps lead up to an entryway. I was temped to enter right away, but I figured I should look at the other buildings first to see if there was one more likely to have the information I needed.


    To my left, the building ended up brushing against the wall that surrounded this enclosed world. To my right, there was a road and another low laying building of some kind. I went right.


    The roadway was a four lane affair, marked out in a way that feel very wrong, even if I could say why just yet.


    The new building was maybe two to three stories tall. Covering as much area as Treeside. Large dark glass windows covered the side facing the road and several doors were half way to the next block. I moved closer looking up at the sign that read Value Tree.


    I suspected a theme was forming. Yet no where did I see any trees.


    Nor could I determine what this building was for from its exterior.


    I let out a sigh. Oh that felt good. It was like a pressure release.


    ''Deep controlled breaths... ''


    Another one of those elusive thoughts.


    As I approached the building, I could see a somewhat blurry reflection of myself in the windows.


    That wasn''t me...


    I was purple. Why the fuck was I purple?


    No, don''t panic, breathe.


    Maybe it was the light? I mean blue light might do some odd things to my skin tone, right?


    Of course, that didn''t explain the extra long well muscled limbs, or the ridiculously oversized ears coming to very sharp points.


    I was some kind of Elf?


    ''Fucking Elves... '' A tone of derision, contempt. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    What? Where did that come from?


    Also, I was pretty sure my eye weren''t glowing green orbs before.


    Even my currently shaggy hair was a light shade of green.


    Maybe my new eyes just saw colors differently? (AN: while this would almost certainly be the case, I think we''ll just assume elven eyes see more color and more accurately, rather than see base colors differently.)


    What was going on?


    It took longer than I''m prepared to admit to calm down.


    After all, I still had no clue what I did look like before. I just knew this wasn''t it.


    Nothing I could do about it now. I hated that feeling, that powerlessness. Not being in control, it really was upsetting.


    Again a deep bass growl tore itself free from my throat. I had to unclench my hands. Also I now realized I had very sharp nails somewhere between a human''s and actual claws.


    The blood oozing from my self inflicted wounds was a odd shade of purple. Darker than my skin tone. That probably was the light.


    Wasn''t blue light supposed to be bad from your eyes? Eh, well maybe it was, but it was the only light available right now.


    Wanting to take my mind off my transformation for now I opened the doors into the building. A blast of negative air pressure hit me gently as I walked through.


    It was a massive store. Groceries to my immediate left, more general goods to my immediate right. I could see furniture and appliances off in the distance.


    It felt normal, but also creepy.


    No checkout stations.


    The lack of people also added to the eeriness.


    I looked at the food nearby, odd vegetables and fruits. Fresh and ready to be eaten, don''t ask me how I knew, I just did.


    I was particularly drawn to the silver apples. I walked over. There was a sign.


    Asmurithan Apples.


    2 for 10 Eddies


    2 for 1 Task Points


    1 for 1 Company Point


    I reached for an apple. But a blue energy field stopped my hand.


    A mechanical voice said, "No funds available, please obtain funds to purchase goods."


    How do I do that?


    Something about Eddies seemed vaguely familiar, but I drew a blank on Task points.


    Company Points though those pissed me off.


    I almost struck the energy field again to vent my rage, but I had a feeling that open hostility was a bad idea.


    So I backed out of the store.


    I followed the road down to the corner. I had noticed something strange about the intersection for a while. No traffic lights.


    Right smack in the middle of the intersection was a pillar. It was overgrown with lovely Jasmine vines. Also there was a screen hanging about chest height, I could see a blinking prompt from the corner.


    I admit my curiosity got the better of me.


    Wary I step over to the screen, it read...


    Initialize Connection?


    Y/N


    For some reason that felt like a source of answers.


    There was no keyboard.


    "Yes." At this point I wasn''t surprised that my voice didn''t seem to be right.


    The Branch on my left forearm squeezed hard.


    A new screen popped up, but this one was in my head.


    [ Connection to the Great Tree Network Reestablished ]


    [ Welcome back Ryan. ]


    A shock went down my spine.


    "Ryan."


    That was my name. MY NAME!


    A flood of memories pounded into my brain. There was pain, there might have been lots of screaming and yelling and cursing.


    With one simple act my life had been returned to me, at least most of it. I could still feel gaps here and there, but I knew who I had been now.


    Though I still didn''t know why I was here. Or where here was.


    "Where am I?"


    [ The Hub, your Hub. ]


    [ The Hub is a reflection of your inner world. Here all your achievements and failures are lain bare. ]


    "Doesn''t look like much so far."


    [ There was a lack of memory to draw from, the realm will slowly come to reflect your new recollections. ]


    "Can I leave?"


    [ There are gates to the east and west. The western gate is for incoming and the eastern gate is for outgoing. ]


    "Where does the eastern gate let out?


    [ Night City, specifically by the club known as The Afterlife. ]


    That was wrong. What was Nigh... more memories ripped their way free of whatever had been blocking them.


    All the events of the last few months rolled into me.


    I thought I had woken up angry. That was nothing compared to the searing, aching thing growing inside me now.


    They had taken everything from me.


    Why?


    No, it didn''t matter. Why they did it was irrelevant.


    They had done it, now...


    {THEY MUST PAY!}


    The Hub shook with my wrath.


    Now what did I have to work with?

 Chapter 118

    I called up my status,


    [ Name: Ryan Crestwood


    Class: Arch Druid of Renewal / * / * / *


    Level: 1


    XP: 0


    Race: Kaldorei (Azeroth 1,358,374)


    Racial Traits: Swift, Increased Senses, Shadowmeld, Unbroken, Primal Heart


    Stats - Body: 5 / Reflex: 10 / Tech: 4 / Intelligence: 5 / Cool: 8 / Will: 7 / Spirit: 12 / Psi Resonance: 9 / Divinity: 1 (Faith:50)


    Cyberware: None


    ( Nature''s Blessing effect: + 8 to all Stats, increased energy ) Not Active


    Abilities - Sense Mana / Ley Line Sight / Shape Mana / Shapeshift: Serpent / Shapeshift: Lesser Treant


    Skills - Rituals: 6 / Concentration: 10 (Evolving) / Firearms: 7 / Bargaining: 9 / Administration: 6 / Leadership: 5 / Mechanics: 8 / Engineering: 5


    Auras - Life Control: 3


    Druid Spells - Life Control: 5 / Purify: 8 / Nature''s Blessing: 10 (Evolving) / Renew the Cycle: 1 / Reincarnate


    Free Points: 0 / Company Points: 100,000 / Task Points: 0 / Eddies: 27,000,000


    Curses: Soul Damage, Lost Thoughts, Broken Heart ]


    Honestly, I was surprised to see that I had been left with that much. Ooh, a nice pile of Eddies stood out, though how I was supposed to access them, I couldn''t say.


    So I had somehow gained the body of a Night Elf. That seemed like a huge advantage, though I as yet had no clue what those traits would do, they were quite interesting. Shadowmeld was probably like what happened to the Probes once they became Wisp Infused, but that was not certain. Experimentation would be required.


    Hmm. My mana also seemed much more potent despite the lower stats. I cycled it through my body a few times. Yes, much thicker though that was probably not the right way to put it. Denser, maybe. Another benefit of the Kaldorei?


    The addition of Curses was disheartening. Soul Damage was plain enough, that was left over from the process of removing my former classes.


    I shuddered, remembering the torment of those moments.


    "Never again." I growled softly.


    Could I find a way to add new ones? Maybe seal the holes?


    Lost Thoughts was probably from whatever had screwed with my memory. Lethe Water? There were still gaps in my life here and there, also faces and names I couldn''t recall quite yet. Time might solve that problem though.


    Broken Heart was the most troubling. Was that about Sally and Megan... Ingrid and Velma. Did that really fuck me up so badly that it registered as a curse? Or was it something else entirely?


    Well, it wasn''t all bad, at least I had gotten out from under the influence of Voice of the Emperor. Other than still possessing a stat related to Divinity.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ''Try to stay positive,'' I thought to myself.


    Example, I was positive I was going to break my foot off in someone''s ass over all this. Heh.


    I shook it off, for now.


    "Move forward, even if you don''t know where it will lead. Standing still makes you a target, " John said that to me once, while we were training. It made more sense now.


    I reached out to the vined covered Pillar.


    [ Ryan''s Hub Options


    Mana Density: 3


    Time remaining until mandatory expulsion: 5 hours 15 minutes


    Current Stay Duration Limit: 24 hours


    Current Cooldown between Entries: 96 hours


    Raise Level


    Merge Classes


    Merge Skills


    Merge Abilities


    Initiate Task System


    Ransom Allies ]


    When I saw that last entry I roared, "Fuckers!"


    My eyes narrowed and my lip pulled back into a snarl, even my ears tensed up.


    They dared hold my people for ransom.


    Red creeped into my vision and my heart sounded like a battle drum in my ears.


    How I wanted to holler and rail against the whims of my antagonizers.


    ''Deep Breaths.'' I started counting the leaves on the Jasmin vines.


    I was on a clock, if I understood the time remaining properly, and I needed to get equipped before being tossed out. No time for wallowing in my own rage.


    A few moments later, I pulled up their "Ransom" list.


    [ Jaina Proudmoore - 100,000 Company Points


    John Wick - 10,000,000 Company Points


    James Raynor - 2,000,000 Company Points


    Tassadar - 1,000,000 Company Points


    Probius - 100,000 Company Points


    Corusaltusvermilliondeku - @$*@(#$^


    Meadran - 1,000,000 Company Points


    Faergin - 500,000 Company Points


    Korvaith - 500,000 Company Points ]


    I forced myself to read it again. And then a third time.


    So they didn''t seem to have any of the Nomads, or Mith. That was some good news, though I worried about how Mith was doing right now.


    Alina being absent was likely due to her nature as an AI, and locked to a Nexus. No reason to worry much there.


    John was bleeding expensive, though that was no surprise.


    I wasn''t going to think about the little Dragon''s entry, they were never likely to let him near me again. The Case Worker was really upset about him.


    Even the Treants were there. I sighed.


    They had left me with enough points to Ransom Jaina or Probius. A cruel joke, though what was one more cruelty now?


    If I had to choose, it would probably be Probius. Though without a Nexus or Forges his usefulness would be limited.


    Jaina would likely still have her status as an Adjutant. Meaning she''d have to stay behind when I left.


    But I think I''ll hold off on that for right now. I saw no need to rush, and I knew enough about Night City now, that I should be able to get by on my own for a while.


    No one should be able to recognize me anyway. Thankfully Biosculpting was a very diverse practice, so no one should think much of my new appearance. though it might get me a few more attempts at rolling me for eddies.


    I shrugged.


    There was no adding of a Class on this list, but I could merge them. This implied I could get more somewhere else. Maybe the store?


    The Task System, looked interesting.


    Might as well see what that was about.


    My BTC shook,


    [ Welcome to the Task System


    Complete basic Tasks for Points


    Spend Points in the Store ]


    [ Task 1 - Ongoing, Repeating


    Heal 10 people


    Reward: 1,000 Task Points ]


    [ Task 2 - Ongoing, Repeating


    Kill 10 people


    Reward: 1,000 Task Points ]


    [ Task 3 - Ongoing, Repeating


    Fix or Adjust 10 Devices


    Reward: 1,000 Task Points ]


    [ Tasks depend on Classes and Skills ]


    [ You have Quests ]


    [ Quest 1


    Find the Aldecaldos


    Reward: 1,000 Company Points ]


    [ Quest 2


    Meet Rogue in the Afterlife


    Reward: 10,000 Company Points ]


    [ Quest 3 - Ongoing, Repeatable


    Meet Certain People


    Rewards: Varies ]


    [ Quest 4 - Ongoing, Repeatable


    Kill Certain People


    Rewards: Varies ]


    Bloody fucking hell. Generic busywork. Why must I be forced into these kinds of things.


    Alright, sure, I''m probably going to do a lot of those things anyway. Might as well get paid for doing them, but it still pissed me off.


    I shook my head. Focus.


    I still needed to check out the other two sets of buildings, before exploring the Value Tree for gear.


    The one across the road from Treeside was called Utilitree. Ugh. Who named these?


    It was a bizarre amalgamation of Water works and Waste management along with being a Power Plant and Distribution Station. It was like some Ai generated image of what those things should look like all smashed together.


    Across from the Value Tree was a giant warehouse, named Storage Tree. It was, not surprisingly, empty.


    I stared nonplussed at the name.


    Really? (AN: I hide my head in shame. Names are hard for my overworked brain.)


    Beyond them was another purple grass covered field, and off in the distance, I could see another Moon Well. No help there.


    Well then, I guess it was time to go shopping.

 Chapter 119

    This time when I entered the Value Tree, I was greeted by a list of departments.


    Some were more general, like Standard Groceries (U.S.A. 1950 - 2019). Some were very specific, like Goblin Horticulture (Terra 73,629,602,678,476). (AN: That''s a Potterverse World, I think.)


    Goblins on Earth, imagine that. I wonder what that place is like?


    It took a few minute to get used to the lists controls, but I found I could search for what I wanted pretty quickly.


    When searching for Guns, I still got a huge list of departments. I narrowed it down to Terra (100,000 - 62,000,000)


    Though some of those other options were quite fascinating. There were listings for things like The Old Republic Era and The Imperium of Man and countless others.


    I had a feeling though that I needed to stick with things found in Night City, so I tried to enter the Omaha as a reference.


    I was left with Terra (1,746,843 - 3,264,915)


    Good enough, I selected that option and the whole store shifted, or maybe I was teleported.


    Suddenly, I was standing in front of racks and racks of rifles and carbines. The smell of REM oil filled the air. Everything was so gleaming and new, and the prices weren''t out of line with my experiences with NC vendors.


    I minimized the department list and started looking around. There were brands I''d never seen while I was running around NC before, like ARES their weapons look somewhat similar to the ones I had seen before.


    I decided to stick with what I was most familiar with and hunted around for pistols.


    There they were, thousands of cases full of every type of pistol I''d ever seen and then some.


    I found the Omahas. They had a huge selection, even ones I suspected were futuristic to the models I had previously handled. I found one I liked the look of...


    [ Militech Omaha Type XX


    Ammo type: Caseless .50


    Capacity: 10 rounds extended magazine or 25 round drum magazine


    Damage: 10


    Included Modifications: Recoil Compensation, Baffled Barrel, Reflex Sight, Anti-Tamper Software Suite ]


    [ Price: 100,000 Eddies


    1000 Task Points


    500 Company Points ]


    It''s black dull matte finish and diamond textured grip called to me. It whispered to me that it could ventilate all my problems. Sure fucking Militech made it, but I didn''t care. All the more irony if I flatlined their huscle with it.


    Yes, I bought it and the Eddies somehow came out of my BTC. I guess it had integrated Agent abilities now. Convenient.


    Or maybe it just worked that way here? I''d have to check with a vending machine or something, so I didn''t embarrass myself if it didn''t work that way in NC.


    I hope it did work though I''d like to forego cyberware this time, at least until I can get access to the Khalai tech again.


    Then my new baby was in my hands, and it felt so nice I spent a full minute playing with it.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Then some new screens popped up offering ammo and accessories. I got a tactical harness and belt combo with a adjustable holster setup. Ten spare extended mags.


    And then as I when to put them on I finally realized I was still fuckin naked.


    I was playing with my gun while I was nude. I couldn''t help but laugh at the image that conjured up.


    Thankfully the screen now offered related department.


    Clothes and Armor, Survival Gear and Footwear.


    Soon enough I was clothed in a simple black skintight undersuit. It was an armored netrunner suit. Which I picked up not for netrunning, but because it could regulate my temperature under all my armor.


    A plain green button up and black slacks over that. An armored vest similar to the one I had before and an armored navy blue trench coat with some temp control lining.


    A pair of heavy and yes armored combat boot were in the process of adjusting to fit my feet. They had a squishy comfort gel foam inside. My feet were very oversized even for my new form. which given how things felt in my hands was any indication was large.


    Yup, everything bought here was one size fits most, each with some magical ability to shape themselves to the wearer. At least the first time they were put on.


    I snagged two hard cased belt packs full of various bits of survival gear. Most of which felt a bit pointless right now but you never know. Better to have it and not need it...


    I also picked up a sleek hard cased minifridge backpack to pack fill with some decent food, because fuck eating that NC scop again. It covered my whole back and fit nicely under my trench coat.


    I asked my BTC how much time I had left, 1hour 15 minutes.


    Time flies when you are shopping for guns.


    So plenty of time to pick up some grub.


    Then I had an idea.


    I pulled up the department list and entered Classes.


    I got Education Departments of all kinds, however there was a marked standout. The Token Store.


    I selected that.


    Now, I found myself in a small 30'' by 30'' shop done up in a cozy caf¨¦ style. Floor to ceiling glass cases full of Tokens.


    There was a section labeled Heroes, and one labeled Themes.


    I checked a few out.


    Unlike before where Token were random, these were specific.


    [ Malfurion Stormrage Version 524,387,152


    Price: 100,000,000 Eddies


    1,000,000 Task Points


    500,000 Company Points ]


    O-kay. Hundreds of other Heroes were available at similar prices.


    No Raynor, no Wick, no Jaina. Thank goodness, that would have been too weird for me.


    With the Themes it was the same,


    [ The Galactic Empire version 6,253,384,620,967,453,946


    Price: 10 trillion Eddies


    100 billion Task Points


    50 billion Company Points ]


    Holy fucking hell. Just how many versions of things are out there? And those prices...


    Welp, not getting any of these anytime soon I guess.


    Then I found a small case by itself. It only had three Tokens.


    [ Class Gunslinger version 10


    Price: 1,000,000 Eddies


    10,000 Task Points


    5,000 Company Points ]


    [ Class Jedi Knight version 10,537


    Price: 10,000,000 Eddies


    100,000 Task Points


    50,000 Company Points ]


    [ Class Rockerboy version 196


    Price: 500,000 Eddies


    5,000 Task Points


    2,500 Company Points ]


    I wondered what they based the prices on? How useful? How powerful?


    I eyed the Jedi Knight with a certain childish longing, but I probably didn''t want to deal with any of the headaches the mindset of a Jedi would place on me. Still...


    No. Better to let it go.


    Now the Rockerboy was interesting because I had heard the term when I met REV/DEV. I always did want to be in a band, on the other hand I don''t know that I want to deal with that level of public scrutiny.


    Gunslinger while generic sounding was probably my best bet for a quick combat boost. Though I had no idea if this was like a Wild West version of a Gunslinger or something else.


    Hmm. I had the money and if I didn''t like it I could merge it with something else later, probably.


    Alright, Gunslinger it is.


    As I picked up the Token it vanished and I felt it settle into me. No pain, thankfully. In fact, I felt a lot better.


    I checked my Status. (AN: See Below)


    Looking good. So more of a Weird West kind of deal?


    Smooth like a Snake looked neat. Repeated actions became more fluid. Double Shot was less about shooting twice, and more about conjuring a another bullet per shot. It used mana, interesting. Reload was exactly that, you could add ammo with mana.


    I checked the time. 25 minutes left.


    After a quick run through the Grocery section, I realized I''d have to come back for the treats I hadn''t seen in years. Ooo, were those Cheddar BBQ Cheetos? Score! Old school glass bottle sodas, awesome! A selection of candies I had never even heard of before. I felt like a kid again.


    Stocked up on good jerky and water. I grabbed some bread and sandwich meats. A jar of peanut butter. Not the best but a far better than most NC food. A few sodas for fun. I filled my coat pockets with a few fruits. Especially the silver apples. I also grabbed a few snack bars for right now, since it felt like ages since I had eaten.


    Then I remembered I should have grabbed some bottles to fill with Moon Well water. Oh well, too late now.


    It seemed a shame to have to go. Shaking my head, I left the Value Tree and marched to the East Gate with a couple of minutes to spare.


    Time to see what had changed in good ol'' Night City.

 Chapter 120

    I stepped through the gate. One moment, I was within the confines of my Hub and the next I was in a filthy alleyway. Weak daylight filtered between the surrounding buildings. Early or late, I couldn''t say.


    There was no sense of transition, nothing to indicate that movement had occurred. I found that to be something of a conundrum.


    However my thoughts were interrupted by a foul odor. I had not smelt its like since the Sinnamon incident. Someone was dead nearby, and had been for a while.


    Nothing new there. I shouldn''t have been bothered by it, I knew what this place was like. It was a grinder, people went in one end and meat came out the other.


    "Fucking hell." I grumbled. My senses were obvious highly jacked compared to before. I couldn''t ignore it and time didn''t seem to deaden the hair curdling vapors.


    Might as well see what had happened and then try to get my bearings.


    I was suppose to be near the Afterlife, and I remember Megan... grr Velma saying that was where Rogue was.


    Wonder how much she''s like the one we met in the Mana Sink?


    Though it would be a shame to have to meet her without John. I''d like to see that reaction, after the behavior of the lady we had encountered.


    I let my nose guide my feet and soon enough found the corpse of a older man. He had been down on his luck, judging by his attire. Maybe even living on the streets, if you can call that living.


    Hmm a single strike to the abdomen had dispatched him, leaving his entrails laying out for the world to see. I had no way to get any data on him, and his ports were empty. If he had had anything in there to begin with.


    I could detect no motive and he had made no discernable attempt to defend himself. No scraping around his hands.


    Someone had killed him just to do it, insofar as I could tell. Though I could easily be wrong, not knowing too much about how to read a crime scene.


    Mana flooded me as I cast a Purify on him. I arranged him as best I could, returning his insides to their proper place and placing his hands to cover the wounds. He had been there long enough for rigor to have passed.


    "Wherever your soul has gone, rest well." It was all I could offer without knowing more about him.


    Hell my actions weren''t really about him, were they. I was trying to maintain some dregs of my humanity.


    Another Purify to clean my hands. At least the first spell had removed the immediate stench.


    Now the general bouquet of the city was noticeable. Acrid chemicals and human despair. I shook my head as I pondered the feasibility of casting a Purify on the whole fucking city.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Leaving the alley. I saw that I was near by the river or was it a bay? Looked like a river from here. The roadway was busy cars zipping by at a good clip. I scanned around seeing crowds of people roaming the sidewalks and the air was full of drones conducing who knows what business. Further up in the sky all manner of AVs were darting about.


    I growled at the sheer volume of noise and the weight of the sickly life that filled the area. I wanted to heal them all, and I wanted to slaughter the lot of them. I was beginning to think I was a bit cracked in the head.


    "Nothing new there." I muttered to myself. I spied a few vending machines and decided to test whether my BTC could handle money transfers here.


    My choices were crappy burritos, shitty sodas or a one shot plastic pistol. I snorted. What a joke. As if you could put anyone serious down with such a piece of garbage.


    My stomach growled, I hadn''t eaten my snack bars yet.


    Crappy burrito it was. I touched the machine and my BTC shook. One wrapped bundle of questionable food was dispensed.


    Well that was a load off my mind. I had money even if I had no interface with the NET. An agent wouldn''t be too hard to find, maybe a jaunt to Kabuki was in the near future.


    Hmm. Since I couldn''t return to my Hub for days at a time, I''d need a place to stay. Rent or buy? Probably rent for now, until I got to know the city better. Maybe, I could find that Hotel I''d stayed at before.


    First I had to figure out where I was exactly.


    I found a small shop nearby selling a variety of basic goods. I walked in and searched for something innocuous to buy. A section with a few varieties of earplugs caught my eyes. That would do. I found a pair that had a good filter on them. Reducing loud noise, while let normal sounds through. Perfect.


    The clerk was watching some brainrot that passed for news here. Mostly loud screaming about opinions from the little I heard. I did however manage to catch the time. 5:30 PM.


    At the counter, I asked the clerk the way to the Afterlife and without even looking at me he described the way. I touched my BTC to a scanner to pay, and it worked like a charm. I thanked the clerk who didn''t bother to reply and left.


    I tried to move with the crowds and avoid the few pickpockets I noticed in the press.


    It was a relief to find the back entrance the Afterlife and easy enough to work my way around to the front. In the enclosed walkway I put in my new ear pro and shifted my holster to the left side of my chest.


    A belt or leg draw with my long arms felt too awkward and thus slow. A good thigh draw would have my pistol on my knee. The cross draw while probably not the fastest, it still felt the best for now. I''d have to practice more until I found the optimal placement. I checked my pistol to feel the action and checked the mag to ensure it was indeed loaded. The caseless ammo threw me at first but I adapted quick enough.


    I nodded to myself, taking a few deep breaths to center my mind.


    I turned the corner to see the stairway. Suppressing my desire to clean up all the trash, and ignoring the stares from a few mercs hanging around, I descended.


    Noticed a few traps on the way down too. Old school ones. No electronics so not connected to the local net. A hazing ritual for the newbies or just a sadistic game?


    I hit the hallway to the club''s proper entrance, stopping to scan the way. More traps and a borged out fella at the end of the hall. The obviously broken vending machines worried me a bit but I figured I should be alright as long as I paid attention.


    A moment later, I stood in front of the bouncer, who looked at me with a bizarre combination of respect and contempt.


    "I don''t know you."


    Now I wasn''t completely lost here, Sally and Megan... ugh, had mentioned a passcode if I found myself here without them.


    I really didn''t want the say it.


    I whispered it to the bouncer, "Holes and poles showed voles the moles." Argh, so stupid.


    He smirked, "Older code but it checks out." He stepped aside, "Have fun, newbie."

 Chapter 121

    I was a bit startled by the d¨¦cor of the club.


    There where refrigerated storage compartments for corpses nearby. Some seemed defunct and others were blowing cool air into the area.


    A little too on the nose, but I could appreciate the darker sense of humor.


    I was just about the approach the bar when I was pushed aside by a behemoth of a man entering the club. I had clocked my height at somewhere around 7'', judging by the height of most folks in the streets. This guy must have been 8 and half feet and was at least three time as wide as me.


    "Move aside, scrub. No time for gawking." He must of had a broken voice mod. It was so cracked and grainy, I could have mistaken it as having come out of a gramophone.


    I focused my aura on him. Shit, he was a full conversion job. His only meat left was just his brain rattling around in an armored case up top. Barely any of that was au natural either.


    No matter how much I wanted to, it was probably better to ignore the disrespect. Still... there was something I had been wanting to try since I had gotten Life Control.


    I used my aura to shut off the connections from his brain to his chrome. Everything was still functional, but he had no way of directing his body anymore. No one had much protection from mana here, it had proved to be no challenge. I would want to do it in a fight, but with nobody trying to tag me, it was a piece of cake.


    He just shuttered to a stop. I returned a few connections to his eyes and ears. Hopefully, he didn''t have some kind of crazy laser eyes or something.


    I walked around to stand in front of him. I plastered a friendly smile on my face, as I looked into his optics.


    "No need to be rude, Choom. That''s how accidents happen. Play nice, or next time I''ll leave you like this."


    I allowed him to regain control one limb at a time.


    "Haha, that''s quite a trick, newbie, and a good attitude. Don''t let any of these scumbags punk you." It was hard to read him, none of his features changed while he spoke. Borgs creeped me out. the only good thing about them is they don''t seem to have those kinds of reaction to my mana.


    "I''m the Medic." I held out a hand to shake. He latched on far more gently than I had anticipated. I took a risk that folks might mistake me for a Ripper, but I recalled that the nomads never called anyone healing them up a medic.


    "Oho, a medic. Not much demand for a fleshworker these days. Good luck, newbie! I''m Wrekt, see you around, maybe." He tromped off to one of the many darker alcoves in the already dark club.


    Me, I went to the bastion of light in a sea of shadow. The bar was empty and as I took a seat, it stayed empty for a few minutes. I didn''t mind, it allowed me to reach out with my aura and get a count on how many mercs where currently present in the building. The answer was not many. A few upstairs and about a dozen scattered around the main bar. Mostly where I couldn''t see them from here.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Was this the slow period or just a slow day?


    "You lost, kid?" A bartender had shown up. He was a gruff looking old guy, moderate modded. Very clean cut for all of that. He even wore a classic white shirt and vest combo with a bowtie.


    "Nope. Looking for work, and a neat water, purest you got."


    He grunted, and pulled out a faux crystal bottle.


    "I can''t help you with the work, but this is the best water you are likely to find outside of some Corpo bigwig''s home."


    He poured the water, by the finger and I tapped the nearby scanner. Fucking hell. I''m bring my own next time. Sure, it was nothing to my balance but water shouldn''t cost that much.


    It was pretty good water though. Especially for this hellhole.


    I gave him a nod. "Thanks."


    He shook his head and started getting things ready for what I presume would be later customers. So, I just got here too early.


    The real question was, how was I going to make inroads with a decent team of mercs? Especially since my end goal was a meeting with Rogue.


    Fuck, I really had no clue.


    Sit around and wait for something to come up I guess. Maybe buy some liquid lubrication for anyone I liked the look of. Schmooze about for a few days and get to know a few people.


    I really didn''t feel like I was in a hurry. Sure, I had payback to deliver, but they weren''t going anywhere. I could take my time and really explore the city, make an accurate decision on what I needed to do in the future.


    "Heya Choom, you okay?"


    "Hmm?"


    Turning the stool around I didn''t see anyone. Until I looked down.


    She was small and cute. Pale greyish skin and an oversized dark hoodie, her turquoise hair dancing behind her. Her optics were a riotous mix of pink surrounded by neon green with red outside of that.


    "Yeah, I''m fine just trying to figure out how to find a good crew to work with."


    She hopped up into the stool next to me.


    "Hey Harry! Get me my usual."


    I heard the bartender snort. He stared at her with a smirk.


    "One pint sized virgin daiquiri for the pint sized virgin, coming right up." He quipped.


    She flipped him off. "Fuck you, Harry!" She was all kinds of feisty.


    "You wish, pipsqueak." He chuckled.


    She turned back to me, "So what are you good at?" Like nothing had just been said.


    I offered her my hand, "Want to see?"


    She gave me a skeptical look. "What can you possibly do with a handshake?"


    Then she shrugged and took my hand anyway.


    I pulsed my mana into her, slowly, carefully. She started to squirm on her stool.


    Hmm. Lots of old damage, she was still mostly organic. Easy for me to work with. I cleaned up some old breaks in her arms and legs, removed some scar tissue from old beatings. Abusive childhood? Was she raised on the streets?


    She was panting heavily and couldn''t seem to stay still.


    A few bullet wounds, a place where she had been caught by a blade. These needed a heavier touch. Damn, what had this young lady been up to?


    Her moans were starting to attract attention.


    I went over her RealSkinn and fix a few places were it didn''t quite sync up right. She had probably gotten the Skinn before she had finished growing. In fact, there were a lot of factors that had stunted her growth. Maybe, I could fix those up?


    But not right now. She was already attracting a crowd.


    Her moans had turned into little yips and squeals.


    I let her down slowly.


    "I can fix more some other time if you want." I kept my face neutral.


    "More... Ah, yes, please, more."


    She slumped down and rested her head on the bar. She was not really here anymore.


    I turned around to look at the crowd of mercs that had come for the show.


    Who all started cheering and clapping.

 Chapter 122

    It was good I had made an impression, whether it was a good impression remained to be seen.


    I gave a jaunty little wave to the crowd. A got a couple of whistles.


    "Good show, kid! When''s the next act?" I heard Wrekt call out.


    "When I have my next volunteer." I could feel a smirk on my lips, despite my attempts to keep my face blank. Strangely I felt more comfortable with the attention than I would have thought I would have.


    "Maybe after work!" I heard a woman''s voice call out, which started a new round of laughter. A round of higher pitch giggling and catcalling. Was it catcalling if you did it to a man? Maybe it should be dogcalling? Eh, maybe not.


    "I''ll be around, if you have aliments of the flesh, or chrome rejection issues, maybe I can help. I''m the Medic." Message delivered I turned back to my water. I was trying to seem mysterious but not unapproachable.


    I heard a bunch of doubtful chatter. A few hopeful mutters. Well, it might take some time to find takers.


    As the mercs started to filter back to their own business, one lady stood out. Mostly for her colorful pink and white small jacket, one of those kinds that''s more for fashion than the intended purpose of a jacket. Her dark bodysuit was over tight, and marked her as a netrunner. She had black hair and huge shit-eating grin on her face. Her gorgeous blue eyes with a pink ring were dancing with mischief.


    "Un Nya! Has little Rebecca been defeated? Without a shot fired no less." She stood beside the short lady I had just demonstrated my abilities on, and rubbed her back soothingly. She hummed a soft and quiet little tune, into the ear of Rebecca. (AN: Yes, the lewdness of the statement was intentional.)


    Rebecca murmured something, "Sho... good... feeling preem." Her eyes were open but they were hazy. She shifted gently before nuzzling back into her arms on the bar.


    "You hacked her good, could you do it to someone who can defend themselves?" The new lady had a mocking smile on her face, as she turn to me with a challenge. Her eyes were flashing. Yeah, good luck with that. She wasn''t going to find anything to interface with.


    "You''re making the wrong assumptions, but sure as long as you are at least 20% meat. I can guarantee this result, less than that is iffy but still possible. But the pleasure is a side effect, a fringe benefit if you will." I made sure to look her in the eyes and kept my hands still. She seemed to think I had taken advantage of her friend for nefarious purposes. I could see that. I''d be protective of my friend too if I thought the same.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "You''re ''ganic!" She exclaimed. Her mind started putting things together, because you can''t toss a hack on someone without a neural interface cyberdeck.


    "One hundred percent." I smiled and gestured to Harry to refill my glass. "Make it a double." I said as he came over and poured the good stuff. I looked a question at my interrogator. She nodded. "One for the Lady."


    Harry nodded and poured another glass.


    "You''re gene modded? And obviously wealthy." She stared the glass of water.


    "I have money. It''s not why I want to help folks." I ignored the gene mod question, which was going to be my strategy on that topic going forward. People will probably come up with all kinds of crazy stories about it.


    "Help, is that what you are doing?" She got Rebecca settled into the next stool down and moved her drink in front of her. Then she plopped down next to me.


    "You want to see what it''s like to be healed?" I asked once again maintaining eye contact. Not that that was a chore, she had great eyes. I offered my hand.


    "Healing?" She tentatively took my hand, as if she was afraid it would shock her.


    "What did you think I was some kind of pervert?" I asked as I pulsed mana into her. I made sure to go slow, and not to get so focused on her that I wouldn''t notice the room.


    "Nyaa! It h-had c-rossed my m-mind! Auah!" She grit her teeth, trying to resist how the energies coursing through her made her feel.


    "It''s sad to be so misunderstood." My tone was soft and mocking. I found a fairly recent bullet wound in her chest, I saw no reason to leave the scar tissue there and cleaned it up.


    She gasped, "What?! Ahn, Nya!" Yeah, she felt that.


    Hmm, I thought I had made my point pretty well, so I pulled back and let her down slowly. I didn''t want to knock her loopy like her friend.


    "Well, how was that?" I asked.


    She tried to get control of her breath. She looked at me with wide eyes. I''d say her mind was struggling to catch up with the moment.


    "A-maz-zing!" Her body shuddered as she stretched. It was a very nice view.


    "I''m the Medic, and I''m looking for a crew, failing that work here and there."


    "Why not start a clinic? You''d be a hit." She had begun to pull herself together.


    "Don''t want to stay in one place too long, nor the hassle of running a business. Again I don''t need money, I need a network, connections, favors, people I can trust, maybe even some friends." Maybe I was oversharing, but I had a good feeling about these two. Even if some of it was from how I thought they were quite adorable.


    "Well, I can put in a good word with my crew if you want." She noticed that Rebecca was starting to come out of her fog. "You okay, Chibi?"


    "Who are you calling Chibi, Whiskers!? I''ll show you who''s short when I shoot out your kneecaps!" The small lady was suddenly full of fire and vinegar. She had a pistol out and already going low.


    "No iron, Becca! Or I''ll kick you out again." Harry yelled from where he was serving a new group their drinks.


    "You ladies are old friends?" I noticed Rebecca''s pistol, which was heavily modded, disappeared quick.


    "Yeah, we''ve run together a while now. Why''d you ask?" The short lady was the picture of innocence now, as if violence was the farthest thing from her mind.


    "He''s looking for a crew." The dark haired lady answer while poking Rebecca in the cheek.


    "Hmm, what do you think Sasha? Would Maine take him on?" She sounded excited.


    "Would I do what, now?" A deep voice came from behind us.

 Chapter 123

    He was bigger than me, thought a bit smaller than Wrekt. He had something of a similar feel to Raynor, though no where near as deep. He was heavily chromed, really pushing the edge of his humanity. Though he had kept his face, framed with blonde hair and rocking blue eyes. Really stood out with his darker skin tone. Sporting a vest and a bandanna, he had a casual feel.


    He flashed a smile at Sasha, who jumped up and hugged him. I got sibling vibes from them. Rebecca waved at him, "Heya, Maine!"


    Looking on was a lady almost as huge as the guy. She was more flesh though. Her core was almost all meat, though she had chrome arms and legs. Nordic looking. Very serious type, despite the casual attire of just a jacket. She liked to show off the muscles she worked so hard to get.


    She was certainly with Maine in the primal sense, judging by their body language.


    Sasha gave her a hug as well, I noticed there was much less of a sibling tone to their relationship. Hmm, interesting. Perhaps Sasha didn''t approve of their relationship. Perhap This lady tried to push Sasha in ways she didn''t want to be pushed.


    I admit, I never used to really understand the bonds and subtext between people in my old life. However, my brief stint as a psyker, had changed that. I was far more aware of the subtle interplay that constantly surrounded peoples lives. Even now that I was mostly free of those powers, I could see and sense more than I ever would have before.


    Greetings done, the eyes of the newcomers focused on me. Half intimidation, half amusement. I let it slide off. there was no real aggression in their stances, this was just the way they were.


    A waved and held out my hand, "I''m the Medic." I was starting to get tried of saying that, I needed to get some cards made or something. I tried to appear friendly but determined, with a hint of aloof.


    "Oh, I could use a tune up." The big lady remarked, while side-eying Maine.


    "You have to give him a spin, Dorio. It''s preem." Rebecca exclaimed, while waving her arms in a wide circles. Odd, behavior. A signal, maybe.


    "I''d like to see this, I missed when he worked on Rebecca earlier. It''d be nice to see what it looks like for the other side." Sasha always had a light tone as if she was about to laugh.


    Hmm, I was starting to feel like a public utility. "Today is free, just to get my name out there and show folks what I can do." I tried to sound like I was joking.


    "Hahaha! Alright, lets see what you got, Longears!" She sat on the stool next to me, whew I''m surprised it held. Now that she was closer to me, I had a better sense of her mass. Also she reeked of the gym. Old sweat, and broken dreams.


    I turned to her and offered my hand, she stared at it for a moment before taking it. Even though I no longer needed to touch folk when I heal them, this was more about their willing participation. They are making a choice to accept what''s about to happen to them, otherwise it might feel dirty. Sure I''ll heal my people up without worrying about it, or skip it in an emergency, but I like to give people the choice where possible.


    Not that they can fully understand what''s coming. They couldn''t with the way this world works.


    I felt Maine sit on the stool that was now behind me. I could feel his gaze boring into the back of my head. Hmm, how protective of a boyfriend was he?If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Sasha stood at my side, with her hands behind her back, eagerly staring at Dorio. Rebecca was ordering another Daiquiri from Harry, and seemed unconcerned by the events around her.


    I let the mana drip into her, a slow build up. I was going to turn this one into a big show. Maybe the novelty would have worn off, and folks could start thinking about how useful my skills were, instead of how entertaining.


    Hopefully, Maine wouldn''t take offense.


    Fuck! This wench had destroyed herself. I could feel the countless reps and endless effort that went into every part of her. Sadly she had replace her limbs with chrome, though with her I was almost positive it was because of damage, not convenience.


    Smooth the ridiculous amount of microtears in all her muscles, the ribs that had broken again and again probably while they under load.


    She didn''t even have a moaning and groaning stage she went straight into the screaming like a banshee stage. "Freya''s Tits! That feeelss ssso gooood!" She convulsed in ecstasy, as all of her muscle clenched and relaxed.


    I heard a spit take behind me, "The hell?!"


    Rebecca and Sasha were cackling like witches drunk on their power.


    I started repairing her organs, all of which had vast amounts of damage cause by hormonal imbalances. Oh, she had rendered herself infertile at some point, whether from some cocktail of chemicals or for working out too hard, I wasn''t quite sure. Maybe I should ask if she wanted that function back?


    I snapped the fingers of my free hand in front of her face, while pulling back my mana.


    I leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Do you want to be able to have children?"


    She jerked back, "How did you know?"


    I gave her a flat look. I pulsed my mana, through her body very fast, once.


    "Oh, OH!" She gulped.


    I felt the laser focus of the man behind me, whoops.


    "Nyan? What''s going on?"


    "Hey, bring back the fun!"


    Dorio seemed to struggle with some internal beast for maybe two whole seconds. She stared over my shoulder at Maine and shook her head at some unspoken things between them. that lasted maybe a minute while they had some kind of conversation with just their eyes.


    Or maybe they were messaging each other, duh. Don''t forget about the high tech phones in people''s heads, idiot. Even when I had one I forgot about it all the time. I needed to work on that.


    "Yes, please." Dorio say while blushing up a storm.


    "Alright, Maine was it? Could you hold her steady, she''s going to get wild." I kept my tone clinical, flat. Maybe publicly wasn''t the best place to have this happen, but this was just another Tuesday. Well, it was a Monday but you get the idea. Keep it professional.


    "Oooo." Sasha and Rebecca both intoned, almost perfect harmony. Neat.


    Maine came over and held on to Dorio from behind the stool, wrapping his massive arms around her.


    "Alright, I''ve got her."


    I turn my full attention to her ovaries and uterus, and poured what felt like river of mana into them.


    Something I had learned, back when I had Regrowth and was explore with... those women, was that direct stimulation of the reproductive organs had explosive results.


    She became a siren, wailing about the end of the world. Her voice reached such a pitch and volume that I think my eardrum blew out, until my own aura helped heal them back into place.


    That definitely got everyone''s undivided attention, from several blocks away.


    She actually damaged Maine''s arms were she gripped them with her full strength. I suppose I''ll pay to fix that, it''s half my fault. Should have warned them more.


    She wet herself in every way imaginable. No shock there.


    A quick Purify cleared all of that up.


    Dorio looked like she had run several marathons back to back.


    But now she was healed.


    She turned around and grabbed Maine''s face and laid the mother of all impassioned kisses upon him. They were probably about to run off and test the equipment, so to speak.


    I really should look at him first, and get his boys swimming properly.


    Nah, let them have their fun. I''ll be around later, probably.


    "We have to go!" She growled while dragging Maine with her out of the club.


    "Have fun!" Sasha called while waving her arms like they were taking off on a cruise ship.


    "That was something else!" Rebecca cheered.


    "It really was special. However, I don''t remember turning my bar into a brothel."


    Wow, people just loved to try to sneak up on me. Thankfully I had felt her coming.


    I turned around to look into the grey eyes of Rogue.

 Chapter 124

    Fifty years or so can really change a person, but this was undeniably the real version of the Rogue we met in the Mana Sink. Honestly, she didn''t look all that bad, all things considered.


    Her steel toned hair still had just a hint of it''s former teal. She was wearing a full business suit, though I doubted that was her typical style. Still much of the edge of her merc days was missing. Whether she was suppressing it or she had lost it remained to be seen.


    She caught me staring and her grey eyes flashed a warning. Ah, very no nonsense. A got a glimpse of a pistol under her jacket. Still some of that edge there, then. Good to know. That plus the large guy slightly behind her, was a message, even I could follow.


    I decided to be civil, for now.


    "Sorry about that, I was demonstrating my abilities. What you just witnessed was a side effect. I don''t mean to interrupt your clientele, but I need to show off my value to a team." I thought that showing I was willing to bend my neck a little towards her, while not rolling over entirely would be the best play, until I got to know her.


    "Oh? Just a side effect? What exactly is your ''ability'', Mr.... " She trailed off her face expressionless. Her quick glance at Sasha and Rebecca, gave me nothing.


    The ladies for their part, were staring at Rogue like I might have stared at Superman, when I was a kid. They seemed to hang on her every word, as if if was divine wisdom. In other words they were fangirling hard.


    "I go by The Medic, right now. Ma''am." Yup, business cards and maybe a placard. Maybe a nametag.


    "You heal people." She nodded, "It seems I remember talk from not that long ago, about a man that could perform similar feats." Her eyebrow made it a question, rather than the statement it sounded like.


    "I might know a few things about him, if you have time to hear them?" Come on, take the bait. Let''s get all of this out of the way, so I can find a crew, and start earning some points. I had people to buy back.


    "That certainly sounds more interesting than what I already had planned for the night." She turned to her companion, who was a very serious looking fella who was showing some serious chrome. Even I could make out what she whispered to him.


    He nodded and left, going through the doors that led deeper into the back of the building.


    "Let''s talk in a quieter place, Medic." She smirked and a hint of that rebellious lady peeked out from behind the stoneface. She gestured towards the door the other guy had departed through.


    I stared at the door for a second, weighing the pros and cons of going through it.


    Well, if she wanted to zero me, she would hardly have to do it in private.


    I rose off the stool. I waved to Sasha and Rebecca who were still making googly eyes at Rogue, and barely noticed I had moved.


    "Ladies, I hope to see you again, sometime." I didn''t expect much of a response, and I didn''t get one.


    "See you later." Rebecca called before going back to looking at Rogue.


    "I''ll catch you tomorrow, Medic." Sasha half heartedly promised.


    I waved at them and headed to the door.


    Rogue followed closely behind me.


    "Turn left ahead and take the stairs up to the third floor." Her voice was soft, she didn''t want others to hear. Interesting.


    I saw no reason to cause trouble now so I followed her continuing instructions until we ended up in a room, with an isolation chamber in it.


    I didn''t need anyone to tell me the purpose of the darkened glass chamber. Well, probably not glass, maybe a polycarbonate. So bullet resistant, and mostly sound proof.


    Her guard was waiting by the door to the chamber. He nodded at me and turned to her, "Everything is ready, I''ll watch the door for mice." He seemed more like he''d rather be laughing, over a beer perhaps, than looking out for other folks.


    The inside of the chamber was filled with a plush sectional couch and a matching recliner. A faux wood coffee table and a Monitor hanging from the ceiling. There were a few cabinets opposite to the entrance. The view of the outside area was much clearer than the view from outside in.


    The Monitor was on and filling the screen was a familiar face.


    "Amanda." I was so glad to see her. Even if it was only a picture.


    "Ryan? Is that you?" She sounded relived and worried and confused all at once.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I flinched. I didn''t expect a telecall.


    I turned to see Rogue entering behind me and closing the door.


    "Yes, it''s me. What''s left of me anyway." I tried to smile at her, but my heart wasn''t in it.


    "Raynor? Is he with you?" That did get me to smile. I could feel her love for him, in that question.


    Rogue being unobtrusive sat on the sectional and seemed to zone out. Her way of saying don''t mind me, I guess.


    "They still have him, and the others. Ransom, and a warning." I shook my head.


    "Fuck. How much? We have a lot from what we manage still."  She grimaced, things might not be going well for them.


    "Company Points." I said simply.


    "Bastards!" She hissed.


    Yeah.


    "Let''s meet up somewhere safe. See what''s left and I''ll go over what''s new." I glanced at Rogue, who didn''t seem to take offense.


    "Alright, I see they took out your interface. You have an Agent yet?" She was already planning.


    "No, no contacts to get a truly secure one. Trying to build relationship here and now."


    She nodded, "Okay, lets meet where you started an outpost by Rocky Ridge. Say, in two days?" She looked at something out of frame.


    "Sounds good. See you then."


    The connection ended.


    "Well, that''s fascinating. I''ve never seen Amanda care so much for anyone so obviously not a Nomad." Rogue said quietly, like she didn''t want to spook me.


    "We have a history, albeit brief."


    "I heard you tamed the infamous Longshot and Murdermind. I would have deemed that an impossible task." She seemed to be dancing around something...


    "Well, yes but no. They weren''t Sally and Megan." I sat on the recliner, so I was facing her but as far away as I could get.


    "What do you mean?" Rogue frowned, and started tapping her index figure against her thigh.


    "They were agents, Militech. They had been replaced long before I came around."  I really didn''t want to talk about it, but I figured it was best to play ball. For now.


    She was no fool, and could see my reluctance to discuss it. She changed subjects.


    "You ability to heal, can you fix anything?" She seemed eager, but was trying to contain her reactions.


    "No, not anything. However, if it involves flesh, just about anything. I can''t affect cyberware directly, though I can smooth over bad connections between nerves and chrome." I seemingly overshared, while still not fully explaining my magic.


    "Would you be willing to heal some of my people?" Ah, here we go. The crux of the matter.


    "For the right considerations, I''m not interested in money." I leaned towards her, trying to give an impression of being more interested than I really was.


    "What do you want?" Her eyes narrowed. She was calculating things out in her head. I noticed a twitch in her legs, a small quiver of her lips.


    "Connections, favors, influence. Friends if possible, solid allies failing that. I''m aware you can make at least some of that happen." I smiled, trying to seem friendlier than I felt.


    "I can absolutely help with those." She gave a half nod. There was a feeling she was anticipating something.


    "Then we have an accord, you help me, and I help you." I held out my hand. "I assume you would like to be heal yourself."


    She hesitated, probably realizing I had seen through her, at least to some extent. She didn''t like not being in control. She had seen what had happened to the other women. She was conflicted, she wanted it, and hated what it would mean.


    A sentiment I completely agreed with. When two people like us meet, something has to give.


    It wasn''t going to be me. Not this time.


    She slid to the end of the sectional, she made it look graceful.


    She took my hand. I nodded, acknowledging her determination.


    Not that I was going to make the next part easy on her, quite the contrary.


    I rammed my mana into her body.


    She shuddered, but otherwise maintained her composure. Good, it''s no fun if she just gives in at the beginning.


    We are just getting started.


    I pulsed my mana in waves, getting a sense of what was wrong with her.


    Eesh, what wasn''t messed up in her. Not much chrome, which was a surprise. however I was sure most of her organs had been regrown in a vat at some point. They didn''t feel quite settled in. she had been through some catastrophic damage at some point. Still, easy enough to get everything synced up and running smoothly.


    She jerked as her hips rocked forward once before she locked down her reactions against. She was grimacing as if she was in pain, even though I knew that was far from the case.


    I held back a grin, it wouldn''t do to gloat. That would show a lack of professionalism.


    I cleaned up dozen more old wounds, everything from bullet wounds and lacerations to burns and crush damage, before I got her next reaction.


    A long and low moan that she fought all the way. She undulated a few times before she managed to still herself again.


    "It''s okay, I won''t judge you." I said with as even a tone as I could manage.


    "I''d judge myself." She hissed.


    I nodded and twisted my mana while straightening out her neural connections. She had a lot of scorched nerves. Overuse of skillchips maybe? Running a Sandy too much?


    Well, no problem. I stroked the nerves while they grew strong again.


    "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" She thrashed against my grip for several breaths before regaining control. Her teeth clenched and sweat glistening on her face.


    My treatments were already having massive side effects. She looked at least a decade younger already. A shame I really didn''t like her.


    The first breakthrough is always the hardest to achieve. Now it was only a matter of time.


    My plan called for varying the strength and speed of my mana coursing deep into her cells. Easing and calming their activities. I forced her muscles to relax, ancient cramps undone as all became new. This  was the straw the broke the camel''s back, so to speak.


    "Noooooo! Please. I can''t. I won''t." She was bucking and laying back against the couch.


    I was now standing over her, "It''s okay, just relax. It''s almost over."


    Now for the finale.


    I bore down on her with a fierce will. I pulled all my mana into a ball just below her naval, and vibrated the nerve cluster there. Oh, there were more direct methods to be sure, better places to focus one to really drive her wild. But this was less obvious.


    After all, I wanted her to want more, without feeling like I had directly attacked her in a sexual fashion.


    She orgasmed hard, and it lasted for a long time. Her screams reverberated off the walls of the compartment.


    "Mmmmmmmmmaaaaahhhh! Yesh! Yesh! More... "


    I guess she had been pent up.


    She wasn''t holding back anymore. She writhed against the couch, trying desperately to find more sensation.


    I let her go.


    I stared down at her disheveled form trying to keep the contempt off my face. I knew it wasn''t fair to her, to hold the actions of the Mana Sink version of her over her head. Yet, she had done a lot of the same things. It was hard to forgive or forget that someone had used a nuke in the middle of a city.


    I cast Purify on her, no need to let her stew in the mess she had made.

 Chapter 125

    I took out my jacket and pulled off my backpack. I don''t know what era it came from, but despite it''s refrigeration capacities it was nearly silent even to my new levels of hearing. I took out two old school Dr Peppers, the glass bottle making a delightful ringing noise. I got the bottle opener from one of my survival kits and open one of the bottles for myself.


    I don''t know why, but I have always used all the little names for similar drinks interchangeably, Soda, pop, cola, and so on. I never had stuck with one label for long.


    Two of the snack bars, chocolate over a medley of nuts, I had grabbed were extracted from my pockets. Their Mylar wrappers crinkling noisily. Sadly there were no cashews, which happened to be my favorite type of nut. I suppose I''ll have to make due.


    Look at me, being all self involved. Good thing I was mostly joking, or I might start getting pissed off at myself.


    Sometimes you have to joke even if it is only with yourself.


    The next few moments were spent in enjoying my snacks and beverage, while I pondered my actions. I had probably come on too strongly. I couldn''t separate what I knew from how I treat her.


    Perhaps, I went a little too hard on Rogue. I''d have to do better. I couldn''t let her wrongdoing turn me into a dick. Maybe it was too late. This on top of my new found anger issues, was going to be a lot to manage.


    Her moans focused my attention back on her. I really had worked her hard. She looked a lot younger, which only made me feel even shittier. Those damned caveman instincts, I guess.


    She was coming out of her pleasure induced stupor. I opened the second bottle of Dr Pepper and placed it in front of her. See, I could be nice.


    She groggily picked up the bottle and took a sip. Her eyes widened and her sip turned into a deep guzzling drink. Yup, Dr Pepper was awesome.


    She placed the bottle, now half empty, back down on the coffee table. I politely ignored her soft belch. My own sip covering a smile.


    "Haven''t had anything like that, since I was a small child. Where did you find it?" She had almost as intense a look on her face as when she was lost in ecstasy. She was a very attractive woman. If really was a shame.


    "I have a limited source, and it wouldn''t do any good to explain it to you. Perhaps, I''ll share more with you, someday." I went with a soft friendly smile. Never just refuse, be polite and suggest future benefits.


    She looked away. Of course she did, this was the second round and she was already on the back foot. I could see her trying to gather her wits and plot out her next steps. She''d be more cautious now. I knew she was crafty, which was part of why I had thrown her for a loop.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "You are a vicious negotiator." She frowned. Always nice to get a acknowledgement that the other party saw your scheme. Nicer still if they didn''t shoot you for it.


    "Honestly, I was just trying to be nice with the drink. Maybe, I was being a bit too aggressive with my ability before. I want you to understand what I can offer. That I have value that can''t be bought, nor traded, nor taught." I smirked, "Before we go much further, you should look at yourself in a mirror, so you have the full picture." Provide some details, but not everything.


    She stared at me flatly for almost a full minute, before she got up and opened one of the cabinets. It had a mirror on the inside of the door, and there was a sink in there too. Should have explored a bit, while she was senseless. Oh well.


    "What?" She touched her face, "Is this some kind of trick?" She was stunned. Bullseye. She valued her appearance, and some part of her missed her youth. This had gone a long way in establishing my worth.


    "Nope. You now look like you are about thirty, give or take. Given time and more effort, I could make you look even younger." I chuckled. A bit of bait for further deals.


    My BTC shook. I received a notice about completing the Meet Rogue Quest. It even had a bonus for making a good impression. 15,000 Company Points in the bag. All in all a good haul, even if I got nothing more out of this.


    Rogue turned, "What do you want?" I couldn''t exactly read her expression, but it was certainly a fascinating sight. Somewhere between lust, envy and dismay.


    "I''m pretty sure I''ve already told you that information." I frowned.


    "It can''t be that simple. With everything you can do, you could carve out your own kingdom. You don''t need me, or the mercs in this club." She folded her arms and cocked one of her hips deep I thought. Probably looking for my hidden motives.


    My chuckle caused her to focus on my face again, "Tried that. My ''Sponsors'' didn''t like how it turned out. Thus my disappearance, thus me being changed. To start over, and forge a different path this time." I shrugged, "At least they left me some of my money." I wished they had left me with my face. I missed it.


    I let her mull things over. I leaned back in the recliner.


    "What can I do to help you?" She asked gently. Ah, she had made her choice. Now if I could just convince her not to stab me in the back.


    "I could use a secure Agent. An identity I could do business under. Directions to a decent place to stay. The name of some trustworthy folks to do business with. A dependable car for sale. That kind of thing." I leaned forward. Time to start setting up a new life.


    "N-Nothing else? Just that?" She seemed to struggle with herself. I wondered what she was thinking?


    "For now, until I get settled. Figure out my next steps." I had a long road ahead, and it would start with getting back my people.


    She nodded.


    A chime sounded, startling both of us.


    Rogue pushed a button on the monitor. The image of her guard seemed exasperated.


    "Faraday is here and he refuses to be rescheduled." He rolled his eyes. "He''s making a scene as usual."


    Rogue sighed.


    "I''ll be right down." She turned to me, "I have to take care of this. As to your request, I have a standard out of town guest package I can give you. It will let you move freely and conduct business. That will give me time to build you a solid identity. Okay?"


    There was only one thing to say.


    "Preem."

 Chapter 126

    Rogue guided me back to the bar, where an arrogant man waited impatiently. His most notable feature was three eyes on his face''s right side. In some ways, I found that more disturbing than the completely monstrous borg beast Maelstrom, though I couldn''t tell you why. His maroon suit spoke of someone who both wanted to mingle with the Corpo crowd but also wanted to stand out. His grey hair told me he had been around the block. He must have had quite a few aces up his sleeves, because I already wanted to shoot him. No one so full of their own importance could survive long without a few tricks.


    Only seconds of being in his presence and he was looking down on me. His gaze was on me for less than ten seconds before he dismissed me as unimportant. Strike One.


    "Is this merc trash the reason you tried to reschedule? I fail to see what could be so important that years of planning needed to be delayed further." He wasn''t even afraid of Rogue, in her own club. Meaning he had something on her, or backers that did. While that was plenty interesting, it was still strike two.


    Rogue glared at him for a few seconds, before turning to me. I noticed her guard was rather uncomfortable. So much so, he had his hand on his iron. Hmm. What a curious situation. Why wouldn''t they just end this man? So many options came to mind.


    "Medic, the package I promised will be delivered shortly. Please enjoy my hospitality until then." Her fierce expression wasn''t for me, so I didn''t worry about it. She turned back to the rude man, "Faraday, lets get this over with." She turned intending to lead him to the backrooms.


    I nodded and waved my hand at her. "A pleasure to have met you, Ma''am." I smiled broadly while walking pass them to the bar.


    But some people don''t understand when it''s time to keep their mouths shut.


    "Yes, go sit with Maine''s trash runners, boy." A petty gesture, designed to salve his ego. Strike three.


    I twisted back towards him and grabbed the back of his neck. He drew an Omaha, but it was already too late. Without a Sandy or a Keren, no standard person was as fast as me. Even a top athlete would have a hard time keeping up, without chrome. One of the delightful benefits of this new body.


    I pulsed my mana direction into his brain stem, cutting the motor nerves. He was mostly meat, so it was easy. His arms fell to his sides and his pistol hit the floor. Faraday would have followed, now unable to maintain the strength to stand, if not for my hand holding him up as if he was a puppy.


    I leaned him against the bar, and then got him onto a stool. It''s not easy to maneuver a limp body, so it took a moment. In that moment, Rogue''s guard had drawn his iron and aimed at me. Rogue herself already had her pistol out and ready, but at least it was aimed at the floor.


    For that matter about half the people in the club had already armed up and were looking for a target when their eyes fell on me. Soon I had a whole room of folks ready to fill me full of holes. I wondered if my healing could out pace the damage. Though there was no particular reason to find out right now.


    I kept my movements slow. "So how important is he, really?" It wasn''t my first time having iron pointed in my direction. It was however the first time I had faced such a certain death, should I make a mistake.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "He isn''t. This project is." Rogue said in a calm and measured tone. She was weighing the value of my life over the value of Faraday''s. I doubt I was winning that measuring contest. So let''s change the equation.


    "He''s not dead, by the way. Despite appearances. I just cut off his connection to his motor nerves. I imagine a doc could put him back together, but it would be expensive. Or I could do it in about three seconds." I held my hands out, showing that I was "harmless".


    I heard laughter in the crowd, it was Wrekt. "Good job, kid! Fuck that Gonk!" That trigger a wave of laughs from everyone else and shortly after only Rogue''s guard had me in their crosshairs.


    "Stand down, Crispin. I don''t see any point in escalation." Heh, the numbers came out in my favor after all. I was starting to think John had been a bad influence on me.


    Rogue took a stool at the bar. I stayed leaning up against the bar, still trying not to seem threatening. Though a small grin had made its way to my lips.


    "What a day. I need him, what would it take to have him restored?" She was annoyed, but also amused. I had a feeling she was no stranger to gutsy moves herself.


    "Nothing really, but are you sure you want him restored? He''s much nicer this way." I knocked on his skull. "Oh, and be aware he can still see and hear, he just can''t move anything." I patted his head like a stray dog.


    She chuckled, "You are a real bastard. I need information he has, and he has backers I need to deal with." She bit her lip ever so slightly. I would have given more than a penny for her thoughts right then.


    "How about I help you out then, for future favors. I''ll restore his ability to speak, but nothing else until he cooperates with you. Once he fulfills his side of whatever bargain you two had, I''ll came back and restore him. Ah, he still needs to eat and excrete, so maybe intubate him and all of that." I tapped my index finger against his head in time with my words.


    "I see. Well, I certainly have no other way to persuade you to fix him. I accept." Her smirk said it all, she liked this outcome almost as much as I did. I wondered when I had become so cruel. So conniving. I tried to ignore the little voice in the back of my head that said this was just as petty a reaction as his.


    "Excellent." I reconnected the nerves to his mouth, lips, jaw, and tongue.


    "I will repay this insolence." He whispered to me.


    I leaned down next to his ear, "How are you going do that? Go ahead, push me, buddyboy. I''ll cause your own immune system to turn on you. I hear tell that''s a right painful condition."


    For perhaps the first time in his miserable life, Faraday showed a measure of wisdom, and stayed silent.


    Rogue and Crispin dragged him away. and I sat at the bar for a while before another bartender came back and delivered an large envelope.


    Inside was a glasslike Agent a couple of laminated cards, a couple of fobs, and a plastic map with direction to both a car and a place in Megabuilding 4. The cards were temp IDs until Rogue''s people could work up a better digital footprint for me. The car was a Chevillon Emperor, though a custom model. Not really my style but it would do for now. The apartment in MB 4 was listed as an Executive Suite, and seemed to be near the top of the building.


    I thanked the bartender, a lovely lady name Sherry, and started to leave the club. I waved goodbye at Rebecca and Sasha, who both returned my wave with enthusiastic waves of their own.


    I followed the map closely, keeping one eye out for danger, but it didn''t take long to find the Emperor. A custom job indeed. It looked like the Tyger Claws had had their hands on it for a while, as it was gussied up in bright neon shades of red and yellow with green trim here and there. Ew. Well, getting it painted wouldn''t be hard. I used the fob to open it up and start the engine.


    The sound said it had power to spare. Someday I''d see if that was true.


    As I drove to MB 4 my thoughts danced a mile a second. I reviewed recent events and tried to plot out better reactions for next time.


    My mind kept coming back to one issue. A lot of my manipulation of energies had been using a brute force methodology. Lots of mana and willpower. Now that I had completed my initial goal, and had a place to holdup, it was past time to start exploring the depths of Life Control. All my abilities really, but lets start with that one.


    It was time to find a Joytoy.

 Chapter 127

    Megabuilding 4 was a bustling hub of life, even at this time of night.


    The edifice itself still disturbed me, as parts of it seemed to defy my understanding of structural support. I was going to be high up in this concrete and steel tower, and it looked like parts of it might fall off as any moment. I parked in a marked spot in a private section of the megabuilding''s parking structure. It required a certain type of apartment fob to get access to these areas.


    Leaving the SUV behind, I walked over to the single elevator. Once again access was regulated to certain fobs. The ride up was shorter than I would have thought for heading up to the 88th floor. Even the advertisements from the monitors were less intrusive and more cultured.


    The path from the elevator to my suite was a change of pace. Everything was well maintained and looked clean. Cleaning or repair bots and drones were everywhere. There were even actual plants here and there. Ferns and Ficus, mostly.


    Wood paneling on the walls, I couldn''t tell if it was real or not. Lots of uncomfy looking couches and loveseats lining the walls. Odd light fixtures both in the ceiling and on the walls. Even strip lighting in the corners and creases. I felt both interested and repulsed by the d¨¦cor, some kind of minimalist Corpo bullshit.


    The little manual for the suite said that there was shopping on the 80th and 90th floors. It had a list of the restaurants and shops I would find there. Probably with vastly overinflated prices.


    If there was any obvious problem, it was the stares from the other residents of these top floors. Mostly mid level management at the various corporations in Night City, they instantly saw that I was out of place and reacted by ignoring me with extreme prejudice. I didn''t exist, which was fine by me.


    My suite was 88A - 100. 88th Floor, Section A, Suite 100. Ah, there it was. Of course, it was as far from the Elevator as it could get.


    As I stepped through the door, which appeared to be made of a light colored wood, I got a shock.


    Fifteen foot tall floor to ceiling windows with a beautiful nighttime view of the City Center. Everything lit up in neon lights. The holographic ad banners clearly visible even from this far away.


    Once I managed to tear my eyes away from the stunning sight, I saw I was in an open concept living room, dinning room, kitchen area. It was quite large for a place in the city.


    The living area had recessed seating with plush leather couches, a completely alien to me entertainment center, and a glass coffee table. The dinning area had a glass table for six, the chairs a combination of metal and fabric of some kind. The kitchen was small although well appointed, especially for a place where almost no one cooked for themselves.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    I wasted no time transferring the goods in my backpack and pockets into the modest fridge.


    Between the kitchen and living area, on the left hand side of the suite was a doorway leading into the laundry room and bathroom combo.


    Between the dinning area and living room, on the right hand side of the suite was a doorway leading a hallway with two more doors. One was the snazzy bedroom, done up in black silk,  and the other was a den with bookshelves full of knickknacks and a large desk.


    I hadn''t turned on a single light, I didn''t need to. Once I had finished looking around I found myself back looking out at the city again. I hated that I loved the view as much as I did.


    Later I turned on the holoscreen, for some background noise. Made myself a sandwich and ate while thinking about how I wanted to deal with using a Joytoy for experimentation.


    It felt wrong, though I had no intention of doing anything damaging to them. Part of me cringed.


    I''d have to explain what I was doing at least to some extent. It was the proper thing to do. I tried to shake my head clear of the doubt.


    Well some research was called for. I pulled out the cellphone like glass Agent. I spent the next half hour learning it''s functions and how to interact with the Net on it. Most features were intuitive. Once I got use to the iconography of 2075.


    I first looked up the laws surrounding Joytoys, to find there was a lack of them. In fact by the standards of my upbringing this really was a lawless place, except when it came to corporate law. Thousand of business regulations, making it difficult if not impossible for new businesses to get started. However I was sure that most of them could be bypassed by greasing the right palms. I''d have to trust Rogue to point me in the right direction there.


    After my brief tangent into the law, I turned my attention back to Joytoys. Prostitution was mostly legal and unregulated. Where it became illegal was in the area of gross bodily harm and or alteration, or matters of age.


    So gang run toys were fair game for some of the darker and dangerous fantasies some perverts might have. While it might be expedient to get a subject from them, the gangs had a history of using any information gained from their toys against clients. Unless we were talking about the Mox, who were all about saving the Toys that had gotten tangled up with the other gangs.


    There were self run Joytoys, they were a mixed bag. Some were desperate, some were canny go-getters. Some were from the poorest places, some were from the highest rungs of society. If I went that route I''d have to carefully vet my subject.


    The last options was both the best and worst one. There were Corp run brothels for high end clientele. Highly regulated, excellent health and extremely discrete. However, they tended to be Dolls with full recording abilities wired in. I really didn''t like that idea.


    No, I was making this harder than it had to be. I had a perfect source of information, with people that I could at least partially trust. Well, once I convinced them I was still Ryan under my new purple skin. I was avoiding thinking about them, though I wasn''t sure why. I finally talked myself into at least a visit.


    I was going to see the Mox.

 Chapter 128

    As I thought through how I wanted to handle my reintroduction to the Mox, my eyes slipped once again to the date and time on my Agent.


    Six months or just about. It was February, 11, 2075. So much time lost.


    Did it take that long to alter my original body into this one, or did they need that long to shove my mind into this body from my old one? I should be freaking out over this, but I was very comfortable in this body. It felt good, and it felt right. Was that also part of their process or was this simply a better reflection of who I was becoming?


    What an odd problem to have. Or was it really a problem at all?


    My actions have been more primal, more in tune with my instincts. I was far less concerned with the use of my abilities, and far quicker to resort to confrontation. After some examination of my inner self I found I wasn''t worried about any of this. I knew it would have bothered me before, but now I felt little in the way of preoccupation over these issues.


    Even as my ruminations flowed, my right hand continued to draw and aim and then re-holster my pistol. The action required no direction on my part, it was simply a reflex and with each draw it became smoother, quicker and more ingrained into my muscles.


    Now that was neat, I could actually feel the process of my nerves and muscle becoming hard wired into this behavior. Truly a novel experience for me.


    I needed to find some one for combat training. The sooner I started the faster I could stack more advantages in my favor.


    My head nodded. Perhaps Rita would be interested in a little practice, or those new ladies I had met. Rebecca at least seemed to know her way around weapons.


    Hmm. I admit I had enjoyed the way women moved under the influence of my mana. Even Rogue, despite not liking her past choices. On one hand, I was far less hung up on many of my previous concerns about my desires. Yet, I thought control and patience was still paramount.


    I''d have to find ways to enjoy my gifts without letting it go to my head, warp my views or dictate my actions.


    A part of me, perhaps new or at least more noticeable than before, lobbied to utilize my power in a ruthless manner. To take what I wanted and to bend others to my will. After all my abilities were perfect for that. The pleasure alone was enough to warp people to my tastes given time, never mind actually being able to affect changes in hormones and DNA. While I might not be able to change specific memories, there was no mechanical reason I couldn''t turn off nerve clusters in the brain until I found the right ones. Blanking out whole sections of their lives.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I had some idea of how transformative that could be.


    Issues of good or evil aside, I didn''t think that was a viable long term strategy. Very few folks enjoyed being controlled, regardless of the kindness of the hands holding the leash. People you weren''t juggling might choose to oppose you on those grounds as well. Whether they wanted that power for themselves or just wanted to be rid of poisonous behavior. Hell some people for similar reasons would try to remove me just because they thought I could do those things, regardless of the would.


    Either way, these things tend to blow up in your face after a while. Let''s try to avoid that.


    I also needed to watch my innate sense of fair play and kindness. It wasn''t gone, maybe it had been somewhat muted by my anger or even my new form. This place would try to twist my concerns and punish every act of charity. Especially if I proceeded thoughtlessly. In order to be able to help others, I had to be strong enough to deal with any consequences.


    Now admittedly my knowledge of such things comes mostly from movies and a brief interest in politics when I was young and na?ve. So maybe I was missing a few points. Though a few things from my time with Jaina, John and Raynor had sunk in, and I could live with being as minimal an asshole as I could safely get away with.


    Yet another part of me didn''t care about any of it, it just wanted to act.


    I sighed. I had time. I hoped I did anyway.


    They could snatch away my progress again at some point in the future. I doubted they would though, it felt like this maneuver had cost them something, though I had no clue what that might be. Where that intuition came from was unclear, but it was a very strong feeling.


    Well, my mind still mostly seemed intact and my previous sense of self mostly preserved.


    I headed back down to the garage, got in my vehicle and drove to Lizzie''s.


    Now I wasn''t so foolish to park a SUV done up in Tyger Claw colors anywhere near the bar itself. I found a parking lot a couple of blocks over and hiked the rest of the way. In a land of people so keen on altering themselves in every conceivable way, there was many an interesting sight.


    A few folks their skin looking like various liquid metals were holding an impromptu rave. Dancing and laughing like fools. Good for them.


    In a nearby alley a few gangers were getting their clocks cleaned by some far more ordinary looking folks. Lot''s of crowbars and tire irons being used to educate the goons of the folly of operating on this block. It brought a chuckle to my throat as it reminded me of my first foray into this town.


    I remembered when it was just me and Scuff and Fix going after Maelstrom. That was almost a year ago, now. How I missed my little robo buddies. Yet another debt that needed repaying.


    I also recalled the last time I had visited the Mox. I had promised to look for Saphie. Now six months had passed and I no longer had access to Observers or Alina. Though, I could talk to some of the Runners from the Afterlife and see what they could dig up. Hmm, perhaps I could hire Sasha to poke around. Or perhaps she could at the very least point me to someone who would take the job.


    What else had I left unfinished?


    As Lizzie''s Bar came into view, I heard faintly in the distance a howl.

 Chapter 129

    A shiver passed from the base of my spine to the top of my skull.


    A howl in a place where animals were rarer than hen''s teeth. Could it be? It sounded far from here likely miles away, and by the time I tracked it down, whatever had called out would be long gone.


    Yet a small fire burned in my gut. Hope reared it''s head.


    "Mith, please be okay." I whispered.


    A heard a sharper more piercing howl, much closer now. The beast would have to be moving faster than a car.


    A keening whine ripped through the air as a tear formed in the air in front of me.


    Before I had time to register what was going on I was buried in fur and driven into the ground as a huge shaggy form pinned me. A whine filled my ears. Followed by continuous yips and yelps of joy


    ''I found you! I found you! I found you!''


    A tongue fully bigger that my body, tried to drowned me in endless slobber. I couldn''t have gotten more soaked by falling in a river.


    While I was joyous at the return of my friend, I was about to die of suffocation. I struggled a bit before resorting to psychic communication.


    ''Mith, let me up. I need to breath.''


    He bounced back, covered dozens of yards in a simple motion. He performed a play bow while making a "Rururururururu" noise. Then bounced around some more.


    ''Sorry, Sorry. So happy!''


    He had gotten so much larger than he was before. Nearly double his original size. From horse-like to elephantine. Yet for all of his mass, he moved with an enviable gracefulness. It was an awe inspiring sight.


    I managed to get back to my feet and stumbled over to him, and had to reach upwards to give him a hug.


    "You''ve gotten huge, you''re like a Doggosaurus!" He was still as fluffy as before.


    ''Yes, I''m big now. I can Dance, now.'' He bobbed his head. His tongue lolled out in a dog grin.


    "Dance?"


    ''From place to place. Step through and between. Dance.'' He jiggled in place.


    Ah, the tear in the air before he ran over me.


    "Wait you can teleport?"


    ''Yes, Dance, here and there. Everywhere.'' His tail was wagging so fast that it was generating storm like winds behind him.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I stepped back while keeping a hand as close to his ear as possible, sadly it was out of scritching distance. Folks were staring in disbelief at the giant canine. Yeah that was going to be a real problem.


    "Ah, people''s reactions are going to be a problem." I considered shooting everyone nearby to keep information about Mith from spreading.


    ''It''s okay. Worked on trick with others. Hold on.'' His happy mental voice jumped a bit.


    He chuffed and began to circle. I could felt mana being drawn into him. After the third roundabout he was smaller by half, and by the sixth circle he was half of that size. Soon he was the size of a very big dog, though well within the realm of normal.


    I placed my hand on his head, it felt like his real fur. Shapeshifting as opposed to some form of illusion. That was really cool.


    Soon enough folks mostly went back to ignoring us. A few glances now and then, merited by the uniqueness of a hound roaming the streets. Who knows what they thought about before, if their brains could even hold a thought that long anymore.


    "Nice! You''ll still stand way the fuck out, but nobody should call the cops about you. Oh, buddy I''ve missed you!" I knelt down to hug him again as he began a relaxed pant. He got all the scritches.


    ''Couldn''t find you, very sad. Then felt you again, came to find. Happy! Happy!'' His body wiggled so much it was hard to hold him.


    I cast Purify on myself and checked Mith over. He was in excellent health, someone presumably the Nomads had been taking care of him. I''d have to find a way to properly thank them later. There were not words to describe what this meant to me.


    As I talked to Mith about what happened to me, I realized that things were looking up. This was a great first step on this new path.


    We spent a while just talking and sharing space. I felt no need to rush and it was good to take the time to relax.


    After a time we both walked the last few hundred feet to Lizzie''s.


    Despite being god awful early in the morning, their business was booming. I queued up behind a few partygoers as they were being looked over by none other than Rita herself. Mith stayed plastered to my leg but otherwise seemed comfortable even with all the excitement and noise.


    When it got to be my turn Rita didn''t recognize me, no surprise there. She stare a few seconds at Mith and then shrugged.


    "You''re new. You... "


    I whispered, "I''m Ryan." Interesting fact, Ryan isn''t such a common name in Night City these days.


    Her eyes narrowed as her brain did some calculations. "Prove it."


    I offered her my hand, "Sure."


    Now her eyes widened as she slapped her hand in mine. Rita was mostly chrome, I knew that from before. This didn''t stop me from gently stimulating her brain into feeling pleasure, not much, just enough to verify my identity.


    She let out a small little gasp. "Ryan it''s good to see you, we all thought you might have been flatlined. Look at you all squeaky new. 100% ''Ganic, again huh? Who''s the fuzzy?"


    "It''s been some trouble, but I''m getting a handle on it." I gestured to my doggo, "This is Mith, the best boy. Treat him well."


    She snorted, "Of course, any friend of yours is welcome here."


    "Mateo in? Need some advise and info." I heard some impatient noises from the crowd waiting to get in.


    "Yup. He''s doing his thing at the bar. Just watch out, a lot of the girls feel they own you from before. And no one has forgotten how your ''special touch'' feels, you might get mobbed." She grinned.


    "It''s a blessing and a curse." I managed to get it out with a straight face, but we both started cracking up.


    "Hey get a move on!" Someone had lost their cool. Bad move.


    Rita glared over my shoulder. Her bat started tapping her shoulder.


    "You can shove off, Gonk. We don''t need you tonight. Maybe you can come back some other night, when you learn to behave." She made a ''Buzz off'' gesture.


    She looked back to me. "Head on in Ryan, and have a good time."


    "See you later, Rita."


    Mith and I entered Lizzie''s. Maybe I''d get lucky and find the right Toy.

 Chapter 130

    As I crossed the threshold I heard Rita mutter behind me, "He''s got nova colors now, the girls are going to love him. I hope he can deal... " I think she was messaging someone in the club.


    At the front counter, let out an involuntary grunt. My senses were full of the the provocative nature of the place. With everything about my new form jacked up to eleven, I was suddenly drowning in sex. The sights, the smells, and the sounds. Thank fuck no one was touching me; I''d probably turn savage immediately.


    "Hey input, you okay?" I looked up to see Kimmie, she looked much the same, as the first time I had seen her. Her outfit tonight was a green ''Bitch'' halter top with a way too short purple miniskirt. She made sure to show me her assets, however something was different about her.


    I slapped a smile on, ignoring the part of me that wanted to reach over the counter and pull her to me. Primal Heart indeed.


    "Yes, just have to adjust to my new condition. I see you are still working the front, are you still having fun?" Something was off about her. What could it be?


    "Oh I''m having a preem time. Soon you will be too." She frowned and brushed her neon pink hair back. She was trying to place me, but couldn''t. I guess Rita wasn''t messaging her.


    As I handed over my weapon, I thought back to the first time I ever walked in here. Ah, that''s it.


    She had toned it down, no blatant leer and her cheerful demeaner from that encounter was gone. Maybe she had seen too much. Long nights full of messed up people had likely worn away the glamor of the place for her.


    Now it was just a job.


    "I hope you have a better night, Kimmie." I nodded to her and was about to leave when Mith stood on his hind legs to see over the counter. He planted his front paws by the catalogue and exuded the canine charm. His eye''s gleamed with mischief and his grin brought a smile to all that beheld him. His tail was blurring in excitement at all the new things going on around him.


    ''What are all these smells? So, interesting!'' His nostrils were rapidity taking in all the air they could.


    There was comfort in knowing that having a human level intellect didn''t in any way diminish Mith''s canine behaviors. I ruffled his ears.


    "OH! Who''s this adorable guy?" Kimmie squealed. She came around the counter and proceeded to molest my dog, her attentions quickly started to resemble the behaviors I first encountered from her. All it took was something truly interesting.


    A bouncer on the other side of the curtains leading to the main section of the club, leaned through, "Kimmie, you okay? Somebody giving you troub- Is that a dog?!" Soon enough the bouncer was on her knees in front of the the furball trying to him him all the scratches.


    Soon enough, a few dozen people were joining the Mith Appreciation Society that had just formed. Even the folks who came in after us seemed content to let it continue, some even joined in.


    I just stood there letting them have all the doggo therapy they could stand. Mith was in heaven at all the attention, I could feel his joy at being the center of a storm of praise and pets.


    I broke down laughing. I couldn''t help it it was so silly. This is what these people were missing. The nonjudgement fluffy companions. I didn''t have the heart to stop it quickly.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    After a few more minutes Susie Q came in and established some order with her usual attitude. She started ordering her folks back to work and tell the customers to have fun. By have fun she obviously meant get in the club and spend some Eddies.


    ''Aw.'' Mith said as his ears drooped. He returned to my side and leaned up against my leg. My left hand just naturally rested on his head. Like he planned it that way. Crafty, fuzzball.


    When the Mox had returned to their posts and the customers had entered the club she turned to me.


    "Anyways making trouble Ryan." She glared at me.


    I heard Kimie''s intake of breath, from off to the the side. Yup, Rita hadn''t told her. Heh.


    I started to edge away from the fierce lady. "Would you look at the time, I best get to the ba-oof." Sudden all the air was knocked out of me.


    Next thing I knew, my arms were full of the Mox''s leader. She hugged me with genuine affection. "We missed you, you Gonk. Where have you been? What happened?"


    I would''ve responded but my brain was still trying to process Susie hugging me. What the fuck?


    "Would you believe I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque?" I had to joke, my mind couldn''t handle anything else right now. (AN: Does anyone even get Looney Tunes references anymore?)


    "Huh?" She pulled back while not letting me escape. Mith followed along.


    "Sorry, old joke. Let hit the bar or something and I''ll tell you all about it."


    Instead of the bar, she latched on to my arm and practically dragged me into her office. It was tidy and clean. Her workstation was neatly organized her last task still sitting on her monitor''s screen.


    "George will be thrilled to know you are back. We can''t begin to thank you enough for what you have done for us." She guided me to a small loveseat. Mith laid down beside an end table, trying to follow the conversation.


    I sat down and started to give here the rundown of my situation. It was Mith''s first time hearing it too. He interjected with soft whines here and there.


    "So the people that sent you here, screwed you over with no warning. Then tried to steal your memories and stuck you in a new body, and are holding your crew for ransom." She shook her head, "That''s some glitched shit."


    "Yeah, so now I''m looking for allies. I''m going to get my people back and then I''m going to find some way to tear the asshole responsible for this a new asshole."


    "How can we help?" That right there, made my day. Hell, made my fricking year. No hesitation. Funny how if you help people, sometimes they help you when you need it. though I was about to abuse that help.


    I gave it to her straight, I didn''t sugarcoat what I was looking for.


    "You need an experimental subject. Really you''d need more than one." She frowned, "That comes dangerously close to what we try to stop Ryan. I''m sure you have the best intentions, but what happens if things go wrong." She look toward a window on her office wall overseeing the main floor of the club. I knew, without a doubt, she was running thoughts of her gang in her mind, sorting out their interests versus mine.


    Yeah, I didn''t like the idea either. But I knew I could do so much more to help people, if only I learned how everything worked. I already seemed to be able to delay the encroachment of Cyberpsychosis, what if I could cure it altogether? Not that I wanted a bunch of Borgs running around, but more people would have that choice, safely. There are a few dozen diseases and syndromes that can occur from the integration of Chrome, I should at some point be able to fix them all. Instead of the patch job I could manage now.


    Also, even if no one else could ever use mana, any data collected would help the current medical professionals, the ones who still actually cared anyway. A healthy baseline of tissue and chrome interaction, could provide models that pave the way for future innovations.


    "I''m not interested in screwing anyone over here. All I can promise is that I will do my best to both prevent accidents, and if they do occur, put anyone I''m working on back together. Once I have full control and understanding of my abilities, I''m sure I can improve what people already have going on." My hands were gesturing wildly trying to convey my sincerity, "I''m willing to both pay, and offer future favors, because I understand what a terrible thing I''m asking. If you want, you can have someone monitor everything from step one. So I can''t go all Corpo."


    She nodded. I could see it left a sour taste in her mouth, but she could see the benefits.


    "Alright, but I have a few conditions... "

 Chapter 131

    My new apartment became an outpost of the Mox, or so it seemed. Members of the gang were in and out all day delivering all the new equipment and settings things up.


    My den was converted into a bunk room for my new guests, with three very nice queen sized bunk beds. Plus storage for all of my new guests'' necessities. I had a sense I''d be hard pressed to find any extended shower time in the near future.


    We put together a cluster of medical equipment in my living area, I don''t recall what bothered me more; the fact that I had enough room to house a full surgical theater in my living area, or that there was now no room for anything else. Two fully kitted out Ripper Chairs, four different types of Autodocs. A whole host of monitors and scanners.


    None of it was for me, of course, it was for Evie.


    Evie was a Mox who was learning the trade of a Ripper. So they could get out from under unscrupulous assholes that took payment in trade, she explained. Green dark hair and green eyes complimented her serious features. She had a personality that was so no nonsense, I joked that she was nineteen going on forty. She either didn''t get it or simply decided not to respond.


    While she still had a couple of years of schooling left, she should have no problem helping me with my subjects'' cyberware. Most problems concerning chrome would be ones of basic maintenance.


    My dining area was converted into a small datacenter both to monitor and coordinate my findings with a larger offsite NETcluster that would handle the release of all useful information to the medical community. My name and abilities would obviously be obscured. Lacie the second of my new guests to arrive was responsible for all of this.


    She was a little spitfire of a woman, never sitting still and always talking at a speed just short of sound itself. Her multicolored fiber hair bounced along with her mouth''s cadence. Her optics were an odd green, black, red combo, though they were usually covered by her techgoggles. Her shocking purple netrunner suit hurt my eyes.


    She was designing a Learning Algorithm to help with shoring up my findings so that they would seem more professional. I quickly asked if that violated any of the AI restrictions and received a lecture on the differences between the two. All I understood out of her rapid speech was that it didn''t.


    I purchased most of the equipment, using the Moxes'' and Rogue''s connections. It ended up costing a sizable chuck of my money, but was still far cheaper than I could''ve imagined. Rogue''s assistance came at the price of helping her build inroads with the Mox. Something that hadn''t gone well for either side in the past.


    Well, it wouldn''t be the first time I had brought different folks together.


    Mark and Gena, a couple that was seriously into each other, showed up next. They were here for some basic security. They quickly got all the permissions from the Megabuilding''s management to install monitoring equipment including cameras and sensors in the closest section of the outer hallway and then more in the apartment. Later several hidden turrets would be added for additional defense. I personally thought they were going a bit overbroad, but then reminded myself what this place was like.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The instant any useful data was generated and distributed, We''d have a huge target on our heads. Thus some huscle.


    Mark remained me of Maine, at least in the size department. He started way too young as a Doll for one of the secret clubs. His natural good looks attracting a certain type of disgusting pervert. After getting ''discarded'' for being ''used up''. He decided he would never be subject to whims of others again. He found Gena or she found him and they found the Mox.


    Gena, who reminded me of a leopard, was the daughter of a CEO who was forcefully retired. Her father''s enemies had her captured and converted into a pleasure Doll by the Tyger Claws. She spent a couple of years as a plaything of terrible people. If not for a MaxTac raid on her owner, that might have been her fate. But when she somehow survived the crossfire with minimal damage she got taken in by one of the officers.


    A car accident left her alone again and she ended up on the streets, where she and Mark met. The rest of their story was a good one, full of revenge and sex and, dare I believe it, love.


    I''m not going to lie, I was touched by their story. Two damaged people finding each other and building a better life together. It appealed greatly to some part of me I didn''t really understand.


    So what if a few bodies were dropped here and there? That was just the cost of doing business in NC.


    The last of my new additions was Ricky. He was a Mox that specialized in therapy for the Gang. He was eclectic in his approach to treatment, trying to tailor his help to the actual problem rather than following a set of overarching guidelines. He was educated somewhere in eastern NUSA, and spoke with a slight twang with a hint of a draw as well. I felt like I''d heard a similar accent before, I just couldn''t remember where.


    He was fucking funny too. I''d never be able to do his humor justice myself. Trust me when I say he could get a laugh out of a corpse.


    I spent time talking with each of my new roommates. I gave them a heavily edited rundown of my story, and a very basic overview of what I wanted to accomplish. Then I cooked up a decent meal with some things I found down in the markets on the 80th floor of the building.


    They shipped the good stuff by AV straight to the higher floors, I discovered. They had little docks and platforms for the damned things.


    By my standards, most of these ingredients were subpar. However, by night city standards these were the cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me of foodstuffs.


    I whipped up some chicken rice casserole. It was something I learned to cook with my Mom, when I was a kid, and was still comfort food to me. With a side of spicy twice baked potatoes. Something I taught myself after I started living on my own.


    It almost tasted right to me. I shrugged it off. It would work for now, until I could start bringing better ingredients back from my Hub.


    After we shared the meal, I was told I was officially the property of the Mox now. Hell, they were shocked I could cook at all, it was a lost skill for adults here, unless you specifically worked in the food industry. I was promised many things if only I would keep cooking for them. Heh.


    It was good to get along with folks.


    Mith, of course, needed no such bribe to get on the Moxes'' good sides. Indeed, he instead collected tithes of pets and scratches. He was too friendly to ignore and too happy to let folks wallow.


    In a few days, Susie would send over the first volunteers. I was to return them in better health than they started, otherwise it was understood that I could do pretty much anything I thought was needed. They would be monitored every step of the way, and all data generated would belong to the Mox.


    No, that wasn''t me bending over for them. I wanted to keep my name out of it. Getting better control of my ability was enough for me. I suspected that at some point even the good will I had built up with the Mox might not be enough to keep them from turning on me if I turned this into a business partnership.


    Nah, I''d find a different route to generate Eddies later. Though the occasional run with folks from the Afterlife might be a good way to start.


    The next day I let my new roomies know I''d be going to a meeting. I gave them a estimated time frame, promising to keep in touch.


    Time to go see what remained of my outpost.


    Time to go see Amanda.

 Chapter 132

    It was with some trepidation that I set out to meet Amanda.


    I was dreading finding out what the fate of my people might be. There was no way that the Company had simply left them alone. The best outcome was that Amanda had taken over and kept most of them safe.


    The Chevillon Emperor had seen the Moxes'' touch. They couldn''t let me roll around in Tyger Claw colors, after all, so they had repainted the SUV black with small green and purple stripes as trim. Understated with just a touch of style.


    Next project; load up this vehicle with weapons. Especially if I''m going to be running out into the Badlands on a regular basis. I was thinking missiles or at least rockets. I''d have to look into it soon.


    The drive out to Rocky Ridge was uneventful, perhaps the Wraiths had gone quiet to build up their forces. Or the Aldecaldos had gone on the warpath. Both were troubling thoughts.


    Once I got there I got yet another surprise.


    No one had cleaned up the area, the remains of John''s rampage still lay where they had been destroyed. Even more interesting, was more wrecks and newer signs of conflict scattered around the ghost town. Folks had been fighting over this area for some reason. Lots of them.


    Since I was early, I stopped and poked around for a few minutes. I found little to indicate what everyone was after. However, some scars of battle were very recent maybe just a few days old. Others were likely from right after my last visit. Sure, it looked like a lot of little skirmishes, but it might mean something bigger.


    Like the fact that I saw Nomad colors and signs, mixed in the abandoned heaps, that weren''t just the Aldecaldos. That wasn''t a small thing. If the clans were uniting, it could change the wastes.


    That was just supposition. I shouldn''t let my brain run too far ahead on this. There are dozens of reasons why this was going on. Including interclan fighting.


    Once, I got back into my SUV, I finally placed what had been brewing in the back of my head. Something that I hadn''t noticed until that moment. There was no Psifield, I should be under its influence here, yet I felt nothing.


    Pushing north, I soon saw the cluster of buildings that had attracted my attention to this spot in the first place. My heart dropped when I saw the remains of my Khalai buildings.


    The pylons had fallen, the crystals dark, dull and cracked. Any crysbronze was grey and crumbling. Amongst the ruins were small pile of grey dust, it wasn''t hard to figure out they were the remains of Probes. Dozens of little robo buddies, rendered into fine ashen flakes.


    My mind dredged up images of how they behaved and worked. For things born of metal and crystal, they had been so alive. Now they were gone.


    Making this a fucking tragedy I was not prepared to deal with.


    No matter how I felt, tears could not come. All sadness was burned away by a cold fire inside me. Though I had noticed it before, I hadn''t been paying it much mind, having had other things to do than dig around in my own heart. Now not only could I not ignore it, the frosted flames started growing.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I found larger piles of dust, Sentries perhaps. All I could see was devastation. My heart burned colder.


    But I heard the faint trickling sound of water, far to the east. So I followed my ears and could see fields of crops. I began to notice more mana and moisture in the air. A gravel road ran up to the fields, so I placed my feet on it and walked towards the signs of life.


    On closer inspection the fields were well maintained. The northern field was growing some type of orange corn, the southern held some small type of small beans that were crimson in hue. I didn''t remember either one being options in the store.


    The soil had been properly maintained and was damp. The smell alone told me this was water from a Moon Well.


    So they took away what gave me the greatest advantage, but left the New Lordaeron structures. I nodded to myself.


    I supposed I should be happy that anything was left at all. I just couldn''t feel that way right now.


    When got to the farms, I found an intersection and two more farm houses than I expected. Did they choose this layout to make it easier to defend themselves? How many folks worked here. Four farms could support a lot of people.


    And for all I knew, there were more beyond these.


    "My Lord is that you?" A small soft voice called.


    I turned towards the northwestern house and saw a Lordaeron woman sticking her head out of the door. She had just barely opened it and seemed ready to dart back inside at the slightest hint of trouble. I figured that the summoned folks would have some sense of me. It was useful now, I wouldn''t have to jump through hoops to prove who I was.


    "Yes. It''s me."


    "You have become one of those Night Elves, My Lord!" She seemed delighted and distrubed. "Forgive me, My Lord. We had all but lost hope that you wouldn''t return." She came out of her doorway armed with a shotgun and wearing what looked like police style armor.


    I nodded, "I understand. Don''t worry about it. Is Amanda about? I was supposed to meet her here today." I could hear other doors opening.


    Soon a crowd of Farmers and their families were giving me their greetings. It was good to see them. Something had survived the machinations of the Company, for now.


    After a while spent sharing friendly banter, Reina invited me in for some food. We talked about what had happened.


    All of my outposts, in the Badlands, were in similar condition. The Khalai tech just ceased functioning and then quickly began to degrade, without the protection of the Cannons and the Pylons, various groups started raiding the crops.


    As I hoped, Amanda and the Nomads stepped up and helped defend both New Lordaeron and the outposts in the wastes. Though it soon became apparent that they wouldn''t be enough.


    The lure of lightly defended settlements flush with delicious food and pure water drove folks mad. Wraiths and Gangers, of course led the charge to grab what they could. Soon enough ordinary folks caught wind of the bounty and wanted their piece of the pie.


    Soon Amanda had sent word not just to all the families of the Aldecaldos but to the other Nations as well. Less than a week later members of the Jodes and Folks arrived, even some of the Snake Nation showed up to help out.


    Hundreds, then thousands of Nomads poured into the Badlands. Killing any of the Raffen they could find for a hundred miles in every direction. Then they pushed the Gangs and even the Corps back to Night City. They controlled the food and water now.


    There was talk of forming a new Nation. Though it would be difficult to set aside old difference, the presence of fresh food and delicious water smoothed a lot of things over.


    Things had just started to settle back down. Farmers were able to save enough seed stock to start regrowing, now that they were being left alone. Though the mana from the Wells had mutated some of the corps, it was never in a harmful way.


    Everyone knew the peace wouldn''t last, but they were all glad that they had it.


    It was a lot to consider.

 Chapter 133

    As I sat at the Reina''s table drinking a cup of Moon Well water, I ran a fuck ton of calculations in my head. She had given me so much to think about.


    There was no way it could ever go back to the way it had been. Even when I somehow managed to get my people back, that wouldn''t change. Now that so many people without any connection to me or my ideas were here bleeding and dying over this, I would never be accepted as de facto leader. Without control of the Khalai technology, or the Treants, my value was relatively small.


    Sure, I could heal, but so could the priests of New Lordaeron. The followers of the Light has really stepped up, saving many lives. Their kindness under Father Mauris had set an example that had won over many jaded hearts already. Some Nomads of every Nation were converting to the religion of the Light. I found that shocking.


    More shocking was that some Nomads were accepted by the Light as priest, with all the powers that entailed.


    Divine will had begun to move in this world.


    The only defenses that still worked were the Statues of the Keeper and Jaina''s Tower. Which is the main reason New Lordaeron held up until reinforcements arrived. Yet no one could control the tower fully, no one had the authority, as Jaina had barely begun to train a few apprentices.


    They could train new folks, with talent, to use a few basic spells. Hardly enough to really shift the power dynamic.


    Hmm, I could certainly take control of the tower until I got the Archmage back. To what purpose? I wasn''t going to sit around training mages, even if I could.


    Now the most interesting news. Any of the Khalai adaptations of technology from other themes still functioned. So the Power Armor with their SORs still worked, along with the modified MRAP. Without the Psifield, they couldn''t draw enough power to stay in operation long, and took days to recharge, but they were a potent force when they did work. Well that made me fel a bit better.


    Now that it had come to this, I didn''t have the right to lead. I wasn''t there when people needed me most. Few would care that it wasn''t my fault, people tend to only care about results. I''m the guy that wasn''t there for them.


    I doubted that I would see it any differently in their shoes.


    I would still help them, in what ever way I could. Absolutely, I would, but the days of me shaping the direction of the Badlands were over. At least, at this time.


    That realization lifted a huge weight off of me.


    I was okay with this outcome.


    Once I figured out how my Hub operated, and what advantages it offered, maybe that could change.


    Now Reina was no great orator, nor a storyteller. She was a farmer and said things simply from her own perspective. I had to fill in some blanks here and there.


    We heard vehicles approaching. I recognized the engine of a Javelina. Amanda was almost here. I left Reina''s house to wait for them.


    I had never thought much about it before, but it was hard to step silently on a gravel surface. Not really a relevant insight right now, but the noise of my footsteps on the gravel bothered me.Stolen novel; please report.


    There they were, Amanda''s Javelina, Nolan''s truck and two other cars I didn''t recognize. I wonder who she had brought with her.


    When they stopped and exited their vehicles, my jaw dropped to the floor. My attention lock on two individuals.


    Out from the two vehicles I didn''t recognize were two very familiar faces.


    The shorter one chuckled at my reaction, "A woman loves to get that response." Her eyes twinkled, just as I remember.


    The taller one snorted, "We supposedly dated this guy, and no one thought to question that it was us." Her head moved in time to her speech, as it always had when she was annoyed.


    My mouth closed and assumed a frown, my left eyebrow rose of its own volition. I was suspecting a trap. Maybe Militech had gotten to them all and these were new agents.


    My mana flared.


    While I was sure that wasn''t what was happening, my instincts still demanded action.


    I felt a gun press to the back of my head. Fuck, I shouldn''t have focused too much on the ladies I wasn''t ready to see.


    "Please don''t take this the wrong way Ryan, but don''t use your power. I didn''t want to shock you like this, but they insisted. They don''t understand what you are capable of, or they never would have pulled this stunt." Amanda''s voice whispered from behind me.


    A good lesson about paying attention, even when something startles you.


    That cold fire inside grew just a bit more. I was sure this wasn''t what it looked like, but why take the chance. My mana coiled around me as I sent a tendril through my Aura into Amanda''s head.


    "Well, for the record, with you this close to me Amanda, you are already fucked." I turned off her limbs. However, I got another surprise, her gun went off before she finished falling. I got clipped by the round. Since I was still thinking, it couldn''t have been too bad, and my Aura was already working on fixing the issue.


    Amanda''s guests both had very different responses. One pulled out a pistol and the other''s eye started flashing. If Nolan hadn''t stepped between us, events would have escalated.


    "Hold up. hold up! Girls stop with the gonk brained behavior. Ryan please put Amanda back to preem condition. She was just protecting her daughter. And just so you know, I was against indulging the two terrors over there." He was relaxed, way too relaxed. That helped my brain start properly working again. Things were indeed not as they seemed.


    As the ladies debated what to do, the wound from Amanda''s weapon finished healing. That Life Control Aura was amazing.


    Amanda chuckled, I hadn''t turned off anything but her limbs. "New trick, huh? Nice."


    "I''ll show you nice." I snarled. Maybe this wasn''t as it appeared, that didn''t mean I was going to let it slide. However the fire inside my heart had already pulled back somewhat.


    I knelt down to Amanda and remove her iron, before ramming my mana into her as hard and fast as I could. I fixed a few new wounds and smoothed out a lot of scar tissue I don''t recall being there before. She had been fighting hard.


    Her screams of pleasure probably carried for miles in every direction. I was amused, even while I sent silent apologies to Raynor in my head.


    Did I need to do it this way? No.


    I was making a point.


    "Amanda in the future, talking is preferable to threats. I think I get the why of what just happened, so let''s leave it here. Okay?" I loomed over her as she started to move, her limbs flailing for a second, before she got back up.


    I rose beside her and handed her back her weapon.


    She smiled at me, which was not the response I expected. Then she hugged me, sending me for another loop. She was as strong as ever, squeezing me like a python. I patted her back lightly.


    "Sorry, they wanted to know who their doppelgangers had picked, and I figured this would be a good way to show them. Please forgive a Mother for spoiling her newly returned children."


    I rolled my eyes, "Duh, Amanda. Like I said, let''s forget it."


    I turned to the source of all this trouble. Nolan had talked them into a less hostile stance. They stood there glaring daggers at me, but otherwise seemed to have calmed down.


    That was great because I wasn''t sure of my feelings right now.


    Amanda walked back over to them, resting her hand on their shoulders.


    I nodded to them.


    "The real Sally and Megan, I presume. I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but I can''t."

 Chapter 134

    Women have mostly been a mystery to me.


    Before I had my brief stint as a psyker, I had no idea how much women had going on in their minds. There are whole galaxies of thoughts clashing against each other in their heads at any given moment. The majority of which had nothing to do with the matter at hand. I found them even more confusing after being able to read their thoughts and emotions. Rare exceptions like Amanda aside.


    Yet, I''m glad I had that experience.


    Because I knew, without a single doubt, that there was an ocean of un-verbalized ideas behind the burning stares of the two women in front of me. Few if any of them would be pleasant for me. I had been put on a list in their heads, and they would likely find countless ways to make me miserable, if they thought they could get away with it.


    For me, this was a surreal moment when two very familiar people stood in front of me with not only no recognition of me, but active hostility towards me.


    For them, I was a stranger who had made a very poor first impression. Even if they had been the ones to orchestrate the situation.


    I wondered if they had seen what I had done to their impostors. Where would that fall on the scales? Would they be glad that I had leveled a harsh punishment? Would they be furious they didn''t get to met out justice themselves?


    If the impostors had at all been accurate in their characterization, the answer was the latter.


    Given what I knew, there was already little chance of me turning their attitudes around.


    So why bother to try?


    I reminded myself that there was no relationship here. My mind ruthlessly crushed the flickers of joyful embers in my heart. Still felt like losing them al over again, but even that grief was fed to the cold fire inside.


    And since I had made that decision, I wasn''t going to let them push me around, even by proxy.


    "The real Sally and Megan, I presume. I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but I can''t." My voice was lifeless even to my own ears.


    "Oh, why would that be, lover boy?" Megan smirked, probably some cruel barb being brewed up in her noggin.


    "Why would that be our problem?" Sally spoke at almost the exact same time as Megan but I had no trouble separating out the individual statements.


    "Didn''t say it was. What going on in here," I pointed at my head, I ended up poking one of my ridiculously oversized ears. "Has little to do with you two." I couldn''t resist my own little dig at them. "Until you both decided to provoke me." The cold in my voice was crackling. Some part of me noted that the air was getting colder.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Amanda was smiling but that brought a a frown to her face. She was noticing the differences, the little changes in my behavior. I think she was starting to understand just how foolish this little stunt was.


    Hell even Nolan, as easy going as he was, reflexively put his hand on his custom revolver.


    Sally showed no concern, she reacted as I knew she would. She drew her backup pistol. I noted the sure nature of her technique, but she was no gunslinger.


    She was some fraction of a second slower than I was. My Omaha already lined up perfectly with her head. While she had a fuck load more training them me, she lacked a sandy to even out my raw speed.


    "My new form isn''t just cosmetic, and it comes with many advantages. Even with the silly ears and the Mox colors." For the first time in this mess, I let the rage I felt at the world peek out from behind the walls I used to contain it.


    My expression made them all back up a step. I had no clue what it looked it to them, but it must have been a grim visage.


    I knew this would end badly, and I officially no longer cared.


    I had lost so much, what was one more thing?


    I felt something in the air shift, and suddenly Mith was there.


    He had dropped his small form. He towered over us.


    We all froze for a few moments, not because his presence startled us.


    We stopped because he was growling, a deep rumbling sound that warned of imminent violence. A thunderstorm couldn''t have done it better.


    He stepped in front of me facing the Nomads. He shifted his weight so that he was moving me backwards.


    ''You are hurting him! Stop!'' If my mind had ears, he just blew out its eardrums.


    For the first time since I had returned, I could feel another''s concern for me. He somehow forced his feelings past that cold flame and into my heart.


    This is when I noticed that the farmers were in the fields and had their weapons out. They were pointing them at the Nomads.


    Maybe I hadn''t lost as much as I thought. But I had been about to, and I was pretty sure I knew why. Sneaky assholes.


    I took a deep breath, and put my pistol away.


    "Okay. I get it Mith." I gave him a a smack on his flank. "Put the weapons up everyone. Please."


    That got the Nomads'' attention, I guessed they hadn''t noticed the Farmers either.


    I stepped out from behind Mith, I noted that Sally had lowered her weapon. No one wanted to shoot the dog by accident.


    "Look, I get it. I really do. This was one big test and I failed. I could make excuses, but I won''t. Let''s just say I''m very tired of being pushed and leave it at that. I''m too much of a... Gonk to be more diplomatic." I chuckled.


    They looked at each other and relaxed. Sally holstered her iron. Megan smirked like she knew this was going to happen. Maybe she did, or she was just enjoying the chaos.


    Amanda''s smile returned. It was her genuine smile, not the one she plastered on to talk business.


    Mith calmed down and let out a big ol'' yawn. He sat and grinned that doggy grin.


    "I can live with that." Nolan was the first to respond. He was patting himself, like he was checking for bullet holes. I scoffed at his sense of humor. I swear it was worse than mine.


    Amanda came back over to me and took my hands. She whispered, "I''m sorry. I didn''t think about how much this would affect you."


    I pulled her into a hug, the first human I had hugged first, in a long time. I whispered back to her, "I swear I''ll get him back, I''ll get them all back." I needed to say it and she needed to hear it.


    We slowly eased into a sharing of what had happened while separated. They had a rough time of it.


    I called the Moxes back at my apartment letting them know I''d be back later than expected. We ate with the farmers and continued to swap stories well into the night.

 Chapter 135

    "You had us wrapped around your finger, and and you never had sex with us?" Megan''s incredulous look was priceless.


    My sigh was epic. This was the fifth time she had brought it up in the last twenty minutes. I was glad everyone else had gone to bed.


    Okay, I''ll try again. She''d just keep asking until she got whatever she wanted out of this.


    "One, the finger wrapping was more the other way around, and two, I was waiting for something I couldn''t properly define. We had plenty of fun, though. I wasn''t in a rush." I scratched my head, they couldn''t seem to understand why I never banged them. To be fair, I didn''t really understand either. It just never felt quite right.


    "Why didn''t I just push you down and ''convince'' you to go further?" Sally was offended. Somehow me not availing myself of her doppelganger''s womanly charms was deeply insulting to her.


    "You tried, I made you cum your brains out. After a minute you couldn''t move if Wraiths were going to kill you, never mind reaching for my dick. Like I said, we had tons of fun." I tried hard to keep the smirk off my face.


    It was fun to think about, but it also hurt. How could it not?


    Sitting around the farmhouse''s dinning room table, drinking coffee grown back in New Lordaeron. This was almost a charming scene of the reunion of lovers. Sadly, that wasn''t what it really was. This was an interrogation.


    "That''s what I really don''t get. I''ve been healed by the priests of the Light, and it feels great, but it never brought me anywhere near an orgasm." Megan had a doubtful look on her face.


    The only reason neither called me a liar to my face was what I had done to Amanda earlier.


    "Between Meadran and Jaina, we pieced together a rough idea of why my healing works that way." I created a little ball of mana over my right hand. It''s rich green color, spoke of growth and health. "Nature mana, which is my primary element, is concern with living things and the balance of the forces that allow life to flourish. Growing, changing and reproducing, these are easy for me."


    I reabsorbed the mana ball and created a tinier ball of flame, it''s bright and cheery color somehow still tinted slightly green. "Controlling the elements is harder but still something I can do. Mating though is tied up in the very concept of my mana. I couldn''t separate it out if I wanted too. Not yet at least." I dispersed the flame, noting that I couldn''t easily reabsorb mana that had been converted into a physical or chemical form. "The Light, on the hand, and this is only from what little I''d managed to gather, mostly concerns itself with purifying corruption, and advancing ideas of heroism and nobility. It might make you braver or more stubborn, but it isn''t interested in getting you off." I shrugged.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "Then there''s the issues of mana density. I''m literally patient zero, on this planet, for mana. My mana density is much higher than anyone else''s. So my much denser mana carries the concepts of Nature deeper and harder into those I use it on." My right hand punched lightly into my left. "Is that the whole reason, probably not, but it''s what we''ve came up with."


    Megan nodded. She was probably thinking of ways to use that data to her advantage. Sally looked puzzled but not because she didn''t get it, she was working on a thought.


    "Okay, but then why aren''t you more, ''Rawr, I''m going fuck you now.'' It seems you should be raring to go all the time. Especially with two nova outputs like us." She waved her hand at both of them.


    Yeah, that. I had been struggling with that subconsciously the whole time I''d been here. It''s only after my transformation, and the strengthening of my  instincts that I had started to actively question why I held back.


    "I am. I always wanted to bury myself into you both and never come out. ''Forget the world. Just fuck the pain away.'' Some little voice was whispering that into the back of my mind." I stopped trying to frame my next words. "But it isn''t right or fair. How much of what was between us was just my power? I never asked, and you never brought it up."


    I had to restrain my Aura from reaching for both of them. I wanted them, it wanted them. It would be simple to reach into them and have them explode in joyous sensation. I knew those bodies like the back of my hand.


    I closed my eyes and swallowed. I gritted my teeth and pushed the feelings down into the pit. The place where emotions you can''t deal with get tossed, allowed to fester and rot, until they come out again in twenty years as cancer or a stroke.


    I wanted to cry and scream, bellow and rage, but I could do none of those things. Especially not now, not here with them.


    So into the pit with all of it.


    I looked up at the ceiling because looking at them was so painful. "I could''ve kept you both senseless and breathless endlessly. It''s so easy to give in to things that feel good, and who doesn''t want mind-bending sex?" I grimaced, "But it would have been wrong, even more so, knowing what I know now."


    As much as I wanted them, these weren''t the women with whom I had shared those experiences. It would be wrong to so much as touch them with those feelings still locked up inside me.


    So into the pit.


    I was tired of talking.


    "What if I wanted that?" Megan sensing weakness struck, she couldn''t help it, her nature demanded it. Sally looked at her like she had grown another head.


    They shared a look, they were good at conveying thoughts to each other without words.


    "We''ve had plenty of one night stands, and he is attractive... " Sally began.


    "Let me stop you there. No." My face went blank, this was dangerous ground.


    Megan narrowed her eyes at me. "Why?"


    I scoffed at her, "You know why."


    Sally actually looked hurt, "Well, I don''t."


    I sighed. It was bitter.


    "I''d never be able to keep the feelings straight. The good and the bad. That wouldn''t be fair to you ladies. No matter how wonderful it started, at some point I''d end up venting the pain of their betrayal on you two. You really don''t want that." My voice was thick and dark, these days it seemed there was always a slight growl to it, but it was more pronounced now.


    "So the best relationship we''ve ever had, with the all the pleasure we could stand, and it was our evil twins that got to enjoy it?" Megan voice rose an octave and seemed to crack by the end.


    "Yes, that''s exactly it." I nodded at her.


    "Fucking sucks." Sally moped.


    I looked out the nearby window, watching the moonlight dance on the plants swaying slightly in a breeze.


    "Can we please talk about something else now?" I asked, not bothering to hide how done with this I was.

 Chapter 136

    "We shouldn''t be alive." Megan whispered. She swirled her cup of tea, and stared into the depths of its contents.


    I didn''t want to look at them right then, but Megan''s statement drew my eyes to her. I felt her pain, which I found odd.


    Sally looked down at the coffee cup in her hands, her lips firmed up to prevent quivering. She hated the thought of being powerless.


    "I had thought the same. But after everything that happened, I''m sure neither of you are agents." Life Control gave me a lot of information about whatever it focused on, and most of it was instinct driven. But I had no way before Regrowth evolved into it, to understand cyberware at all. Now I can measure the affect of the chrome versus standard functions of the body. It took some effort on my part, and a lot of attention, but that was all.


    No one would be able to pull the face stealing trick on me again.


    Megan stared at me intensely, "Are you sure?"


    I returned her look, "Absolutely."


    "They kept us hooked up to machines, half out of our minds with drugs." Sally dropped that into my lap. "We experienced everything they did, as they did it. But we couldn''t do anything about it. I hated every second of it. It was like being trapped in a nightmare." She shuddered.


    "It was some kind of experiment." Megan said, "I managed to stay a little more lucid than Sally, probably because of my experiences running the net. I occasionally heard them talking."


    Now I could feel both of them, their pain and anger. It was faint, a half remembered thought, but it was there in the back of my mind.


    Sally got up to get more coffee, but I knew it was to avoid letting me see more of her vulnerability. Megan kept her eyes down her usual playful nature choked out by the suffering. Memories haunted her, and would for a long time.


    "Most personality implants are recordings. With a large enough sample to work with, they are fairly accurate. Maybe 80% of baseline. However, they break down when faced with traumatic or dangerous events. I don''t know why, they never discussed that part in front of us." She sipped her tea, clinging to the cup like it would save her.


    "We were kept alive to be throughputs for situations where the normal implants would break down. They would have killed us the instant their agents achieved their goals." Megan''s voice was soft, gentle, and terrified.


    "That''s also why we needed to be healthy, our bodies'' condition would have affected how we felt and how they reacted." Sally said from behind me, her voice was angry but I could hear the tears she was holding back.


    "I heard one of the techs said they reached 98.4% even with stressors. A victory for them, more grant money for them, more people subjected to it in the future." Megan sighed. "Then you came along." She smiled, it was a weak and fragile thing but it was there.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "We''d never been infatuated with anyone before. Usually we were the ones getting chased by people that meant nothing to us." Sally started. She had come back to the table and sat down. "You fucked us up in a way, we hadn''t been before. It was a great test of their system, and you were definitely someone to keep an eye on."


    "You broke their system a few times, you and your magic." Megan shrugged, "They fixed it up better than before."


    She turned to Sally.


    "Do you remember how we made a game out of breaking guys spirits. Setting little tasks we knew they couldn''t complete." Megan added.


    "That was all you, you evil bitch, I just told them to fuck off." Sally gave her friend a withering look.


    "Bitch, please you loved watching hope die in their eyes." Megan smirked at the blonde. This was a kind of stress relief for them. They needed it.


    I didn''t need to listen.


    Me, I was reminded of the fact that people are hard to get along with. These two were not women I should have gotten involved with in the first place. Does that count as failure in the opposite direction of my previous problems with women?


    Their bickering went one for a few minutes, I tuned it out. No one likes looking at the horrible parts of people they love, even if it was a bizarre proxy situation.


    Then I made myself examine them closer, maybe flinching away from the bad in folks we love is part of way relationships fail. At least some of them. Sally and Megan were badasses, but they were also fucked up girls. Sure we could argue why that might be all day, but it didn''t change that they already were messed up. When it''s pointed at others it can be funny, which says more about me than I''d like to admit. Yet when it''s pointed at me, I can''t help but think I made a terrible mistake by being involved with these two.


    But was I ever going to be able to find anyone who wasn''t fucked up?


    Not in this World.


    Best to find the women with the types of insanity that I could live with, even if only temporarily.


    Megan, of course, missed none of that going through my head. She was smart and manipulative, and couldn''t help but to pull the levers she saw that others often missed.


    "If you really wanted a stable girl, you never would have given the bitches more than a couple of dates." She dug in deep there. There was also a bitter note in there. She knew I really didn''t like what I was seeing.


    I had been so happy to have attention, I ignored what was attached to it.


    "Oh, I know. The problem is I don''t have enough experience to know what I really do want." I locked eyes with her, "Cut that shit out, now is not when you should be rooting around in my psychology. Pissing me off is a negative sum game these days."


    For once in her life, she backed down.


    Sally wisely didn''t say anything. While she might not have been the mental powerhouse her friend was, she was good at knowing when to be quiet.


    "So that explains why you are both alive, but why did they give you back?" Rip that band-aid off.


    "You again. They wanted samples of all the crops and livestock, for their farms back east. They knew once the Nations started arriving that fighting over them would be too expensive and likely would destroy what they wanted in the first place." Sally gave my shoulder a friendly tap.


    "So they used the one thing they knew Amanda would want above all else to trade for unspoiled samples. Us." Megan finished.


    I rolled that around. It made sense. I was obviously looking for the double play here. Corpos never do anything for just one reason.


    "Yeah, we have no clue either. They should have killed us when you uncovered the agents. So we''ve been waiting for the iron to fall on us since we''ve been back." Megan''s insight was eerie. Perhaps she was a latent psyker, or more likely she was just that fucking smart. Which I found more terrifying.


    I heard a rooster crow. The new day was fast approaching.

 Chapter 137

    Amanda and I spent the morning going over her plans for the remains of my outposts and New Lordaeron. She made it clear that while I would always have a place among them, and a say in how things would be run, it wasn''t mine anymore. She seemed afraid of saying it out loud, but it didn''t bother me much. I both enjoy and loath responsibility.


    The weight of other people on my back, while I had no chance of understanding myself and my situation, was a burden I was glad to be rid of. Though I hope she understood the summons would always place loyalty to me over the Nomads. Not that it would matter if I never pushed it.


    "I''ll help out as I can, and at some point soon I''ll head out to New Lordaeron to meet these new people you brought in. Pay me a fair share of profits from the sale of any exports I had a hand in, and we''ll call it nova. From what I''ve gathered your fellow Nomad Nations deserve a place to call home, and I have no desire to play at being some kind of leader to people I don''t know, and more importantly, don''t know me."


    Mith leaned into my leg, once again in his small form. He knew it hurt me, but he also knew I wasn''t just going to let it lie. He might like Amanda and the Nomads, but he was bonded to me.


    My words had sounded pretentious, to me, and yet, Amanda relaxed. I even got another hug, which I returned this time. Maybe this meeting had started out rocky, but at least Amanda and I were cool.


    Not so much for the doubles of my former paramours. I could feel their disapproving stares. Though I was strangely alright with that outcome as well. I should never have gotten that involved with anyone I didn''t know well in my situation. Especially not them.


    Mith rumbled, not quite vocalizing a growl. He felt my turbulent emotions, and knew who to blame. I rested my hand on his head and he stopped, knowing now was not the time.


    More trouble would come of it someday, but not yet. Perhaps by the time it did, I''d in in a much better position.


    "So what are you going to do now?" The Nomad leader asked.


    "I''ve cut deals with Rogue and the Mox, that should let me figure my new abilities out. I''ll get some paying gigs, and work on some quests. It will be some time before I can afford to ransom our friends back, unless I find a shortcut or two. Keep in touch?"


    "You know I will." Amanda smiled, and I returned it. Her people were already mounted up and ready to leave. She quickly followed suit.


    I watched them drive off. My face smoothed over into a blank expression.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The feeling of not knowing what was next bore down on me. It wouldn''t do to be lost, I needed to order my thoughts.


    Reina came up to me. "Are you really going to let them take your lands My Lord?"


    I looked at her and she backed up a step. She knelt and mumbled an apology. The sight of her on her knees hurt bitterly. I couldn''t stand my own people being afraid of me.


    Mith gave a soft whine. I gave him some ear scratches.


    "Sorry Reina, it''s alright." I waved her to stand up. "In answer to your question, of course I will. For now. But someday, I''ll build a better place for my people. And someday beyond that, this world will be ours."


    I stared up at the sky, it''s dusty colored tint saddened me. I still longed to fix this broken place, but I was no longer in any sort of rush. Heeding the lessons that could be learned from trees, I would be as patient as an oak breaking through rock with its roots.


    "Let them have that land and that place. I will indeed help them, and I want you all to get along with them. We don''t need more enemies and need all the allies we can get." I looked back at her, "But keep me informed of their actions."


    ''They not bad, they help, we help.'' Mith chimed in. I nodded at him, he saw right through all of this. He saw through me.


    "As you wish, My Lord." She dipped her head to me. She pulled her agent out, and I tapped mine against hers, sharing connection data.


    I patted her shoulder, "Be well and tell all of my people, to be patient. I will gather you all up as soon as I am able."


    She returned to her home.


    I spent a few minutes looking at the crops, reaching a decision. I caused a few plants to finish their growth cycles and harvested them for seed stock.


    Mith bounced around now that the tension had been released, he was back to his cheerful self.


    Orange corn, red beans, blue potatoes, and purple rice. I had a feeling I could grow them in my Hub. It would be a good idea to make myself as independent as I could. I envisioned a food truck, for some reason. Grow a bunch of food in my Hub and then use it to run a food truck. A heavily armed and armored food truck to be sure. Hmm.


    I liked the idea.


    I walked back to where I left the Chevillon, just letting my mind sort through things.


    Mith frolicked during the walk, investigating everything nearby. It was hard to stay serious when he was such a ball of playfulness.


    The remnants of the Khalai buildings still bothered me greatly. I wondered what I could do to have them returned to me. I missed the effect of the Psifield, there was a comfort in it. A joy in the connection it brought with it. I also missed Alina, not only for her information proceeding, but for her no nonsense view of existence.


    I missed Meadran''s advice and the feeling of resting under his canopy. I missed joking with Raynor and John. I missed having Jaina to help with planning things out.


    They would be returned to me, no matter what I had to do.


    The ride back to MB 4 was uneventful. Though it was a hoot to see Mith with his sticking out of the passenger side window. It reminded me of the long rides I''d take with Ruger back on my old Earth.


    Life wasn''t so bad right now and I shouldn''t let things I couldn''t control upset me. I had a way to figure out the subtilties of my power, I had a Hub to explore and a store of ridiculous proportions. I had allies. I had a clear set of goals and a purpose.


    Mith barked at some of the passing cars.


    Most importantly, at least to me, I had a dog.

 Chapter 138

    I was nearly back to MB 4 when Mith started barking at an alleyway. It was an angry sound, and he seemed eager to get to that darkened place.


    I decided to indulge him. I found a parking spot and slid the the Emperor in between two other vehicles.


    "Mith be careful and don''t charge in without me." I quickly cast Nature''s Blessing for the first time since my return. It felt off somehow, and still gave an energized feeling. A quick check of my stats showed that it still provide an insane plus eight to everything.


    ''Okay, hurry, hurry or we miss it.'' He bounced and darted a short distance ahead before falling back to my side.


    We rushed over to the gap that led deeper into the dark recesses. I could hear the sounds of a quiet struggle.


    Advancing with quick soft steps, I soon found a fascinating scene at the junction of of few other alleys.


    Two filthy and exhausted Kriegsmen were using their entrenching tools to slaughter a wave of those terrible things from the underground. Their las rifles lay broken on the ground at their feet.


    A quick scan showed that three other Guardsmen were down, whether dead or just wounded I couldn''t say.


    Dozens of bodies of the strange cyborgs covered every inch of the remaining ground. An opened manhole was clogged with even more bodies. Their dark, almost black blood was splattered everywhere.


    I admit I hesitated. To the servants of the Imperium I would now look like some odd member of the space elves. What did they call them? Ah, that''s right the Aeldari. I remember, that the general order for dealing with any Xenos was to shoot them in the head.


    However, they were still my responsibility.


    I looked down at Mith. He was tense and ready to charge.


    I sighed, "Fuck it." stepping into the junction with my pistol drawn, quickly shooting two of the cyborgs in their torsos.


    Mith charged the remaining creatures and quickly began to hamstring them. Ordinarily a dog that leapt so quickly to violence would trouble me, but I knew that Mith and his kind were very different from the standard dog.


    Two more shots got me to the closest downed Guard. I knelt to see if I could save them. Good, they were not dead, lots of blunt force trauma cuts and scratches and several bites, which are what caused enough blood loss to put the Kriegsmen down.


    By the time I finished getting him clear of immediate death, only a couple of the cyborgs remained. I stood to walk over to the next Guardsmen, thankfully also not dead, I quickly pulled him back from the brink.


    When I looked up one of the Kriegsmen was approaching me. The last of the cyborgs was down for the count. Mith walked between us, he didn''t growl or threaten the Guard, but it was clear he wouldn''t step aside.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I walked to the last Imperial, this one had a few bullets wounds, but was clinging to life with the tenacity I would expect of these hardened troops. It was no trouble to get them back to right.


    That finished, I turned my attention to the two that had been fighting. "Guardsmen, report." I figured, why not? Maybe whatever bullshit the Company had put together to maintain loyalty would still work.


    Luck was with me because it worked like a charm.


    The Kriegsmen snapped to reflexive attention. Their salute were crisp despite their wounds.


    "Watchmaster A-27 reporting," The one closest to me began, "Heavy Cybred resistance in this area. Squad function is below proper minimum strength. Standing orders are to return to base."


    Cybred, as good a name as any for these twisted things.


    "Why are you on the surface?"


    "Large movements of Cybred forces have been using the surface to get behind our front lines. We were on patrol to monitor their movements." I could read nothing of his expression, the cold dark glass of his gasmask kept his eyes protected from scrutiny.


    "Do you recognize me?" This was the critical moment.


    "Yes, Emperor!" There it was. They knew me regardless of my transformation.


    "Do you have... " What was it, oh right, "Vox communication with your base?"


    "Yes, Emperor!" There was that weight again. The weight of lives settling on my shoulders.


    "Hold fast for healing." I stepped over to the Watchmaster and laid me hand on his shoulder, there was a twitch as if he was going to attack but managed to hold back his conditioning.


    After a minute he trembled, I had no idea why, his treatment was coming along just fine, and I kept it slow to prevent any accidents. It was easy to patch him up.


    I moved to the last Guard, and the Watchmaster nearly collapsed behind me. He quickly righted himself, when he saw me looking back at him.


    Mith followed right beside me, more at ease now.


    I quickly set the last Kriegsmen to rights, and pondered what to do next. The others were beginning to stir.


    It was bad that the underground conflict was spilling onto the surface, but I probably shouldn''t get too entangled in it. Though I did need to find a way to supply them as I promised.


    Just when I was starting to relax.


    "Send word to your Marshall, I have returned, and will see what I can do to aid your efforts. But first, come and rest at my current outpost. We''ll get you some weapons and food."


    "Yes, My Lord!" Watchmaster A-27 barked. I felt my teeth grinding together a bit, yeah this was not a good development.


    Mith gave a soft whine. I gave him an ear scratch. I saw the attention of the Guardsmen focus on Mith.


    ''Jealous.'' He laughed in my mind.


    Maybe so.


    We cleaned up the site as best we could, throwing bodies back into the sewers. Liberal use of Purify managed to make it appear that nothing had happened here. I went over the Kriegsmen with the same spell.


    "The Emperor Protects!" They responded as one. More like the Emperor cleans, but whatever.


    This was a bad idea, but I wasn''t going to send them back into the fray without some iron to play with. Maybe I should just take them on a quick shopping trip and grab them some food?


    Yeah, that was a slightly better idea, lets keep the Mox and Rogue out of this.


    So I spent the next couple of hours getting the Guardsmen some Heavy Duty guns and a crash course on their usage. It didn''t take much, say what you will about them they were experts at mayhem whatever its form.


    A trip to a local burger joint, got them fed. They ate like starving wolves. I shook my head at their enjoyment of the food. Poor fools.


    "I was going to take you back with me, but my current allies should probably remain ignorant of your existence."


    "As you wish, Emperor."


    I dropped them off back where I found them. they assured me they could get back from here. I would meet them here in a week to get a Vox comm and give them whatever supplies I could cobble together. I didn''t want to lose track of this conflict again.


    Most of the day gone, Mith and I finally made it back to the Apartment.

 Chapter 139

    Mith and I finally made it back to the apartment. Gena met us by the door.


    "You''re finally back!" She gave me a crushing hug. I endured with polite reserve. Then she gave Mith a hug as well, he leaned into to it with dogged enthusiasm. Heh.


    "Things didn''t go as planned, and a few unrelated complications sprang up. It doesn''t matter right now, is everything ready for the calibration runs?" My gaze was shifting from one batch of equipment to another trying to determine the readiness of our plans. Lacie was typing away on a deck with a bizarre truncated keyboard. Evie was puttering around with the medical gear. I didn''t see Ricky or Mark.


    Gena gave Mith a few extra head pats, "Yeah, as far as I understand it, we are good to go."


    She and Mark had a little reception desk that was behind the door when it opened, meaning they could decide to shoot anyone who walked in, before they got spotted. The desk itself was heavy and thick, made of some modern alloy. It would be able to take a few rounds. I noticed Gena had a Defender resting on the desk and pointed at the door. I approved.


    "Did you decide who''s going first?" I made my way over to the fridge and grabbed a juice pack. Since I was in here I got Mith a snack as well. I tossed him a meat stick, made from "totally real meat, we promise". I say stick, but it was more like a small summer sausage. Mith leapt up and snatched it out of the air lickety-split. He snarffed it down in three or four bites. Gena eyed the fate of the meat and smiled.


    She had a strange sense of humor.


    "Ricky''s up first. Then me, Evie, Mark and Lacie goes last." She shrugged.


    "Alright, let''s get started as soon as Ricky''s ready."


    I sat on the couch and watched some show about a cybersamurai getting revenge for the death of their gerbil or something. The quick cuts of the scenes made it practically unfollowable. Though the action included plenty of very realistic looking violence.


    Mith hopped up on the couch and laid his head in my lap. I absently stroked his fur, while trying to veg out.


    Gena had sat back down at her desk where she was watching her own show on a monitor there.


    I let my brain shut down, it wasn''t quite sleep, but it wasn''t full awareness either.


    Ricky woke up from his rest, then put himself together. Once he was ready he come out into the main room.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Evie hooked him up to a battery of sensors and took readings of his current baseline. Once he was fully scanned she administered a series of meds and nanites designed to cleanse then heal his body. The whole time the sensors kept collecting data on how his body reacted to the treatment. They gave it about 15 minutes, roughly the length of time the meds take to run their course, then called me over.


    My mind returned to the present. I shifted Mith''s head over and let him continue to sleep.


    "You ready Ricky?" I gave him a smile and offered my hand.


    "Sure, Longears!" He chuckled and I snorted at the unserious insult. I mean my ears were fucking stupidly long.


    He took my hand, and I started running a low level mana current through him.


    "Whoa!" He barked.


    We stayed like that for a while, letting the machines take their measurements.


    "What''s it like?" Evie asked in a business like tone.


    "It''s like an unfiltered XBD, where you''re having really, really good sex. Except it doesn''t vary." Well, that was an interesting description.


    "Can you increase the "mana"?" Evie sent my way.


    "There''s a lot more power available." I said not really thinking about it.


    "Uh." Ricky sounded kind of panicked.


    I doubled the flow of mana into him.


    "Holy shit!" Ricky grunted. I''m pretty sure I knew why, so I hit him with a Purify. I would prefer not to smell the result of his excitement. My primal nature really didn''t react well to rivals.


    We kept this up for another hour, Evie asking him questions, me upping the mana and then Purifying him.


    "I c-can barely think... this is fucking dangerous. It will surely lead to psychological dependence, if not outright physical addiction." He was gritting his teeth, trying to fight through the pleasure.


    Evie had no mercy, "Can you continue to increase the mana?"


    "Sure. Though at this point, it''s probably not doing too much for him." I answered.


    She check her readings, and nodded.


    "Let''s stop the current experiment." She was typing notes into her tablet.


    I ceased pouring mana into Ricky. He was sweating and having a hard time catching his breath. I performed another Purify. Then sat back down on the couch, letting some sadistic gameshow numb my brain.


    After a while to go over her data and consult with Lacie, Evie called Gena over. Mark had woken up a short while before and took over the reception desk.


    I called a time out to fix every one and myself a meal.


    I managed to pull off a mac and cheese and sausage with BBQ baked beans and some cornbread. Once again, it came out almost right. Once again my roommates were stunned by my simple cooking.


    Some part of me really enjoyed feeding people. There was a visceral satisfaction to their simple joy at having good food. I thought it strange that I liked to take care of people. I had never seemed to before, this world got stuck with me.


    Once we finished, Gena got hooked up and we repeated the process.


    Her reactions were much more interesting to me, than Ricky''s had been. For one thing, she didn''t even try to resist the pleasure. She rode it like a Cowgirl might ride a bull. She was even coherently vocal even at levels where everyone else had crumbled into a drooling senseless mess.


    Embrace life, that was her philosophy.


    Then it was Evie''s turn while Ricky ran the equipment. Her body jerked and twitched, but her face never changed in the slightest.


    Mark was stoic during his turn, barely responding.


    Lacie went fucking nuts. Screaming snippets of code and operating perimeters.


    Then it was quiet again.


    I felt a bit awkward, so I decided to take Mith for a walk.

 Chapter 140

    The next morning saw many awkward glances between the Moxes, only Gena retained her composure.


    When their eyes fell upon me they hastened to find anything else to look at.


    "You''re all being silly. It''s not as if we had an orgy." I finally snapped in exasperation over a breakfast of scrabbled eggs and bacon. The food was unpleasant enough without them adding to it. Whatever process Biotechnica used to create synth eggs was way off the mark, though the bacon was only slightly odd.


    "An orgy would have been less awkward, " Mark was the least affected after his lover. "We''ve all done that before."


    "It''s about control." Ricky began, "We''ve all had all kinds of fun, but we''ve never felt so out of control."


    I found that to be an odd statement, until I really hashed it out. Gena and Mark were the only two here that had ever been Dolls. Dolls, at least the types they had been, almost never got to choose anything about their encounters.


    "Ah. Then I apologize."


    "No, no. You don''t have to apologize choom, we consented, it''s just we had no way of understanding how intense that would be." Ricky shook his head in denial.


    "It was nova!" Lacie chirped her face flushed, "But scary."


    "We obtained very useful data." Evie added.


    "We''ll get over it. It''ll just take some time." Ricky was probably the most messed up. My few interaction with psychologists in the past, indicated that they like ordered interaction. This was definitely not ordered.


    "Alright, I''ll try to give you guys some time." I gave up on my food. I started clearing my mess up. I could just use Purify, but I liked washing dishes after I cooked, it always gave me a sense of closure to the meal.


    "You cooking is great, but you never really seem satisfied when you are eating. Why is that?" Trust a shrink to notice that.


    "It never tastes right, I grew up with better food." I gave a short answer.


    "Where are you from?" Ricky pushed again, his psych senses must have been tingling.


    "No, I''m not going to talk about that right now. Maybe someday, but not today." I went back to scrubbing dishes.


    My family had a rule; if you cooked you didn''t clean. I never liked that rule, I believed that if you made a mess, you cleaned it up. I never understood where my attitude on that came from, but it was a small point of tension with my relatives.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    I sighed, no use thinking about it now. I''d never see them again.


    I finished the dishes and went back to ruminating on what to do next.


    The next day my Hub was available to visit. I could sense its condition in a small part of my mind. Easy to call up, but also easy to ignore. Since it would still be a couple of days before the first volunteer showed up, I decided to hop into the mini pseudo world.


    Letting the Moxes know I''d be gone for a while, I called up the gate in my bedroom. No I wasn''t going to explain it to them. They could wondered about it.


    The Hub was mostly as I left it. The only immediately noticeable difference was that the Pylon floating way over the center of the space was glowing much brighter.


    The blue tinted light played oddly over the structures, casting stark shadows. This made the space feel haunted, which I supposed made me the ghost. Heh.


    My first impulse was the going into the Value Tree and buy a whole bunch of food for back in NC. I would certainly do that but first, it would be prudent to explore the half-sized Megabuilding. After all what good was such a thing when there were no people to house.


    MB Treeside was much like MB 4, except the parking structure was under the building. I didn''t see a need to explore downward right now. Again wondering what use the parking structure might serve.


    As I entered the lobby, I felt the blast of negative pressure. Always a startling experience if you weren''t expecting it.


    There was a reception desk in front of two more classic elevators, other wise the room was relatively small for the building. I noticed you could walk around the elevators. Back there was a hallway with doors. A sign above them read "Battle Arena".


    Slightly opening one of the doors I looked inside. It was a combination of a Colosseum and a Basketball court style rec center. There was a central depression and stacked bleacher style seating. It was large enough that I thought it took up most of the foot print of the building. It extended upward three stories with entry to higher level seating on those floors. To get into the arena itself would likely require going down to the first or perhaps even the second subfloor.


    Why would I need this?


    I used the elevator to head up to the fourth floor. I noticed only the top floor was distinctly labeled. It read "Master Floor Living Area". Very strange way to put it.


    On the fourth floor other than the lobby was the Gallery. The walls were glossy white and yet didn''t reflect as much light as you would expect. The overhead lighting here looked like old florescent tube lights, but neither made that slight humming sound nor threw out harsh light. Interesting.


    It held glowing marble statues of my people and even other folk that I had met. Dakota, Rogue both young and old, Nolan, Amanda, Both Sally, Megan and their doubles. All the Moxes I had met, and several others.


    There was a section labeled Victories and Defeats, full of screens showing the fights I had been in, from different angles. This included directly from my perspective.


    This area was followed by the Memorial for the Fallen, Scuff and Fix, Chuck and Barry, Huskler and Keighvus, Lumi, Sinn and others.


    Then there was the Rogue''s Gallery. The statues here were done in black marble that seemed to absorb the light.


    Carver''s statue was first, though I didn''t recognize him, Several other people who I had not the slightest clue who they were. Various members of the Maelstrom, Tyger Claws and Scavs. Obvious Corpo Types. The last statue was covered by shifting black fog, I had a feeling this represented my Case Worker.


    A deep and terrible snarl tore itself from me, before I managed to tear myself away.


    I spent a few moments collecting myself. Deep Breaths.


    Heading back to the elevators, I was still very confused as to what possible purpose all of this might serve.

 Chapter 141

    It occurred to me that the label in the elevator was a clue. I have no excuse for not thinking of it sooner. Though some mistrust of this place was warranted, I had a deep itching feeling that nothing was as it seemed here.


    So to the top floor I went, softly humming a song about falling into the darkness. A song many mistakenly thought was about dying, which was really about the creeping shadow of memory loss from Alzheimer''s. That part of me that always whispers the worst things to say or do, thought that was funny. The rest of me thought it was funny too, in that sick to my stomach kind of way.


    The ride up took a few minutes. The eeriness of a place for living being so quiet, so still, sank in deep. Even the elevator itself was silent. If I hadn''t felt its motion I would have sworn it was not going anywhere at all.


    Being left alone with my thoughts, has never been a good place for me. My thoughts went all twisty, and often turned negatively upon myself. It was why I like working with my hands, I could focus on something that wasn''t in my head. Since I''d been in this new world it had rarely been a problem, always something to do, always something else to think about.


    Those few minutes in that metal box felt like hours, as all the ammunition that the more devilish part of me stored up, got used in a burst of rapid fire recriminations. All the doubts, failures and flaws, real and imagined were written large across my mind. My inner troll had shaped and crafted them into a far more cutting tool, than they should have been.


    Tears flowed down my cheeks as I saw my inability to save people. My lack of of action in the face of this broken society. Every person I had let down or lost stood as specters in my heart. Casting countless aspersions.


    The weight of corrupted events fell on my shoulders, every action I''d taken was rewritten into a monstrous deed. Me, cast as the Villain. Every word I''d ever said bitter and biting, weapons tearing the hearts of others to pieces.


    Under the canopy of the Valley there was peace, but all I could see was the trees there burning. Then it was thousands of troops rallying to my cause only to be thrown into the meat grinder of battle.


    This wasn''t right. This wasn''t the way it was, but it was growing harder to see it any other way.


    Success breeds failure. As true for myself as anyone and anything else.


    And there it was, the thing whispering into my ear. I could finally feel it, a twisted version of me. I turned to look at it, and it grinned at me. Faint and shadowy it spewed its assaults deep into my psyche. In its moment of victory it stopped hiding.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Seeing that everything I was experiencing had an instigator brought burning rage to the forefront of my mind. The time for thinking was done.


    Now it was my turn.


    My Aura flared a rich deep green, and my shadow clone was well within range. I felt it there a greasy oil bubble filled with vitriol, it wasn''t alive, nor was it dead. Some form of sentient mana given a purpose.


    It was easily crushed by my greater "mass" of energy. I gripped it with my mana and squeezed.


    In its final moment, I saw it struggle. I was pleased, it was aware, it could hurt. I wanted it to hurt.


    It popped with the stink of burning tar and raw sewage. I reflexively cast Purify to remove the odor, and heard a further scream, sounding like a steam whistle. Just rupturing its form, didn''t finish it off I supposed.


    I swept the area with tendrils of my mana, the only way I could think of to search for more of those gloomy things. Nothing. The area seemed to be clear.


    Perhaps, I should figure out some way to passively scan for these types of threats. Yup, that goes on the priority list.


    Was this shadow thing normal here? Or was it shaped and sent by someone else? My gut said it was the latter. The rest of me wasn''t so sure. The thought that anyone could send something here into what seemed to be a private space was disturbing.


    Unless it was the Company, but it seemed too tame by their standards. Too small.


    The gear cranked in my mind.


    I smacked my head.


    I had come in first. Which implied there were others like me. If there were others, not all of them would be decent folks. Bound to be someone who thought that power meant that they could act as they wanted, with no regard for others.


    I was falling into that trap myself. Others might go further.


    What kind of power would be able to create one of those shadows, what kind of mind would be behind that creation?


    I didn''t like the profile I was building.


    There were enough troubles in this world, I didn''t need a new enemy.


    But I apparently had one.


    The "Master Floor Living Area" was one quarter of the footprint of the building, or about a couple dozen times the size of my apartment in MB 4. You could play professional football easily within it, with plenty of room left over.


    The floor was done in a cherry stained teak hardwood. I could feel the spring in my step that comes with having a cork underlayer, which pleasantly muffled the sound of my steps as well. The walls were covered in grey wooden slats with the occasional outlet. The rest of the space was remarkable only in the fact that it was empty. No furniture of any kind.


    The outer wall had 9 huge windows looking down upon the space of my Hub. The view wasn''t much, just the field I woke up in, the roof of the Value Tree and the roof of the Storage Tree, then the other field of purple grass.


    Surely there was some way to change things here.


    Maybe in one of the other sections of this floor.


    I sighed not liking the mystery of this place, and I could only grimace at the idea that I would have to manually haul things up here. Without something like the storage space of my former class, that was going to be quite the challenge.


    You never really appreciate the things you have, until some demented being rips them out of you.

 Chapter 142

    Orienting the building relative to the field I woke up in. I decided to call that direction from here north. That put the megabuilding on the estimated east side of the Hub''s space. The Master Floor Living Area''s window would be facing the west. Without a compass it would have to do.


    All sense of direction was meaningless here, so in the time honored tradition of mankind. I made things up.


    I went to the Northern section of the floor, a simple door halted my progress. A small placard was hung beside the door it read, "Master Floor Bathing and Rest Facility".


    Poking my head in showed that at least half the space was a combination of different cultures bathing setups. Elements of the old Roman style stood out along side a Japanese-esque initial cleaning area and locker room.


    The floors and walls, even the ceilings in this bathing area, were tiled. Mostly in small square dark blue tiles. Small mural patterns I didn''t quite understand were scattered here and there.


    I entered further and found the second half of the section was various rooms, some were for massage, some were saunas, some were hot-tubs, but the majority were rooms with a toilet and bidet, then a sink to wash your hands. How interesting.


    This area had treated cedar boards covering the walls, each with oddly shaped patterns burned into each board.


    While every piece of equipment was there to define the rooms, there was no soap, no shampoos, no toilet paper, and no towels.


    It was a space way too large for a professional sports team, never mind an individual. I couldn''t help but think this was a waste, and also very creepy. There should be life everywhere and it was nowhere to be found. Only hushed silence.


    The little hairs on the back of my neck were standing up.


    I swept the area with tendrils of mana, but found nothing. I guessed it was just the emptiness getting to me.


    There was no way through to what would be the Easternmost section of the building from this area.


    So I backtracked to the empty living area and onward to the door to the southern section of the megabuilding, conveniently labeled "Master Floor Crafting Area".


    This section was further divided into large rooms, each with a type of workshop.


    The first was a professional kitchen. Everything a team of chefs might want.


    Then there was a fully appointed woodshop, then a tricked out metal and gun smithy. Lastly an auto mechanics shop. There was actually a vehicle elevator on the outer wall. What an absurd idea. Why wouldn''t you put this on the ground floor?


    Once again, the sheer oddity of this place overcame me.


    It was like an limited AI designed it. It would never understand why you shouldn''t put certain activities next to one another. Only that it should full the space with something useful.


    Still at least all the tools you might need where present. However, I noticed things like nails or screws were absent. A complete ratchet set, but no bolts or nuts to be found.


    It had been the same in the kitchen, every appliance, every utensil, not a lick of food, no lard or oil, or cleaning products.


    I massaged my temples. My brain was staging a protest.


    Why!?


    For the love of fuck, why?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    What was the point?


    The nonsensical arrangement of this place was hurting me on a fundamental level.


    I felt small and insignificant, little a child trapped in their giant father''s garage.


    Forcing myself to ignore the dilemma for now, I continued on to find a door leading to the last section.


    This area had the label, "Master Floor Command and Control."


    Bingo.


    That sounded like a place to get answers.


    Through the door was a space walled in thick crysbronze plates. Runs of dull crystal flowed through the plates like circuitry.


    No windows nor light fixtures anywhere to be seen, yet a weak diffused light blanketed the whole space.


    It the center of the space was an enormous Khaydarin Crystal, I could somehow tell it was an original version, not a synthetic one. The crystal was currently dull and grey.


    In front of it was a standing console in crysbronze and a large flat monitor. A small blinking light, on the consoles control panel, was the only noticeable source of light.


    I was reminded of my first time in the Nexus.


    While it might have been a a smarter idea to examine everything first, I felt compelled to press that button. Surely it would lead to something good.


    I walked towards the button.


    "You may not." A breathy airy hissing whisper came from behind the crystal.


    I reached out with my mana tendrils and felt it another disgusting mass of mana.


    I wrapped it up and dragged it towards me to get a look at it.


    A shadow given form and solidarity, rotten mana twisted into a parody of life.


    "Oh? Are you going to stop me?" I was done. done with creepy empty spaces, done with fucked up shadow beings and certainly fed up with whoever was playing these games.


    I was certainly not scared of this thing. I snarled at it.


    My contempt plain to the world, I crushed the foul creature and threw a Purify after. It''s whistling scream was a joy to hear, even as it offended my ears.


    More shadows started to just pop in the room from out of no where. First dozens then hundreds.


    My BTC twitched.


    [ Emergency Quest ]


    [ Repel the Invaders ]


    [ Rewards Vary ]


    I didn''t bother trying to grabbed more of the foul creations, I simplify cast Purify on a broad scale. Again and again, over and over.


    They melted like chocolate hit with a blow torch.


    I relished their screams.


    These foes were beneath me, and entirely the wrong match up for a wielder of life energies.


    Which was why I didn''t see the real threat coming.


    As corrupted mana burned away under my onslaught, another shadow slipped through. This was no shadow given form. This was a person bathed and warped by the oily mana. They weren''t just covered in the shadow mana they were radiating it.


    I realized my mistake as a tanto was trust into my gut. The blade was twisted and stirred to do maximum damage. I grimaced but cast another spell.


    My latest Purify burned the shadow cover from them, reveling for a moment an armored form. The small lithe body covered in black trimmed with a touch red.


    I groaned as my right hand reflexively closed on my pistol''s grip. Without thought or intention my weapon was drawn and five shots hit the new threat from less than three feet away.


    It crumpled.


    The rest of the shadows vanished.


    I didn''t try to move, I merely took aim at the head of my attacker and pumped three rounds into the faceplate. Only the first bounced the other two went through.


    [ You have slain a Contender ]


    [ Her name was Sarah Johnson ]


    [ She was from Baltimore ]


    [ Are you Proud of yourself ]


    What? The? Fuck?


    [ You have repelled an Invasion ]


    [ You receive 1000000 Company points ]


    [ You will also receive the valuation of their Hub minus fees ]


    My mind went blank for a second.


    Those assholes.


    I pulled the tanto from my guts, grunting as I flared my Aura to stitch myself back together. My blood had splattered in an arc in front of my covering the body of my former enemy.


    Stripping the helmet off of the woman was yet another mistake as her blood and brains and split out. What a terrible mess.


    But I felt like I owed it to her to see what she looked like.


    She had been a small woman, her face was mostly intact. Dusky skin and green eyes framed by the remnants of her dark hair. Her expression was one of astonishment, as if she couldn''t believe she had died.


    There was no fixing this. There was no way to make this right.


    I felt wrong and tainted, like something important had been lost.


    This was a person from home.


    Don''t get me wrong, I would kill her again, in a heartbeat. She attacked me, and used bullshit tactics, she deserved no mercy.


    But this whole situation didn''t have to exist. Only the whims of some Omnipresent Corporation created this confrontation.


    I was saddened and I was pissed off, and very very confused.


    I cast Purify again to clean her up. Her whole body disappeared from inside the armor.


    My eyes nearly bulged out of my skull, it had never done that before. I checked my status.


    It was evolving. Just like the whole fucked up mess that was my life.


    I felt exhausted. Too much mana usage, maybe. Stress was just as likely a contributing factor.


    This wouldn''t do.


    I sighed and sat down on the newly cleaned floor to try and put my head back together.