Life in the North: An Apocalyptic LitRPG

“Space Lord—Master Class version of the Space Mage specialization. Concentrates on altering and shaping space itself and, to some extent, the dimensions that intrude on that space. Space Lock is your everyday Dimensional Lock, just slightly differently flavored. Off to the Side is a wide area spell that isolates a location from outside interference, putting the entire location just a bit off from every other location. That’s how she isolated you during the attack. Threw the area around you a kilometer out of whack from reality, making sure that reinforcements couldn’t just portal or teleport in,” Ali explains, shedding a little light on something I hadn’t even thought to question. Old assumptions about how long it takes police to respond conflict with my own learned experience of jumping from place to place.

“How come I never got a notice that was happening?” I say.

“Didn’t affect you directly, just the area. It’s so wide-area that there’s no warning until you bump against the edges. It shifts the entire space, but the rules are still the same. Part of the reason why she needed to use Space Lock independently too,” Ali says.

I grunt, making note of this problem. “Is this why it’s so expensive to find them?”

“Partly. Pretty sure the entire team is also decked out and counter-intelligenced up the wazoo. But if where they’re staying is out of sync with normal reality, a lot of normal tracking spells and Skills won’t work.”

I ask, as a thought strikes me, “Is that fifty million Credits also due to politics?”

“Yes. The factions that make use of them have invested a significant amount of funds into ensuring their continued existence,” Oria says.

“Got it.” I turn back to the information as Ali continues.

“Aura of Reality is the one that forces people back into normal dimensions and also makes Stealthed attackers appear. Space Prison is an extremely hard-to-escape trapping spell that slides you into your own warped space. She used that to great effect against Hondo’s team. The other two are wide area and individual attacks.”

“Evanline looks to be a pain,” I say.

“She is,” Hondo says. “Powerful and smart. She split my team, took out our frontline till it was too late.”

“Damn,” I say, rubbing my chin. “Recommendations?”

“Your resistances will help against her direct attacks. It won’t stop her prison, which is what she’ll likely use against you if she’s looking to isolate you further,” Hondo says. “Don’t let her.”

I stare at the rather unhelpful Weaponmaster before snorting. Fine. Time to go shopping then. Next up is the Machine Lord.

S’Baxu; Exploit 3-x-189, Monster Hunter (Goblins, X-23, Slimes,…), The Lumierre Prize of Artisanal Excellence, Grandmaster Brewer, more… (Machine Lord Level 21) (M)

HP: 1830/1830

MP: 3210/3210

Notable Skills: Machine Meld, Overdrive, Boosted Performance, Gift of Sentience, Networked, MagiTech Rules (3)

“That’s the gunship pilot, right?”

“Yup. He’s the most flexible since he can change his gear to suit the situation. Like a gunship to deal damage and run away. He’s also the one who hacked the bubble cars and crashed you.”

I recall the damage notifications and the volume of fire from those rockets. I assume that’s where things like MagiTech rules come into play. “Lots of firepower, not a huge amount of damage.”

“Har. That’s because you had Harden, your damage resistances, and gear on. Without it, you’d be singing a different tune. But yes, his max damage is lower overall. He’s more a high-volume-of-fire kind of guy. Less effective against you, but better for dealing with softer targets or Summoners. Overall, he’s probably the least worrisome since he’s not technically a direct Combat Class.”

“Like Sam.”

“Like Sam was.”

I dismiss the status information. If he’s anything like Sam, I could expect a completely different loadout and vehicle the next time we clash. Frustrating that taking out his vehicle would be harder than normal, but nothing to get too worked up about.

Hurquji Sani, Son of Ze’us, Monster Slayer (Hydra, Goblins, Kobold, Bulls, Harpies, …), Blood Drenched, Duellist, Winner of the Four Ivies, more… (Titan Spawn Level 13) (M)

HP: 7830/7830

MP: 3810/3810

Unique Skills: Demigods Body, Resistance to Pain, Father’s Blessing, Gifted Strength, Demigod Regeneration, Ares’ Blessing

“Titan?” I say, my eyes widening slightly.

“Elder race. Not many of them left, since their planet got destroyed.”

“The System?”

“Nah. Ze’us, Poseidon, and Hades got into a three-way tussle and ended up destroying the planet. Happens when you’ve got three Heroics who are relatively balanced,” Ali says.

“Is Zeus going to be a problem?”

“Ze’us. And nah. He’s a rather famous negligent dad. Has to be really, with the way he acts. When your spawn number in the tens of thousands—”

“I thought you said they’re a dying race.”

“Sure. From a few billion to less than a hundred thousand. That’s one heck of a drop.”

I give up on arguing with Ali and turn my attention back to the room. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but Hurquji’s your basic brawler?” If so, that’d explain his lack of interaction in our latest fight. No place for a guy who punches when we’re fighting mid-air.

“If you call a Titan ‘basic,’ certainly,” Oria says.

“Do not underestimate the Titan,” Hondo says. “His abilities give him unending Stamina and incredibly high resistance to damage. While he might not be able to alter the trend of a battle at the snap of his fingers, the Titan can finish the entire battle by himself if left unchecked.”

“Hits hard, soaks up damage even better. Got it.”

My words make Hondo glower at me even more, which I admit is part of the point. Objective complete, I return to my perusal of the Wolves.

Trols Vroldrons, Webweaver, Monster Slayer (Kobolds, Ussma Flies, Samak Vipers), One Shot, more… (Ryou-ri-rr Level 48) (A)

HP: 3870/3870

MP: 2840/2840

Notable Skills: Target Lock, Charged Shot, Lurker in the Web, Spider’s Camouflage, Weapon of Choice, Stamina to Power, Mana to Power, Triple Tap

“The Uttu?” I say. “I don’t like that One Shot title.”

“Relax. She tried it already and failed. She probably got that earlier on. It’s one of those conditional titles—kill a hundred people who are twenty Levels above you with one attack. Nothing that impressive.” I kind of want to protest that yes, yes, it is impressive, but Ali continues. “I’m more interested in that Weapon of Choice Skill. Makes her significantly more dangerous when she’s using a specific weapon, and it’s also a little more flexible than your Soulbound weapon. So long as she designates it beforehand with sufficient training time, it increases damage output by eighteen percent. But they aren’t indestructible. That means if you destroy the weapon…”

“Boom.” I get more than a few exclamations of surprise from the crowd around me and I offer them a slight smile. “Sorry. Reading. All right, it seems I’ve got a rough idea of what we have here. No dedicated healer, but it seems that’s not been an issue.”

“They’re an assassination team. They hit hard and fast. And then they use Evanline’s and S’Baxu’s abilities to leave. It’s extremely hard to lock down a Space Lord.” Hondo grimaces slightly. “It limits our tactical options because we have to take her down.”

“Why?” I say. “They’re mercenaries, right? Isn’t making it too expensive to deal with us the better solution?”

“What are you suggesting?” Oria says while Hondo bristles.

“Focus fire on the weakest. Take them down the next time we have a chance. If they start losing people each time they attack, they’re going to be a lot less likely to keep the contract,” I say.

“Losing an Advanced Classer means nothing to them,” Hondo says. “The loss of the Webweave is negligible. They have churned through many others since my disgrace.”

“But my point still stands,” I say. “Your way hasn’t resulted in any wins. Also, what’s with this we?”

“I have been tasked by the Representative to aid you in dealing with them,” Hondo says. “From now on, I shall be accompanying you.”

“Hells to the no.”

“John!” Katherine’s voice rises and she slaps the table, drawing my attention to her. “You will take the offered help.”

“You think I can trust this guy not to stab me in the back?” I say, ignoring the way Hondo bristles.

“The Weaponmaster will not betray his honor. He has never betrayed his honor,” Oria says, her voice as cold as the wind over a Yukon lake in the middle of winter. “Even the mildest scuff on it sends Hondo into a tizzy of anger and recrimination. His job is to guard your back and kill them. He will not touch you.”

“Take the Weaponmaster, boy-o. That’s three sentient-trained Master Class killers after you. You can’t win without help,” Ali says. “If you don’t recall, the best we could do was run like hell.”

I want to object, but the Spirit has a point. I did barely any damage to the Uttu, and I never even got a chance to leave a scratch on the others. The best option I had was to run, and as Oria has already pointed out, it’s likely they weren’t actually trying to kill me. Just pass on a message to back down. Kind of stupid really. If they had done any research, our opposition would know I don’t back down.

I draw a deep breath, looking at Hondo. There’s a burning anger in there, a sneer that he does not hide. But beneath all that, there’s a solidity to the man too. A bone-deep stubbornness that’s comforting in a way. He won’t run, he won’t bow. He has a personal grudge in this, one that transcends the one he has with me. He’s also probably skilled enough to handle at least one of the Master Classers.

Which means…

“Fine. Now, how do we find them?” I say.

The silence that follows is quite telling.

Portaling back to our residence takes only a fraction of a second. Mikito is absently walking out of the bathroom, playing with the clasp of her nano-formed collar helmet. She offers me a smile that freezes before she explodes into action, Ghost Armor forming as she moves sideways, polearm appearing in her hand as she points it behind me. I twitch and shift, sword forming in my hand as I spin about before thought catches up with reactions.

“Hold!” I roar, making my sword disappear.

Hondo sniffs, one hand raised only slightly to ensure that a lunge doesn’t catch him completely unprepared. But otherwise, the Weaponmaster looks entirely unimpressed by Mikito and her actions.

“What is he doing here?” Mikito says, lowering her naginata but neither dismissing her armor nor putting away Hitoshi.

“He’s our newest buddy.” I walk over to the kitchen and poke around the Galactic equivalent of a refrigerator, looking for something to eat. The first shelf carries a series of flat, metal-coated pre-packed meals that I recall being particularly tasty. One advantage of the pervasiveness of sci-fi technology and System Classes is that Cooks and Chefs are very, very talented. I pull out three of the pre-packed meals and walk over to the dining room, eyeing the pair in their silent standoff. “If someone wants to grab the alcohol from the fridge, we can eat and talk.”

“With him?” Mikito almost snarls.

“Oh, come on. I’ve gotten over it, and I’m the immature one here,” I say.

“He really is.” The grumpy Spirit glares at me and floats over to the fridge before yanking out another pair of meals and a case of beer. “Mikito, Hondo’s given his word that he won’t harm John. And now Hondo’s going to give his word not to harm you or anyone else in the party. Right?”

Hondo hesitates before he inclines his head. “I do. For as long as we share a common enemy, and until we have provided an in-person report to our respective masters, I shall undertake no adverse action against you or members of your party.”

“See? All good.” I push the meals across the table. “Now, sit down, eat, and let’s talk.”

I tap the seal on my meal and sit back, crossing my arms as I wait for the meal to be properly heated. While it does that, I fill Mikito in on what happened at the meeting. The Samurai looks less than happy even when she gets the information on the Wolves, but she relents enough to sit down and eat.

“Where’s Harry?” I ask, looking around. Don’t want the reporter randomly walking in on a conversation he shouldn’t hear.

“Out.”

“Is that safe?” I say, frowning. Then I realize who I’m talking about and shut up. If there’s anyone in our group who would be safe, it’s Harry. Not only do his Skills provide a measure of protection from being targeted, the guild he is in frowns heavily on attacking their people and have, at times, taken steps to make their displeasure known. Of course, if he’s actively looking for the Wolves of the Air and feeds information back to us, it’ll be a problem for his professed “neutrality.”

“He said so. Wants an interview with them, he says,” Mikito say, meeting my gaze. I see the worry in her eyes, the concern for our new friend. But his job is dangerous, no matter what choices we make.

“This is the reporter?” Hondo asks.

I nod. The Weaponmaster snorts loudly, tapping the ready meal and letting the metal roll backward to showcase slabs of meat and carbohydrates. There’s even a good mixture of weirdly colored vegetables, neatly sliced. And of course, the piece de resistance—a triple-layered dessert.

“You have a problem with Harry?”

“I have given my word to cause no problems.”

“Wasn’t the question. What’s your problem with Harry?” I ask.

“Nothing. I just dislike such creatures.”

“Creatures?” I frown.

“Reporters, John,” Ali says around a mouthful of the dessert. As always, the Spirit has started with the sweets. In fact, he’s got both meals open, the desserts from both trays in front of him.

“What’s your problem with reporters then?”

“They are the most useless Class. Less useful even than Slime Trainers,” Hondo says. “They spread refuse as badly as any Sanitation Worker and constantly agitate the commoners. They provoke the Combat Classers, delude the Artisans, and embarrass our proper rulers. Well. Perhaps they are not all bad.”

His last words are met with stony silence before it slowly dawns on us that the Weaponmaster made a joke. By that point, it’s a little too late to laugh, so we end up staring at him in shared embarrassment. In unison, Mikito and I duck our heads and chew on the monster meat.

A few minutes later, after I come up for air, I look at the strange group that makes up my dining companions. The sight before me makes me blink, but I push the thought aside and sip on the Apocalypse Ale. “So what do we know about the Wolves?”

“We have our contacts looking for them, but…” Hondo shrugs.

I have to admit, I understand his reaction. After all, they’ve been looking for this group all this time. It’s not as if looking a little harder will make a difference. Probably.

“Hondo, have they ever been this blatant before?” I say.

“In their attacks? No. But you underestimate the anger you have generated. Local law enforcement might desire them caught, but they have neither the Skills nor the Credits to do so, not while stymied by those with vested interest. As for the Master Class bounty hunters, few will take a commission on a team this powerful.”

“How about Heroics?” Mikito asks.

Hondo shrugs.

When he provides no further answer, Ali butts in. “Heroics kind of do their own thing. Or whatever the organization they chained themselves to tells them to do. While Irvina has three Heroics, they’re mostly dealing with other problems. Unless the Council decides to set them loose, you won’t see them move.”

“And the Wolves are under the thumbs of the Irvina already. I’m guessing the Edge has their own Heroics. So… what? A cold war situation where the Heroics are never put in play?” I say.

Hondo inclines his head slightly, and I sigh. Joy.

“Bait?” Mikito says, deciding to shift the direction of our pointless conversation.

“Probably.” I lean backward, sipping on the beer, and pull some whisky-infused chocolates from storage. I offer the pieces to the others before popping one in my mouth. “Obvious but…”

“But if they don’t take it, they’ll fail to finish their mission,” Hondo says.

“Do we know if they’re contracted to keep coming at John?” Ali says, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, their attacks and other actions are already having an effect on recruitment.”

“We do not,” Hondo says, “but we must assume a contract is in effect. Slowing down the recruitment is insufficient for their ends. They must destroy the program and make an example.”

“Katherine? If they go after her—”

“Unlikely, but we have added to the defenses your people have set up,” Hondo says. “Attacking an ambassador on Irvina carries significant penalties. It would—at the very least—increase the bounty on the Wolves to the point that other groups would target them. In such a case, I would not be surprised if some of the more proactive Heroic Combat Classers bumped them up on their list. Or the Council even authorized some of the local Heroics to take action.”

“Wait. Heroic Combat Classers have a list?” Mikito says, eyebrow rising.

“There are… individuals who feel that their position allows them to right wrongs,” Hondo says, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

“Wannabe superheroes,” Ali adds in his two cents.

“That’s amazing,” I say.

“Oh please. Paladin.” Ali points his wrapped-up meat-meal at me. “As if you aren’t going to become one of those.”

“Hey! All I was doing before these guys bothered me was reading,” I say.

“It’s true. He was very boring.” Mikito nods sagely.

“Exactly. Wait.” I glare at the little Japanese woman, who flashes me a smile, before I change the subject back. “So Katherine’s relatively safe. The rest of the diplomatic corp are in lockdown. How about the combat teams?”

“Portal.”

I nod at Mikito’s short and entirely reasonable suggestion. “Good call. All right, then we have a game plan? Or at least, the outline of our strategy?”

“This is no game. But yes, I believe so,” Hondo says. “I shall be accompanying you in any dungeon run.”

“To the dungeon entrance. But you’re going to run a dungeon and a team yourself.” When he moves to say something else, I shake my head. “We’ll use ones with clear boundaries so we can’t be attacked while running them. In the meantime, you’ll help run as many people through as possible.”

“That is not my job,” Hondo says with a snap.

“Maybe. But it’ll help us finish this faster. The higher Level we get these recruits, the better the campaign looks. And that means the more pressure the Wolves will be under to finish this.”

Hondo stays silent for a time before he speaks slowly. “Very well.”

After that, we talk details. Both where and when we can expect to be attacked as well as how we should handle matters. We talk about our strengths and the Wolves’ strengths, as well as potential weaknesses. It’s almost nice, working with Hondo. He’s vastly more experienced and offers some great suggestions. But a portion of my mind can’t help but think that we’re asking for trouble in the future.

Ah hells. What is, is. And what it is, is that we need him. And him, us.

For now.

Chapter 14

Walking out of my Shop the day after, I find Hondo standing impatiently in front. I was amused when I got to the Shop and found out that the Weaponmaster did not have the right to enter. Rather than give him a guest pass, I left him outside to stew.

“Did you get what you needed?” Hondo says, and I nod. “Then let us go.”

“On it,” I say, raising my hand and opening up the Portal to the dungeon.

Seconds after we step through, I’ve got another Portal open for the other members of the security team. Hondo organizes the crowd of Combat Class recruits who have been waiting for us under the watchful eye of the local security forces. Due to the potential for conflicts among the guilds and loot stealing, security around dungeon entrances is always significantly higher. Since the attacks, the security teams have been doubled.

“About time,” Mikito says grumpily as my last Portal pulls her from our guild entrance.

Surprisingly, Draco comes out of the Portal too, eying the crowd. “Redeemer. I would like a word.”

“Right. Can I send the others out first?” I say, nodding at the groups who have mostly organized themselves.

Draco accedes to my request and soon enough, everyone’s lined up and pushing into the dungeon.

“Thanks. Now, what’s up?” I ask.

“I have received word from Tig himself,” Draco says, his eyes gleaming slightly. I fail to read them, uncertain if he’s amused or interested. “In short order, a citywide announcement will be made. Any attacks on dungeoning parties that contain members of our guild will be dealt with directly by Tig and his party.”

“Dungeoning parties?” I frown.

“Aye. On that note…” Draco tilts his head, and I follow his gaze to a group of other aliens arriving. Surprisingly, their Status information publicly displays our guild affiliation. “Say hello to your new volunteer dungeon party leaders.”

“Why?” I frown at Draco, a bit concerned by this sudden change.

“Three reasons. Firstly, we’re going to be recruiting directly from your people. I understand that Tig has already discussed a number of additions to our Guild Houses on Earth. Secondly, allowing attacks on dungeon parties—for any reason—is a bad idea. That’s why our guild will not be the only one making their stance clear. The second and seventh guild wars are not something we want to see repeated. Lastly, and Tig wanted me to emphasize this.” Draco falls silent, letting the silence stretch out between us. “You owe us.”

I let out a surprised bark of laughter at those words and the all-too-serious look on Draco’s face. When the lizardman doesn’t change his features, I sober up. “Of course.”

“Good. Try not to die. We’ve invested a lot into this experiment of yours.”

“You know, I could use another Master Classer…”

“Not happening,” Draco says, shaking his head. “Supporting you in the manner we’re doing is already stretching matters. Directly providing you with individual help would be… well… a Skill too far.”

“Fine, fine,” I say, waving off Draco and gesturing for the waiting group of recruits to come over.

In the meantime, Ali’s been sorting out our help and sending out notices to the bodyguards and our recruits.

I’m about to enter the dungeon when Draco calls, “But that wasn’t a bad idea.”

“What?” I say, confused as my mind is wrenched from working out the most optimal formation for these new recruits.

Draco doesn’t answer me as he wanders away, chatting to his own people.

I stare briefly at the lizardman’s tail before throwing up my hands and pointing at a laggard recruit. “Come on, we don’t have all day. Trust me, the monsters don’t care what color your skinsuit is. You’re all red on the inside.”

“Actually, Oeonae muscle is yellow in color and our blood is green,” the fussy humanoid with a hard-shell frill across his head and extra-large jaw says.

“In!” I roar.

“Oy! Pretty boy,” I say, pointing at the Oeonae. “Get your ass back in the line.”

“But I’ve got to heal her—”

“In. Line!” I shout, grabbing his shoulder and tossing him back in line. I wince as I overuse my strength, sending the poor bastard bowling into the group of robotic monsters charging the group.

There’s stunned silence among the adventuring team while the robots swivel, taking the change in circumstances and rolling with it, like the robotic monstrosities they are.

“Did you fall asleep and get switched out for a Changeling? Get moving, you bunch of Goblin asses. Back up your friend!” Ali says, his gestures even more agitated.

The group of beginner Adventurers jerks into motion, launching themselves at the robots in a frenzy. The lead Warrior uses his halberd to bash away a pair of robots while a red-skinned devil poofs and reappears next to the downed Oeonae to jab electrified gauntlets into an attacking robot.

“And you!” Ali spins to me and points a finger. “Stop helping.”

“Fine,” I growl and cross my arms. Beelzebub flips over the shorting monster and sweeps another robot off its feet with his tail. “Some good talent here.”

“If you don’t kill them,” Ali retorts.

I grunt and step back, leaving the Spirit to harangue and generally train the kids while I walk the line, watching as they battle the Level 20+ monsters. This is one of the strangest dungeons I’ve ever been in. Here, you walk into a room that rotates, moving on its own accord. Monsters stream out while obstacles and other objects pop up, giving new terrain features. The entire room assembly moves up, down, and sideways through warped space, connecting to different corridors depending on some esoteric puzzle mechanism that involves killing monsters in the right sequence to get to the end of the maze. Or, as we’re going to do, just killing everything along the way since there’s a max number of changes allowed per session.

“John. They’re tapping out,” Ali calls.

I take my time conjuring my sword as I eye the group. The support members of the party are nearly out of Mana. The front-line fighters are panting and groaning from numerous injuries, Stamina nearly tapped out and, in some cases, Mana too. I watch as the purple-clad Oeonae gets swarmed again by robots that punch and stab with their drills while Beelzebub gets tripped up and smashed into the ground.

“John?”

“Redeemer!”

I swing my blade three times, Blade Strikes flashing out to tear and rip, cut and dismember. And then it’s over. I could have done it in one, but then I’d cut apart the team.

“What in the System’s name was that!” The Oeonae pushes himself upward, flecks of acidic spittle flying from his mouth.

“Pretty sure that was me saving you. All of you,” I say.

“You could have acted sooner. The Spirit told you to act faster,” a female Yerrick says while bent over, sucking in deep breaths. Her compression clothing is torn, showcasing fur on her stomach. It seems the Yerrick has invested in self-repairing armor, so everything is slowly getting put back together.

“This is the third fight. None of you have been conserving your Stamina or Mana.” As I speak, the robot remains slowly fade into the ground, their bodies broken up by the nanites that live in the room itself. A slight shudder runs through the room, then we’re moving again, shifting to a new location. “And we’re about to enter the fourth fight. Exactly how are you expecting to survive this?”

“With you,” Beelzebub says as he bandages his leg. “Isn’t that what you promised?”

“We did. But what’s the point of me doing all the work? If I do that, how much experience are you all going to get?”

There’s a long silence as they consider the question. As the room clunks to a stop and metallic pillars rise, I raise my hand and cast Metal Walls. The newly formed barricade blocks off what’s coming and gives our people time to rest.

The Oeonae looks at me, firming his stance. “But what can we do? We’re out-Leveled by a significant margin.”

His words get the group nodding, and I find myself sweeping my gaze over everyone. When I see them actually listening, I point at each person in turn. “Stick to your roles. No running back and healing people, even if you can. Use your healing on yourself if you need it.” This to the Oeonae.

“Use your spells to hinder and bind instead of damaging.” This to the gnome, who blushes, setting off his cute freckled nose as he does so.

“And, for god’s sake, don’t step out of line if you intend to hold a melee line.” The Yerrick snorts in acknowledgement.

“Next”—I cast a second Metal Wall to keep the monsters back—“you guys aren’t helping each other. You’re meant to be a team. Start acting like one. And yes, I know you’re a random group we picked up. But that doesn’t mean you should act like a bunch of independents.

“Also. Slow it down. We change rooms each time we clear it. So why are you rushing the battle, especially the last kill?”

“Mother’s udders,” the Yerrick swears, breaking the stunned silence.

I glare at the group before I sigh, raising my finger. “Last thing, people. Stop panicking. You’re going to Earth. It’s going to get hairy. It’s going to get tough. You need to keep thinking, keep on the balls of your feet. Or hooves. Whatever you’ve got. Sure, this is your first time in this dungeon. But if you stop trying to figure things out, you’re going to die.”

When I see my words sink in, I flash Ali a wry grin. Weird to play the good cop in this relationship, but drill sergeant Ali is not the right person to tell them this. Not and keep them moving and fighting when the walls come down. So here I am, teaching a bunch of kids how to fight. Again.

Six rooms later, the kids are getting the hang of it. They’ve got the latest final robotic creation down on the floor, attempting to pick up its pieces. The robot keeps attempting to regenerate its accordion arms to prop up its saucer-shaped body, but every time it manages to get a second army fully created, either the Yerrick or Beelzebub takes out the other arm, dropping the robot to the floor. The rest of the group is drinking water, chewing on regeneration food aids, or just resting.

“How about you, Eezoo? Why are you going to Earth?” the Oeonae asks the little gnome.

“Credits, what else? My pod family were caught in the Iuwil outbreak four years ago. Nearly all of them had their Mana channels damaged. We’ve scraped enough together to get my second ma the healing she needs, but my first ma and third pa have it worse,” the gnome says. “Getting to Earth will give me more Credits to get them a proper healing. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck constantly buying the Looma freshers.”

“Double-orificed worms, those freshers.” Oeonae spits to the side. “Fix you up for a few months but then you have to buy them again.”

“Yeah. But at least they’re cheap. What about you?”

“Nothing so noble,” Oeonae says. “Just got married and a litter. We need to make enough to eat, you know? Can’t own a place on the scraps you pick up here.”

“She a Combat Classer too?”

“Ja. We decided it’s best not to be on the same team. That way there’d be one of us for the litter. The slimeballs are with the parents right now. Hopefully we’ll be able to Level up enough to bring them to live with us before they get out of the larvae stage.”

That image makes me shudder internally, so I stop eavesdropping. They’re already turning to talk to the next person in line, but I decide even my curiosity has limits. I’m an open guy with a decent level of respect for our new alien brethren, but there are limits. And so I resolve not to pay further attention to this discussion while I concentrate on the next step of our dungeon run.

The room lurches again, coming to a shuddering halt. The entrance doorway twitches and flows, expanding as the nanites that make up the room eat away at the metal walls and replace them with larger blast doors. It was strange to watch the first few times, but by this point, we’re used to it. Even if this particular door is significantly larger than anything else we’ve dealt with thus far.

“All right, kids, get your long-range attacks ready. Power them up if you can because you’re going to get one shot. Then boy-o here is going to finish this,” Ali says.

“Really? We can last longer than that,” the Yerrick growls, hefting her axe.

“You’ve done well. But there’s no point in chancing a death now,” I say, stepping forward. “Boss monsters often have nasty one-shot kills, so better to just take the experience. Anyway, you’ll all be getting his loot.”

“Really?” Beelzebub says. “I mean, the others mentioned…”

“Yes,” I say. No point in trying to insist on the truth. Better to let them experience it.

The group gets ready while I turn to the blast doors. They slide up to reveal a robotic monster that could only be described as the bastard love child of a dump truck and a mecha. The moment the monster makes itself known, a wide array of attacks hit it, from beam rifle shots to spells. Beelzebub disappears, reappearing in a puff of smoke right above the monster, daggers stabbing deep into the Boss. The Boss glows, electrifying its body and sending Beelzebub into spasms, his health falling precipitously.

“Nooo!” the friendly gnome screams as he sees Beelzebub fall.

Blink Step takes me to the Boss, where I snatch and throw the falling body. Unfortunately, that puts me way too close to the Boss. Electricity arcs, jumping through my body and making my muscles twitch.

Too bad for the Boss that lightning is one of my highest resistances. It’s annoying but not painful. Not yet at least. Lips pull into a grin as I conjure my sword and thrust it into the monster’s head, cutting through armored skin with ease. The Boss throws itself from side to side as it attempts to dislodge me, but it’s too late. I trigger Blade Strike after Blade Strike with my sword embedded, my other hand gripping a convenient handhold to keep my balance.

The entire fight takes half a minute at most. Blade Strikes eat away at its internals, shutting off the electricity before the Boss mecha falls, lights dimming. A moment later, I have the monster looted while everyone gathers around to berate the experience-stealing idiot of a devil. The fact that Beelzebub managed to do more damage than the rest of the melee fighters means he received a large chunk of the experience. Especially since he risked his life.

“Well, that could have gone better,” I say.

“You okay?” Ali says, floating over to me.

“Just tired,” I say, waving away Ali’s concern.

There’s not much to be said. Beelzebub was stupid to take the risks, but the System rewards such behavior. So chances are he’ll probably do it again. And sooner or later, he’s going to die. Sometimes, I really wonder who built the damn System. Idiotic, stupid-ass counterintuitive rewards and benefits.

“All right, children, time to go. You can kick Red’s ass later,” Ali calls, waving the group to the newly created entrance.

I follow, the boss monster already fading into the ground. No convenient Boss monster corpse to loot this time.

As I walk out, I stretch and get ready to do it all over again.

Chapter 15

Hours later, our timeslots have been used up and everyone who could be run through has been. Thankfully, with the guild’s help, we managed to process a much larger than normal number, with many runs giving at least one if not two increases in Levels. Of course, with so many people going through, and some of the helpers being lower Leveled, there have been a few unfortunate accidents and one death. Unsurprisingly, the news of the loss was a blow but one that most took well. Our job, our lives as Combat Classers can only be described as dangerous.

“Are we done yet?” Hondo says, arms crossed grumpily.

For all his complaining, the group the Weaponmaster dragged out all went up by two to three Levels each. It seems some of the Weaponmaster’s passive abilities not only increase the stats of those in his party but also increase their Leveling speed by distributing some of the experience he would gain to them.

“Almost. Just waiting for them to get home.” I shut down the Portal after the last of the recruits step through. “And done.”

“Pretty sure when they gave you the clearance to use a Portal, they weren’t thinking about you using it for others,” Ali says.

“Then they should have specified their intentions,” I say, sniffing slightly. As if I would make people walk around in danger of being ambushed if I didn’t need to.

“Very well. Open one of your Portals to the prime dungeon,” Hondo commands.

“Sure… wait. No can do. Not been there,” I say.

“Closest point then.”

“Okay…” I pull up the map and look around. There are a few areas, though some of them are in high-traffic locations. Then it hits me that I have another option. “Or I could Scry it. One second…”

Hondo snorts and crosses his arms, waiting for me to cast the spell. It takes a little bit of adjusting, but eventually I not only locate the entrance to the giant hole in the ground that leads to the prime dungeon but also the location meant for those teleporting in. I mentally snort at seeing the location, realizing that once again, Galactic Society really has two sets of rules.

“Why are we going here?” I say as we walk through the blank oval and take in the relatively quiet dungeon.

In the distance, a score of Advanced Classers stand around, packs, floating gravity trains, and a pair of mechanoid animal drones beside them. A short distance away is a platoon of armed and armored soldiers, all of them clad in the same uniform and weaponry, listening to their officer detail their attack plan. As for dungeon parties, that’s it. Unlike so many other dungeons, the prime dungeon is sparsely populated at the top.

“Training,” Hondo says. “We need more Levels.”

Hondo’s words make me really look at the man, taking in his Status. Nearly five years since we’ve seen each other, give or take a few months, and in that time, Hondo must have trained like crazy to reach the Level he has.

Hondo Ehrish (Weaponmaster Level 48, Master of Blades and Guns, Slayer of Orcs, Goblins and Unika, Destroyer of Monsters, The Unbroken Warrior)

HP: 4,510/4,510

MP: 2,070/2,070

Conditions: Weapon of Choice, The Master’s Body, Battle Flow, Greater Regeneration, Greater Mana Regeneration

“Looking to Class up?” I say.

Ali giggles while Hondo and Mikito look at the Spirit flatly. Obviously he’s the only one who got the pun. I’ll take it, considering I’m punning in English but speaking in Galactic.

“As is your friend,” Hondo says, inclining his head toward Mikito.

I look at her Status Screen and find my mouth dropping in surprise.

Mikito Sato, Spear of Humanity, Blood Warden, Junior Arena Champion of Irvina (Middle Samurai Level 48)

HP: 2030/2030

MP: 1440/1440

Conditions: Isoide, Jin, Rei, Meiyo, Ishiki, Ryoyo

Galactic Reputation: 15

Galactic Fame: 6,323

“Wait. You went up two Levels?” I say as I find my voice. “And what’s this Champion title?”

Mikito rolls her eyes while Ali cuts in. “Took you long enough. She’s had that title for two weeks now. If you’d just been oblivious for another two, I’d have won the bet.”

“I earned it a while ago. While you were busy in your Questor library,” Mikito says. “The championship came with a very nice experience bonus.”

“Oh. Wow,” I say, scratching my head. Damn. Now I feel like a right slacker. “Congrats.”

“No need,” Mikito says, waving away my words. “It was only the Advanced Class portion of the junior level.”

“Still, that was well done.”

Hondo coughs, drawing my attention back to him. “We do have a deadline. We are on a limited access pass. In five hours, we’ll be teleported back here. I would prefer to actually make use of this pass.”

“Fine, lead the way, honcho.”

“It’s Hondo.”

“Right, right. Sorry,” I say, flashing a slight smile to Mikito.

She sniffs at me, and I flush guiltily. Okay, maybe I’m teasing the Weaponmaster a little too much. I kick myself mentally for being so juvenile and resolve to be better.

Hondo leads us to a group of freight elevators, where he flashes a pass at the console. A second later, we’re all speared by beams of light and a new Status Condition appears for us. It’s a limited access pass to the prime dungeon, along with a tracking and teleportation spell. Once the doors slide open, we enter the freight elevators and are lowered at ear-popping speed.

“So… details on the dungeon?” I say. It’s not as if I ever did any research on it. Beyond the fact that the dungeon was Irvina’s first, and thus most powerful, dungeon, I have little information on it.

“The prime dungeon is the first dungeon ever created in Irvina. It was initially located outside of the city, with the dungeon built as a classic dungeon format. As such, it extends deep underground,” Hondo says. “The hole you see is to allow airflow to the lowest parts of the dungeon. If you were cognizant of space manipulation, you would feel the way the space itself is manipulated around the dungeon, allowing it to continue growing without impacting the city. Understand that the dungeon itself is many times the size of Irvina.”

“It’s bigger than Irvina?” I say, my jaw dropping slightly. That’s kind of hard to imagine, considering Irvina is what we poor humans would consider a megacity.

“Yes,” Hondo says. “During the delve, if you are ever lost, make your way toward the air intakes. That will lead you to the exit and the way up. This will hold true in all locations but the labyrinth floors. We will not be visiting those floors.

“Like any good dungeon, it is more dangerous the deeper you delve. As such, we are entering a floor midway down. Floor sixty-seven. If we do well, we’ll enter floors sixty-eight and sixty-nine. Every ten levels or so, there is a major boss, but unlike static dungeons, these zone bosses wander. As such, care must be taken while engaging in battle.”

“Right, big nasty monsters wandering around. What kind of Levels are we looking at?” I say, stretching and layering buffs on myself. I eye the slowly ticking floor counter, amazed that we’re still going down. Each floor must be huge.

“Level 90 to 100. The Zone Boss is expected to be in the Level 110 region,” Hondo says.

“Expected?”

“They evolve,” Hondo answers. “It is why quests are regularly issued to clear the dungeon. Left alone too long, the prime dungeon becomes even more dangerous.”

“Interesting. I wonder if that happened in Vancouver.” Frustrating that I never had time to learn more about dungeons. I know about them in the most academic of senses, but details like their continued evolution have eluded my study. Most of the details about dungeons for the System quest were easy enough to locate, with many researchers already having drained the well dry. There are, basically, no easy research studies to be done for the System Quest. Dungeons might be an artifact of the System, but they are not, as far as we know, central to the mystery of the System itself.

“Monster types?” Mikito asks as the elevator jerks to a halt.

Hondo touches the side of his neck and a helmet forms around his face.

The doors slide open, revealing the most messed up thing I’d seen in a while. Take a horse, skin it, and meld a humanoid torso where a rider would normally be. Give said rider long arms with black-tipped claws that drip acid and can reach past the horse’s eyeless eyes, then add a stench that makes me gag. Mikito reflexively has her Ghost Armor formed, protecting her even while my eyes water.

As I put on my helmet to protect my sinuses, I scan the creature for details.

Nuckelavee (Level 87)

HP: 2140/2140

MP: 390/390

Condition: Odor of Disease, Aura of Decay, Body of the Grave

Aura of Decay

In the presence of an individual with an Aura of Decay, all will crumble and fall. In death, there is decay. In decay, there is peace. Rest, mortal, knowing your demise is part of the inventible.

Effect: -20% to all resistances. Negative resistances invoke damage over time effects

Hondo doesn’t even hesitate, obviously expecting the creature. He explodes into action, rushing the Nuckelavee as the polearm he uses appears in his hand. Mikito follows, the pair proceeding to cut and slice the monster apart. I hang back, looking at my sword then at the long weapons the pair wield, trying not to feel out of place. But…

“I’ll get the next one then,” I say, mostly to myself.

I catalogue Hondo’s Skills, eyeing the things he can do. Like Mikito, he has a Skill that extends the blade of his weapon, making it bigger and sharper. There’s definitely a penetration Skill or two in his repertoire, which explains the way he peeled apart my Shield and Sabre’s armor the last time we clashed. I don’t see the speed boost he used the last time, but it’s frightening how fast the damn Truinnar is naturally. But I see nothing of his greater Skills, none of the third- or fourth-tier sure-kill attacks.

“Pick up the corpse,” Hondo says, looking over his shoulder to me. “And stop hanging back. You need the Levels too.”

I grunt, sauntering forward and dumping the corpse in my Altered Space. Right or not, I’m not entirely sure I like being ordered around by the Weaponmaster. Still, I follow along until we hit the next bend in the earthen corridor, which expands into a full-sized cavern. There, a full half dozen of the monsters stand, waiting for us.

The next few seconds are filled with bright lights as we trigger our long-range attacks. Blade Strikes or the Class equivalents flash forward from our weapons, Mikito’s and mine moving in arcs of power while Hondo holds his polearm under his armpit and fires a concentrated beam directly from the head of his weapon.

Two of the Nuckelavee drop before they reach us. Then we get to experience a whole new slew of unpleasantness as the monsters’ overlapping auras actively work together. Along the way, the other carrion monsters make their presence known. Small, crawling insect-like figures nip at heels, bite the corpses, and glow with power.

“Thousand hells,” I snarl, Blink Stepping away from the group then throwing Blade Strikes.

I reappear too close to a mushroom-like object that explodes, coating me with some pollen substance that burrows into my Shield, draining its integrity. I yelp, jumping into the sky and triggering my new hoverboots. High above the fight, I attack the monsters, spamming my cutting attacks into the group’s backs and staying away from the overlapping decay domain.

Mikito and Hondo split apart slightly, giving each other enough space to wield their polearms effectively. Mikito’s Ghost Armor cracks and fades before rippling and refreshing in a constant battle against the auras. The Japanese lady ignores the byplay, her naginata dipping and cutting, lopping off legs and tearing off arms as she fights. Not surprisingly, Hitoshi doesn’t seem to be affected at all by the Aura of Decay.

Hondo ducks a blow, catches a second on the haft of his polearm, then twists, kicking one of the monsters in the chest. The Strength he wields is incredible. While leaving the ground Hondo stands on unmarred, he sends the monster flying all the way to the other side of the cavern to pancake against the wall. The man never stops moving, ducking and cutting, shrugging off glancing blows to land deadlier, critical wounds on the monsters. When his polearm breaks, he stabs the broken haft into a convenient leg and pulls another, the weapon glowing with the light sheen of power that covered his former weapon.

My eyes narrow slightly as I watch, Eyes of Insight hinting at something…

“He’s got a targeting Skill,” I send to Ali.

“Weakness Must Be Driven Out. It’s a first-tier Advanced Class Skillfor a Weaponmaster. More powerful than the basic Trainer Skill of the same type. Allows a Weaponmaster to see the flow of battle and where their opponent is more vulnerable to attacks.”

A twitch of my hands and I send my knives flashing forward, lodging in a Nuckelavee horse skull. It thrashes, and long fingers dig into its own skull as it attempts to rip out the daggers. As the monster deals with my distraction, I continue my conversation.

“Old school training.”

“Just like toots.”

I wince at Ali’s reminder. Mikito grew up under the kind of strict tutelage that valued beating a weakness till the recipient learned to deal with the flaw in their defense. And since I’d spent uncountable hours training with the woman, she’d beaten me down too. One last slice of my Blade Skill and I send the Nuckelavee attacking me to join its dead comrades. A gesture sends a slew of Mana Darts to join Ali’s, ending the last of the spore trap. Once the floor is clear, I drop down and pick up the corpses.

“Why did you leave the line?” Hondo snarls at me.

“Stacked auras. Also, between the two of you, there’s not much space for me to fight,” I say. “And this way, I could contribute and not get attacked.”

“Cowardly.”

“Effective,” I retort.

Hondo glares at me and I shrug, waiting. Eventually, Hondo leads us down the corridor while Ali finishes putting away the corpses. I chuckle but take the time to switch out my nice jumpsuit for one of my less-pricey versions. If it’s going to get destroyed, I might as well make sure it doesn’t cost me too much.

Over the next three hours, we tear through the dungeon at a good clip. Eventually, we fall into a routine of fighting and I even join the pair on the front line, dishing out damage. Since we’re all melee combat fighters, this only happens in the biggest rooms, where it’s possible for both polearm wielders and myself to stand in line. The stacked damage from the aura is bad enough, such that I find myself storing the hoverboots and anything not directly necessary for modesty. Even my soulbound sword slowly degrades over time, forcing me to resummon it occasionally.

As for the other two, they deal with it in their own ways. Mikito’s Ghost Armor Skill seems to be absorbing the majority of the effects of the aura, leaving her clothing in one piece. Her naginata, Hitoshi, is special of course. Hondo, on the other hand, tosses the broken weapon away each time it gives up the ghost, drawing a similar weapon from his inventory. As for his clothing, it seems to have a passive resistance ability that defies the aura.

We head down the moment we find the descending tunnel, content to leave for more difficult environs. Outside of the vermin monsters who Ali seems to have a hate-on for and the spore mushrooms, the Nuckelavee are the main opponents here. Fighting higher Level Nuckelavees and variants of the damn spores and vermin still hasn’t pushed us to our limits. I hate to admit it, but I’m getting bored.

That is, until we end up in a large, empty cavern that hosts a single pillar of crystal. There is a small ledge leading up to the pillar and a couple of stalactites on the floor, but for the most part, it’s just a giant cave. We cautiously enter the cavern, finding nothing extraordinary until we’re next to the column of crystal itself.

“What is this?” I say, tapping on the crystal with a bare hand. The hiss from Mikito and Hondo comes a little too late. The crystal resonates from my tap, a slowly growing noise that fills the room, increasing in volume and sending a thrum straight to our bones. It’s not painful, just slightly uncomfortable. “Huh.”

“What are you? A child?” Hondo snarls. “Never touch strange things in a dungeon.”

“Oh, come on. Worst-case scenario, it just dumps some light or blasts us with acid. Nothing we can’t handle,” I say defensively.

Mikito growls at me, the tiny Japanese swivelling her head toward the numerous exits then the resonating pillar.

“You have thought of something, Spear?” Hondo says.

“Trap.” Mikito points at the entrances.

I open my mouth to point out that there’s no such indication on my map, only to be forced to shut it as dozens of dots appear.

“Goblin shit,” Ali says.

“Yes.” Mikito twists her hands, withdrawing items from her inventory. Underhand tosses send webbing grenades to the entrances of some of the smaller locations, blocking them off.

Hondo is doing the same on his side of the crystal. I move away, reaching into my inventory to check what I have.

“Ali, go high please,” I say.

Right. Let’s see. Webbing grenades and fast-forming foam walls are perfect for the smaller entrances. I have three portable shield generators too, but they’re too low tier to do anything but annoy the Nuckelavee for more than a few moments. Better to save them.

Oooh. Mines.

Ali shoots upward, headed for the few entrances that are above ground level, and drops off foam-covers and webbing grenades. I do too but also add a series of portable mines to the area in front of me. I make sure to key the mines to go off on command only though.

Not that I’ve got a lot of time to get all this sorted. By the time I’ve got the barest defensive line up, the Nuckelavee are on us. That’s when I channel my Mud Walls, focusing on the two largest entrances in sight. Those have been left alone thus far. As the Nuckelavee charge, I release my spell, earth rising from the front of the entrances to envelop the horse-demons.

Screams and choked cries flood the room, but I’m too busy paying attention to my side to deal with it. I shape the walls, flooding the entrances as best as I can with the conjured matter. Even so, the leading edge of the Nuckelavee wave have broken free from the webbing grenades and other blockades at the other entrances.

I tie off the spell, leaving the Mud Walls in place, and step forward, sword in one hand and throwing knives in the other. Within seconds, the monsters are on me and I dance, Thousand Blades and my original blade clashing with Nuckelavee claws. Sharp claws cut at bare skin, tearing through rotting clothing even as my body attempts to fight off the rot. The stacked auras of decay attack from within, corrupting organs, weakening bones, and rupturing blood vessels as I move. Blood drips from my nose, blocking my breathing and leaving a salty taste in the air. Back and back again, they push me.

“Enough!” Hondo roars.

The command washes over the room, freezing the Nuckelavee for a few seconds. I trigger the mines, only to realize that two-thirds of them no longer work, their mechanisms destroyed under the demonic aura. The pitiful explosions do little but wake the monsters from Hondo’s Skill. Mikito uses the break better, forming a twenty-foot blade with her weapon and sweeping the extended cutting edge across multiple necks. Blood fountains and the stench of decay and disease expands.

“Frack it. Beacon from Angels,” I say, thrusting my hand toward the sky.

I layer the attack again and again, its power reduced in these tight, underground confines. But the damage spreads across the group, those near expiring falling over. As the bright beams of light and golden glyphs disappear, a louder sound appears.

A creature, a distorted mass of flayed humans and beasts, crawls out of the largest tunnel. Multiple heads stick out, most missing eyes, just gaping wounds that pour pus and blood. From a few of those wounds, alien insects emerge, boiling around the monster before burrowing back into its red, distorted flesh.

“Goblin shit.” Ali flies down, coming to a standstill next to me as he finishes throwing a lightning bolt. “Boss.”

Mother Nuckelavee (Zone Boss Level 113)

HP: 11830/11830

MP: 3218/3218

Conditions: Pregnant, Aura of Greater Decay, Disease Vectors

“Armory of the People,” Hondo intones as he raises his hand. Gold and silver ritual circles with weird glyphs appear, hundreds of them rotating above the Truinnar. From each circle, a weapon emerges. Sometimes it’s swords, axes, polearms. But more modern weapons appear too, including rockets, grenade launchers, beam pistols, slug throwers, and more. With a sweep of his hand, the weapons unleash their fury at the Zone Boss in a furious roar.

The suddenly compressed air from hundreds of weapons firing staggers me backward, pressuring my already weakened eardrums. They pop with a tear, and blessed silence appears while the Nuckelavee caught at the edges of the attack are torn into pieces. Swords bounce, arrows burrow, and rockets explode as Hondo unleashes his attack. Those within the actual blast edges aren’t just ripped apart but turned into bloody mist.

Out of the cloud of blood and dirt, the Mother Nuckelavee staggers forward. It’s lost nearly two-thirds of its life but is still alive. The Mother gestures with a few hands, fingers shaping arcane motions. The air swirls toward her, sucking in floating pieces of her body and other Nuckelavee. As they reach the Mother, the creature’s health ticks upward.

“Redeemer!” Hondo snaps.

I growl in acknowledgement, bringing my sword forward. But Mikito takes off first, her Hasted form blurring as she rushes through the crowd, polearm extended.

“Right. I guess I’m on support then. Fastball special, Ali,” I say, charging up the Enhanced Lightning Strike spell.

I grin slightly as the Spirit floats a short distance away, his body glowing. As I form the connection of electrons between the Spirit and myself, I unleash the spell, converting raw Mana into electric potential. The blast strikes Ali, who takes the channeled energy and directs the bolts of lightning at the remaining Nuckelavee and particularly large, floating masses of flesh that the Mother is pulling back into her body.

While I deal with the riff-raff, Mikito is dancing through the lightning, her blade leaving trails of blood and light as it cuts the Mother. At times, it looks as if Mikito is literally dodging lightning, her movements so fluid and fast. It’s a ballet of death that ends with the Samurai jamming her polearm deep into the Mother’s chest, the weapon extending within the creature and exploding out its back.

It screeches, pounding the ground and sending another wave of exhaustion and dizziness through us all as it dies. I cough, spitting out blood, and eye Mikito’s health bar. Of us all, she’s nearest to bottoming out. With a wave, I cast a Greater Healing on her. Her health creeps up a little before it stabilizes, the lingering effects of the aura still warring with the woman’s natural regeneration.

“Well, that was fun,” I say.

Mikito shrinks her blade, kicking the corpse off her polearm, then spins it around, flinging droplets of blood and rotten flesh from it. Ali tosses a last Mana Dart to finish off a crawling, dislimbed monster, then eyes the swirling bat creatures above. None of them come down, instead fleeing the room.

Hondo glares at me and stalks away from the crystal pillar trap, making a circuit to check each entrance. I sigh and slump against the now quiet pillar, mentally requesting Ali to deal with the corpses. As he does so, I pull up the notification I’ve received.

Level Up!

You have reached Level 26 as an Erethran Paladin. Stat Points automatically distributed. You have 14 Free Attributes and 1 Class Skill to distribute.

I get that little rush of dopamine from achieving a new Level and find myself smiling slightly. Good reminder that I have a Class Skill still to assign. Along with the attribute points. Truth be told, I wanted to hold off on the Class Skill point until I managed to get to the third tier. Or at the least figured out a more thorough build. Part of the reading in the Questors’ library was meant to help with that a little.

Now, here I am, expecting to fight three Master Classers, which means I need every edge I can get. In some ways, I’d love to up my Advanced Class Skill Portal. Or perhaps Army of One. That’s a nasty sure-kill attack. But using my Paladin Class Skill on it would be a waste. Better to focus on my Paladin Skills.

On that note, I eye the columns in my Skill Tree. The third branch is all judgment-related Skills, and those make no sense to upgrade. Well, perhaps Eye of Insight. Upgrading the Eye might give me a chance to break through their Stealth Skills. But I think that’s still a relatively low chance.

My aura and Eye of the Storm Skills are great, but more meant for large fights. Paladins are meant to be standing in the middle of a war and rallying their side to them. Vanguard could be useful though—the additional damage and boost in Physical Stats could make a huge difference in a very short timeframe. I don’t use it as much, due to the cost, but if I’m going one-on-one with the Titan, it might make sense.

Penetration is so damn useful, but I’ve already dedicated quite a few points, relatively speaking, to it. Adding more seems like a marginal increase to an already useful spell. On the other hand, Beacon of the Angels has been my go-to wide-area Skill. Hell, it’s my only wide-area Skill. Unlike spells, it takes almost no time to put in motion. Even if there’s a minor delay, it’s still better than standing around trying to cast a spell. Adding another Level to it might give the Skill the punch to do real damage.

Eye of Insight or Beacon of the Angels. They both have good points to them. Eye of Insight might be more useful long term and over multiple situations, but Beacon of the Angels seems to be a decent Skill to shore up my weak area effect damage. Resolved, I dump the point into the Skill and eye the new information.

Beacon of the Angels (Level 2)

User calls down an atmospheric strike from the heavens, dealing damage over a wide area to all enemies within the beacon. The attack takes time to form, but once activated need not be concentrated upon for completion.

Effect: 1000 Mana Damage done to all enemies, structures and vehicles within the maximum 25 meter column of attack

Mana Cost: 500 Mana

That’s what I call a satisfactory increase in damage.

After that, assigning attributes is easy. I split them evenly among my go-to combat attributes. Once that’s done, I eye the newly developed Status Screen, soaking in the details.

Status Screen

Name

John Lee

Class

Erethran Paladin

Race

Human (Male)

Level

26

Titles

Monster’s Bane, Redeemer of the Dead, Duelist, Explorer, Apprentice Questor

Health

3650

Stamina

3650

Mana

3440

Mana Regeneration

287 (+5) / minute

Attributes

Strength

249

Agility

329

Constitution

365

Perception

186

Intelligence

344

Willpower

372

Charisma

124

Luck

74

Class Skills

Mana Imbue

3*

Blade Strike*

3

Thousand Steps

1

Altered Space

2

Two are One

1

The Body’s Resolve

3

Greater Detection

1

A Thousand Blades*

3

Soul Shield

2

Blink Step

2

Portal*

5

Army of One

2

Sanctum

2

Instantaneous Inventory*

1

Cleave*

2

Frenzy*

1

Elemental Strike*

1 (Ice)

Shrunken Footsteps*

1

Tech Link*

2

Penetration

3

Aura of Chivalry

1

Eyes of Insight

1

Analyze*

2

Harden*

2

Quantum Lock*

3

Elastic Skin*

3

Beacon of the Angels

2

Eye of the Storm

1

Vanguard of the Apocalypse

2

Society’s Web

1

Combat Spells

Improved Minor Healing (IV)

Greater Regeneration (II)

Greater Healing (II)

Mana Drip (II)

Improved Mana Missile (IV)

Enhanced Lightning Strike (III)

Firestorm

Polar Zone

Freezing Blade

Improved Inferno Strike (II)

Elemental Walls (Fire, Ice, Earth, etc.)

Ice Blast

Icestorm

Improved Invisibility

Improved Mana Cage

Improved Flight

Haste

As I eye my Status Screen, my gaze falls back on the Aura and Eye of the Storm abilities. I don’t use them much—mostly because thus far, my enemies have been either too strong or too weak to bother. But perhaps it’s time I look at them as boosts for my friends. Not that these two need it necessarily. Yet thinking of Hondo’s experience Skill, of the way he led the kids—and hell, us—perhaps it’s time to look at how being in a team changes how I fight. Especially with my new Skills.

Mikito rests on her polearm next to the Zone Boss. I catch her eye and find her smiling slightly. I return the smile, basking in the shared sense of accomplishment of raised Levels. One Zone Boss down. Next time, we’ll have to go deeper.

Chapter 16

For all our caution and concern, the next few weeks are quiet. Oh, the corporations and the sects keep pushing at our recruits, buying up debts and occasionally laying into them physically. But a few well-placed quests, along with the movement of many of our recruits into holding areas, mean that the number of incidents has decreased. Our recruitment numbers grow, such that we’ll easily meet the initial quest numbers once these immigrants actually set foot on Earth.

There are a tense few days when the ships arrive and everyone is transported onto the ships. Needlessly stressful since there’s little chance of an attack on the station or the beanstalk itself. Irvina’s System Commander is infamous as one of the highly active Heroic Classes in Irvina. The Eye of Heaven. The Watcher of Watchers. His Heroic Class Skill All Seeing Eye means he knows everything that happens on his station and, if he pushes it, in the entire damn Solar System. Add that to his ability to teleport himself to any location in his domain at will—bypassing any Dimensional Locks in play—and no one tries anything on the stations under his watch. Much, much better to wait until everyone is on the ships.

Still, we worried. To that end, we shuttled people back and forth to the beanstalk with care, eyeing everyone and triple-checking the loading of the ships for bugs and smuggled bombs.

In the end, the ships leave the solar system without a hitch. After that, it’s a multi-week journey where the ships will travel to Earth via a series of random jumps. Without a logged or planned shipping route, it’s impossible to purchase their route information beforehand. That still leaves some viable options for attack—Forecasting and Divination Skills being among the most likely culprits—but it does make things a lot harder. And harder is all we can hope for.

After that, we start the entire process again. Training ourselves and new recruits. Putting them in sponsored and guarded locations. Offering loans when necessary. We’re watching and waiting. The only thing we know is that there’s still a contract out on me and Katherine. But when, how, they’ll be put into play is unknown. Even getting that amount of information from the Shop was expensive. And so we wait.

Weeks pass by. One morning, I’m staring at the gruel I somehow inflicted on myself for breakfast. For the life of me, I can’t recall why I thought gruel was a good idea. Porridge I can do. Rice porridge is good, tasty food. Perfect for breakfast, especially when combined with some fried breadsticks. But that hasn’t arrived yet. Sooner or later, I’m sure. But gruel? Gruel the Galactics have a version of. And seeing it, I somehow thought it’d be a great idea to try it. Somehow.

The doors slide open, and I eye Harry as he saunters in. The reporter offers me a weary grin as he drops into the chair beside me and takes my bowl of gruel, spooning my food into his mouth without a word. I watch, bemused, as the reporter swallows the meal down before he leans back, letting out a little burp. One hand comes up, wiping dark skin clean.

“Nice to see you too,” I say.

“Thanks.”

“How are you doing? What have you been doing?” I say.

“My job. Just finished my interviews with the Wolves of the Air,” Harry says. “Fascinating group.”

“Did you now?” I say, forcing my voice to be light.

“Oh yes. Took weeks to set it up, weeks to get their trust. Got to cut and sculpt the episode, but it’s fascinating really,” Harry says. “Utterly fascinating. The world they live in as hired assassins is such a different world. Do you know, they have to walk a very fine line? Can’t get too flashy or else the Heroic Classes get annoyed. Can’t turn down too many jobs or else, well, what’s the point of such a team? Really polite bunch too. Very apologetic about the attack on me.”

I blinked, trying to figure out Harry’s angle here. Their angle. I knew he had meant to go speak with them, but now he sounds a little like a fan.

“Oh, they also wanted to say they were quite impressed. Fast thinking on your part, running into the building,” Harry says. “But they wanted you to know that if you don’t make yourself available to be assassinated soon, they’re going to have to take steps.”

“A threat. How novel,” I drawl.

“Just completing my part of the deal.” Harry sits up properly, looking at me seriously. “They’re not going to stop. They didn’t mention it directly, but their last job went badly. Tried too hard and well…” Harry shrugs. “Let’s just say they need a win.”

“Isn’t that a little too far?” I say, touching the table. I don’t know how he edges around his non-Combat status or what his various rules are, but what he said seems a little too pointed.

“It’s a little close,” Harry acknowledges. “About as much help as I can give. I will say that you should watch part one when I’m done.”

“Only part one?”

“Well, part two will depend on what happens. With you,” Harry says, pushing back from the table.

I chuckle but take his point. I’m sure something in his exposé will be of use. Though I’m still amused that an assassination group was willing, even happy, to do an interview. Cloak-and-dagger kind of loses its meaning if you shine a light on it. Then again, if you’re an assassin, once you’re down that road, it might be hard to find a new job. Not without some major time repairing your reputation.

I watch the reporter go and sigh, half-closing my eyes as a sudden wave of weariness washes over me. Another threat. Another fight. More loss. More death. More blood. And all I wanted to do was read. Just find an answer…

“John?” Ali’s voice cuts in, jarring me from my spiraling pity party. “Time to go. Or else you’re going to be late.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

I shake off the darkness in my mind, push it aside, and compartmentalize the feeling. Easy. So easy after so many years. Even if doing so always leave a smudge of it behind, a trace. It’s not necessarily healthy, but sometimes, all you can do is keep moving. Because the other option is stasis. And stasis is not death. Death is decay, destruction, dispersal. No, stasis is worse than death. It’s the end of everything useful or good. Just a pause without hope of rebirth or renewal. Not without breaking it, not without momentum.

A hand rises.

A Portal opens.

And the day starts.

The Portal opens back into our apartment, and Mikito walks through first. I follow, nodding goodbye to Hondo, after Ali finishes a quick check of our apartment. No lurking Master Classers, so I shut the Portal, leaving the Weaponmaster to his evening.

Three steps later, as I’m headed to grab some grub from the fridge, I get a notification. I blink, surprised to see the name, and find myself hesitating. A com-call isn’t unusual, but the caller… I push my doubts aside and take the call, smiling slightly at the redheaded beauty on the other end.

“Lana. Good timing. Just got out of the dungeon here,” I say.

“I know. I tried earlier and got a no connection signal,” Lana says. “You’re pretty busy.”

“I am. Got a bunch of newbies to Level up. There a reason for the call?”

“That hurts!” Lana says, touching her chest. “So much for staying friends…” The redhead pulls a face and long-buried emotions twinge. But only a little, because I can tell she’s teasing me. “There’re a few things I need to talk to you about for the investment business.”

“Go for it.” I know that the cost of such a long-distance call through the System’s comm networks is high. Instantaneous communication should be impossible, but so should a million other things. Though… I note that as another area to look into in the Questors’ library.

Lana quickly outlines the issues—mostly director-level stuff that I either need to grunt and assent to or rubber stamp decisions on. A good thirty minutes later, we’re done.

“See. It wasn’t so bad,” Lana says, flicking her fingers to dismiss notifications. “How have you been otherwise?”

“Not bad. Better before all this quest rubbish but…” I sigh. “But not bad.”

“Only you could say being targeted by three Master Classers is a ‘not bad’ situation,” Lana says with a roll of her eyes. “How’s Mikito?”

“Good. Do you want to talk to her?” I say, seeing an out.

“No. We’ll chat later. So…” Lana seems suddenly uncomfortable. Ever since our breakup, things have been a little more strained. Hard to find a balance, especially now that work talk is over. “Roxley asked about you. Mentioned he talked to you a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah. We caught up in the Shop. Had some loot to sell.” Silence falls between us, and I consider breaking the connection. But she’s a friend, someone I cared about. Care about. And if I don’t try, I’m not sure if we’ll ever have a relationship outside of what we were. “How’s your boy?”

“My boy?” Lana’s eyes sparkle, but she doesn’t offer a name. She knows me well enough to know that I’d promptly forget it. “He’s good. He actually moved up here. I have him running our land reclamation efforts.”

As mundane as that sounds, I know the truth behind the prosaic-sounding name. The lands we’re trying to reclaim, like infrastructure and the surroundings that connect our settlements, are areas often overrun by monsters. Dungeons have taken over important areas, like the dams in northern BC. The job is as much about fighting as it is infrastructure reconstruction.

“Good for him. And you.” Obviously things are going well. Once again, things get awkward. “So. Everyone doing well? Jason and Rachel? Their kid?”

“Kids,” Lana reminds me. Right. There’s an unborn one in there too. “They’re good. Amelia and her wife ended up adopting their third. This one’s a baby actually. Found abandoned.”

I smile, listening to the gossip. I’m grateful to hear about the mundane and dangerous lives of our friends. It’s strange to think that five years after the apocalypse, the world has begun to stabilize. A strange, violent, and different world. But more stable.

Time moves on. Two days later, I wake up to a new notification from Ali. He’s floating next to me, a bowl of popcorn in hand, watching something. Rather than answer my question, he maximizes the entire notification until it takes over my vision.

Harry’s report. It finally dropped.

The first portion of the report is background information. Harry builds the tension, discussing unsolved cases, assassinations. Occasionally there are voice-overs, the Wolves mentioning a detail or two about the case. It builds the story, informing without revealing. It’s a masterful work of directing, and I find myself drawn in.

The next portion is about the attacks, successful and not. Again and again, voices overlay footage of the battles. Sometimes its footage from after the assassination. Other times, it’s clear footage of the attack itself taken from security cameras and other nearby recording devices. In a few surprising instances, the footage comes directly from the Wolves, often from the mecha’s point of view. Or the view of the sniper scope. The Wolves speak of the attacks in a detached manner, talking of business, of their successes and their occasional failures. I soak in the details, chocolate sliding down my throat as I watch.

An Advanced Adventuring Team that broke away from their guild over a dispute over spoils. Tracked down when they left for a Dungeon World, attacked after exiting a particularly hard lair, and bodies disposed of without trace—till now. Their disappearance had been taken as a matter of course.

In Irvina, an apartment building at night in the second ring. Home to the vice president of Jimee Artifacts. Security bypassed by the Machine Lord. Space Locked by the Space Lord. The Titan Spawn enters with another, and they kill everyone in the building, splashing the walls with blood and covering the floor with viscera. Long before the Skills fail, before security can react, the Wolves are gone in their gunship. Only a single son lives, the eldest, who was on a school trip with friends to a pleasure planet. Cut off-screen to an interview with a security consultant who discusses some of the ensuing security upgrades in both the second and third rings.

The Weez Guild, an up-and-coming Artisan guild. Built like a cooperative, with an extremely low overhead. Set up in the seventh ring. This time, no Space Lock is required to seal the guild headquarters. Instead, the low-slung building is engulfed in a firestorm, a Space Prison, and Dimensional Shards. The destruction is complete, and the guild disperses the next day.

Successes. More successes than failures. And then, their last mission before mine.

An attack on Kalidia, the Heroic Wendigo of the Beast Plans. The initial attack goes well. Space Locks keep out trouble. A Dimensional Lock stops Kalidia from fleeing. A plasma cannon fires upon the Hero, peeling away a quarter of her life. Immediately, her health regenerates at a visible level, but the Titan Scion and two other Wolves appear, moving to suppress her regeneration as the mage pelts her. Magical restraints, web grenades, and abyssal chains are all used to slow down Kalidia. It works. Until it doesn’t.

The video shorts out then, the view growing blurry. The entire view pulls back, clearing up some of the graininess. In the video, things boil out from the ground, from the sky, cracking open space itself. Inky, two-dimensional figures crawl and squirm into the air, pulling down the Wolves. The fire mage goes down first, its slug-like body torn to shreds as one of the creatures crawls into its body from its mouth. The Wendigo pulls another fighter close, using their mouth to tear open their chest as it feasts. The Wolves fall back, forming up around the Space Mage. She dismisses her Space Lock and recreates it, forming a protective barrier. Long enough for them to disappear, but not before leaving another of theirs behind.

Leaving only the three Master Classers. And an abject failure on their record.

The documentary moves on to a wider perspective. Of the effects and uses of such teams in the Galaxy, interviews with past victims and the individuals who have left, escaping the dangers of Galactic Society and the threat of such groups. I soak in the information and let my mind turn over the documentary.

Days later, the Portal opens back into our apartment and Mikito walks through first. I follow and, surprisingly, so does Hondo. It’s unusual for the man to follow us after a dungeon run. I tilt my head, letting the Portal disappear even as a ping arrives from Katherine. At her request, I open a new Portal, one that allows in her stream of bodyguards before the Ambassador walks in herself.

Immediately, it’s clear that something is wrong. Katherine looks haggard, her normally perfectly coiffed hair disturbed, stray locks escaping a tightly wound bun. There’s a frown on her face, and her eyes are red-rimmed and grief-laden.

“Beer. Now.”

Ali flies off to the fridge and grabs cases of Apocalypse Ale while Katherine sits down.

“What is it?” I ask softly.

“They hit Earth.”

My chest clenches, squeezing air out of my lungs, and Mikito lets out a little gasp. Too shocked to speak, I wait for Katherine to continue.

“A half dozen cities. Ten towns. And we’re still trying to get the numbers on the villages. All attacked. Civilians. Adventurers. Combat Classers. Everyone was a target. They went after our people too, with numerous assassination attempts.”

“Lana? Roxley?” I ask. “The others?”

“Roxley is fine. They didn’t touch him or the Duchess’s holdings,” Katherine says. “Lana was injured, but she’s fine now. Shadow saved her while Roland and Howard finished her attackers. Rachel…” She coughed, her face freezing. “They hurt her. And the child. She miscarried.”

I freeze, pain for my friend, for their loss, engulfing me. It cuts deep, opening old wounds. So many losses. And I realize this time, it’s my fault. If I hadn’t pushed for this, if I had just done the job without adding my stupid little flare to it. Without deciding to poke Galactic Society and its stupid notions in the nose. If I had just stopped when they told me to.

“Who else?” I ask softly.

“Aiden’s fighting for his life. He was hit with a parasite that’s fighting to take over his body. Last we heard, he’s comatose. They can’t extract it, not easily. They intend to move him into the Shop, but there are complications,” Katherine says softly. “They killed Rae. Rob nearly died. They took out half of his security group. If the Champions hadn’t teleported in…” Katherine shuddered, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry,” I say, my eyes closing. Damn it. I knew our security was less than adequate. Especially compared to many of these older, more secure states. I knew we needed time to get built up. But I never thought they’d attack us on Earth. Here, sure. But Earth… “Has Rob changed his mind?”

“I don’t know,” Katherine answers, her arms crossing. “He’s dealing with Earth and the representatives. Dealing with the attacks.”

Mikito grabs a bottle of beer and pops off the cap. She shoves the alcohol toward Katherine then opens another for herself. Ali stares at the bottles before he opens one for himself and me. I watch as he floats the bottle over before I snatch it from the air and down the bottle. Eyeing the two cases on the table, I twist my lips slightly. I glance toward Ali and the Spirit bobs his head, eyes unfocusing as he puts in an order for delivery. We’re going to need a heck of a lot more alcohol.

This. This could change everything. But I’m too tired, too hurt to think about it. So I sit, and for tonight at least, I drink with my friends for the memory of what we lost. Around us, Hondo and the guards watch.

Night turns to day. Katherine doesn’t leave our apartment as the day drags on. She stays for safety, for comfort, for convenience. We get information in dribs and drabs, news arriving via Galactic news services and, later on, Harry.

The attack was shocking, it was painful, but it was, thankfully, a single-day affair. There are no follow-up attacks, no expenditure of even more lives. Katherine believes it is because they want us to reconsider, for those who lost something in the attack to pressure Rob and Katherine to stop. Representative Oria calls, speaks a little with Katherine, then leaves, promising help and security. For a price.

When the news explodes across the city, things truly heat up on the political front. I end up porting Katherine back to her office, where her staff are already hard at work. Harried staffers shift video calls around, doing their best to appease those on the line. The calls are varied in tone and message. Peter watches over the entire dance, making note of each missive.

Some are the usual messages of condolences. Those are noted and marked into the friendly column.

Others are condolences with threats. Those Peter sends to a few well-fortified and cold staffers who handle them with simple efficiency.

Offers of help for a price are sorted to another group, the harried staffers making quick notes and adding to the growing column of potential resources we can draw upon.

The buzz builds and builds, and I watch silently from my corner as the ambassador is swamped, doing her best to stay ahead of the questions. She handles those few groups willing to offer help without price first, and after that, the ones offering help at a price. Because we need them.

I watch in silence, pain and loss turning slowly to rage.

At myself for putting my friends, and others, in a position where they could be attacked. It’s unfair to them and to myself. But feelings are not fair.

And my anger is not just internal. It soon turns toward the corporations and sects who felt the need to push things to this extent. At our allies who are willing to stand aside, allowing us to get hammered while they pick up the benefits. And at the vultures, the many, many vultures, who just want a piece of the fallout.

Anger wraps me in a comforting blanket, allowing me to stew in its comforting burn rather than feel the grief that threatens to eat me alive. But anger without action is the senseless bragging of a fallen monkey god. In time, I push from the wall, turning to leave.

Katherine doesn’t see, but Hondo, who has been standing by, does. He follows me out of the room and through the Portal home. Mikito’s sitting on a couch in our living room, legs crossed, clad in full battle armor. She looks up when I come through, her eyes flat, cold, and deadly as the arctic winds.

“Are we going?” Mikito asks.

“You knew?” Knew what I was going to do. Knew my reaction.

“Of course.”

“What exactly are you planning?” Hondo says.

“I’m taking the Wolves up on their challenge. And then after that, I’m going to take the bounties on their heads and use it to find who, exactly, assigned the hits. Then I’m going to see how they like having assassins sent after them,” I say heatedly.

“This is a bad idea.”

“You don’t have to come,” I say to Hondo while turning to look at Mikito. “Suggestions?”

Rather than answer me directly, Mikito sends over a map. It’s a location well outside the rings of Irvina, in the middle of nowhere. A location outside of the jurisdiction of anyone who could stop this fight. Or who would want to. Rolling hills. Forests.

In other words, perfect.

“It’ll do.”

Mikito hops up, swinging her naginata onto her shoulder. Harry comes running out of his room, a trio of floating camera droids joining him. I raise an eyebrow and he puts his hands together as if begging. But there is no humor in his eyes, no matter his actions.

“Make the call.”

Harry’s face twitches, but he nods, his eyes glazing over. Ali does the same, lips compressed as he gets things ready. Hondo lets out a loud huff, but he doesn’t gainsay our actions. Perhaps he’s tired of waiting too.

No more second-guessing. No more questions. Time.

I open the Portal and we step through. Time to end this.

Rolling hills. A forest to the right of us. A lake and the river that feeds and leads from it to the left. Behind and ahead of us, more gentle, charming land. The city ahead of us in the distance—the far distance.

This is technically public land. Land yet to be fully claimed but thinned out of monsters regularly. There’s nothing here above Level 20. And nothing comes near us, not with my Aura unfurled, its pressure beating upon unseen wings.

“Think they’ll come?” Ali says, spinning slowly.

“Yes,” Harry says. “Especially since you haven’t set up any traps.”

I shrug. A neutral fighting ground is the best we can hope for. If we keep waiting for them to attack us, they’ll find a time and place that works for them.

“We could have called the authorities,” Harry says suggestively.

“Then they wouldn’t show up,” I say, shaking my head. “No. Leave it be.”

“Relax,” Mikito says, nodding toward the city. “Eat a little. What will be, will be.”

“Que sera sera?” Harry snorts.

Hondo looks at us flatly, disdaining to show confusion. But if the Weaponmaster is worried, he does not deign to show it to us lesser mortals.

“Wish they’d let us Level up though,” Ali says, looking at Mikito and Hondo.

Both are so close, sitting at Level 49. There’s a lot of ground to cover in a single Level at this stage, but we’re so damn close. But that’s the other reason we need to act now. Otherwise they will. There’s no way they’re going to let us Level in peace.

“No more innocent lives,” I say softly. “This ends. Today.”

And after that, there’s nothing more to say.

Chapter 17

Time creeps by slowly. I’m on my fourth chocolate bar and even Hondo has unwound enough to test out a bar when Ali stops his spinning abruptly. The orange-clad Spirit stares at a new notification screen and holds his awkward, legs akimbo, partially inverted position before he grins savagely.

“Got you!” Ali says.

I swallow my last mouthful as I tense. “They’re here?”

“Space Lock is in place. I just lost all connection to the outside world,” Ali confirms. “The Uttu is probably on her way to a good position to snipe, if not there already.”

“Titan,” Mikito says, drawing our attention to what is in front of us.

A single figure saunters forward, metallic bands that act as knuckle dusters gleaming in the sunlight. I twist and turn my head, searching visually for the Machine Lord but finding nothing. Rather disturbing how I can see the Titan but I get nothing on my minimap. From his mini-bunker on a nearby hill, Harry waves and gives us a thumbs-up before he shuts the door, hiding from the ensuing battle.

“A bit brave, no?” I say.

“He is a brawler,” Hondo says, cracking his neck. “Mine or yours.”

“Hey!” Mikito protests.

“You’re on sniper duty,” I say.

“Not me?” Ali says, playing hurt.

“Fill in when you can, but I want you near me. We might need to do a fastball special if the Machine Lord goes swarm.”

“Not his style,” Hondo contradicts me.

“Exactly.” I shrug, loosening up my shoulders before I jerk my head toward the Titan. “Yours.”

“Guess I’ve got the Space Lord,” Ali says, frowning slightly.

I understand his hesitation. This is insane. We’re out-numbered, out-Classed, and I’m sure they’ve only come because they think they can win. The only uncertainty is the same one any fighter faces during a battle—a bad roll of the dice, a lousy call. There are few guaranteed wins in fights, even in a System-adjusted world. Just chaos and blood. For now, all we can do is roll with the punches.

Something pings on my minimap as my Greater Detection picks up new figures. I frown, curious how they only now made an appearance. The inquiry sent to Ali gets a quick answer.

“Whoever was hiding them has dropped the upkeep. Looks like they were a little slow. Or might be on a cycled timer.”

I grunt, using a small exertion of will to send the notifications to the team. Four more figures, all Advanced Classers. Two with large Mana pools, with Classes that blend out and get replaced with Healer, Healer-Support, Ranger, and Whipmaster. That last one involves a buxom flame-haired lady clad in the usual Adventurer one-piece armored skinsuit. Of concern is the fact that all these newcomers are Advanced Classers in their high 30s. By themselves, they would be of little concern. But with the rest of the Wolves in play, this team could lock down one of us.

“Uttu or newcomers?” Mikito says, her tone chilly.

I grimace, considering our options. Blink Step should, theoretically, allow me to get to the Uttu first. But that’s only if they don’t throw up a Dimension Lock. And past experience tells me that they will. All that means is we have to make our way to her position manually when she takes her first shot.

“Focus on those here first. Healers, then ranged. We’ll stall,” Hondo pipes up, flexing his hand.

I consider his suggestion then nod. We’ll have to play the Uttu by ear.

We finish layering our buffs, adding whatever bonuses we can to each other and ourselves. Eye of the Storm is already active, giving everyone a little higher regeneration while I layer on Soul Shield. I’m tempted to add Harden, but the cost is too high. Until the fight actually begins, I don’t dare use that Skill.

By this point, the Titan and his backups are a few hundred meters away. Distant, but with all our attributes, more than close enough.

“You finally came.” Surprisingly, the Titan has a high, squeaky voice. His accent reminds me of a blond, cheerleading Valley girl. Entirely at odds with his big, rippling muscles. Though he does have the long blond hair framing his three eyes. Each of those eyes is a different color. Purple, red, and green with the barest hint of yellow on the edges. Handsome, if you’re into that. “Tired of hiding?”

“Figured you’d hit us at home sooner or later. Once you figured out how to breach the new defenses at our home.” I don’t raise my voice like him, but increased Perception means we all can hear each other perfectly fine.

Hurquji grins. “We would never think about attacking Tig’s guild residences.”

“Uh huh.” I don’t believe him, but I can see why he’d say that. “You know, you could just walk away. Earth might decide to kill the program, whatever I decide.”

“Contract hasn’t been canceled.”

“Good.” My heart speeds up at those words, pumping more blood into my body. I unconsciously lean forward on the balls of my feet, bending at the waist as I ready myself. Anger, leashed till now, bubbles forward, filling my veins. The losses from before, the hurt over the injustice of this world wraps around me, armoring me in its hate as much as my Soul Shield does.

Dimension Locked!

Note that reality has been stabilized in the immediate area. You may not enter another dimension or pass through space while this status is in effect.

Note: Dimension Lock may be breached using a Master Level (4) Skill

As if that were the signal, the battle begins. An overpowered beam attack strikes against the layered defensive shields we’ve placed around us. It shatters the first, second, and third shields before splashing against Mikito’s body. My Soul Shield absorbs the remainder damage, leaving the Ghost Armor-clad Samurai untouched.

Mikito and Hondo take off, blurring as they run and leave me behind. I haven’t triggered Haste, preferring to keep my Mana for now. Hondo pulls ahead of her as his damn passive speedster ability is kicked in full bore, covering the hundreds of meters in seconds. Spikes of obsidian stone erupt from the earth, forcing them to duck and weave through the new impediments while I jog behind, calling upon my own Skills.

A formation appears above the group, gold and silver glyphs forming as a column of power slams down. One of the Healer-cum-support players throws up their tentacles, forming a dome of power that stops my Beacon. It’s a powerful defense, but I see her Mana bar shrink as she defends the team, even while the dome cracks under the onslaught. As I raise my hand to throw another Beacon, the world lurches and all noise cuts off.

I blink, thinking that my eyes are playing tricks on me, but they’re not. There’s suddenly a pane of glass between the world and me, and as I watch, that pane grows denser and denser, the other side fading in clarity. A hand pressed against the glass finds it unyielding.

“What the hell?”

Nothing.

I slam my fist into the wall, achieving only aching knuckles. My sword does little better, bouncing off my prison. There’s not even a scratch on the glass-like substance before me. I stretch out my Mana Sensing ability and see the way Mana interacts with the wall, converting itself into whatever the “wall” is. Without me noticing it happening, I realize I’m in darkness now, no longer even vaguely connected to the world. Only the automatically turned on lights of my helmet provide illumination.

“So. This is what the Spatial Prison is like,” I say to myself.

That explains why hitting the wall made no difference. Why would hitting “space” injure it? Admittedly, with my Mana Sense, I could tell that the Mana Blade portion of my attacks were doing a little damage, but it was so low that it doesn’t show up under anything but my extended senses. If I had to rely on my blade or Mana Darts to escape, this could take a very long time.

Good thing I planned for this with my shopping trip weeks ago. A slight focus and I pull my Quantum State Manipulator from my bag. I grin, slapping the QSM on my wrist then activating it.

Getting the exact details of her Spatial Prison Skill cost me a pretty penny. The Space Lord doesn’t actually trap someone in a different dimension, but instead displaces a specific portion of space into that dimension. Attacking a Spatial Prison like the Space Lord’s is actually dangerous, as the walls are the only barrier between you and the other dimension. Breach the Prison and you suffer the consequences of an explosive and violent introduction to the dimension you’re trapped within. If you’re lucky, you then receive an abrupt and painful return to your own dimension as you are ejected backward. If you’re unlucky, you’re stuck. It’s a nasty, nasty Skill. It’s biggest weakness? It’s a channeled spell that costs a significant amount of Mana.

Knowing what she could do, I had the QSM adjusted to locate the very thin line that connects the space I’m in to my original dimension. Once the QSM locks on to our home dimension, it’s a simple matter for it to shift my body. In theory.

The QSM chimes, pinging me that everything is clear and ready. I draw a deep breath, hoping that the work done on the equipment was done right. I had no way to test it beforehand. Even if I’ve paid for the best I could afford, if the Space Lord knew about my intentions and took steps…

I step forward, passing through the previously immovable barrier, and find myself back on Prax, in nearly the same spot I left. In my brief absence, the terrain has changed significantly, as has the status of the battle. All around me, once-pristine grassland and rolling hills are blasted and torn, the smell of freshly churned earth and charcoal grass breaching my helmet’s filters. The clash of battle resounds through the dimension, and I quickly take in the changes.

Off in the distance, Ali is tangling with the Space Lord. Her abilities have pulled him into this dimension, but the Spirit doesn’t seem to care, weaving between shards of spatial distortions. His fists are charged up with power, lightning and Mana arcing around them as he occasionally thrusts a hand forward, unleashing his attacks. Only a thin layer of a spatial disturbance seems to stop the attacks from impacting the woman, but each second, her Mana drops. Truth be told, Ali is out-classed, and if she wasn’t keeping up the Spatial Prison, she’d probably have wiped the floor with the Spirit already.

Hondo has his hands full dealing with the Titan and the Machine Lord. The Machine Lord is clad in what I can only call a full-on mechanized and armored suit. It’s not a mecha, because the thing is only nine feet tall all in, but it’s not just armor slapped on the body either. I can see servos hidden behind segmented armor plates, corded steel muscles propelling the Machine Lord forward as a plasma glaive comes crashing down on Hondo. The Weaponmaster blocks it with a sword, discarding the already melting weapon into the face of the charging Titan even as he makes a chain appear, catching the Titan’s punch and wrapping around the extended arm. Hondo slides beneath the Machine Lord’s legs, dragging the Titan toward his friend and wrapping the chain around the Lord’s legs. He then releases the chain, letting it constrict the Lord and Titan together. While the pair struggle to free themselves, Hondo conjures a large knife and stabs it into the Titan’s free arm.

Before Hondo can follow up, the Machine Lord’s gunship—which has been hovering ahead—manages to shift position sufficiently to bring its beam cannons to bear and blasts Hondo away. Even as Hondo flies through the air, the Weaponmaster is activating his ultimate kill Skill, gold and silver circles forming as the arsenal appears.

I turn away, checking on Mikito. The Samurai is glowing, a golden sheen covering her ghostly blue armor. The Samurai’s form blurs as she fights the entire Advanced Class team. As I watch, an overcharged beam cannon shot impacts Mikito’s golden form but breaks apart with no effect.

Damn. Mikito has triggered her penultimate defensive and offensive Skill—Chugi. It’s similar to my Sanctum, blocking all incoming damage, but it has an extremely high on-going cost. Unlike my purely defensive Skill, Chugi covers only Mikito and allows her to move and fight while boosting her basic attributes at the same time. There’s a cost to this Skill, over and above the Mana cost. Mikito must have been pressed to the extreme to use her Skill so soon.

But…

Grinning, I trigger Beacon of the Angels over Mikito’s location. Even before it finishes, I begin a second activation of the Skill.

“Mikito. Incoming,” I send over the party chat. Wouldn’t want her to drop her Skill at the wrong time.

Light then fire. The Beacon of the Angels smites the group crowded around the Samurai like the hammer of the System that it is. Of course, as the group splits and moves, I don’t catch everyone with the first Beacon. It doesn’t matter, as I layer the attacks over the area.

Armor melts, force shields shatter, skin and muscle burn. Screams resound through the hills, informing everyone that I’m back. My grin widens as I take off running. Through Ali’s eyes, I sense the way the Space Lord snaps her head toward me, surprise etched on her face. She pays for her distraction, Ali blasting her full-on with one of his lightning bolts. As the attack lands, her body arcs in pain as muscles clench tight. Leaving the Spirit to slow down the Space Lord, I use Haste and Thousand Steps to carry me closer to the fight. The sudden burst in speed makes the Uttu’s next shot miss me.

By the time I reach Mikito, she’s put down one Healer while the Healer-Support falls back, hands up as she tries to clear the fight. A glance shows she’s at zero Mana, and that’s probably the only reason any one of us is letting her leave. Even if she manages to get a Mana potion down her chest, zeroing out your Mana is a good way to get a Mana Withdrawal condition, wiping out any possibility of spells. On the other hand, she’s done well considering she’s sucked up two of my Beacons of the Angels.

That, of course, leaves Uttu, the Whipmaster, and Ranger. The peak-capped Ranger looks the least scorched, having been on the edge of my attacks. As I watch, the repeating-crossbow-wielding, jackal-headed Ranger’s health pool is recovering at a visible rate.

As for the Whipmaster, her whip spins toward me. My attempt at a dodge fails because the semi-sentient weapon shifts trajectory in mid-air to wrap around my leg. I find my feet pulled out from under me, slamming me into the ground and eliciting a grunt. Vines, dripping with poison and acid, crawl up from the whip, layering over my Soul Shield and chewing through the defense.

Fingers dance across my torso as I pull and throw my knives. The weapons dart through the air, only for the first two to be blocked by a hexagonal shield of force. But the first two were a distraction for the third, which cuts the whip apart, sending the vine around my leg thrashing. I rip the freed whip-vine from my body before doing a rolling recovery. As I stand, I watch with horror as the vine end and whip remnants twitch and crawl, reforming themselves.

“Ewwww,” I exclaim.

“Above!” Ali sends.

The warning is a touch too late. Rockets throw me sideways, tearing the vines and my shield apart in flame and concussive blasts. Beam weapons slam into me, heating up armor and burning flesh. I snarl, rolling aside and throwing up a hand to call forth a Mud Wall. It blocks the attack as I move, but the wall won’t last long. Nor will the gunship hold its position. Mikito, now free of the slain Ranger, throws herself at the Whipmaster, leaving me time to deal with the gunship.

Sideways, blade coming into my hand, I turn, throwing a Blade Strike at the floating gunship and bouncing across the ground and into the air with my hoverboots, screwing with the AIs targeting algorithm. Blades of force shatter against the ship’s force shield, ripping through the fast-regenerating defense. I can tell it’s weakening, that the shield will go down. If I’m given enough time.

“GOBLIN’S AAARRRRSSSSEEEE!”

A scream. A searing flash of pain through our mental connection. Then Ali is gone. Banished. One of the real dangers of fighting a Space Lord. Their abilities deal with dimensions, and those not inherent to this reality are particularly susceptible to banishment.

“Damn it,” I snarl. But no time to waste.

I eye my Mana bar, noting that over this period, I’ve burnt through nearly half of my entire bar. I grit my teeth, plunging a Mana Regeneration potion into my body to kick up the speed. It’s a short-lived increase, but I get the feeling this fight will be pretty short. A mental command turns off my hoverboots, letting gravity drop me faster than ducking down myself would. Beams blaze over my head, and I toss my knives at the ship underhand, hoping to cut through the gunship’s walls.

Space warps, twisting like a heat mirage. My knives slide into the mirage and never come out. I can only hope the recall spells brings them back. A follow-up Blade Strike disappears just as cleanly, leaving our reality without a ripple. My feet hit the ground, flexing and taking in the fall before I kick off, dodging rockets. I channel Mana once more, triggering my Blink Step Skill, and watch as my Mana and will battle against Evanline’s Dimensional Lock. The Skill falters, but not without result—the Space Lord’s Dimensional Lock disappears too. Specialized Master Mage or not, her Mana reserves have a limit. I reach out again through the dimensions and find the edge of her Skill, find where it interacts with my Mana and soul, where it works with and against the System, and I push, feeling Mana flee my body.

An ear-shaking boom erupts, reminding me of the other fight. Hondo has taken a full-on blow, shattering armor and his chest as he flies backward and through the curve of a hill. Hondo keeps going until he pancakes upon hitting the next hill, coughing out blood. Even as Hondo squirms out of the hole, railgun pellets slam into his body, tearing off a leg. The Weaponmaster throws up a hand and casts Mana Shield, forming a temporary wall of protection. The Skill is a life-saver but trades Mana for shield integrity on a direct basis, and Hondo’s already low on the precious resource.

“Thousand Hells.”

I take the momentary gap when the Dimensional Lock isn’t active to Blink Step. I can’t reach Hondo himself, but there’s nothing stopping me from putting myself in the way of the pellets. I appear between Hondo and the Wolves and throw out a hand and a portable shield generator, watching the entire thing appear in mid-air and form its force shield. The pellets are stopped for the second, the Machine Lord’s shoulder-mounted railgun continuing its attacks and wearing down the defense. As I ready myself, the Space Lord recasts the Dimension Lock, forcing me to stay where I am. As the Titan jumps, landing a short distance from me, I realize I’m now facing all three Master Classers.

It’s not all going their way though. As I throw up another Soul Shield, the howling fire from the gunship dies. Ignored for a short time, Mikito managed to climb on top of the gunship. The Samurai is no longer glowing and has only a small thread of Mana left, but she’s still in play. With Hitoshi in hand, Mikito doesn’t need much Mana to do damage. Her polearm cuts right through the armor, hits a stabilizer, and sends the gunship spinning through the air. Defying all logic, Mikito manages to straddle the spiraling, falling gunship as she continues her attack.

I turn back to my opponents, my lips curling upward as blades form around me, a precursor to my final attack. The sword in my hand swings down, followed by dozens of conjured blades. Army of One cuts through the air, light hurting my eyes as the Skill homes in on the Machine Lord. Powerful as his machines might be, they aren’t up to taking my Skill head-on. My lips pull apart in a savage grin—then fall as the Titan interposes himself between the Skill and the Machine Lord.

Blood flies, dirt kicks into the air, and the world shakes. I don’t stop moving after using my Skill, narrowly dodging the first of the spatial shards Evanline throws at me. I don’t manage to dodge them all though. A particularly hard-to-see shard catches me high on the body and tears away my Soul Shield. I scream as my muscles, tendons, and molecules are rearranged by the Skill. Just a little, but enough that the pain from the wounds makes me stumble and fall.

As I stagger upward and the dust settles from my attack, a cold dread grips my stomach. The Titan strolls out of the damaged earth, wounded flesh closing before my eyes. There’s a wide grin on Hurquji’s face, his eyes darting between Hondo and me. Behind the Titan, the Machine Lord walks out, the myriad weapons on his armor pointing at me.

I’m down to less than a quarter of my Mana, my Soul Shield gone. I have the contingency shield from my ring and some Mana left, but that’s it. Even as I desperately refill from the Mana Battery, I know it’s not enough. Not by far. Not against three Master Classes.

“Pitiful,” Hurquji says. “Did you think you, a single Master Classer, could beat us? You should have kept hiding. Run. Get your last Levels.”

“You weren’t going to let us,” I say, forcing myself to my feet. Two-thirds of my life left. Less than a quarter of my Mana. I could go for a Mana potion, but I doubt they’d let me. Three Master Classers, most at nearly full health with Mana ranging from close-to-empty to two-thirds. And the Uttu, somewhere close, ready to fire again.

“Will you stand down or continue this senseless struggle?” S’Baxu’s voice is loud, though his words are punctuated by the secondary explosion of his gunship in the distance.

I wince, seeing Mikito’s health take another dive. S’Baxu looks in her direction and a portion of his armor detaches, the rocket launcher and beam pistol drone flying off in her direction.

“Senseless,” I say, closing my eyes. Exhaustion slides over me as I taste the word. “Maybe it is senseless. Hondo?”

“I will not give up,” Hondo grates out.

I sense his presence and turn. The Weaponmaster slowly makes his way over to me, using a new halberd as a support for his missing leg. A quick perusal reveals the hastily applied plastiskin bandage that has molded itself to the remnant limb, stemming his bleeding.

“Better to die than fail again,” he says.

“Well, that’s his answer.” I push against the weariness that grips my soul and body. It refuses to yield, so I let my anger burn it away. My lips twist into a half smile, one that they can’t see behind my helmet. “You guys don’t want to pull back, do you?”

Laughter from S’Baxu. Evanline and Hurquji do not laugh, their eyes narrowing as they realize I’m less afraid than I should be. Tired perhaps, but not afraid.

“You have a trick.” Evanline’s voice cuts through the air, reaching all of us as if she’s standing right next to us. Neat trick.

“Always,” I say. “Last chance.”

“He’s bluffing,” S’Baxu says.

“Do your worse,” Hurquji replies, smirking.

The Titan kicks off, speeding toward us even as S’Baxu opens fire, beam weapons and rail pellets tearing up the earth and lighting the sky in flashes of white and purple. I twist and jump, my Elemental Affinity tingling as space twists and warps. The Space Lord’s hidden attack misses by millimeters.

We can’t win this. Not with Hondo out of Mana. Not with Mikito injured.

No way to win.

Not alone.

Chapter 18

Chaos. All fights are chaos. Even more so when one side is attempting to make it even more chaotic. I gesture with one hand, opening up my Altered Storage. From it, hundreds of tiny drones emerge. They spin through the air, zooming directly toward the Space Lord. As they fly, they explode with a million watts of lights in all the colors of the rainbow, miniature suns in daylight.

Hondo shifts sideways, darting farther away from me as best he can on one foot, a beam pistol firing from his hip at the Machine Lord. Huquji kicks off, charging us as S’Baxu keeps ups his attacks, the beam pistol doing little to his armor while his own beam weapons and rail cannons churn the earth and burn the air. S’Baxu targets both of us at the same time, throwing firepower with indiscriminate care, like a Mardi Gras floater discarding beads in New Orleans. I twist and jump, my Elemental Affinity tingling as space twists and warps, a new Spatial Prison almost catching me. Perhaps the blinding lights slowed her down, or perhaps just luck. I trigger my Haste and Thousand Steps spell, speeding up to avoid being targeted again.

Hondo has discarded the beam pistol as he comes to a stop. In his hand is a belt-fed grenade launcher. The deep thump of the rocket-propelled grenades beats through the air, punctuated by the crack of rail pellets breaking the sound barrier. Many of the grenades are intercepted, their payload exploding too soon.

Chaotic energies swirl, some of it creating tantalizing, narcotic-laden smells. Other energies twist time and space in ways that hurt the brain to look at. A rent in reality opens, sucking up air and smoke grenades, then snaps shut a second later. From open air, a squirming whale-like creature is deposited on the ground, its form still crackling with the chaotic energy that brought it to our dimension. Sixty feet long, the blue creature flops, mouth opening and closing in a silent scream. Bullets and beams smash into it, its sudden appearance blocking the Machine Lord’s view for a second. The next moment, the blue-whale creature warps, twisting and shrinking as it is caught in the vortex of probability.

In the meantime, I’m throwing Blade Strikes as fast as I can at the Space Lord and flipping my returned throwing knives at the Titan. The enhanced Penetration effects, along with my Skill, are causing the Titan problems, as is the quick-cast Freezing Blade enchantment. The effect hurts the Titan, slowing its mad rush toward me. Strong and resistant to damage the Titan might be, but fast he is not. But I can’t afford to stay ahead of him much longer as my Mana bottoms out.

I don’t even see the next trap coming. The wall erupts in front of me, forcing me to smash into it. Reinforced via Mana, the spellborn Earthen Wall bounces me backward. Before I can focus and break it, Hurquji shatters my freezing spell and triggers a Charge ability, appearing by my side in a blink of an eye. I barely get my sword in the way before a fey-metal-banded fist slams into me, sending me through the Earthen wall. Only to be pancaked against an even harder Spatial Wall.

My sword is pressed into my body, cutting into my own flesh from the block. My helmet is shattered, my armor broken. Blood runs down my chest even as my vision fades at the edges. An alert flashes across my eye, a simple notification.

Critical Damage Dealt! Status Condition Overridden

You are Stunned! You will not be able to move, use Mana, or react in any way while Stunned.

I try to move, try to shift my body, and fail. I pull at my Mana and I can feel it, sense it, but a wall blocks my way. It’s a wall that I know instinctively is created by the System as it overrides my body control, overrides my ability to reach for my Mana. I grunt, straining as the Titan jumps, lands beside me, and shatters the earth beneath his feet. I’m pushed out of my hole and fall to the ground facedown. The first punch takes me from behind, pancaking my nose and breaking my teeth. The next blow cracks my skull, adding another debuff, and shatters cheekbones. Pain encompasses my existence as the debuff renews and Hurquji’s attacks override my resistances.

A meaty hand picks me up and turns me around. Blood dribbles down my face, coating my jumpsuit, the cracked helmet doing nothing to stop the flow of blood. Hurquji stares at me, no pity, no mercy, no regret in his eyes as a hand pulls back.

I have no access to Mana. No ability to move my body. Just my mind. And something else. Something not given by the System. In the corner of my pain-filled and shocked mind, I feel it. The connection between Hurquji and me. Between every single being, every single atom in the world. The forces that bind. And loosen.

Just a little prod, a push using something that was given by the System but is not part of it. Not enforced by it. It’s a power that is mine and Ali’s. I feel the System try to stop me, try to block it, but the power is not part of the System itself. Only categorized, only noted.

I push, and the large, meaty paw that flies toward me misses, flying past my body by inches. I’ve taken away the friction between myself and the Titan’s hand, making me so slippery that I shoot out of his grip like an oiled sardine. As I shoot downward, the Titan’s fingers clap shut in surprise. Along the ground I skip, my Elemental Affinity adjusting the friction between the ground and me as I land, sending me moving like a hockey puck on fresh ice. Soon enough, I come to a stop, because even reduced, friction is still in play.

The surprised Titan stalks over to me, my body still paralyzed by the System. “Interesting trick. But not good enough. You’re just delaying the inevitable.”

I grunt, some of my control over my body returning. A hand, a knee. I push myself upward, forcing my body to act, pitting will against the System and winning. A pitiful victory as my health flashes in the low hundreds, as shattered bones, bloody vision, and crushed organs decry.

“Delay.” I cough, watching as the Titan stops, staring at me. “About. Right.”

“Do you think there’s someone who is going to save you?”

“Behind. You.”

Hurquji pauses, eyes darting upward and sideways to look at his own minimap. They widen and he spins around, seeing what I see. Evanline is gone, a bubble of pink and orange where she was. No sound, no light escapes from the bubble. She’s gone, and with her, the Dimension Lock. On the other hand, what is happening to the Machine Lord is quite, quite visible, if not audible. S’Baqu is no longer fighting just Hondo but another five individuals, one of whom has a yellow stream of energy connecting him and S’Baqu’s armored suit. Even from here, I feel the way power shifts and drains from the suit.

“Hera’s scorn!” Hurquji says, eyes widening. The Titan hesitates then raises his hand, attempting to active his Skill. Only to pause and look back at me with wonderous surprise. “You’re blocking me?”

“Yes.” I’d smile, but it hurts too much to try. The damn Space Lord is not the only one who can lock down a location.

Once I answer, the Titan doesn’t hesitate, his fist flashing forward. I finally activate the contingency Shielding ring, and it blocks the attack but sends me flying backward. The Titan isn’t expecting me to survive and delays moving for a fraction of a second. A fraction too long. Too late.

By the time Hurquji reaches my prone form, he finds another figure before him. The last arrival to the party. The star of the show.

The Wendigo catches the Titan’s fist in his. Even his block is sufficient to bend and warp the fey-steel knuckle dusters.

“I’ve been looking for you,” the Wendigo rumbles, his voice low and bestial. There’s a hunger in the voice, a bloodlust I recognize all too well.

“About time,” I mutter. Not that anyone’s paying attention to me.

The Wendigo and Titan explode into action. The sheer concussive blasts of their fight strip my contingency shield from my body and then, even more of my precious health. I tumble across the ground as the backlash of their battle kicks my body around. I’m saved only by the fact that the pair move their fight away from me, probably unintentionally. As I lie in a pit of churned and broken earth, my body too broken and shattered to move, a figure appears.

“Here. Dri… never mind. I’ll get the injector,” Harry says.

The reporter drops to his knees and stabs me with a health potion It’s a lesser health potion, offering only a few tens of health points, but it’s the best we can do. Too much more and I’ll suffer from the effects of overuse. Instead, Harry channels a healing spell into my body.

I stare at the man for a second, taking in the double, triplicate forms of him that fade in and out. I want to ask about the fights, about how many more we can expect. About the Uttu. And Mikito. But the part of me that knows this fight is over, that my part is done, pulls the darkness in the corners of my vision close. It wraps me up in comforting numbness and dismisses that harsh mistress consciousness.

The System is so messed up. In twenty minutes, I wake up again, my body healed, teeth regrown, bones replaced. There’s lingering pain, but it’s all in my mind. I know, soon enough, that even that will go. The resistances, the System-given abilities, will wipe them away. Making me… functional. A series of notifications from the fight wait in the corner of my vision. My share of the experience for the damage I caused, the deaths here. But I can find no motivation to read them. Not yet at least.

“The fight?” I say as I change out of my torn and blasted clothing.

“Done,” Ali says, floating beside me.

I smile slightly, grateful to see the little bastard. Pulling him back earlier outside the edge of her Dimensional Lock meant he could help the others bypass the Space Mage’s Skill. “Harry?”

“Getting last-minute interviews.”

“Cutting it a little close, weren’t you?” I say, sliding on the new skinsuit and hoping that my expensive set fixes itself as advertised. I’m not entirely sure it can, not with the sheer amount of damage it took. Then again, look at me. Fit as a fiddle.

“Wendigo took a bit to get here. Seems like he wasn’t watching,” Ali says. “Anyway, you guys took too long to take her Mana down.”

“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head. One of the keys to the fight had been breaking the Space Lord’s Off to the Side Skill without her knowing. That, or making her drop it voluntarily. To do that, we needed to reduce her Mana to a point where she would no longer dedicate Mana to reinforcing it, allowing Ali to breach it when I pulled him back into this world. “Things didn’t go exactly as planned.”

“When have they ever?” Mikito says, walking over to me with her naginata over her shoulder. She looks calmly around the burnt and blasted wasteland that was our battleground before her gaze fixes on a particular spot. “You nearly died there.”

“You too.”

Mikito shrugs. “Did you know? That they’d all be watching for Harry’s next segment?”

“Know? No. We tried to contact them, leave them hints. But there was no way to really know,” I say. “If they’d watch. If they’d come.”

“You gambled.”

My lips twitch. “Revenge is a very universal desire.”

Mikito stands in silence for a time before she meets my gaze with her brown eyes. She stares at me, searching for something for long seconds. Eventually, she turns away and walks off.

“Mikito?” I call hesitantly.

“You lead. I follow.” When she turns around, her gaze lands on me with a weight that takes my breath away. “That’s our deal. Win or lose.”

I want to protest that we never discussed that, never agreed. I didn’t ask her to come. I didn’t ask her to join me. But that’s a lie. I assumed she would be here. I took her help without question. I could have left her out of this or trusted her with more details. But I didn’t. Not because I didn’t trust her, but because in the System, anything said out loud, any information passed on to others is purchasable. I already risked a lot by checking that Harry would broadcast our fight live. Even more when I had Ali ping the previous targets of the Wolves via an intermediary, telling them to watch.

If the Wolves had learned about the trap beforehand, it would have all been for naught. If I had coordinated directly with the victims, I likely would have failed. In truth, if it were not for how passionate Hondo was about dealing with the Wolves, I would never have taken the risk. Yet I could think of no other way to win. And we needed to win.

Because this was just the start.

Hours later, we’re back with Katherine. The ambassador looks relieved to see us, tension held in her shoulders disappearing. I offer her a half-smile, slumping into one of the proffered chairs while Hondo looks at Mikito and me.

“Thank you,” Hondo says.

“Pardon?” I say, sitting up.

Rather than answer, Hondo walks out of the door—heading to see Oria, I’d guess. I stare at the Weaponmaster’s back, scratching my head absently, amused to note that he’s already got his leg back. Mikito has a wry smile while watching Hondo leave before she turns back toward Katherine and Peter.

“How are things?” I say, the wash of happiness from beating the Wolves now shifting back toward grief as I recall what happened on Earth.

“Stabilizing,” Katherine says. “Rob has decided to continue with the program. We have numerous law enforcement personnel scattering planetwide to look for the attackers. A bounty tax has also been instituted planetwide, and that tax is being used to fund quests to deal with the attackers. These quests have also been passed on to any guild willing to take them.

“Rob is looking at what additional tariffs and other penalties we can levy on those we find connected to the attacks. In the meantime, the Galactic immigrants will be concentrated in a few locations that have volunteered to take them. The Duchess’s location is one of the prime areas.”

I nod, accepting Katherine’s words. We might be stabilizing for now, but if the attacks continue, there’s no guarantee that Rob will be able to hold the planet together. And while he might not be up for reelection for a few years, ignoring the wants and needs of the settlement owners would be an extremely bad idea.

“Security?” Mikito says, picking up on the unanswered question.

Peter grimaces, but he finally speaks up. “We’re looking into a planetary-wide security net and dimensional blocker. And a temporary mercenary corp. The Erethrans have offered to send a fleet of theirs to aid us. For concessions.”

“What concessions?” I ask.

“They want New Zealand,” Peter says.

“Pardon?”

“The country. They want it all.”

Silence descends as I struggle with that idea. I open my mouth, then shut it, then open my mouth again before giving up.

Ali snorts, filling the silence. “Eh, good deal for you guys. Not as if many of their population survived.”

“No?” I say. Come to think of it, I never did visit New Zealand.

“Remote island. Lots of monsters. Including a dragon that you all decided to call Smaug for some reason. That lost you a whole city when he found out,” Ali says with a sniff. “Really.”

“So what? We just take the entire country and give it to the Erethrans?” I frown. That doesn’t sound right.

For one thing, I’m not sure it’s our land to give. Then again, there are monsters there, and without a high enough population keeping them in check, those monsters will keep getting stronger and stronger. Already the Caribbean is a no-go zone. Between the sheer number of monsters, their strength, and the elementals who have taken residence among the hurricanes, it’s a treacherous land. If we leave New Zealand alone too long, it’ll just be another lost island.

Still, it sits badly with me.

“In essence, yes. Rob is speaking with their representatives now. The Erethrans have promised to arrive the moment the agreement is made,” Katherine says, her eyes tight. She meets my gaze and I can see that we share some of the same feelings. But on the other side of the equation is the simple need for security.

Compromise. Politics is all about compromise. Once again, I’m grateful that I’m not forced to take part in it. Perhaps it’s cowardice on my part, but finding that compromise, choosing the least of all evils…

“John?” Peter says, and I blink, looking at the man. “There’s something else we need from you.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. As you know, this isn’t over. Not by a long shot. A large number of those who attacked us on Earth have left the planet already,” Peter continues. “And while the guilds might get some of them, the ones who attacked Rob, who attacked Lana, are at least Advanced Classes.”

“I see…” I say slowly, leaning back. “You want me to go after them myself.”

“Yes. You’re out here in the Galaxy already. You’re also…” Peter waves toward my Status Screen above my head.

I get it. As one of Earth’s few Master Classers, I’m in an enviable position of being able to kick ass. Only leveling fanatics like Mikito are anywhere close to breaking the last Level barrier, and even she would have found it hard to do without the Arena. Out here, in Irvina, where the fights are broadcast over a large area, the potential experience increases from the watchers’ tithe is significant.

Even so, for all the allusions that we have made, what Peter is asking me to do is to be Earth’s hitman. Their Galactic bounty hunter. It might leave me free to set my own hours, but Katherine at the least knows I’m not one to do things halfway. If I agree, my time researching quietly is gone.

If I don’t…

A memory of friends in a city by the water. Of a lonely mountain range where I woke up over five years ago. A lake and blue boxes that changed my world. Strewn corpses. Laughing faces. And I know, for certain, that more will be lost. If I refuse, I open Earth up to reprisals. Even if I agree, I leave them open. But at least they’ll know that anyone, anything going after Earth will face me at some point.

“Mikito?” I say softly, looking at the Japanese woman.

“You lead. I follow,” Mikito says simply.

I feel that burden sink further onto my shoulders, my chest tightening as she lays it on me. She sits there, weighing me, judging me by her very presence. Asking me to live up to that level of faith she has shown me.

I shut my eyes, the weight of the responsibility that I tried to set aside pressing down once again. Pushing against my forced indolence, past my reserve. It strikes at the core of who I am, who I had to become to survive. I’m back standing over a mass grave, a cooking pot. Lying on the ground as the rain washes over me. As I stand in a forest of crosses.

“Damn it.”

I open my eyes to Peter then Katherine, seeing the pity in their gazes. Pity but no mercy. Katherine knows exactly what she is asking of me, and still, she asks.

“Fine.”

I stand and walk away without a goodbye. I’m sure they’ll send me the information. Send me the details of those who need killing. And then. Well, then I guess I do what I do.

Chapter 19

A week later, we’re headed up the beanstalk again, leaving the city. A week. To train. To recuperate. To study and learn. To run the dungeons until Mikito could gain enough experience to Level up. At that thought, I turn my head and stare at my friend, taking in her new Class.

Mikito Sato, Spear of Humanity, Blood Warden, Junior Arena Champion of Irvina (Upper Samurai Level 1) (M)

HP: 2311/2311*

MP: 1681/1681*

Conditions: Isoide, Jin, Rei, Meiyo, Ishiki, Ryoyo, Feudal Bond

Galactic Reputation: 16

Galactic Fame: 6,998

My lips press together as I feel once more that weight of expectation and responsibility she has laid on me. I shake my head even as I call forth the Skill.

Feudal Bond (Level 1)

The Samurai is nothing without her master. The master is nothing without loyal servants. The Feudal Bond is a metaphysical representation of this relationship. This Skill provides strength to the Samurai derived from her master. However, this Skill is only in effect so long as the feudal status is in effect between the involved parties. Mana Regeneration reduced by 5 permanently.

Effect: User gains 5% of target master’s attributes.

I sigh, shaking my head. I feel a bit of dread over exploring exactly what this new Skill means and what messed up view of samurai the System has. An alien entity, borrowing on public consciousness and viewpoint, creating an exclusive prestige Class. How could that go wrong?

“John?” Mikito says, alerting me to the fact that I’ve been staring at her.

I flush, shaking my head, and turn aside. That’s a can of worms I’ll deal with another time. For now, it’s good enough to know that Mikito will be a much, much more powerful aide.

We’re going to need it.

For a moment, I glance at my own Status. The fight had not produced much in terms of loot as the other attackers had taken everything. But the experience gain from fighting and defeating three Master Classers, even shared, was significant. Enough so that I’ve gone up another Level and a bit, putting me at Level 28 and giving me another Skill point. I’m holding off on using it as I consider my best options. Aspects of that battle made me deeply unhappy, so I want to think about more deeply about that point before I commit.

We’ve spent a week training, healing, and waiting. Waiting for Harry to get back. To get the right ship. A week, and now we’re off. As we stand on the platform, heading up the beanstalk, the three of us stare at the disappearing city, its massive size soon lost in the clouds. No more Galactic center, no more quiet reading. I have books downloaded, along with a better idea of what to study by myself. Information has been saved, some questions answered. New ones formed. But the world we are in has little time or space for a scholarly Paladin. Not yet.

I’ll be back. There is more to learn, more to understand.

For now, there are rights to wrong. Killers who have run. People in power who think they are untouchable. Groups that think because they’re so big, they cannot fall.

For now, it’s time to get back to work. I look up, watching as we breach the cloud cover, and spot the station that looms above and the stars behind it. The numerous ships that wait, one of which is ready to take us away.

To the people waiting to be killed.

For now, it’s time to go.

###

The End

John and friends will return in

Rebel Star

(Book 8 of the System Apocalypse)

Author’s Note

Stars Awoken is the first book in the new Galactic arc. This book was a bit of a struggle to write as my patrons know, mostly because I kept vacillating on how I was going to write this. In the end, I ended up deleting over forty five thousand words and rewriting entire arcs before I was happy with this book. Some of that material will end up in book eight, Rebel Star, which might make the third arc four books long instead of three. This is also the penultimate arc, one that will contextualize and explore Galactic space more before we approach the end game.

As always, I’m grateful for everyone who has followed me on this long, long journey. I hope you have enjoyed John’s journey and the ever-expanding world. If you enjoyed reading the book, please do leave a review and rating.

In addition, I have other series including my A Thousand Li (my cultivation xanxia series), the Adventures on Brad (a more traditional LitRPG fantasy) and the Hidden Wishes (an urban fantasy GameLit series). Book one of each series follow:

A Thousand Li: The First Step (Book 1 of the A Thousand Li series)A Thousand Li: The First Step (Book 1 of the A Thousand Li series)(https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Li-First-Cultivation-Novel-ebook/dp/B07PKGSDDQ)

A Healer’s Gift (Book 1 of the Adventures on Brad)A Healer’s Gift (Book 1 of the Adventures on Brad)(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071KD1X35)

A Gamer’s Wish (Book 1 of the Hidden Wishes series)A Gamer’s Wish (Book 1 of the Hidden Wishes series)(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BV7PY1G)

For more great information about LitRPG series, check out the Facebook groups:

GameLit SocietyGameLit Society(https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/)

LitRPG BooksLitRPG Books(https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books/)

About the Author

Tao Wong is an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader who spends his time working and writing in the North of Canada. He’s spent way too many years doing martial arts of many forms, and having broken himself too often, he now spends his time writing about fantasy worlds.

For updates on the series and my other books (and special one-shot stories), please visit my website: http://www.mylifemytao.comhttp://www.mylifemytao.com(http://www.mylifemytao.com)

Or sign up for my mailing list: http://eepurl.com/c35JS1http://eepurl.com/c35JS1(http://eepurl.com/c35JS1)

Or my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/taowongauthor/https://www.facebook.com/taowongauthor/(https://www.facebook.com/taowongauthor/)

Or support me on Patreon direct at: https://www.patreon.com/taowonghttps://www.patreon.com/taowong(https://www.patreon.com/taowong)

Glossary

Erethran Honor Guard Skill Tree

Mana Imbue

Two are One

Thousand Steps

Blade Strike

The Body’s

Resolve

Greater

Detection

Altered Space

A Thousand

Blades

Shield Transference

Soul Shield

Blink Step

Army of One

Sanctum

Body Swap

Portal

John’s Erethran Honor Guard Skills

Mana Imbue (Level 3)

Soulbound weapon now permanently imbued with mana to deal more damage on each hit. +20 Base Damage (Mana). Will ignore armor and resistances. Mana regeneration reduced by 15 Mana per minute permanently.

Blade Strike (Level 3)

By projecting additional Mana and stamina into a strike, the Erethran Honor Guard’s Soulbound weapon may project a strike up to 30 feet away.

Cost: 30 Stamina + 30 Mana

Thousand Steps (Level 1)

Movement speed for the Honor Guard and allies are increased by 5% while skill is active. This ability is stackable with other movement-related skills.

Cost: 20 Stamina + 20 Mana per minute

Altered Space (Level 2)

The Honor Guard now has access to an extra-dimensional storage location of 30 cubic meters. Items stored must be touched to be willed in and may not include living creatures or items currently affected by auras that are not the Honor Guard’s. Mana regeneration reduced by 10 Mana per minute permanently.

Two are One (Level 1)

Effect: Transfer 10% of all damage from Target to Self

Cost: 5 Mana per second

The Body’s Resolve (Level 3)

Effect: Increase natural health regeneration by 35%. On-going health status effects reduced by 33%. Honor Guard may now regenerate lost limbs. Mana regeneration reduced by 15 Mana per minute permanently.

Greater Detection (Level 1)

Effect: User may now detect System creatures up to 1 kilometer away. General information about strength level is provided on detection. Stealth skills, Class skills, and ambient mana density will influence the effectiveness of this skill. Mana regeneration reduced by 5 Mana per minute permanently.

A Thousand Blades (Level 3)

Creates four duplicate copies of the user’s designated weapon. Duplicate copies deal base damage of copied items. May be combined with Mana Imbue and Shield Transference. Mana Cost: 3 Mana per second

Soul Shield (Level 2)

Effect: Creates a manipulable shield to cover the caster’s or target’s body. Shield has 1,000 Hit Points.

Cost: 250 Mana

Blink Step (Level 2)

Effect: Instantaneous teleportation via line-of-sight. May include Spirit’s line of sight. Maximum range—500 meters.

Cost: 100 Mana

Portal (Level 5)

Effect: Creates a 5-meter by 5-meter portal which can connect to a previously traveled location by user. May be used by others. Maximum distance range of portals is 10,000 kilometers.

Cost: 250 Mana + 100 Mana per minute (minimum cost 350 Mana)

Army of One (Level 2)

The Honor Guard’s feared penultimate combat ability, Army of One builds upon previous Skills, allowing the user to unleash an awe-inspiring attack to deal with their enemies. Attack may now be guided around minor obstacles.

Effect: Army of One allows the projection of (Number of Thousand Blades conjured weapons * 3) Blade Strike attacks up to 300 meters away from user. Each attack deals 3 * Blade Strike Level damage (inclusive of Mana Imbue and Soulbound weapon bonus)

Cost: 750 Mana

Sanctum (Level 2)

An Erethran Honor Guard’s ultimate trump card in safeguarding their target, Sanctum creates a flexible shield that blocks all incoming attacks, hostile teleportations and Skills. At this Level of Skill, the user must specify dimensions of the Sanctum upon use of the Skill. The Sanctum cannot be moved while the Skill is activated.

Dimensions: Maximum 15 cubic meters.

Cost: 1,000 Mana

Duration: 2 minute and 7 seconds

Paladin of Erethra Skill Tree

Penetration

Aura of Chivalry

Eye of Insight

Beacon of the Angels

Vanguard of the Apocalypse

Eye of the Storm

Society’s Web

Judgment of All

Immovable Object / Unstoppable Force

Domain

Shackles of Eternity

John’s Paladin of Erethra Skills

Class Skill: Penetration (Level 3)

Few can face the judgment of a Paladin in direct combat, their ability to bypass even the toughest of defenses a frightening prospect. Reduces Mana Regeneration by 10 permanently.

Effect: Ignore all armor and defensive spells by 60%. Increases damage done to shields by 120%.

Class Skill: Aura of Chivalry (Level 1)

A Paladin’s very presence can quail weak-hearted enemies and bolster the confidence of allies, whether on the battlefield or in court. The Aura of Chivalry is a double-edged sword however, focusing attention on the Paladin—potentially to their detriment. Increases success rate of Perception checks against Paladin by 10% and reduces stealth and related skills by 10% while active. Reduces Mana Regeneration by 5 Permanently.

Effect: All enemies must make a Willpower check against intimidation against user’s Charisma. Failure to pass the check will cow enemies. All allies gain a 50% boost in morale for all Willpower checks and a 10% boost in confidence and probability of succeeding in relevant actions.

Note: Aura may be activated or left-off at will.

Beacon of the Angels (Level 2)

User calls down an atmospheric strike from the heavens, dealing damage over a wide area to all enemies within the beacon. The attack takes time to form, but once activated need not be concentrated upon for completion.

Effect: 1000 Mana Damage done to all enemies, structures and vehicles within the maximum 25 meter column of attack

Mana Cost: 500 Mana

Eyes of Insight (Level 1)

Under the eyes of a Paladin, all untruth and deceptions fall away. Only when the Paladin can see with clarity may he be able to judge effectively. Reduces Mana Regeneration by 5.

Effect: All Skills, Spells and abilities of a lower grade that obfuscate, hinder or deceive the Paladin are reduced in effectiveness. Level of reduction proportionate to degree of difference in grade and Skill Level.

Eye of the Storm (Level 1)

In the middle of the battlefield, the Paladin stands, seeking justice and offering judgment on all enemies. The winds of war will seek to draw both enemies and allies to you, their cruel flurries robbing enemies of their lives and bolstering the health and Mana of allies.

Effect: Eye of the Storm is an area effect buff and taunt. Psychic winds taunt enemies, forcing a Mental Resistance check to avoid attacking user. Enemies also receive 5 points of damage per second while within the influence of the Skill, with damage decreasing from the epicenter of the Skill. Allies receive a 5% increase in Mana and Health regeneration, decrease in effectiveness from Skill center. Eye of the Storm affects an area of 50 meters around the user.

Cost: 500 Mana + 20 Mana per second

Vanguard of the Apocalypse (Level 2)

Where others flee, the Paladin strides forward. Where the brave dare not advance, the Paladin charges. While the world burns, the Paladin still fights. The Paladin with this Skill is the vanguard of any fight, leading the charge against all of Erethra’s enemies.

Effect: +45 to all Physical attributes, increases speed by 55% and recovery rates by 35%. This Skill is stackable on top of other attribute and speed boosting Skills or spells.

Cost: 500 Mana + 10 Stamina per second

Society’s Web (Level 1)

Where the Eye of Insight provides the Paladin an understanding of the lies and mistruths told, Society’s Web shows the Paladin the intricate webs that tie individuals to one another. No alliance, no betrayal, no tangled web of lies will be hidden as each interaction weaves one another closer. While the Skill provides no detailed information, a skilled Paladin can infer much from the Web.

Effect: Upon activation, the Paladin will see all threads that tie each individual to one another and automatically understand the details of each thread when focused upon.

Cost: 400 Mana + 200 Mana per minute

Other Class Skills

Frenzy (Level 1)

Effect: When activated, pain is reduced by 80%, damage increased by 30%, stamina regeneration rate increased by 20%. Mana regeneration rate decreased by 10%

Frenzy will not deactivate until all enemies have been slain. User may not retreat while Frenzy is active.

Cleave (Level 2)

Effect: Physical attacks deal 60% more base damage. Effect may be combined with other Class Skills.

Cost: 25 Mana

Elemental Strike (Level 1 - Ice)

Effect: Used to imbue a weapon with freezing damage. Adds +5 Base Damage to attacks and a 10% chance of reducing speed by 5% upon contact. Lasts for 30 seconds.

Cost: 50 Mana

Instantaneous Inventory (Maxed)

Allows user to place or remove any System-recognized item from Inventory if space allows. Includes the automatic arrangement of space in the inventory. User must be touching item.

Cost: 5 Mana per item

Shrunken Footsteps (Level 1)

Reduces System presence of user, increasing the chance of the user evading detection of System-assisted sensing Skills and equipment. Also increases cost of information purchased about user. Reduces Mana Regeneration by 5 permanently.

Tech Link (Level 2)

Effect: Tech Link allows user to increase their skill level in using a technological item, increasing input and versatility in usage of said items. Effects vary depending on item. General increase in efficiency of 10%. Mana regeneration rate decreased by 10%

Designated Technological Items: Neural Link, Sabre

Analyze (Level 2)

Allows user to scan individuals, monsters, and System-registered objects to gather information registered with the System. Detail and level of accuracy of information is dependent on Level and any Skills or Spells in conflict with the ability. Reduces Mana regeneration by 10 permanently.

Harden (Level 2)

This Skill reinforces targeted defenses and actively weakens incoming attacks to reduce their penetrating power. A staple Skill of the Turtle Knights of Kiumma, the Harden Skill has frustrated opponents for millennia.

Effect: Reduces penetrative effects of attacks by 30% on targeted defense.

Cost: 3 Mana per second

Quantum Lock (Level 3)

A staple Skill of the M453-X Mecani-assistants, Quantum Lock blocks stealth attacks and decreases the tactical options of their enemies. While active, the Quantum Lock of the Mecani-assistants excites quantum strings in the affected area for all individuals and Skills.

Effect: All teleportation, portal, and dimensional Skills and Spells are disrupted while Quantum Lock is in effect. Forceable use of Skills and Spells while Skill is in effect will result in (Used Skill Mana Cost * 4) health in damage. Users may pay a variable amount of additional Mana when activating the Skill to decrease effect of Quantum Lock and decrease damage taken.

Requirements: 200 Willpower, 200 Intelligence

Area of Effect: 100 meter radius around user

Cost: 250 + 50 Mana per Minute

Elastic Skin (Level 3)

Elastic Skin is a permanent alteration, allowing the user to receive and absorb a small portion of damage. Damage taken reduced by 7% with 7% of damage absorbed converted to Mana. Mana Regeneration reduced by 15 permanently.

Spells

Improved Minor Healing (IV)

Effect: Heals 40 Health per casting. Target must be in contact during healing. Cooldown 60 seconds.

Cost: 20 Mana

Improved Mana Missile (IV)

Effect: Creates four missiles out of pure Mana, which can be directed to damage a target. Each dart does 30 damage. Cooldown 10 seconds

Cost: 35 Mana

Enhanced Lightning Strike

Effect: Call forth the power of the gods, casting lightning. Lightning strike may affect additional targets depending on proximity, charge and other conductive materials on-hand. Does 100 points of electrical damage.

Lightning Strike may be continuously channeled to increase damage for 10 additional damage per second.

Cost: 75 Mana.

Continuous cast cost: 5 Mana / second

Lightning Strike may be enhanced by using the Elemental Affinity of Electromagnetic Force. Damage increased by 20% per level of affinity

Greater Regeneration (II)

Effect: Increases natural health regeneration of target by 6%. Only single use of spell effective on a target at a time.

Duration: 10 minutes

Cost: 100 Mana

Firestorm

Effect: Create a firestorm with a radius of 5 meters. Deals 250 points of fire damage to those caught within. Cooldown 60 seconds.

Cost: 200 Mana

Polar Zone

Effect: Create a thirty meter diameter blizzard that freezes all targets within one. Does 10 points of freezing damage per minute plus reduces effected individuals speed by 5%. Cooldown 60 seconds.

Cost: 200 Mana

Greater Healing (II)

Effect: Heals 100 Health per casting. Target does not require contact during healing. Cooldown 60 seconds per target.

Cost: 75 Mana

Mana Drip (II)

Effect: Increases natural health regeneration of target by 6%. Only single use of spell effective on a target at a time.

Duration: 10 minutes

Cost: 100 Mana

Freezing Blade

Effect: Enchants weapon with a slowing effect. A 5% slowing effect is applied on a successful strike. This effect is cumulative and lasts for 1 minute. Cooldown 3 minutes

Spell Duration: 1 minute.

Cost: 150 Mana

Improved Inferno Strike (II)

A beam of heat raised to the levels of an inferno, able to melt steel and earth on contact! The perfect spell for those looking to do a lot of damage in a short period of time.

Effect: Does 200 Points of Heat Damage

Cost: 150 Mana

Mud Walls

Unlike its more common counterpart Earthen Walls, Mud Walls focus is more on dealing slow, suffocating damage and restricting movement on the battlefield.

Effect: Does 20 Points of Suffocating Damage. -30% Movement Speed

Duration: 2 Minutes

Cost: 75 Mana

Create Water

Pulls water from the elemental plane of water. Water is pure and the highest form of water available. Conjures 1 liter of water. Cooldown: 1 minute

Cost: 50 Mana

Scry

Allows caster to view a location up to 1.7 kilometers away. Range may be extended through use of additional Mana. Caster will be stationary during this period. It is recommended caster focuses on the scry unless caster has a high level of Intelligence and Perception so as to avoid accidents. Scry may be blocked by equivalent or higher tier spells and Skills. Individuals with high perception in region of Scry may be alerted that the Skill is in use. Cooldown: 1 hour.

Cost: 25 Mana per minute.

Scrying Ward

Blocks scrying spells and their equivalent within 5 meters of caster. Higher level spells may not be blocked, but caster may be alerted about scrying attempts. Cooldown: 10 minutes

Cost: 50 Mana per minute

Improved Invisibility

Hides target’s System information, aura, scent, and visual appearance. Effectiveness of spell is dependent upon Intelligence of caster and any Skills or Spells in conflict with the target.

Cost: 100 + 50 Mana per minute

Improved Mana Cage

While physically weaker than other elemental-based capture spells, Mana Cage has the advantage of being able to restrict all creatures, including semi-solid Spirits, conjured elementals, shadow beasts, and Skill users. Cooldown: 1 minute

Cost: 200 Mana + 75 Mana per minute

Improved Flight

(Fly birdie, fly! - Ali) This spell allows the user to defy gravity, using controlled bursts of Mana to combat gravity and allow the user to fly in even the most challenging of situations. The improved version of this spell allows flight even in zero gravity situations and a higher level of maneuverability. Cooldown: 1 minute

Cost: 250 Mana + 100 Mana per minute

Equipment

Silversmith Jeupa VII Anti-Personnel Cannon (Modified & Upgraded)

This quad-barrelled anti-personnel weapon has been handcrafted by Advanced Weaponsmiths to provide the highest integration possible for an energy weapon. This particular weapon has been modified to include additional range-finding and sighting options and upgraded to increase short-term damage output at the cost of long-term durability. Barrels may be fired individually or linked.

Base Damage: 787 per barrel

Battery Capacity: 4 per barrel (16 total)

Recharge Rate: 0.25 per hour per GMU

Ares Platinum Class Tier II Armored Jumpsuit

Ares’s signature Platinum Class line of armored daily wear combines the company’s latest technological advancement in nanotech fiber design and the pinnacle work of an Advanced Craftsman’s Skill to provide unrivalled protection for the discerning Adventurer.

Effect: +218 Defense, +14% Resistance to Kinetic and Energy Attacks. +19% Resistance against Temperature changes. Self-Cleanse, Self-Mend, Autofit Enchantments also included.

Silversmith Mark II Beam Pistol (Upgradeable)

Base Damage: 18

Battery Capacity: 24/24

Recharge Rate: 2 per hour per GMU

Tier IV Neural Link

Neural link may support up to 5 connections.

Current connections: Omnitron III Class II Personal Assault Vehicle

Software Installed: Rich’lki Firewall Class IV, Omnitron III Class IV Controller

Ferlix Type II Twinned-Beam Rifle (Modified)

Base Damage: 57

Battery Capacity: 17/17

Recharge rate: 1 per hour per GMU (currently 12)

Tier II Sword (Soulbound Personal Weapon of an Erethran Honor Guard)

Base Damage: 307

Durability: N/A (Personal Weapon)

Special Abilities: +20 Mana Damage, Blade Strike

Kryl Ring of Regeneration

Often used as betrothal bands, Kyrl rings are highly sought after and must be ordered months in advance.

Health Regeneration: +30

Stamina Regeneration: +15

Mana Regeneration: +5

Tier III Bracer of Mana Storage

A custom work by an unknown maker, this bracer acts a storage battery for personal Mana. Useful for Mages and other Classes that rely on Mana. Mana storage ratio is 50 to 1.

Mana Capacity: 350/350

Fey-steel Dagger

Fey-steel is not actual steel but an unknown alloy. Normally reserved only for the Sidhe nobility, a small—by Galactic standards—amount of Fey-steel is released for sale each year. Fey-steel takes enchantments extremely well.

Base Damage: 28

Durability: 110/100

Special Abilities: None

Enchanted, Reinforced Toothy Throwing Knives (5)

First handcrafted from the rare drop of a Level 140 Awakened Beast by the Redeemer of the Dead, John Lee, these knives have been further processed by the Master Craftsmen I-24-988L and reinforced with orichalcum and fey-steel. The final blades have been further enchanted with Mana and piercing damage as well as a return enchantment.

Base Damage: 238

Enchantments: Return, Mana Blade (+28 Damage), Pierce (-7% defense)

Brumwell Necklace of Shadow Intent

The Brumwell necklace of shadow intent is the hallmark item of the Brumwell Clan. Enchanted by a Master Crafter, this necklace layers shadowy intents over your actions, ensuring that information about your actions are more difficult to ascertain. Ownership of such an item is both a necessity and a mark of prestige among settlement owners and other individuals of power.

Effect: Persistent effect of Shadow Intent (Level 4) results in significantly increased cost of purchasing information from the System about wearer. Effect is persistent for all actions taken while necklace is worn.

Ring of Greater Shielding

Creates a greater shield that will absorb approximately 1000 points of damage. This shield will ignore all damage that does not exceed its threshold amount of 50 points of damage while still functioning.

Max Duration: 7 Minutes

Charges: 1

Simalax Hover Boots (Tier II)

A combination of hand-crafted materials and mass produced components, the Simalax Hover Boots are the journeyman work of Magi-Technician Lok of Irvina. Enchantments and technology mesh together in the Simalax Hover Boots, offering its wearer the ability to tread on air briefly and defy gravity and sense.

Effects: User reduces gravitiational effects by 0.218 SIG. User may, on activation, hover and skate during normal and mildly turbulent atmospheric conditions. User may also use the Simalax Hover Boots to triple jump in the air, engaging the anti-gravity and hover aspects at the same time.

Duration: 1.98 SI Hours.

F’Merc Nanoswarm Mana Grenades (Tier II)

The F’Merc Nanoswarm Grenades are guaranteed to disrupt the collection of Mana in a battlefield, reducing Mana Regeneration rates for those caught in the swarm. Recommended by the I’um military, the Torra Special Forces and the No.1 Most Popular Mana Grenade as voted by the public on Boom, Boom, Boom! Magazine.

Effect: Reduces Mana Regeneration rates and spell formation in affected area by 37% ((higher effects in enclosed areas)

Radius: 10m x 10m

Stars Asunder

Tao Wong

To gain his Master Class, John Lee made a deal with the Erethran Empire. Now, the Empire has come to collect on the debt, forcing him to appear in their capital after his last fight. Thrown into Galactic politics of a militarised, System-based society; John will have to weigh consequences of the decisions he's been asked to make and confront the warped reality of a System-created empire. When politics, self-interest and a human's stubbornness collide, the very stars are threatened. Stars Asunder is book 9 of the System Apocalypse, the bestselling LitRPG fantasy and space opera series.

Stars Asunder

Book 9 of the System Apocalypse

By

Tao Wong

License Notes

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Stars Asunder

Copyright © 2020 Tao Wong. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2020 Sarah Anderson Cover Designer

A Starlit Publishing Book

Published by Starlit Publishing

69 Teslin Rd

Whitehorse, YT

Y1A 3M5

Canada

www.starlitpublishing.com

Ebook ISBN: 9781989458747

Print ISBN: 9781989458754

Hardcover ISBN: 9781989458761

Contents

What Has Gone Before

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Epilogue

Author’s Note

About the Author

About the Publisher

Books in The System Apocalypse Universe

Glossary

Erethran Honor Guard Skill Tree

John’s Erethran Honor Guard Skills

Paladin of Erethra Skill Tree

John’s Paladin of Erethra Skills

Grand Paladin Skills

Junior Administrator Skills

Other Class Skills

Spells

Equipment

What Has Gone Before

When the System arrived on Earth, it brought monsters, aliens, and glowing blue boxes that altered the reality of humanity. Gifted with Classes that must be Leveled and Skills that provide reality-altering powers, humanity struggled to survive when modern electronics failed under the flood of Mana. In a year, over ninety percent of humanity fell, leaving the remnants to pick up their lives.

John Lee is one such survivor, starting in the depths of the Yukon and traveling south to aid humanity in its struggle to stay free of their Galactic overlords. As a settlement owner in British Columbia, he joined forces with the remnant military forces of the United States on the West Coast and proceeded to wage a war to free the Canadian prairies and the US West Coast. Forced to take his Master Class Quest by the Erethran Honor Guard and the Erethran Champion, John returned from the Forbidden Zone planet he was teleported to with new powers, only to find a changed Earth in the four years he was gone.

Together, the newly Master-Classed John and his friends fought the Galactic interlopers, forging an alliance of human and aliens to form the first planetary government of a Dungeon World. Doing so cost, as it always did on the broken Earth.

To ensure the government continued to survive and take its place on the Galactic Council, John Lee and Mikito Sato along with the planetary representatives and other interested parties left Earth for Irvina, the System’s capital planet. Their presence angered many, and forced John and his friends to lash out, fighting back against oppressors who targeted him and the planet directly.

Years passed, as John and his friends – Mikito and Harry – waged a guerilla war against those who would restrict Earth’s expansion. Eventually, tired and worn, the group, with pirate captain Dornalor, stop at Spaks, an infamous pirate station. There, they are caught in an all out war between the pirates and the Galactic Council, whose objectives are deeper than they appear.

John meets the Corrupt Librarian Feh-ral, who gifts him the accumulated knowledge of the Corrupt System Questors. In the last clash of the war, John is forced to fight multiple Master Classers alone. In a last ditch attempt to stay alive, he opens a Portal and steps through, only to find his Portal leading him not to the station but to the Erethran Empire.

Now, John will have to complete his promise to the Empire, to fulfil his duties as a Paladin of Erethra. But in doing so, John Lee, the Redeemer of the Dead, might find himself angering forces even he should not contend with.

Chapter 1

Queen Karlelo is no demure, wilting flower of femininity. She’s hot in the Xena, Warrior Princess way rather than the petite, demure Disney Princess manner. Even seated on her throne on the raised dais, the Queen dominates the room. She’s at least seven feet tall, ripped and beautiful from generations of gene editing. Her presence is a palpable force, one that constantly sets off my Charisma and Aura Resistances. She rests on the throne on the Erethran capital planet of Pauhiri, her golden eyes boring into mine and glittering with amused curiosity.

Every inch of her is bedecked with enchanted Master, if not Heroic, Class items. There’s a diadem around her forehead that screams defensive equipment. Her light blonde hair is cut short, and a metallic plate feeding information into her brain takes up one side of her hairline where diodes glitter and sparkle. The purple dress suit covers her body, with small etchings and glittering embroidery in a language I don’t read offering offensive and defensive enchantments. The spear that rests on the throne is a Legacy Weapon, as is the bracelet around her right arm. I could go on, but suffice to say she’s casually bedecked in more—and higher Tier—equipment than the entire planet of Earth.

“So. This is our latest Paladin,” Queen Karlelo says.

I can’t help but glance at her Status information again.

Empress Hasbata Karlelo of the Erethran Empire, (more) (??? Queen Level ???)

HP: N/A

MP: N/A

Conditions: N/A

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I say. At least, that’s what I think is the right term. I really don’t know. It’s not as if I’ve spent a lot of time interacting with royalty. If I’d considered it, I might have bought a System information pack, but who expects to get dragged to see royalty?

“Smaller. And weaker than I’d expected.”

“True, Your Majesty. But he learns fast. Levels faster. And, occasionally, surprises us,” Ayuri d’Malla speaks up.

I turn my head to eye the woman, my captor and Erethran Champion.

“Rude. I’m right here,” I grump mentally to Ali.

While I might be as rude as a bull in a china shop at times, throwing out words and actions as carelessly as cheap necklaces from a Madris Gras float, I’ve still got some sense. And not backtalking the Queen in her center of power is one bit of it.

“I wouldn’t, boy-o.” Ali, my two-foo-tall floating friend sends back to me. Like myself, Ali’s changed his clothes and mirrors me in my sky-blue Erethran military uniform, with its high collars, epaulets, knee-high boots, and green trimming. The only thing he has different is the design on the epaulets. His is a minor variation on mine, indicating his role as a Spirit Companion to me—a Paladin of Erethra.

My “special” Master Class technically gives me a rank within the militaristic Erethran Empire. In fact, I report directly and only to the Queen herself. Paladins are part of a separate branch in their society, playing the role of wandering judge, jury, and executioner. We’re the troublemakers and problem solvers. At one point, there were as many as three dozen Paladins in the entire empire.

Now, there’s just one.

Me.

Technically, I’m not the only one still alive. My master? Sponsor? Mentor? The person who approved my ascension into the Master Class still lives. But she’s not coming back. Not anytime soon. Not ever, if she has anything to say about it. Which leaves me as the idiot holding the giant bag of shit that is the Erethran Empire.

“Wouldn’t what? I’m being good. Not telling them how pretentious and dumb-looking this entire room is. How much I’m getting flashbacks of Germany,” I reply to Ali.

The Spirit companion link is purely mental, run through the System. Over the years since the advent of the System and the destruction of Earth, I’ve gotten used to replying to him without showing it.

The throne room is less an ostentatious display of power and more of a functional bunker. It’s a structure with guards, shield projectors, and full-on artillery emplaced within. No gilt, no gold, no imposing pictures of past rulers. Hells, other than a few holographic projections of banners taken from the corpses of beaten armies and kingdoms—and in one case, a dragon’s head—it’s the least impressive throne room I’ve seen. Says a lot about the culture when they showcase their battle glories rather than gold and riches.

“I would listen to your Spirit, Paladin.” The Queen leans forward as she speaks, fixing me with a flat, disapproving gaze.

I feel the pressure she exerts, her Aura suddenly focused. For a second, my legs buckle, wanting to give way, wanting me to kneel and grovel for forgiveness. I can barely breathe, the pressure is so great.

Aura of the Empire partially resisted (90%)

I have to admit, I’m kind of impressed with myself. I wrap myself in the stubbornness, the muleheadedness that makes up who I am, and I refuse to kneel. It takes everything, even biting my own tongue till blood, coppery and salty, fills my mouth to focus and lock my knees. But I manage. The weight of an empire sits upon my shoulders, pressing on me in both a mental and physical sense.

And I resist.

Too bad I don’t have enough strength to offer a quip.

The tension in the room continues unabated for long minutes as I fight against her disapproval and the Queen turns aside to chat with one of her advisors. Her casual dismissal sets my anger alight, and I push back harder, no longer needing the goad of pain to stand.

Eventually, she relents, and I feel the pressure disappear. I stagger as the sudden disappearance throws off my sense of balance. As I catch myself, the snarl that threatened to erupt comes out. By the time I manage to control myself again, return my demeanor to something resembling polite, the Queen has leaned back on her throne.

Her fingers trace the upraised buttons on her steel gray throne as she speaks to Ayuri. “Barely adequate. He will need more Levels.”

“We know that. We did plan for him to conduct the training in the meantime.”

“What training?” I snap as they talk over my head. I was willing to be patient, but after that little display, I’m just about done being nice.

Fine. Maybe I don’t have a lot of sense.

“Of the other Paladins, of course.” The Queen sniffs then looks at Ayuri. “Are you sure he has specced into Intelligence?” She doesn’t wait for Ayuri to answer before continuing, already turning to another of her attendants. “Have it done.”

The moment she finishes speaking, Ayuri’s snaps off a left-handed salute, grabs me by the shoulder, and drags me out of the throne room. She doesn’t even wait for me to offer my own salutations. I could resist her—I might even be strong enough these days to physically stop her from moving me. But I don’t really want to stick around. So I follow.

“What other Paladins?” I hiss at Ayuri, only for the Champion to shush me as she hurries us out of the throne room. She’s probably scared that I’ll say or do something stupid. Again.

For my first introduction to royalty, I wasn’t stabbed, shot, or condemned to death.

I figure it was pretty good.

***

Once we’re striding down the hallway, open windows showcasing the distant and massive alien capital, the Queen and her aura a memory, Ayuri finally deigns to speak. “I told you to be polite. All you had to do was present yourself, wait for her to give you an order, and get out. How hard is that!”

“Well, she was the one who decided to listen in on my conversation.”

“Of course she was listening. We all were. That was the throne room. Did you think we wouldn’t have security measures to listen to potential threats? At the very least, it’d be a safety breach if we didn’t.” Ayuri threw her hands toward the ceiling. “Now, you just made it a lot harder than it had to be.”

“Really? And how did I mess up these plans you haven’t told me about?”

“I can’t say.”

“And more, neither of you have actually told me why you want me here. You kept on saying she’d tell me. But now, it sounds like even if I had kept my mouth shut, it wouldn’t be enough.” I cross my arms and plant my feet, waiting for her to come to a full stop. I still remember the Queen’s quip about my Levels.

“She would have been fine if you hadn’t insulted her. You only need three more Levels. We could have grinded the Levels together and called it done.”

“For what?” I let exasperation leak into my voice, into the way I stand. I let her see my true feelings, while hiding the lie of my true Level. In truth, I’m only a single Level from reaching the next tier of my Class Skills, but I’ve taken to using the Ring of Deception to show my Level as a little lower than it really is. Keeping some information hidden is good for me, especially since I have a feeling they want me for more than my Skills.

Ayuri stops, looking me up and down, then looks around us. Next moment, I feel the Mana around us freeze as a silenced area pops up within ten feet of us. Nothing, no sound, no Mana, can be sensed outside of that bubble. The sudden change catches me out, making me wonder what Skill it is.

And, as has become more common lately, a piece of information unfolds within my mind. Knowledge, that I didn’t gain naturally, making itself known.

Skill: Sphere of Gramus (Level 1)

The Sphere of the Gramus is a Skill that seals an individual away from reality. First pioneered by Gramus himself, the Sphere allowed him to contemplate the multiple variations of tastes that accompanied the consumption of his own body. Unfortunately, his continued eating of his own form, without sharing with the rest of his tribe, made him a heretic. Only the creation of this Skill allowed him to continue his private journey.

Effect: The Sphere of Gramus seals the user and an area off space (currently a radius of five (5) feet from user) from all external manipulation. No divination, Skills, and spells will enter or exit the sphere during periods of activation.

Mana cost: 500/minute

Ever since that godsforsaken Librarian stuck the entire Corrupted Questor library in my head, I’ve been getting little flashes of information. At first, it was pretty contained. Only when I decided to tap into the encrypted data would the squished-together information unspool. But whether it’s because I’ve been poking at the information, or because the Librarian’s Skill is degrading, I keep getting these little blips of information.

I now know more about Skills than I ever wanted or needed to. I guess that makes sense—knowing what Skills are being created by the System helps us understand it. It was just never an area I studied in great detail. Doesn’t mean that someone didn’t at some point in their search to answer the System Quest.

I blink away the information and focus on the Champion. I also do my very best not to think about that description. Or the other, rather disturbing, graphic imagery of Gramus, his people, and their entire race’s eating habits that the library provided. The universe is a very big place.

And it just keeps getting weirder.

“The Queen needs to designate an heir. She cannot put it off any longer. And before you ask, her choice as Queen was a compromise that ensured the survival of the Empire at that time. Along with the compromise was her promise to not give birth,” Ayuri finally spoke after she finished deploying her Skill. “There are three methods for us to choose a new Queen. Civil war. The Empire Trials. And the choice of the Paladins.”

“Great. So just get the contenders to take part in these trials,” I try to say lightly. Because the other options just do not sound fun.

But Ayuri isn’t willing to kid around. She stares at me, waiting for me to acknowledge the truth. I don’t want to. I don’t think it’s fair. But when she threw me through the Portal on Earth, she made me promise to come when they needed. At least once. So this is the once. This is what she needed me for.

“Seriously. Why not do the trials?” I ask.

“It is not that simple. The potential candidates are all powerful, pillars of our society. We don’t choose our royalty, our leaders, from just anyone. We’re a warrior society. A military-based one. If you aren’t able to garner the respect of the military, you’ll eventually fail.”

I might be slow, but I get it. “What you’re saying is, it’s people like you who’d be contending. High Master class, Heroics, maybe even a Legendary?”

“No Legendaries.” Ayuri shakes her head. “But it’s not just that. The trials were created ages ago, when we were land-bound to our planet. They value physical strength, the ability of an individual to take on an entire army by themselves. But these days, we need more than that in our Empress. We need range, skills that can reach across stars, even abilities to command multiple armies and ships at the same time. The ones who contest for the throne know that. They’ve built their Skills, their abilities to lead armies.”

“So the PR is a lie. You don’t need the person who can kick ass best, you need the person who can help all of you kick ass best,” Ali says, chiming in with a grumpy look. “And let me guess. These trials. There is only one survivor.”

“Yes.”

I exhale and shake my head. Obviously there’s only one winner. Why would you want to keep competitors alive? Better to kill them all, salt the earth with their bones, and eat their flesh. Or something idiotic like that.

At least that explains why they won’t use the trials. It’d almost be better to have a full-on civil war. At least then there would be multiple survivors from alliances and those who just give up halfway. Looking at it from that viewpoint, it’d be better to have your top men—your generals, admirals, marines, and whatever other forms of champions—not all die trying to contest for the position of Empress. Which…

Kind of leaves me screwed.

“You do know I don’t really know your society all that well? You’re asking me to choose your next Empress when I don’t even know what would work best.”

“Empress Apparent,” Ayuri replies. “The main contenders will all bring their own advantages to our Empire. That is, after all, why they are the contenders. The choice itself will trigger the System to provide us those benefits, which we need.”

“Need?” I frown. “Sounds like you’re rather desperate.”

“No, but the wars could be going better. This is the best choice from a series of really bad options.” Ayuri shakes her head, eyeing the dark walls of the sphere. “Don’t worry about it. By the time you’re done, you’ll understand us well enough to make a good choice.”

“What makes you think I won’t just sell it to the highest bidder?” I say peevishly.

I don’t deal well with getting pressured to do things I don’t like. And playing Praetorian Guard for an entire empire is kind of messed up. It’s a hell of a lot of pressure. I ran away from Earth because I didn’t want that kind of responsibility.

“Because you’re a Paladin,” Ayuri says.

If what I threatened to do bothers her at all, she’s not showing it one bit. I’m torn between feeling chuffed that she thinks I’m that honorable and annoyed that I didn’t manage to get a rise out of her.

“But you will be targeted. Especially by those who don’t think they will win your approval. Not right away, perhaps. But you will eventually.”

“Great.” I don’t bother trying to hide the sarcasm in my reply.

“How long does boy-o have? To learn an entire empire?”

“Some time. The choice cannot be made until the Queen makes the announcement and request. She won’t do that until you Level,” Ayuri replies.

As I said, I’m not exactly stupid. Between all the Intelligence points I’ve gained and some innate smarts, I put together the pieces pretty fast. “It’s the Shackles. The last tier in my Skill tree. You guys need it to keep the contenders in line.”

Ayuri nods but refuses to explain further.

I’m not exactly happy, but at least it gives me an idea of what’s coming down the road. On the other hand… “I’m not going to use my Skill points on that.”

Her eyes narrow. When I don’t balk at her disapproval, she sighs. “We have the budget for the purchase. We’ll need you to have multiple levels in that Skill anyway.”

I grunt, making note of that. Might be worth finding out what the difference between the levels would be. In the meantime, I cudgel my brain for other things I need from them. “So about the training…”

Before I can continue speaking, Ayuri lifts her hand sideways and the world returns to normal. Her Skill disperses and noises return.

“You’ll be training a half dozen of my best Honor Guards. They’re all ready to ascend to the next tier, ready to become Paladins. You only have to train and test them, just as your mentor did you,” Ayuri says. “This job is important, Redeemer. We do not want another incident like you.”

I frown but kind of accept it. Can’t be nice, having to ask a random human, one who isn’t even part of your Empire, to judge the fate of your entire society. So they need to make sure that everyone I train can survive and keep growing to train the next generation after me.

On that note…

“You never did tell me. Whatever happened to the rest of the Paladins?”

“They fell.”

Chapter 2

We walk through the corridors of the palace in silence. Like the throne room, the Erethran Royal Palace—the eleventh of thirteen scattered throughout the Empire—was built and furnished more like a military base than a sumptuous location to relax. Bare corridors, multiple blast doors, the occasional sharp turn, and nano-woven organic walls that will grow crenellations for people to hide and shoot from. We stride down the corridors, keeping pace with one another, and spot the occasional guard, scurrying servant, and cleaning drone moving about, interspersed with the slew of administrators required to keep an empire running. I wonder how that works. With 3D holograms that look and feel just as real as being there, is there a reason for people to be next to one another?

Idle musings as we walk and float to our destination, Ali darting through the occasional wall to poke his nose around before exiting. He occasionally bounces off the walls, coming out swearing as Skills and enchanted material stop his passage. I’m playing the waiting game, curious to see how long Ayuri will hold out on explaining her last statement. Curious to see what is about to happen. She’s withholding information, refusing to add more details, and I’m not sure why.

So I’m not asking. Not because I’m being stubborn for shits and giggles, but because I want to see what she decides to tell me. And when. Sometimes, what people will tell you and when can tell you just as much as their words. The rest…

Well, there’s a reason Ali’s being rude, darting around like a crazed pixie on meth. And it’s not just because he’s Ali.

“You’ve learned patience,” Ayuri finally says after we’ve walked for a half hour.

Yes. A half hour. That’s how big the damn palace is and how much ground we’ve covered, especially when you consider how fast we can move with our higher base stats. We’re out of the main building, walking through open courtyards and passing numerous buildings, strolling along as we watch members of the Honor Guard train.

I grunt in reply.

“Or subtlety,” Ayuri says, eyes crinkling in humor. “Or you’re just stubborn. As usual. In all cases, you should ask. If you want to know.”

“Know why all the other Paladins are dead? Nah. I’m okay with certain doom hanging over my head,” I drawl.

Ayuri gives an exasperated huff. “You would do well not to anger one of your only allies in the Empire, Redeemer.”

I offer a smile, but she doesn’t rise to the bait. Yeah, okay, maybe I am being a bit of an ass.

“Paladins have a very short lifespan in general,” she says. “When they aren’t working for the army directly, they are off ‘questing,’ completing Empire-generated Quests or their own idiosyncratic honor-bound requirements. Some worked alone, others in small teams. Their actions angered many of the powerful. Their questions and their Quests harmed numerous interests.

“One hundred and three years ago, our former King’s family was targeted by a pair of Paladins during a routine System-generated Empire Quest. In their usual mode of operation, the Paladins purged two-thirds of the King’s family, including his daughter.” Ayuri hesitates then reluctantly adds, “The Quest authorized them to do so, but they went too far. In his rage and grief, the King enacted a purge of all remaining Paladins, commanding the armed forces to go to war. Not that there were many Paladins left at that time.

“In the ensuing battle, the King was killed. The majority of the Paladins fell to his attacks. And we lost three decades of progress to a limited civil war.”

I frowned, eyes narrowing. “Wait. If they’re Paladins, shouldn’t they, you know, do what he says?”

Ayuri shakes her head. “You report to the Queen, but you are not subject to her authority. Your oath—the Paladin’s oath—has always been to the Empire.”

I keep my mouth shut and my face from changing as she says that. Because there are some things she’s better off not knowing.

“That leaves you wiggle room to do what you need to do. The Paladins are a balancing force in our Empire. Or should be.” Ayuri gestures around at the guards. “You understand how our society works, yes? In general?”

I pause, running through the information I’ve gathered. “Militaristic society with a sort-of nobility. Your Queen—I’m actually not sure why she’s not called an Empress all the time—is not elected or hereditary, as you mentioned.

“But you also have noble houses which have Classes and actual lineages, but they’re all part of the military complex. You don’t have a house of lords or commoners either, so it’s pretty much a tyranny. The Generals are often made up of the Lords, as are most of your business personnel. Even your legal system reports directly to the Queen, so she doesn’t really have a ‘check’ on her power.” I frown. “So you’re saying the Paladins were that check?”

“Incorrect. The noble houses and the military are another check on her. Each General commands his own army, and the Generals themselves do not pledge loyalty to the Queen but the Empire. Only the Honor Guard”—Ayuri waves her hand around the complex—“and the Champions are the Queen’s.

“And to answer your question, it’s a Class. Empress. She has not reached it.”

I frown, considering what she said. “Why’d the army decide to destroy the Paladins?”

“Remember what I said about the Paladins making enemies?” Ayuri says. “Some of the Generals were among them. Given the command, they took the chance to even the score.”

“What Level is the Queen?” I send to Ali while she explains.

Ali hums for a bit, accessing data. Possibly just trying to figure out how to explain it. “Titled Classes like these are weird. You have two choices. You can either choose to discard all your previous Classes, use the experience from that act to buy into the nobility Class type, and go from there.

“Or you dual-Class in. You’re forced to have the Titled Class as your main Class, with your secondary Class relegated to no further experience gain. At that time you can discard some experience, drop down a few Levels, or change things up. But in Titled Classes like this, with specific size, population, and reputation requirements, you can access higher Tiers directly. Which is an advantage to a bigger empire like this, but you end up having to earn a lot more Experience to advance Levels. I’m assuming that’s what happened here, though her data’s hidden.”

I grunt. I can see how that’d work out, though I’m wondering if there are ways to break the System. It sounds possible. The System isn’t exactly built to be unexploitable, relying instead on the fact that it’s so big and sprawling that anyone, anywhere, can eventually figure out a counter for someone else. At least that’s my interpretation of it.

Add the fact that, in the majority, most people are content to just live their lives. Only a very small subset of individuals hurry along, trying to get the most out of any Class, any Level. Unfortunately for those guys, they often find themselves blindsided by other, more mundane pressures.

It’s kind of like lawyers, doctors, and dentists on old Earth being some of the most easily exploitable groups for fraud. They’re so confident in their own expertise that their arrogance gets them in trouble. And when they are taken, they often don’t learn from it or tell others—too ashamed by their failure—so they just end up screwed again. Or let others of their kind get screwed.

“If that’s the case, why the heck would the Queen want me to train up a new batch of potential problems for her?” I say.

Everything I hear makes Paladins sound more like troublemakers than a balancing force. Though I guess if you push a swing hard enough, it’ll eventually come a stop. Even if it means you’ve wrapped the chain around the post to do it.

“Because the Paladins are necessary,” Ayuri says heatedly. “Without them, we’re tottering on the edge of a civil war. They keep the peace. They go where our armies cannot and deal with threats that escape the borders of our Empire. They are investigators and judges, searching down corruption within our own ranks.”

Ayuri draws a breath and then lets it out slowly, forcing calm on herself. “And they’re part of our System-enforced Empire contract. If not for your mentor, the System would already have generated multiple new members before your arrival.” A slight pause before she continues. “We’d much prefer to have control of our membership.”

“Ah. Right.” I get it. They’re sending me people to train and turn into Paladins who are already loyal to the Queen. They won’t make a mistake of ending up in a civil war again. Which kind of makes sense, though I wonder how long that’d last. If they’re looking for me to find the Queen’s heir, then there are some deeper waters here. After all, there’s no guarantee that the new Paladins will be just as loyal to the new ruler. “So. I assume there are also going to be a large number of people who aren’t happy with me doing this?”

“Of course.”

“Great.” I say sarcastically. Not only do I have to worry about the real reason why she wants me here, even the cover is going to get me shot at.

Before I can say anything more, Ayuri leads me through another corridor into a courtyard. One filled with a half dozen aliens milling around, chatting or training.

The Champion waves her hand around. “We’re here.”

***

Here is a wide open courtyard edged with the cylindrical cones and the diagonal-sloped faces of shield projectors, all enclosed by the wings of a three-story building with large, reflective windows. Blast shutters hang over the windows, ready to deploy in the event of a problem. I wonder who, what, is looking out at us from the rooms, but I dismiss the silver buildings with their blue edging and numerous, semi-hidden field artillery. I’ve got more important things to focus upon, such as the threats before me.