Stars Asunder

by Tao Wong

  Strength

  312

  Agility

  402

  Constitution

  462

  Perception

  242

  Intelligence

  424

  Willpower

  459

  Charisma

  180

  Luck

  94

  Class Skills

  Mana Imbue

  5*

  Blade Strike*

  5

  Thousand Steps

  1

  Altered Space

  2

  Two are One

  1

  The Body’s Resolve

  3

  Greater Detection

  1

  A Thousand Blades

  4*

  Soul Shield

  4

  Blink Step

  2

  Portal*

  5

  Army of One

  4

  Sanctum

  2

  Penetration

  7

  Aura of Chivalry

  1

  Eyes of Insight

  1

  Beacon of the Angels

  2

  Eye of the Storm

  1

  Vanguard of the Apocalypse

  2

  Society’s Web

  1

  External Class Skills

  Instantaneous Inventory

  1

  Frenzy

  1

  Cleave

  2

  Tech Link

  2

  Elemental Strike

  1 (Ice)

  Shrunken Footsteps

  1

  Analyze

  2

  Harden

  2

  Quantum Lock

  3

  Elastic Skin

  3

  Disengage Safeties

  2

  Temporary Forced Link

  1

  Hyperspace Nitro Boost

  1

  On the Edge

  1

  Fates Thread

  2

  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

  Enhanced Particle Ray

  Variable Gravitic Sphere

  Zone of Denial

  Mana Imbue adds damage to my Basic Attacks, which means both my big finishing move—Army of One—and my more normal attacks are more dangerous. I didn’t upgrade it too much due to the effect on my Mana Regeneration, but it was about time to throw some Credits at it. It’s one of those linked Skills that make sense to increase.

  The other one I increased was Thousand Blades. Again, it makes Army of One even more powerful due to the way they’re linked, but just as useful, it adds another floating blade for me to play with. The only reason I’ve not added more to it earlier is the difficulty of coordinating their use. Even with my increased Intelligence, the training required to integrate it properly in my fighting style is onerous. However, since I’m about to be training these children, I might as well get some training in myself. One of the biggest advantages of being on Pauhiri is access to the Paladin’s entire subset of training videos and journals, meaning that I should be able to up my fighting game faster.

  As for the spells, I’ve mostly purchased them for the future. Gravitic Sphere is perfect in space to slow down attacks or just annoy people. Unlike most spells, it increases in strength the more Mana you throw in; so used properly, I can divert a missile in space or lock down a bunch of annoying initiates.

  Zone of Denial, on the other hand, is a damage-over-time spell. Cast on a location, it targets everyone within that location and does damage to them so long as they stay within it. It’s straight Mana damage too, which means it ignores most resistances. It’s not a lot of damage, even if the zone is variable by Mana use. But when taken into a crowded situation, it can be highly useful.

  They both cover areas I’m missing—a damage-over-time spell and an area control spell. I considered getting some specialized damage-over-time spells but figured something more generic would be more useful.

  Now, I just wonder what those two crazy munchkins are going to come back with. Thanks to the time dilation on my Shop, I’ve got a bit of time to wait. Rather than waste it, I take over a training hall and leave Ali to keep an eye out for Mikito and Bolo while I work on integrating my new blade.

  Chapter 10

  Mikito finds me first, Bolo taking his time in his Shop. I was a little bit surprised to find that the Dragon Lord doesn’t have a time-compressed Shop of his own, but when questioned during one of the lulls in the battle on Spaks, he muttered something about loyalty and enjoying the broader suite of services. When he started waggling his eyebrows when pressed, I decided to not push the matter. We weren’t that close. Especially back then.

  Mikito saunters over and I let my gaze wander over the Samurai. The short Japanese lady has improved her looks in subtle ways as her Charisma stat gets little boosts. Surprisingly, even if she has received the gene therapy upgrade, she had it done such that she stayed much the same. Including her height—or lack of it. I’m not entirely sure why, though I have a feeling it has to do with her pride in her heritage or her dead husband. Some things, you just don’t ask.

  As she arrives, I gesture and let the hard light projections disappear. The moving blue figurines I’ve been practicing against fade, leaving the room bare of anything but us. Even the walls are completely smooth, a pale gray that hides the increased durability of the setting.

  Mikito stops in front of me and I offer her a smile, glancing upward to check her Status. I’ve found as she leveled her Feudal Bond Skill that my access to her Status Screen increased. These days, I have full access to her Status and limited details about her Skills. No more than general descriptions, but enough so that I know her attributes and Skill set.

  I mentioned it to her the last time I realized this happened and the woman just shrugged. I know I’d be weirded out if someone had that much access to my Status. Well, someone who wasn’t a three-foot-tall, pain-in-the-ass creature of pure Mana.

  On that note, I take a longer look at my friend.

  Mikito Sato, Spear of Humanity, Blood Warden, Junior Arena Champion of Irvina, Arena Champion—Orion IV, Xumis,…; True Bound Honor (Upper Samurai Level 23) (M)

  HP: 3641/3641*

  MP: 2625/2625*

  Conditions: Isoide, Jin, Rei, Meiyo, Ishiki, Ryoyo, Feudal Bond, Blitzed, Future Projections

  Galactic Reputation: 21

  Galactic Fame: 14,327

  I almost look deeper into her data but push aside the whim and instead, use my words like a big boy. “So, find anything you liked?”

  Mikito’s eyes narrow, her lips sliding into the tiniest hint of a smile. “Just a few.”

  She frowns in concentration, then the data slides across to me.

  Blitzed (Level 3) (M)

  A Messenger can be slowed, they can be delayed, they can be diverted. But they can’t be stopped. And Blitzed makes sure that even those minor inconveniences are over in a flash. Speeding up the existence of the Messenger, Blitzed ensures you’ll never live life in the slow lane. Mana regeneration reduced by 15 permanently.

  Effect: Blitzed increases all physical and mental reactions by 120%

  Caution: Blitzed increases physical existence speed, making subjective view of passing time significantly higher. A high Willpo
wer and meditation skill is recommended to reduce chance of psychosis.

  Future Projections (Level 3) (A)

  You never know what might be coming up, without Future Projections. When active, Future Projections allows user to absorb and project potential actions into the future. Perfect for dodging oblivious pedestrians, blind teleports, and the occasional monster spawn.

  Effects: Allow future projection of actions 1.2 seconds into the future.

  Cost: 60 Mana per minute.

  “That’s just wrong,” I mutter.

  “He gave you enough trouble. And that Skill…” Mikito shakes her head. “It’s better than anything else I’ve seen.”

  “Well, considering speed is his entire build, I’m not surprised,” I say. “Do you have activation problems?”

  Mikito raises an eyebrow at me and I realize I never told her. I proceed to explain the issue, eliciting a deep frown from the Samurai. She proceeds to test her Skill and then—just for fun, I assume—her basic Haste Skill on top of it. She literally vibrates when she’s standing still, then flickers to the end of the rectangular room. Thanks to my higher Perception, I can just barely follow her movements—which is still an improvement compared to my experience with the Speedster Master Class. Then again, I wonder if it’s a matter of attributes or her lower total speed.

  “How is it?” I ask.

  “Still instantaneous activation. But there’s a greater than expected clash between my Skills. I’m not getting the boost I expected. It isn’t as high as I was led to believe,” Mikito says with a deep frown. “Mana cost is as expected though.”

  “So your need for speed was a failure?”

  I hear her sniff, then she blurs and I don’t manage to duck the light smack on my shoulder. After that, she just keeps blurring, activating movement Skill after movement Skill. She’s got quite a few, from the basic Haste Skill and Flash Step, to her more specialized ones that give her smoothness of movement. After a few minutes of movement, she finally comes to a stop, her Mana nearly drained. She continues to look unhappy, reading information I can’t see before she finally turns to regard me.

  “You were training?” As she speaks, she draws Hitoshi, her naginata, and places it over her shoulder.

  “Yeah,” I say. “Added another sword.”

  “And more Mana to them all.”

  “You’re angling for a fight, aren’t you?”

  In answer, Mikito flashes me a grin and I groan. Getting my ass kicked is going to suck. But she has a point. Due to the way I—and she—grew in the System, many of our attribute increases seem to really take effect when we’re in battle. Even mock battle is enough. But plain training doesn’t seem to work as well at triggering whatever expanded learning our higher attributes provide us. Which means…

  “Just go easy on me,” I say.

  “I always do.”

  “No, you really don’t.”

  All I get in answer to that is a slight smile as she backs off. Not that we’re going to start until her Mana’s full, but the point is taken. I sigh and conjure my own sword, ready to do some forms while I wait. Good training never hurts.

  ***

  I hack out the blood pooling in my lungs, watching it dribble from my lips and out my nose. I clear it off with a swipe of my hands before I stagger to my feet. We’ve been at this for the last couple of hours, hammering away at each other, but this is the first time she’s managed to land that particular attack properly. I glare at the Samurai, who retreated after putting the butt of her polearm into my chest, allowing me to recuperate.

  “What was that?” I say hoarsely. I spit again, watching blood dribble out. The attack bypassed most of my defenses, slipping in and damaging my lungs, bursting blood vessels and filling my chest with blood rather than shattering the ribs that protect them. “New Skill?”

  “No. A skill.” I can somehow hear the lack of cap on the word, though it doesn’t remove my confusion. “It’s a striking technique that projects the force within. Hard to pull off.”

  I grunt and pull up the System logs, skimming through it to find the details of the attack. She’s right—it bypassed nearly half of my resistances, but the actual damage it dealt was lower than her usual total. Of course, because she bypassed my resistances, the net damage was higher.

  “Weird,” I say. “Never knew you could do that.”

  “There are Skills that work the same. In fact, some Skills are just skills packaged up by the System,” Mikito says. “Sort of like spells and Skills.”

  “I guess. That kind of makes sense,” I say.

  I don’t really purchase many attack-based Skills, rather relying on more magical or passive Skills. But considering how Cleave seems to be a focus of both Mana and body and Harden is basically an infusion of Mana and a toughening of the body, I can see how they’d be something a dedicated individual could learn.

  A part of my mind wants to give me the data, the information, but I manage to wall it off.

  If that’s the case…

  “Should I be paying more attention to my skills?” I frown.

  A long time ago, we dismissed the screen keeping track of that data. Occasionally I poke at it, ending up amused by things like my lip reading or alien body language skills getting an upgrade, but for the most part, I ignore it. As Ali pointed out, the skills are more a reflection of reality than something I can upgrade like my Skills. The screen tracks my progress or regress of skills. It’s not a game where each “level” gives me another 5% attack damage or whatever.

  “Aren’t you?” Mikito gestures around us, taking in the combat room. Even as we stand in the barren land, nanobots slowly reweave the scarred and thrashed floor and walls, fixing incidental damage. While neither one of us pulled out the big guns—by mutual agreement—our normal attacks are enough to trash the place.

  “Yeah but…” I wave at her. “You’re, you know…”

  “Better?” Mikito says. “I have decades of experience and the lessons from my grandfather to draw on. And my other teachers, people I learnt from when you were gone.” She puts the butt of her polearm on the floor. “You can get better. You have the talent. But is it what you want?”

  “Doesn’t matter what I want, does it?” I grumble. “I always seem to end up in the middle of things.”

  “But is it what you want?”

  I fall silent as I consider her words. What do I want? Really? Not violence, that’s not really a “want.” It’s just a factor in my life. It’s not helping people, though I do that because that’s what you do. I’m not a bleeding heart like Lara, who has to help people because that’s what she’s built to do. I just can’t look away. Not helping others is a bigger burden than a benefit for me. I don’t even like people thanking me for it.

  Which is weird, if you prod at the thought at all.

  But it’s not as if I help people because I care about the people. Nor is it because I have a burning desire for justice, for making the world a better place or righting wrongs. The need to “fix” a society or an event. That, I know, drives other Paladins. My mentor for one. Others in their histories. And even some of my initiates. Their need to make sure that the world they live in, their society works. Is fair and balanced for all.

  That’s not me. I’m too Chinese, grew up knowing too much history, knowing that corruption and racism and all that crap always happens. It’s a feature, not a bug.

  “I’m not sure. An answer, I guess,” I say. Because that’s what it comes down to. The question of the System. Everything else—bounty hunting, saving cities, beating up assholes—are things I do in between reading and learning. Trying to find an answer to the why of it all. “What about you?”

  Mikito points her polearm at me instead of answering, indicating she’s ready for the next round. I glare but settle into a fighting stance. She’s been known to attack me even when I refused to play the game.

  “Not so easy. I want an answer.”

  “Then beat me,” Mikito challenges.
>
  The next moment, she flashes forward. Mikito leads the first pass with a lunge with her naginata. She’s triggered all her Skills, all the ones that allow her to move. And she cheats, using Gi to allow her attack to bypass my hasty block. It floats right over my hovering swords, dodging them by millimeters as I twist my body aside. But Gi is an uninterrupted, unfailing attack.

  The curved, elongated blade of the polearm slides through space, popping my Soul Shield like an overextended bubble, and plunges into my chest. It cuts through Hardened skin and reinforced bones, piercing my chest and cooking it as Hitoshi’s body lights up in flame.

  I groan, finishing my cut upward, tearing the blade from my body in a splay of blood and a chest-sucking, slurping sound. Burnt flesh and the iron-tang of blood fill the air even as she takes the momentum of my block to spin the polearm around for another cut at my head.

  Down. Down low I drop, sliding beneath my own floating weapons, snatching one from the air and cutting sideways at her with it, before dismissing my blade to snatch another. I push forward, stepping close as I begin the blade spin of the Honor Guard.

  Five blades, free floating in space, move along the trajectory of the previous motion of the original soulbound blade. Their trajectories alter as I make the original blade appear and disappear, switching hands, switching positions. I fight, throwing cuts, blocking attacks, and launching my own Blade Strikes. The blades cut through the air, sometimes disappearing as I will them gone, sometimes reappearing as I bring them back, darting alongside my body as I attack Mikito.

  The Samurai blocks and deflects each attack, her naginata spinning in an intricate dance, moving at such speed that the crack of the sound barrier being broken time and time again resounds through the room. A swirl of air erupts, forced aside by our movements, changing air pressure and creating a mini vortex.