Next, a part I was much more familiar with. I created a copy of myself with dark mana. Though, I was only recreating the appearance, and not the aura. I was pretty sure that she hadn’t gone that deep in her shadow clones.
Like this, I continued for the rest of the day, until I had at least copied the basics of every move they made. Really though, it was only the moves my mom used that took some effort to reproduce. Kismet’s techniques were simply new applications of dark mana’s ability to create things from shadows. That was easy enough to see through.
For the next two weeks, I sought out help from many of Sharon’s animals in order to help instruct me in the rest of the basic elements. As for the rest… well, I’d be on my own. The only nonstandard element I share with anyone is Time Element, and I’m not sure how deep Tokemi has trained it.
Anyways, I learned a few things that were rather interesting. Most of the seven basic elements, aside from light and dark, didn’t seem to have so much profoundness in them. For instance, while you could pull out fire mana from an object to freeze it, it did not get any deeper than that. Fire manipulation was basically just for heating and cooling. Though, each element did have their own ‘elemental body’, which basically converts your entire being into that element. This is different from becoming an elemental, because you do not have the almost omnipotent control over that element around you.
At least my training did give me some new ideas on how to use each element, though. That should let me be a bit more useful if we run into a real powerhouse. After all, I couldn’t exclude the possibility that there was someone else out there like me who had learned cheat-like abilities on the enemy side. So, until we reached the Deus Ex world, I spent most of my time in the cargo bay, practicing the techniques that I had acquired.
Surprisingly, my Mana Manipulation skill finally showed a slight gain in experience, something that hadn’t happened in a while. It wasn’t much, mind you, but that was still something. That skill hadn’t improved for a long time, so any increase was welcome.
Finally, we arrived at the border of the Deus Ex space. Fearing that they may simply open fire at anyone that trespassed in their territory, we first sent out a short-range broadcast to get their attention. If they really want us dead, there’s not a whole lot we can do about it, but at least we can prevent it from being an accidental shooting.
“This is John Hulett of the Ariadne, here to speak with a representative of the Deus Ex. Please do not shoot us, as it would be extremely rude.” Just in case, I preemptively extended my mana senses out beyond the top of the ship, just as I had during the fight against the space dragon. Worst case scenario, I might be able to buy us a few seconds to run like crazy.
There was a delay of a few minutes, and I was considering just barging in, before a message responded. “John Hulett. This is Unit X-55A9. Your identity has been verified and you are clear to enter Deus Ex space. We are aware of the purpose behind your visit, and a representative is waiting to converse.”
Well… that went better than expected, I guess. I let out a sigh of relief, before ordering the ship to proceed. “Where can I go to--” I was suddenly shrouded in a white light while sitting in my captain’s chair, and in the space of a blink I had moved to sitting at a large table. “Meet the… well, that was unexpected….”
Okay, new priority, get shields that can stop teleports! That is just every kind of bad news if people could send nukes directly into the ship. Celeste’s voice rang out in my mind as I thought that. “We do have anti-spell shields… but they used a pure technological teleport. Will need to get specific jamming shields to prevent that as the next upgrade.”
I nodded my head slightly, and looked around. Aside from myself, there was only one other person in this room, a rather obvious robot sitting at the far end of the table. Although this one had two arms and two legs, thus giving it a very basic human frame, its eye sockets were deep, with two tiny glowing dots. It had a set of jaws, but obviously no teeth, making it seem even more unnatural, and it regarded me with indifference as I observed it.
“John Hulett. We received news that you would be coming here. You wish to ask for aid against the New Human Alliance, correct?” He, and it was obviously a male voice even if it sounded like it was speaking through a fan, did not move in the slightest as he asked me that.
“That’s right. The Deus Ex are currently the only other power with a large enough force to spare anyone. Not to mention that your technology far outclasses any of the other known races.” The representative gave an almost imperceptible nod when I said that.
“Agreed. However, our numbers are lacking. While we can spare some ships with automated crew, there have not been enough ‘monsters’ spawning to replenish our numbers to an acceptable degree. Currently, we do not have the capability to send anyone with you, without compromising our own defenses.”
Damn… that does make sense, though… They just got done waging a war with the soulless robots, and probably don’t want to make anyone else if they can’t immediately convert them to a Deus Ex. But… “What if I could get you an easy supply of monster spawns? That way you could increase your numbers as quickly as you want.”
I wasn’t sure, but I thought his blue LED eyes brightened when I said that. “Is this within your capabilities?”
I nodded my head. “That’s right. I can create an area where you can spawn monsters as frequently as you want. The only requirement is someone has to be there with enough mana to activate it. But, I doubt that you don’t have anyone capable of that.”
“Indeed. Using the information you left behind during your previous ‘visit’, we determined that it would be wise to divert some of our resources to developing this new energy.” There was a brief pause, as he seemed to be debating something. “Very well, your suggestion has been approved. If you provide us with the means of increasing our numbers more rapidly, we shall dispatch a suitable fleet to join you. The time limit will depend upon the new speed of producing Deus Ex.”
They are being very reasonable… This isn’t a bad thing, at least. “Alright. Once you decide where you want me to put it, I can get started. I don’t need any specific materials.”
No sooner had I finished saying that, then the white light appeared around me again. This time, when it faded, I fell flat on my butt. After all, there was not a chair under me anymore. It’s not like I would magically adjust my posture during the teleport, unfortunately. Around me, I heard various sounds of snarling, and turned to find caged monsters surrounding me. Some were hound-like, with sharp metal spikes protruding from their backs. Some were flying discs, banging against the invisible walls of their cage.
A moment later, another white light flashed, and the representative appeared. “This is where we keep the current supply of ‘monsters’. The goal was to wait for a suitable breeding pair to emerge, but these do not seem to follow that biological imperative. This was most troubling, as we were forced to wait for them to appear naturally.”
Extending my senses again, I saw that there were maybe two hundred monsters in this facility. “Wow… Well, this will do, at least.” I shrugged, looking around to find a large enough area.
“Excellent. This was the only other facility on the planet that currently possesses an atmosphere breathable by your standards. It would have been inconvenient to require additional facilities.”
Ah… is that why they are teleporting me around, because I wouldn’t be able to breathe otherwise? Well, I could just turn into a Void Elf, but they probably don’t know about that. I simply nodded my head, until I found an empty patch of metal floor about five meters wide. This seemed to be the biggest free space in the immediate area, so I decided to work with it.
Kneeling down, I placed one hand on the floor, and working. This was a simple matter, as all I really needed to do was flex my Metal Manipulation ability. All around me, a spell diagram began forming, the lines etching themselves into the metal floor. The process took maybe five minutes, rune
s slowly forming on the ground before it was done. This was a formation I had used far too many times in the past, so it did not take me long to complete.
Once I was done, I gave a slight nod and stood up. “Alright, it’s done. As long as you put mana into the circle, it will work. Like so.” To give a demonstration, I put some of my own mana into the diagram. As I did, the lines began lighting up, showing its activation. More lights of multiple colors rushed into the spell circle, gathering at a single point before forming into a new shape.
Like my original training formation, this one was simply designed to summon an ettin. Big, dumb, with two heads and a bad temper. As soon as it appeared, it seemed like an automatic response was triggered. A white light appeared around the ettin, and it vanished, appearing a short distance away in a previously unoccupied cage.
The representative of the Deus Ex observed for a while, before speaking. “This is acceptable. Within one hour, we will know the amount of time needed to produce sufficient numbers. At that time, we will resume contact.”
I was going to respond, but the same white light appeared around me, and I found myself standing back on the bridge, meeting the gazes of some rather surprised crew members. They really need to learn how to properly talk to people…
Chapter 14: Maintain Calm
“How did the negotiations go?” Ackbar asked after I appeared on the bridge.
I nodded my head lightly, moving to sit back in my comfortable captain’s chair. “Well… We’re getting the help at least… We’ve just got to wait a while for it.” Seeing the confused look on his face, I explained the situation regarding the Deus Ex’s population problems.
“Ahh… Yes, that would be a problem. Well, I suppose we will simply have to see what happens, and plan around that. However, I do have something to report, Captain.” This time, it was my turn to be confused. “While you were absent, I conducted another scan for the New Human Empire, and I felt that there were less responses than previously. Roughly 20% less, if I had to guess. Either they are consolidating their forces at less locations, their spies have died, or they have started setting up defenses against divination magic.”
Well… that sucked royally. Information is a deciding factor in a war, and it is one that we are severely lacking in… “I see… We still have the locations for their planet bases that we acquired before we arrived at Gerin. When we get the Deus Ex’s help, we’ll begin heading to those. Hopefully, they aren’t abandoned or anything.”
Ackbar nodded and turned back to his station, while I sat back and thought about our situation. We need some reliable intel. Don’t suppose my friendly neighborhood deity would be of any help?
No can do! Rules are rules, no telling the business of other players.
Fine, fine.. Figured it wouldn’t work, but had to try. I shook my head in resignation, and simply waited for the results from the Deus Ex. Either way, we’d have to wait for them. Who knows, maybe their scanning technology will be able to give us some help if it is advanced far enough.
Like that, an hour passed by in silence, until a communication was received from the Deus Ex. “Captain Hulett. Calculations have been complete. Please stand by for seven days, at which point we will possess sufficient numbers to send with you.”
“Understood…” I let out a small sigh. Seven days wasn’t too bad, at least. I had been expecting them to ask for more time, at which point I would have had to leave without them and ask that they catch up when they are able. A week… was still acceptable.
“Very well. We shall continue production until that time. Until then, it is suggested that modifications are made to your primary ship, as it is lacking several key features.” I felt my eye twitch slightly at that. The Ariadne isn’t lacking… you guys are just too insanely advanced.
“We would… appreciate the assistance.”
“Very well. Dock your ship at the orbital construction facility, and upgrades can begin immediately.” After it said that, there was a ripple in the space around the metal planet. A large, circular station was revealed, with three rings all connected and lined up to fit ships far bigger than the one we were currently using.
Seeing that the conversation was over, and the Deus Ex abruptly ended the call, I shook my head slightly. “Go ahead, take us in. But, be sure to keep an eye on whatever upgrades they make. Not that I don’t trust them… but can never be too careful.” That got a nod from everyone on the bridge, and our ship slowly changed course and moved to dock at the station.
Shortly after we got docked, there was a request for entry from one of our airlocks. Pulling up the visual feed, there were five bipedal robots of near identical design were waiting motionlessly on a platform just outside the airlock. They were each just under two meters tall, with slim, metal faces that only had two glowing green orbs for eyes. Along their bodies were green lines, likely marking them as construction units. Finally, the one difference between them was that each one had a unique code painted on their chest. Of course… it wasn’t an english code, but a series of dots, lines, and empty circles.
I gave the order to let them in, but as before I asked Celeste to keep an eye on them. There was a chance that she could learn some new designs by watching their work, or get ideas for more improvements. Even though they have quite a lot of advancement in regards to technology, I am confident that Celeste knows far more than them when it comes to magic. After all, she has some information from the future, as well as personal experience over a much longer period of time compared to these Deus Ex.
After they entered, the construction crew immediately proceeded to the shield generators. The eerie thing was that they took the shortest route possible, despite not asking for directions or having never been on the ship before. Most likely, they conducted a deep scan of the ship before suggesting the upgrades. Really hope one of those upgrades is to shield against teleporting, and those scans…
Once the five Deus Ex arrived at the primary shield generators, they began retrieving devices from seemingly nowhere, each one pulling out something different. One of them began rapidly disassembling the shield generator, while another began pulling out smaller chips and circuits, as well as a few crystal. Like a well oiled machine--pardon the pun-- they tossed out some of the previously installed machinery and replaced it with what they had pulled out. Over the course of the next few minutes, they had practically replaced the entire generator, leaving only its shell intact.
Celeste… Are you able to tell what they’re doing?
“Kind of.” She answered in a somewhat troubled tone. “Without a deep scan, I can’t properly identify what kinds of effects what they are doing will have. However, I have been running continual diagnostics on the shield generator, and so far output has increased by 30%, with multiple new shield frequencies updated. They seem to be leaving any of the magic defenses alone, and purely enhancing the technological aspects.”
Well, that was both reassuring and not at the same time. Can you at least see if they rig up anything that would be bad for us later on?
“Yeah, I’m keeping an eye out for that. So far, I haven’t seen anything. However, once the upgrades are done, I would suggest taking the shields offline for an hour or so, so that I can run a full diagnostic on them. Same with any additional systems they mess with. Like you say, better safe than sorry.”
I nodded my head slightly at that, and the Deus Ex promptly finished their work. They left the discarded components lying around for the crew to recover, replaced the covering for the shield generator, and then moved on. Their next stop was the engine. I wasn’t really sure what they expected to do here, as the majority of our thrust comes from magic formations now. Sure, we do also have actual engines, but they serve mostly as a container and converter for the energies that the formations draw from.
Though, that didn’t seem to be an issue. Here, the Deus Ex only replaced a single part, a power converter connected to the engines. And what they replaced it with was a part that looked entirely identic
al. If we hadn’t been personally watching, we might never notice the change. “Ah, don’t worry, John. That part was actually showing signs of needing to be replaced, but it wasn’t to a degree that we needed to worry about yet. We have all the materials to replace those if we need to.”
Well… I guess that was good, at least. Though it was discomforting that their scans apparently ran so deep that they could tell which individual parts of the ship needed to be replaced. Next on their upgrade tour was the scanners. Though, for this one they actually had to exit the ship and walk across the surface to access what they needed. And it was also this one that we were unable to watch through the cameras, because the sensor panel wasn’t in view of one of the cameras, and they needed to take the scanner offline to conduct the upgrade.
Thankfully, however, it was still within the range of my Mana Sense, so I could properly keep an eye on them through that. And through me, Celeste was able to continue observing them as well. Again, they seemed to be doing their job earnestly, and finished within ten minutes. Afterwards, they casually walked back down to the platform they had originally entered the ship from, and we watched as the platform descended into the ground. At the same time, they sent a memo through the ship’s communication window.
Maintenance complete. Full list of Maintenance as follows.
…
I skimmed through the list, since they labeled each and every part used, and I myself didn’t know the names for most of them. However, there was a part at the end that caught my attention.
...
Suggest Further Maintenance.
Hull material lacking, suggest replacing with element M-192. Full replacement impossible without approval. Lacking sufficient materials.
World Seed_Endgame Page 9