by Tao Wong
A list of information pops up: details of weapons, armor, and assorted magical and technological accessories.
“What’s this?” Benjamin asks, frowning.
“Loot,” Ali says, grinning and goes on to explain where he kept disappearing to throughout the fight. “I grabbed whatever bodies I could while we were in Vernon, dumping them into storage and John’s Altered Space. Gear’s decent and definitely an improvement for the city.”
We fall silent for a time, scanning through the list. I randomly stop at various pieces of equipment, assessing the information.
Kmino One-Size-Fits-All-Humanoid Battle Armor (Tier IV)
The Kmino Battle Armor provides a Galactic Council approved, Tier IV defense on all covered regions. Note that the Kmino Battle Armor is sized to fit all standard humanoid forms and will restructure (within Galactic Council approved limits) to fit with a high degree of comfort, suitable for even the most rigorous combat conditions.
Durability: 83/125
Inlin Solarburst Beam Rifle v4.8
The Inlin Solarburst is the classic, proven primary rifle for two hundred seventeen governmental armed forces—and one hundred eighty-three rebels.
Base Damage: 48
Mana Battery Charge: 25/25
Ground Elemental Clay
Most commonly used by professional demolition experts and the military, Ground Elemental Clay has been stabilized through an arcane process, ensuring the mixture is non-volatile and stable in most conditions.
Base Damage: 200
I grab the clay, because extra explosives are always nice. Anyway, I’ve got a skill—sort of—for explosives.
Proxima Earrings of Regeneration
The Proxima brand of luxury jewelry provides the best designs and the highest regeneration. Show your faith to the one you love, buy Proxima.
Health Regeneration: +15
Mana Regeneration: +3
“Anything else like this?” I send to Ali, admiring the earrings.
“Sort of. There’s also a penis ring, but considering the Worick we got it from was about as wide as your arm, I don’t think you’d want it. The other more traditional stuff is in the low single digits, other than a ring I set aside for you,” Ali says. “That means no stealing this for yourself.”
“Lana then?” I say, glancing at the earrings. I haven’t actually bought the young lady anything… I consider matters and decide that perhaps I should avoid giving my sort-of girlfriend dead body loot as my first official gift. “Remind me to go shopping.”
“Got it, boy-o. I’ll let Mikito know we got this if you don’t mind,” Ali says, and I send my mental agreement before going back to reviewing the list.
Q’mmn Never-ending Flask of Inebretiation
Blessed by Clerics of the God Q’mmn, the never-ending flask provides extremely high proof alcohol. This flask generates Ilmunax, a traditional distilled alcohol drink derived from the crushed bodies of Yuma worms.
“Is it really never-ending?” I ask Ali.
“Not really. The blessing runs out of after a decade or so, but it’s good enough for most people.”
“Huh.” I waggle my fingers, removing that particular item from the list.
In the end, I give up scanning the list in its entirety after extracting a promise from Ali that we’ve already kept all the really good stuff. A bit selfish on my part, but my team is still our best defense and anything that increases our survivability is good for the town. Or you know, that’s one way of justifying it. Really, I’m honest enough with myself to know I just don’t want to share.
“Share the rest among the combat Classers and anyone who came through Vernon first, then allocate as appropriate,” I say finally, giving orders to the group. After a second, I send a note to Kim to keep track of who gets what, a niggling concern about corruption in the back of my mind. After all, I really don’t know these people well.
I get more than a few surprised looks, even though Ali had purposely brought all this information out in the council meeting because we were going to share it. I ignore them, instead delving into the next issue that has arisen from dragging so many refugees to town. There’re a lot of problems, and housing and food are just the start of them. Even if I’m not the best person to make the decisions, someone still has to rubber stamp what comes through.
Hours later, I’m lying on the floor in the Core’s room, feet propped up on a chair, and staring at my character sheet. Now that we’re out of trouble, I figure it’s time for me to catch up on the notifications that have been awaiting my perusal. Most of them are experience notifications, the vast majority of which I’ve learned to ignore because as Ali once pointed out, knowing doesn’t change the reality. I either have the experience or I don’t. Better to view the actual character screen and the new Levels.
Status Screen
Name
John Lee
Class
Erethran Honor Guard
Race
Human (Male)
Level
39
Titles
Monster’s Bane, Redeemer of the Dead
Health
1780
Stamina
1780
Mana
1370
Mana Regeneration
98 / minute
Attributes
Strength
98
Agility
169
Constitution
178
Perception
61
Intelligence
137
Willpower
139
Charisma
16
Luck
30
Class Skills
Mana Imbue
2
Blade Strike
2
Thousand Steps
1
Altered Space
2
Two are One
1
The Body’s Resolve
3
Greater Detection
1
A Thousand blades
1
Soul Shield
2
Blink Step
2
Tech Link*
2
Instantaneous Inventory*
1
Cleave*
2
Frenzy*
1
Elemental Strike*
1 (Ice)
Combat Spells
Improved Minor Healing (II)
Greater Regeneration
Greater Healing
Mana Drip
Improved Mana Dart (IV)
Enhanced Lightning Strike
Fireball
Polar Zone
Freezing Blade
All that death and destruction was useful for something at least. I smile grimly, noticing I’ve edged ever closer to that elusive Level 40. Just a little more and I’ll actually gain access to my Tier III Class Skills. If I’d had those Skills back in Vernon, if I was just a little stronger…
I exhale, pushing aside the anticipation and regret, and remind myself once again that what is, is. Still, I’m human and not a damn monk—the shaven-headed, robe-wearing ones who sit under waterfalls and don’t have superpowers of kung fu—so I distract myself by poking at the equipment Ali saved for me. He’s even been nice enough to label them as mine.
To start with, I pull out the ring he mentioned. It’s a simple circular band of black stone with unknown runes carved onto it. Or it might be a language. In either case, holding the ring up to my eye, I pull up its information.
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
“How come the health regeneration is so much better than the Mana regeneration?” I ask. I ignore the Sta
mina regeneration, since that’s never been an issue for me. I just don’t have the kind of Skills where it would matter, and my base regeneration is so ridiculously high, it’s never been a concern. Mikito, on the other hand, with her Haste spells and other Class Skills actually has to worry about it.
“Mana regeneration’s always the worst,” Ali says.
“I asked why.”
“Just is,” Ali says, shrugging, obviously unconcerned with the why.
I grumble, hating how the Spirit can be so blasé about the way the System works sometimes. Then again, I never bothered to learn how indoor plumbing worked, so who am I to talk?
I stare at the ring once more, debating how I feel about the fact that this was someone’s wedding ring, before I shrug. Considering it’s so good, it must have belonged to a Sect member, and they were all slavers. Stealing from them was the least I could do.
Having resolved my doubts with what is probably a highly questionable moral equivalence, I slip the ring onto my finger, watching as the ring grows to fit. “Hey, this self-adjusted. Would some of the other stuff have done that?”
“No. Kryl rings are actually expensive. Most of that junk was mass-produced,” Ali says before he flashes up the next notification.
Monolam Temporal Cloak
This Temporal Cloaks splices the user’s timeline, adjusting their physical, emotional, and psychic presence to randomly associated times. This allows the user to evade notice from most sensors and individuals. The Monolam Temporal Cloak has multiple settings for a variety of situations, varying the type and level of dispersal of the signal.
Requirements: 1 Hardpoint, Tier IV Mana Engine
Duration: Varies depending on cloaking level
“English?”
“It makes you invisible by making your actual presence appear either in the past or future. It’s not actual invisibility and it can, on occasion, cause more trouble than it’s worth, but it’s also extremely effective at hiding your presence immediately,” Ali says. “You can set it up so that it sends your presence anywhere from a few minutes to a few years down the road. Of course, the more you interact with the world, the higher the cost on drainage.”
“Huh,” I say, rubbing my chin. This is real weird and scientific. Or maybe it’s magical, considering we’re talking about time travel of sorts. I’m not entirely sure at this point. “This looks like it needs to be connected to Sabre.”
“Got it in one,” Ali says. “Doesn’t make up for the QSM but…”
“But it could be useful. How long a charge do we have?” I say.
“If we keep it to draining only about twenty percent of Sabre’s battery, which I recommend, anything from two seconds to about an hour.”
“Nice. Let’s get Sam to install this when he can.”
I turn next to the notification for a circular brown bracer which also has—if different—runic script on it.
Tier III Bracer of Mana Storage
A custom work by an unknown maker, this bracer acts as a storage battery for personal Mana. A must-have accessory for Mages and other Classes that rely on Mana. Mana storage ratio is 50 to 1.
Mana Capacity: 0/350
“Zero stored?” I blink, staring at the information.
“I drained it of the last amounts it had stored,” Ali says. “Can’t mix Mana types in enchanted equipment like this. You won’t even be able to use it just yet. You’ll need to acclimatize the system to you, which means putting in a little bit of your Mana at a time.”
“Still, that’s pretty decent,” I mutter and strap it on my left arm. I push my Mana toward it, careful to control how much, and immediately understand what Ali means. The bracer rejects my Mana immediately, forcing me to repeat the process slower and with significantly more focus. I expend nearly two-thirds of my current Mana pool before even a single point of Mana is stored in the bracer.
“Don’t worry, it gets better,” Ali says reassuringly. “What you input will disappear in a few hours, so make sure to keep refreshing the storage to assimilate it.”
I grunt in acknowledgement and get to the next notification, curious to see what kind of weapon Ali might have picked up. Interestingly enough, it’s a simple greenish steel dagger with no runes or other mystical markings, with a blackened steel hilt that fits snugly into my hand. It’s incredibly well-balanced, definitely made by someone with actual skill.
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
“This thing’s sharp,” I mutter, staring at the base damage.
Of course, sharp isn’t the right word—better to say that the System considers it extremely damaging, allowing it to do a higher level of damage—but in either case, it’s nasty. I’m also intrigued by the note that it can take enchantments well, though at this moment, I know no one with that ability.
“It is. All Fey-steel is like that. It’s why they’re so sought-after. The body I pulled it off of was one of the higher Level Classers. Must have been one heck of a story about how they came to own this,” Ali says.
“About that…” I frown, tapping the dagger. “How rare is this?”
“How rare were those Teslas?”
I nod, somewhat gratified. Rare but not entirely uncommon. Still, it’s not something I need to be showing off, so I dump it into storage. “No guns?”
“Nothing too much of an upgrade.” Ali shrugs. “You don’t really use rifles much, and while the weapons they had were improvements, it was mostly marginal. Better to stick with what you know than to chase a minor bump in stats.”
I have to agree with Ali on that. Changing up equipment might be fun in a game, but it always takes a little while to get used to new equipment. If the other weaponry isn’t much better than what I have already, what’s the point?
Next up are a series of mines and explosives, some omni-directional, some directed. I pull out a few, just for fun.
Shim Lun Razor Tripwire Mine
Rather than triggering a specific attack, this mine sends its razor-sharp tripwires across its targeted region, laying a trap for unsuspecting targets within its attack zone. Best paired with Shim Lun’s Skin Contact Poison Mine Canisters.
Damage: 15 per tripwire
Ollie’s High-Explosive Slime Mixture
Don’t let its name fool you, this is a high-explosive mine. Made from an unstable chemical mixture and a slime core, Ollie’s High-Explosive Slime Mixture is infamous across the Galactic System and banned in six Galactic regions for unusual cruelty to animals.
Damage: 125 Explosive Damage
Ares Burrowing Droid Pressure Mine
The Burrowing Droid Mine releases a series of droids that impact and attempt to burrow into target bodies. Once they are embedded in target bodies, the droids attempt to reach its target’s vital organs by burrowing toward the body. Please note that the Burrowing Droid may not work against certain non-standard, non-humanoid races.
Damage: 15 HP per second
“Ali, how much money do I have right now anyway?” I say. I know I got more from the fight, though I hadn’t bothered to do the math.
A quick look shows I’ve got just over thirty-eight thousand Credits—a pitiful amount considering how many I killed. Unlike the equipment Ali looted off dead bodies all around town when we passed by, Credits are only collected when I actually kill the individual in question myself. I personally think that’s a bit of a cheat, but then again, it’s better than the equipment stored in the System storage, which all disappears.
Fun and interesting as looking at the aftermath of the fight is, it’s nothing more than a distraction from the bitter truth that we lost that battle. I might have gained something personally, but we’d lost the battle. Eve
n now, the Sect is probing our defenses, sending groups into the surroundings, seeing if they can sneak people close enough to take pot-shots at our shields.
For now, we’re in a stalemate with the Sect, but it can’t, won’t, last. Grimacing, I wave, pulling up a new book. Rather than an esoteric tome about the System, this one’s more pertinent to our current problems as it details one of the many, many conflicts the Erethran Empire has been involved in and their tactics. I’m hoping that somewhere in this book is knowledge that can help us. I’ve got hundreds of points in Wisdom and Intelligence; I must be able to think of something new. Even if those points don’t exactly work that way, I can still hope.
“John?” Ingrid calls softly early the next morning.
I dismiss the book and clamber to my feet, walking out of the Core’s room to greet the Assassin. “You made it back.”
“About an hour ago. I wanted to eat and change first,” Ingrid says. “Managed to take out another high Level Basic while I was in the city, but they started clamping down on security after that. Mostly, I just watched them.”
“Fair enough,” I say, knowing that Ingrid did the best she could have. Frankly, she did better than anyone else could, so I have no complaints.
“They’re hunkering down now. I don’t think they intend to leave. Probably use Vernon as a staging ground to attack here,” Ingrid says. “Any humans left aren’t being allowed to leave for their ‘protection.’”
“Why don’t they just make them Serfs?” I say, frowning.
“Galactic Law. As much as you might call them slavers, the Galactic Council doesn’t legally allow slavery. Serfdom—and the entry to Serfdom—is actually very structured. Outside of being legally convicted for breaking laws, you have to voluntarily agree to enter a Serf contract,” Ali says. “Of course, the number of loopholes involved in ‘convincing’ people to enter Serfdom is wide and varied, but they can’t just throw your entire people into Serfdom.”