by Tao Wong
Whatever. Right now, I have a mission to travel across the ridiculously dangerous twelve kilometers of open water to save a few vessels and several groups of indentured humans, all while dodging sea monsters and any other creatures the Manawatara has dragged along on its journey. Fuck it, let's get to spending.
***
Eighty-two minutes and slightly more than ninety thousand credits later, I emerge from the Shop not only feeling better but looking it too. Since this was one of the first times I’ve used the Shop for more than restocking the absolute essentials, I finally picked up something I’ve seen and heard others rave about—the Human Genome Treatment. It’s an individually tailored treatment to fix and optimize a user’s genetic code, repairing any damage and errors due to aging or radiation, while optimizing a few other things I don’t care to read about.
As for gear, I grabbed some kind of a fancy space-age one-piece suit of skin-tight armor that lets me move freely, all while hugging a touch too well—especially now that I’ve taken the Genome Treatment. I pay a little extra for the add-on that allows me to manipulate the colors and mess around with digital patterns and designs at will. Now I can cosplay Iron Man one day, and Nightwing the next. Yay!
For weapons, my class works great with Fighting Staffs, Bladed Fighting Staffs, Poleaxes, Short Spears, Long Spears, and Clubs, so I picked up one of each—just in case I feel the need to switch mid-battle. I also chose a nice selection of grenades. Variety is the spice of life.
To complement the weapons, I grabbed some instant-knowledge about the staffs, spears, and clubs. They cost a pretty penny and don’t give me muscle memories, but knowing the moves will still take my fighting skills up quite a bit—particularly since I’ve mostly been brutishly swinging metal cut-offs and broken branches the last few months.
I considered picking up a gun too, but instead I went for the ability to Fly. It costs a ton in mana, but I figure if I’m traveling across the ocean, then I’d rather be able to zip away from a sinking ship than go down with her.
The last items I picked up weren’t armor or a weapon, but a scanner implant and a rebreather. Now I can breathe underwater for up to two hours without surfacing, and for the low, low cost of thirty mana per use, I can run a scan of the area around me in a one-hundred-meter diameter to determine the number of and types of nearby creatures. This will prove invaluable as I attempt to infiltrate one of the most instant death locations I’ve ever visited. Hmmm, better stock up on health and mana potions too.
***
Being the ever-so-benevolent beings that they are, the Vaaharu are allowing me to use one of their remaining vessels. I can’t fly the entire way, as I’d run out of mana in about twenty minutes, and if I did manage to squeeze out that distance, then I’d have to worry about not having enough mana left to fight whatever I encountered either along the way or when I got there. No, using one of these fancy mana-powered boats is the best move.
Gliding through the surf as if it’s not even there is a new sensation for me. When coming over the bar in a pre-System boat, the waves could be pretty rough and you had to watch out for rocks. Now? It’s as if the water simply makes way for the boat. As for the little islands of rocks? The water is so clear that maneuvering around them is child's play.
As I make it past the bar and into open waters, the clarity remains the same but the depth becomes an issue. Light only passes through water so well, and while it is still crystal clear, due to the ever-increasing vertical slope, soon I can barely see the ocean floor. Then just like that, I can’t. Truth be told, being able to see so deep into the water is not doing anything good for my nerves. Below me are swarms of fish that look tiny but obviously aren’t, as I can quite plainly see that they are several dozen meters below the surface. Please don’t notice me. Please don’t notice me. Plea…
They notice me.
“C’mon, you space age hunk of junk! Can’t you move any faster?” I plead, searching for any kind of imaginary button that says Boost.
Looking over the edge, I can see that the fish are hurtling straight for me, so I cast Warrior’s Rage and Heart of the Warrior, then I get ready to cast War Thunder the moment the creatures come within range.
Now!
As I activate the skill, a ghostly group of Māori warriors fade into existence. They float around and alongside the boat as it speeds along. Once they’ve all appeared, they line up, stamping their feet and smacking their arms and thighs. Each thwack sends a booming echo across the ocean as they chant a threatening mana-enhanced haka.
“KA MATE! KA MATE!”
I add my own moves and voice to the thunderous chorus while keeping an eye out for any changes in my enemy’s direction.
“KA ORA, KA ORA!”
I quickly see the oversized fish scatter. However, in the distance, a fin the size of a building slowly makes its way out of the water. Heading toward me.
Screw this. I stop the haka mid-cast, dispelling the warriors and bringing the vessel to a stop. Activating Fly, I leap into the air and move toward the incoming threat. Once I’m close enough, I activate Tāne's Sight to get a look at what I’m up against.
Megalodon
Level 71
HP: 32,962
Mana: 10,675
Status: Hungry
Well shit, that’s literally a Megalodon. That is both terrifying and awesome. I can’t help but wonder if it’s been here the whole time or if it was just a normal breed of shark before all this. No matter, I am way out of my league with it and hanging around here is suicidal. So, I simply fly toward Whale Island, leaving the death-beast beneath the waves.
Once I feel I’m out of range of the Megalodon, I stop to allow my mana to recharge, treading water whenever the ocean appears clear of anything potentially hostile. That plan works—right up until it doesn’t.
With less than a hundred meters to go before I reach land, in an area of water I was sure looked safe to recharge in, I find myself struggling to free my arms from tentacles that seem to appear out of nowhere.
No, nonononono, fuck me no. This is literally the thing I feared most about coming out this far. Something able to grab onto and pull me under the waves. Pure nightmare material.
I feel my air supply running low as one minute, then two goes by. I’m wriggling and trying to shift my arms away from the limbs that have me wrapped up. I can feel as each of the suction cups detaches and reattaches itself as it slowly tightens its grip.
Panicking now, my mind simply can’t come up with a way to escape this. As my vision darkens around the edges and the last of my oxygen bubbles out of me, I have a thought. If I can summon items from my inventory directly into my hands, maybe I can do so right into my mouth?
I try to focus with everything I have, all while doing my best to not suck down a lungful of saltwater. My chest is burning, my head is throbbing, then it appears. I did it. My rebreather is in my mouth! I suck in as deep a breath as I can, but the tentacles are still restricting my movements.
Now that I can breathe, I take a moment to inspect my opponent.
Greater Architeuthis
Level 67
HP: 25,842
Mana: 6,718
Status: Annoyed
Annoyed? Well try to imagine how I feel, ya great dolt. Considering my position, I can’t help but wonder if my performing the haka earlier actually drew the giant shark toward me.
Activating Warrior’s Rage to increase my strength by several times, I’m able to free up my chest and take a few deep breaths. Then, when I feel my chest is full of air, I store my rebreather with Instantaneous Inventory and activate War Thunder, hoping that the Megalodon hasn’t given up the hunt and that the effects of the skill will reach it.
The maneuver does not go over well with the super-giant squid creature, and as I replace the rebreather I see that its tentacles are moving me toward the creature’s enormous beak. Jesus H. Christ! I panic again and try to force my way free by summoning, storing, and resummoning my pole axe i
n an attempt to slice the tentacles by using its own pressure against them.
The beak snaps open and closed as it moves me closer and closer. The water around me becomes a haze of red as I manage to create tears in the tentacles. Then moments before the beak closes down around me, I see the gaping maw of the Megalodon fade into view from the black of the ocean. A moment later, it closes down around the Greater Architeuthis’s head.
All of a sudden, the tentacles engulfing me are gone and I can move. Staring in horror at how close the jagged teeth of the shark came to me, I summon, activate, and drop several grenades around the squid, then I move as fast as I can to the back of the beast.
At the shark’s back, I give a shout to the god of war and activate Tū's Gift, increasing my weapon damage, and attempt to carve into the rock-hard skin of the creature with my poleaxe. Before long, a pair of tentacles surrounds the body of the shark. Moving out of their way, I hear multiple thumps from within the shark. Sweet. It appears as though the shark swallowed them while attempting to chow down on the squid.
Looking at the stats for both creatures, I see their hit points are dropping rapidly, and I have no idea which one will come out on top. Although my bet would be on the Megalodon.
Crawling with all my strength along the shark’s head toward its eyes as it thrashes through the water, I notice the surface is quickly coming upon us. We burst through and I’m flung into the air, away from the fight, as the shark brings both creatures out of the water.
Activating Fly, I stay near the colossal foes as I consume a mana regeneration potion, then I activate Meteoric Strike. Modes of red light surround me and cast massive circles upon the ocean and monsters fighting below the waves. Then a ginormous ball of flaming rock, followed by six slightly smaller balls of flaming debris, appears from a cloud of purple and black void and hurtles toward the space I’ve targeted.
The attack smashes into the ocean, and chunks of meat, rock, and bloody water are thrown into the air. Neither of them are dead yet, but that attack brought them both to below two thousand hit points. I deactivate Fly and swan-dive back into the fray.
It takes another few minutes of avoiding shredded tentacles and flapping fins, but together, the squid and I deal enough damage to kill the Megalodon. However my fight isn’t over just yet. With less than five hundred hit points remaining on the Greater Architeuthis, it now tries to run away. I cast War Thunder again, stopping it in its tracks and giving me enough time to renew both Warrior’s Rage and Tū's Gift. Then I deal a final blow to the creature’s face, cleaving what’s left of its head in two and bringing this battle to an end.
Items Received
1x Megalodon corpse
12x Megalodon Teeth
1x Megalodon Fin
1x Greater Architeuthis corpse
1x Greater Architeuthis Beak
2x Greater Architeuthis Tentacles
52,621 Credits
Congratulations! Level Up x3
You are now Level 40
Fuck yes! Level 40! Holy shit, this fight with the Manawatara might not be so ohmygod-ohmygod-I’msogonnadie anymore.
Side thought, where the hell did the credits come from? Is that from the people and sentients these two have eaten? Wow, that’s messed up.
Also, gotta say, I’m a little gutted that I didn’t get a title for soloing two really powerful enemies, but I guess that’s not that an uncommon thing in this new world… which is also pretty messed up. Plus side though, the beak and teeth should make for decent trophies, once I get them all tidied up. I can’t believe I forgot to equip my Kiwinuipāhue claws again.
Allocating my Skills and stat points, I take a look at my updated character sheet:
Status Screen
Name
Nathaniel Atkinson
Class
Vengeful Warrior
Race
Human (Male)
Level
40
Titles
Eater of War Parties, Pyrorational
Health
500
Stamina
500
Mana
320
Mana Regeneration
84 / minute
Conditions
None
Attributes
Strength
92
Agility
54
Constitution
50
Perception
54
Intelligence
32
Willpower
89
Charisma
23
Luck
23
Class Skills
War Thunder
(Level 1)
Haumia's Trap
(Level 1)
Tū's Gift
(Level 2)
Warriors Rage
(Level 5)
Tāne's Sight
(Level 1)
Trophy Hunter
(Level 1)
Heart of the Warrior
(Level 1)
Rehua's Light
(Level 1)
Meteoric Strike
(Level 1)
Warriors Resolve
(Level 1)
Shroud of the Fallen
(Level 1)
Additional Skills and Spells
Instantaneous Inventory (Maxed)
Flight
(Level 1)
So, I now have Warrior’s Resolve, which gives me a tidy boost to my perception, luck, and—most importantly for this upcoming fight—willpower. The mana cost hurts, but thankfully I’m currently flush with mana potions.
The pièce de résistance however, and the skill that will hopefully let me clench a capital V, is Shroud of the Fallen. This covers me in a shield that has the strength equivalent to the health of all those I’m seeking vengeance for. It’ll cost me almost all my mana and I’m going to get pretty close to earning that splitting headache that is mana withdrawal, but if I can pull this off, maybe I can go… without hearing Gorillaz, Kora, or Matchbox Twenty again…
All right. Enough of that. Let’s get this little adventure over and done with.
***
Scanning the ocean between the island and the coast multiple times, I can’t see any sign of predatory life, so I assume the fight between two higher levelled creatures and the scent of their blood must be enough of an indicator that there’s trouble around, and everything has scattered. That suits me just fine.
Not expecting to run into any more trouble on the open water, I fly back to my borrowed vessel and get it heading toward Whale Island again. While I travel, I tidy myself up and have a bite to eat.
As I’m about to reach the island, I slow the vessel down so I can see if anything’s waiting for me. Using my binoculars, I see a group of about a dozen humans and several creatures guarding against eventualities like me.
Opting to not engage the innocents, I push down my anger and take the boat closer to the cliffs. There’s no shoreline, but I simply fly over.
After I land and make my way across the island, I activate the scanner and see groups of people and monsters all over the island. But eventually I see the blue glow of my target in a rocky area inland from Sulphur Bay.
Coming down quietly from above them, I land in a tree and notice that in the group surrounding the Manawatara is not only Otiniara, but also Jase, Sam, Ellie, and three of the Coastlands Quartet. Behind the mutated beast is a pile of human and creature bodies. None of them are moving, so I can only assume these are people and monsters that have either been killed to use as food, or they’re the ones who didn’t make it all the way and were added to the pile after having washed up on the island’s shores.
Anger, along with a hint of humiliation and betrayal, strike me. How long has this creature been subduing people around here? Was it only after O turned up? And more importantly, how am I going to deal with this?
Scanning the area again, I look for the highest-level human I can find, an
d eventually I find her guarding Boulder Bay beach. Mrs. Terrell, the fourth of the Coastlands Quartet, is just the person I need to help save everyone.
I make my way over to the area behind where she’s stationed and hide in another tree. Calling on the god of uncultivated food, I cast Haumia's Trap on the ground out of sight of the others in her group and just within the bushes below me. Now that I’ve completed what little prep work I can do, I throw stones at her until she comes over to investigate.
Sometimes the simplest things work like a charm. The second she searches the bushes, the trap snatches her and I make my move. Slipping to the ground, I close my hand over her mouth while dropping in the purification pill I’d purchased for Ellie. Then tilting her head back, I force it down her throat until her eyes go wide with what I assume is shock, revulsion, and fear. In short order, she stops struggling.
Using Tāne’s Sight, I can see that the question mark conditions are no longer affecting her. Slowly letting her go while helping her out of the trap, I cast Rehua's Light.
“Mr. Atkinson,” she says, brushing herself clean and casting her own healing spell, “thank you for your help, but what are you doing here? You are in a lot of danger, there’s—”
Before she can say more, I interrupt. “Yep, know all about the mind-controlling lizard. It has my friends, not to mention a few thousand people and miscellaneous monsters, under its spell.” I wait a moment to be sure she heard me before continuing. “What I need from you is a distraction. Other than me and Otiniara, you’re by far the highest-level human on the island, but based on the fact that I just released you from the mind-controlling spell, I’m guessing you don’t have much of a resistance to mental attacks.”
I wait for her nod to indicate that she’s following along.
