by Tao Wong
“Oh, come on, you’re going on about that band again?” Hugo groans.
“And why shouldn’t we? Their music is great!”
“It’s manufactured and sterile. It’s no wonder they can kill with their songs. I’d die if I had to listen to their music again,” Hugo says grumpily.
“Please, you’re still bitter we won that bet.”
“Bet?” I mutter to Mikito as I duck, grabbing twisted intestines and slamming the body into a nearby wall.
“They made us listen to the band’s greatest hits on a delve. On repeat. For eight hours,” Mikito says with a roll of her eyes.
“Oh.” I stare at the disgusting bunch of intestines that the System considers “loot” from the Penangallan before handing them to Mikito.
The samurai doesn’t even blink as she stores them away. It’s Credits. Even if my culinary preferences are broad, I’m not entirely sure I want to know the eventual use of those. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss when it comes to gastronomic delights.
“The band runs dungeons?” I say with a frown, considering what I’ve overheard.
“Yes. They’re an Advanced Class team, sixth highest ranked in Seoul’s Adventurer Team chart,” Jessica burbles happily. “Of course, not all the original members of KMC survived, but most did. And they all have the Class Siren.
“At first, they Leveled up from a variety of Basic musician and entertainer Classes, but their manager had them run a dangerous Advanced Class dungeon. The surviving members all got the Advanced Class Siren, and their ‘Song of Redemption’ can boost stats up to ten percent for six hours. And it’s partially stackable!”
At first, I attempt to stop the gush of information, but when I realize that the talk is actually annoying Hugo—and somehow, not stopping Jessica from doing her job—I leave her to it. It’s a bit disturbing that she manages to project her voice from kilometers away to continue chattering while scouting, but Skills are weird.
Eventually, after numerous wrong turns, we make our way to the end of the dungeon. At one point, Mikito stops to deal with the fallout of stealing me away in the middle of the night, making muttered promises to return me over her communicator. But the violence is useful, giving me time to not only assess Earth’s best but also to vent. Not that every single one of the “champions” are here, but the majority of them are.
When we finally put down the dungeon boss—a fight that had little suspense and fewer surprises beyond the wide-scale Iron Whirlwind spell cast by Cheng Shao—the group quickly loots the various corpses before reaching the objective of the mission. Davao’s City Core also serves as the Dungeon Core.
“Whose turn is it?” Jamal asks, none of the group moving to touch the Core that glows quietly in the middle of the once-immaculate ballroom.
“Mine,” Jessica says before placing her hand on it.
We all get the notification, and for the next few minutes, things get busy as the monsters go into a frenzy, intent on driving Jessica away from the orb. Unfortunately for them, we’re fighting a defensive battle here, which makes things significantly simpler. The monsters, on the other hand, have multiple floors to ascend and a chokepoint to force their way through. It’s a slaughter.
The moment Jessica takes over the settlement and dungeon core, she banishes the dungeon settings, which leads to an exodus of Mana from our surroundings. That’ll cause its own set of problems in the city as the Mana searches for a way to purge itself. Eventually, a new dungeon will form. For now, Jessica purchases upgrades to the building we’re in, reinforcing the steel doors and adding a few automated sentinels on this level and the bottom one, making the entrance to the core more difficult.
“That’ll do for now,” Jessica says, eyeing the giant steel doors that now block off access to the City Core. “We’ll be teleporting guards in once I’ve reported back.”
At those words and the obvious dismissal, the team splits up. Shao and Hugo activate communicators, pinging their location to their people before they’re teleported away. Rae rolls out, headed for the roof. Ali sends me an image of the reinforced blimp-like flying vehicle that is slowly floating toward the hotel, ready for a pickup. Jamal, on the other hand, stays behind with Jessica in the City Core. That leaves Mikito and myself to walk down the stairs alone, in thoughtful silence for a time.
“So I’m guessing I failed?” I say, a sardonic grin twisting my lips.
“No. They’re just uncertain,” Mikito says. “Once your reputation rises…”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t joking when I said I wasn’t interested.”
“What did you think?” Mikito asks, and there’s a plaintive tone in her voice that makes me pause.
I actually consider the question properly, reviewing in my mind what I saw. “They’re good. They all understand how to use control their Skills, Mana, and Stamina drain. I don’t even recall anyone using any potions. Well-coordinated. Could be better, but considering you guys probably don’t fight together all the time, more than adequate. No one’s left alone to run out of Mana or Stamina. This wasn’t the hardest test, but they passed it with flying colors anyway.”
“We’ve had a lot of practice.”
“Yes. But…” I consider how to put this. How to explain some of what I’ve learned, what I’ve had to expand on. “They’re too reliant on the surface. They use the basics of their attribute gains, their Skills, and don’t dig further.”
“What do you mean?” Mikito says with a frown.
“Our attribute increases aren’t linear. There’s some overlap between each individual, but the differences between races are significant. Well, part of that is because we’re not looking in the right places,” I say softly. “Strength is the simplest example. A ten-point increase in it doesn’t just increase your lifting power. It affects how that lifting power affects other System-registered entities. It lets you ignore a portion of their defense, of their health, if you know how to tap into it. It allows you to do this.” I push off with a toe, flinging myself into the air and against a nearby wall, then I push again with a finger when I hit it, flinging myself toward the ceiling. Each of those movements leave the floor and wall untouched, but when I reach the ceiling, I exert my Strength in a different way, shattering the ceiling tiles as I push myself toward the ground, only to land without disturbing the floor. “And this.”
Mikito’s eyes widen, staring at the four spots I’ve touched, even as the dust from my example falls around us. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction—except when it doesn’t. We’ve all kind of accepted that the System breaks “normal” laws, but what I’ve learned is that it doesn’t. It’s just that we aren’t seeing the other forces, aren’t understanding the whole picture.
“It’s just the start,” I say, tapping my head. “Willpower gifts us Mana Regeneration and ways of dealing with manipulation spells. But it can alter and shift how Skills like Auras and Charisma work. It can even make the information we feed the System more obscure. Willpower dictates your pain resistance and your recovery rates. It even, from what I can see, deals with things like PTSD if used correctly. Every attribute has a different application than we think, but we don’t use it.”
“Is this what you learned? When you were gone?” Mikito asks softly, staring at my solemn expression. I nod before she huffs, “Guess you weren’t on the beach.”
“No. And I’m not going to be lazing around here either. I’ve got a lot to catch up on and playing hero isn’t my goal. Certainly not for fame or Credits.”
“Isn’t it?” Mikito says, stepping forward and looking into my eyes. “Wasn’t that what we were doing? Before you left.”
“No. We were doing what was necessary.”
“Necessary for what?”
I come to a stop as I realize that Mikito never did ask. Not the entire time we worked together. She accepted my lead, following where I pointed. For a time, I stand there, blinking as the realization hits.
“John…?”
“Sorry.” I shake
my head, dismissing the thought. “Necessary for us to survive. And for me to get the settlements so I could vote.”
“The Planetary election,” Mikito states.
“Yes,” I say, nodding firmly. “We need to get on the Galactic Council.”
Mikito purses her lips, tilting her head as she considers me. “That will help Earth?”
“Yes. We’d have more say, more options. We’d be able to put rules in place once we’re officially registered. We’d gain status.”
“The difference between a System-registered town and one not,” Mikito says, floating the sentence for me to confirm. When I do, she nods firmly. “What can I do?”
“I’m not sure. Not yet,” I say.
“Ask.”
I offer her a nod in confirmation.
“And when that’s done? What’s next?”
“Then I leave. The Council, the galaxy. There’s a lot more going on, out there, than the fight for a single planet. Our world, our losses, they’re a drop in an unimaginably large ocean,” I say.
Mikito purses her lips, staring at me as she considers what I’ve said. In the end, she gestures to the side. “Portal back, please.”
“Sure. I’m going straight to Vancouver though,” I say even as I open one back to the army camp.
Mikito pauses before she steps into the Portal, the black oval swallowing her without a ripple. I’m left in the red carpeted hallway, the damage to the ceiling slowly but visibly patching itself up, alone once again with the silence and my thoughts.
That last silent look… I draw a deep breath, wondering how much she guessed. Because there is another reason why I—we—need to get on the Galactic Council. I need to get out there, to see and learn more. There are answers to my questions in the wider world, answers that cannot be found on Earth. As I stand in silence in the dimly lit hall, a memory surfaces.
“These questions about the System, they’re dangerous,” Ka’lla d’Mak says. Butt-length yellow-green hair spills down his back as he walks ahead of me, heading deeper into the cave system we call home. “I was forced to live here because of them.”
“But the answers are out there.” I limp along, dragging the eight-ton, ninety-foot-long corpse.
“Some answers aren’t worth your life,” Ka’lla says.
“Some are.”
“Then be wary who you ask. And how you ask. For everyone under the System may be your enemy.”
“Yes.”
Memory. I push it aside, staring around me as the sense of paranoia and wariness I thought had disappeared comes back. That’s right. Earth isn’t mine anymore. Or me, its.
With a gesture, a Portal opens and I step forward. Time to get to work.
Chapter 5
“Mr. Lee. Welcome back.” Katherine greets me from behind my—her?—desk as I step through the Portal into my office. Or her office. If you leave a place for four years, do you lose it? Even if my ownership has been kept, it’s not as if Katherine and Lana haven’t been running my settlements for me.
Coming through the Portal, I had Ali slide in first to make sure I didn’t have to worry about anything. Thankfully, I didn’t. I’ll admit, I would have been annoyed if I wasn’t pre-approved to Portal into my own settlements. The last thing I want to do is have my atoms torn apart while Portaling home.
I offer a quick nod to my assistant as she stands and moves swiftly and calmly from around the desk. The older ex-secretary is dressed in a finely cut office suit, one in pale grey that suits her figure completely and sets off the light grey in her hair well. I absently note that she’s got a rather distinctive necklace, which I’m pretty sure is enchanted. A brief viewing of her via Mana Sense confirms that intuition, and furthermore that her earrings, belt, and a bracelet are all enchanted. An impressive amount of magical equipment for an Assistant. Then again, other than Lana, she was—is—the individual in charge of one of the largest settlement groups in North America. Or would you call it a country?
Katherine Ward (Level 18 Settlement Manager)
HP: 410/410
MP: 1023/1480
Conditions: Ablative Shield, Pre-cognitive sense, Settlement Link
Well, I guess she’s not really an Assistant anymore. Her rise in Level is a bit surprising, as is her new Class. But I guess being officially hired and running my settlements has done wonders for her experience gain.
“WELCOME BACK,” Kim, my settlement AI answers.
Almost immediately, I get a notification that my AI has upgraded since I left, going up a Tier and increasing its processing powers significantly. Since we left Kim linked up to the Vancouver settlement City Cores, I’m not surprised that the AI had been upgraded along with the city. Notifications pile up in the corner of my eyes, most of which I ignore for now.
“UPDATING NEURAL LINK WITH SETTLEMENT INFORMATION ALONG WITH NECESSARY SECURITY PROTOCOLS, PASSES, AND DATA. PLEASE WAIT.”
“Oy, bits for brains, you keeping our settlements running?” Ali says as he stands in the middle of the office, acting like a crazy person talking into empty space. Thank the gods I learned how to mentally chat with him a long time ago, or else I’d really look insane.
“WITHOUT ADDITIONAL ORDERS TO THE CONTRARY, I HAVE BEEN AIDING MS. PEARSON AND MS. WARD IN DEVELOPING THE SETTLEMENTS. AN UPDATED REPORT ON ALL CHANGES HAS BEEN UPLOADED,” Kim notifies us via blue notification tab that he / her / it speaks in. One day, I swear, I’ll land on a sex or designation for Kim. But I think it is probably out. It just feels so inhumane. Which, I’ll admit, is technically correct. “I HAVE ALSO TAKEN THE LIBERTY TO INFORM THE SECURITY FORCES OUTSIDE TO STAND DOWN.”
“Thank you, Katherine. Kim,” I say, ignoring the last line. Not as if they’d actually shoot me. Would they? Actually, maybe having random people who Portal into my office without a direct invitation get shot as a matter of course is good protocol. “I’ll review the data later. And I’m glad we won’t need to switch out the furniture here.”
“Just the furniture?” Kim asks and I grin wolfishly. I’m pretty sure I could contain the destruction if needed.
“Do you not consider our security forces sufficient?” Katherine asks.
“To deal with me? A pair of Level 17 Advanced Bodyguards?” I snort. “Even before I left, it wouldn’t be sufficient. Though they probably could buy you the time you’d need to activate that teleport beacon you’ve got stashed behind the desk.”
Katherine raises an eyebrow, the only indication of surprise she allows herself. I don’t elaborate on how the moment Ali swung in, he was already ripping information about the building from the City Core and sending me the relevant bits. Or how here, in the center of my own settlement, I basically have any information I want or need only a thought away. The degree of information I have access to is rather scary—and makes me realize how badly I underestimated how great an advantage Roxley had whenever I visited him. With the massive increases in Intelligence that I’ve gained, I can now do things like subconsciously download all those notifications Kim is pushing at me, something I could never do before my little trip.
“May I know what is the agenda for today?” Katherine asks, changing topics.
“You tell me. What were you going to be doing if I had not interrupted you?” I ask.
“I was about to spend the next hour reviewing and answering the correspondence left for me overnight. Next, I have a committee meeting with the integrated Vancouver council about the latest updates on our build cycle and zoning for additional industries and infrastructure. There has been a significant push to increase the available space for our marine salvage and hunting operations, with a request for a second butchering yard. Of course, there is concern that the additional refuse from the butchering yard and its ancillary industries will provoke additional marine threats.” Katherine stops as she must see my eyes glaze over.
From what I can tell, her day is basically a series of meetings. It’s just who she meets that changes—from the mayors of the other towns to Galactic
Guilds, Corporations, or local ones, it seems like she’s basically spending the day either in meetings or reading paperwork.
“Right…” I shudder slightly, considering delving back into all this. And then, I consider that I actually haven’t been needed for the last four years and decide there isn’t a point. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to continue doing these meetings. I’m going to throw up a notification video and watch and listen in while I catch up on, well, everything. Fair enough?”
Katherine nods, accepting my words without complaint. At least for the moment. I’m glad because after my talking to by Lana, I figure it’s better for me to get caught up before I mire myself in the running of my settlements. The fact that the settlements, together, really make up a country, even if we don’t designate it that way, is just another reason to stay out of it.
“Ali, got a few jobs for you.” I send the thought to my Spirit as I take a seat behind the desk.
The Spirit startles slightly, guiltily putting back the pear he picked up from Katherine’s desk, a neat bite marring its surface. Katherine perches on a chair opposite me, her eyes glazing over slightly as she returns to reading her notifications on screens only she can see.
“Shoot, boy-o.”
“You’ll like the first one. We need to dump my inventory and the corpses in my Altered Space. Think you can handle that?”
“Easy. I’ll make sure to not fleece them too hard,” Ali sends back, a slight smirk in his voice.
Good. That deals with clearing out my storage and getting some actual Credits, and this way, his new physical body can be put to good use. The corpses of the Level 120+ monsters that I kept in my Altered Space can easily increase the Levels of any Butcher, Skinner, or other Artisan who works on them, so it’s best to get those out ASAP. And making some Credits and Leveling my people was the whole point of dragging them all the way back.
