Chapter 237
To Floor 250, And Beyond!
I had it, the perfect name for my ultimate flying vehicle that I basically created from scratch. It was perfect, it made sense, then I got the notification.
Entering floor 246.
Just like in Harrison Burgeron, I had a meaningful thought and then a high pitch ding and something for me to focus my immediate attention onto and the thought was gone.
“So?” Maranda asked, her voice clearly questioning me.
With the amount of potential energy available based on the name and how applicable it is, I realize this is an important decision. Which means that I clearly don’t want to name it something stupid, or that will come back to haunt me later on.
“I don’t know. I’ve got nothing.” I reply.
“Why not name it something like Pixie Dust, or something cool like that?” Maranda asks.
“What, and all but advertise the fact that capturing me and this ship will lead to rare alchemical resources, no thank you.” I reply, realizing that that was a bad name choice. Which is progress right? That means that I’m on the verge of being better at naming things, it has to.
“Well we need to get a cool combat name ready before we go into combat.” Maranda stated.
“Wait, you think we are going to go into combat?” I ask, feeling the ships forward and above us beginning to move into an intercept course for us. This means we will be extremely vulnerable, particularly as we try to rise and meet their altitude.
“Uh, yeah. Isn’t that what always happens when you are about to reach an important milestone?” Maranda asked.
Hearing that, I couldn’t really refute her claim, though I thought I had found a cheat bypass, sort of like finding the watery elevator platform that Mallory and I used to get through about seventy five floors, earlier.
However after hearing her and seeing the evidence with my own eyes, well peripheral sight, I realized she was correct.
Turning the helm slightly to the right, I continued to pump in more Mana and Qi, which caused us to nearly rise to an almost eighty degree angle straight into the air.
I was fine with my wings.
Maranda was also fine with her Qi suctioning feet, again great use and practical application of her powers. Really impressed. With that, we might be able to create an entire class on wall walking, but that is me getting ahead of myself. I still have a Telekinetic barrier protecting her, which she uses lightly to rest her back against as we are nearly in liftoff formation.
As for Jhonny and Penelope, they are fine. Apparently screaming for their lives from the inside of the ship, despite their straps and swivel seats keeping them perfectly safe and in place.
“Ahh!” They scream out, their voices so loud that it even penetrates the deck, the rumble of the engines, and the wind that is whipping past our ears.
Honestly, that is pretty impressive, if an entirely wasted opportunity for the two to get closer.
Unfortunately, I don’t have time to chastise Jhonny as I already have other issues to take care of.
Entering floor 247.
With that, I know that we will soon be in aerial combat, or at least forced to avoid aerial combat. Even now, I can see that the other ships are quickly moving to intercept us.
Also, our rate of ascent is very fast, and would normally be tiring, but I feel adrenaline pumping through my veins as I realize this is exactly what I wanted with this ship. Fast maneuvers, trying to run past the law and authority, or even other thieves.
Yeah, for some reason, I always assume I am trying to outrun the law, there might be a reason I was asked to establish our Thieves Guild.
“WAHOOO!” Maranda cries out excitedly, her voice mirroring my face at this very moment as this is just so much fun.
Fwip-wa-whip.
The skin on my face begins to flap and beat wildly, as we are picking up speed and up on the deck only Maranda and I get to experience the full thrill of this sensation.
With my mind’s eye, I look over and see that Maranda has her own set of EGGs on, that’s right the set of goggles given to everyone as their initial entry item to the guild. Seeing her, I too do the same and instantly feel the drying sensation of the wind to be slightly less uncomfortable, as my eyes are no longer being subjected to the intense winds around us.
Looking over Maranda looks to me, the pauses as she takes in my new look.
“Now you look like the mad doctor that you are!” Maranda yells, her voice barely able to pierce the quickly flowing wind, but I can tell she like me is loving every moment of this.
Entering floor 248.
At that moment, the sound of yet another system message letting us know we have entered yet another floor gives me inspiration to once again name the ship.
It wasn’t the same one that I had a moment ago, but just thinking about it, the layout and design of the ship, the use of recently unknown energy types. Most importantly, knowing that I am both the mad doctor and getting something related to my new race, just as Maranda suggested. All of this comes together, as I come up with the ultimate name for this ship.
“I’ve got it!” I shout.
“Got what?” Maranda yells, she is clearly yelling in order to be heard.
“The name of this ship!” I shout excitedly, a smile coming to my face as I am finally ready to share my creation with the world.
“What is it?” Maranda asks.
Hearing her, I can’t help but feel a need for the dramatics, which is why I go all out for this moment. With each word, I feel the rise of golden potential energy increasing, as if the world itself anticipates the epic name of this ship.
“Behold! For you are riding the Prankenstein!” I shout, while waving my arms out wide in a melodramatic pose, momentarily losing control over the ship’s helm, but a few quick flaps of my wings, helps me to catch back up and regain control over the vessel.
Fwoosh!
At the announcement of the ship’s new name, I feel the coiling golden energy begin to instantly lash out and wrap around the ship.
Fortunately, the flash of light happened almost at the exact same time as my mad dash upwards to regain control of the helm, so no one noticed that obvious faux pas.
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Still, it had been fun, also I was quickly met with a new system message. Well a slew of system messages that I had been able to stave off until now. Actually, I was pretty sure I could have avoided dealing with these system messages, but I wanted to see what was available with my new named vessel, as I was fairly certain something amazing would come from that.
Unfortunately, I had to first go through what I did previously with Mallory.
New Questline Opened: Bloodline Breakthrough Balancing System (Completed): You have helped Mallory Valhalla make the transition from a Legendary to a Mythic level bloodline. Steps completed: Fixing/Modifying/Altering Auras (1 / 1), Balancing Merits and Flaws (15 / -15), Balancing Attribute Distribution (6 / 6), Physical Alterations Required (3 / 3), New Bloodline Theme (1 / 1). Rewards: Experience, Skill, Title(s), New World Features Unlocked.
Experience Gained:
500,000 / 250,000 / 250,000
Yep, a million experience points to help someone else make the transition from just a Legendary Bloodline to a Mythical one. Also, again location bonus paid off as we were clearly in our guild’s experience rich territory.
Skill: Bloodline Customization Already Gained.
Yep, saw that cheap move coming, as that was the skills that I used to work on and manipulate Mallory’s body so she could accept the changes.
New Title Gained: First Bloodline Customizer First Bloodline Customizer: You have been recognized as the first person to actively customize the bloodline of another. Rewards: All synergy effects provided by your Bloodline Customizations are improved by 10%, +10% for all Skills and Attributes needed to help with bloodline customization.
New Title Gained: Bloodline Customizer
Bloodline Customizer: You have proven yourself to be a respectable user of bloodline customizations and are awarded a bonus when working with others to help with bloodline breakthroughs. Rewards: Bloodline Insights, Bloodline Customizations are improved by 5%, +5% for all Skills and Attributes needed to help with bloodline customization.
Bloodline Insights: Those beginning the process of transitioning from one rank of a bloodline to the next will be able to identify you as a noted expert in the field.
Seeing the Titles, I felt they were slightly generic, though an overall +15% bonus is never frowned upon, I do dislike the idea of being seen as a beacon for those wishing to transition. This just seems like another giant mark on me that will draw even more people to seek me out.
I did like the idea that the lower version of the Title made it so everyone who helped with the process would be seen as a beacon to others. Meaning I could easily pass this on to others, provided I helped them learn the process.
Then, before I could even realize what was happening, I got the final update for completing the unique quest.
New World Feature Unlocked: Bloodline Assistance: You have opened up the ability to help and modify future bloodline evolvers to achieve their maximum potential.
Now that was cool, and ultimately worthless for what I was currently doing. Well everything but the experience which was apparently being rolled over as the next quest status came through.
Mechanical Crafter Quest Complete: Creating A Name Vehicle (Completed): You have successfully crafted a new style of vehicle into existence. As the first one, you were able to name it, thereby increasing its Attributes and allowing it to gain personality quirks of its own. Conditions: Create new mechanical device (1 / 1), Make sure mechanical device is unique from all other devices (2 / 1), Give creation a Name (1 / 1). Rewards: Experience, Title(s), New Machine Modifiable Interface.
Experience gained:
25,000 / 12,500 / 12,500
Ding.
Level Up.
Akashic Qi Master has increased by 9 levels to level 311.
Ethereal Simulacrums Master has increased by 7 levels to level 342.
Ethereal Healer has increased by 11 levels to level 463.
New Title Gained: Unique Vehicle Piloting Bonus Unique Vehicle Pilot: You have proven yourself to be a competent pilot of new and cutting edge technologies. Effect: Gain an additional +5% bonus to Skills and Attributes used to maneuver vehicles. You gain an additional +5% bonus to Skills and Attributes when piloting a vehicle you helped to create.
The first title was good, though I had seen others receive similar before, which was likely why I missed out on the world first category for that.
Still it was a nice bonus. But what truly interested me was the next title that I received.
New Title Gained: Prankenstein Master Mechanic Prankenstein Master Mechanic: You have been identified as the master mechanic for the named vehicle the Prankenstein. As its creator, you are able to improve your vehicle and have a special connection to your vehicle where you can note problem areas before they actually become an issue. Effect: +25% to all repair and maintenance related Skills and Attributes used, while working on the named vessel the Prankenstein.
Just seeing that title, let me know that I had done something truly amazing and that I could prove that this beautiful monster was mine!
“MUWAHAHAHA!” I felt myself cackle in delight as my mind read through and accepted the different notifications.
Four titles, 27 levels, and a new ship were all mine.
But things were not done as there was still at least one more feature that I had to accept.
New Named Vehicle Created: The Prankenstein: Crafter Cassiopeia Spiritlight now has a special symbiotic relationship with her personally designed vessel the Prankenstein. As the creator, you will share a bond where roughly half the experience you gain while maneuvering the vehicle will be copied over as phantom joint experience offered to your vehicle, which can be used to help develop personality quirks of the noted machine. Note: This condition does not transfer to new owners. Only original creator of the vessel can spend experience to improve the functionality of the noted machine. Current Available Experience to Spend on Prankenstein Upgrades: 525,000.
Yes, apparently since I managed to hold off on acknowledging my prior quest completions until now, I got half of the experience for both quests that had to be accepted right now.
Which meant that the choices that were available to me were astronomical.
Sadly everything seemed to be in orders of magnitude that seemed to follow a form of the Fibonacci Sequence of pay scales. It was close, but not exactly the same.
The most alluring of which, was the highest starting priced Speed and Acceleration package.
Individually both would be 15,000 experience each. But combined in this lump sum package they were a steal at 25,000 experience for the base package.
Pausing, I couldn’t help but notice the escalation and the cost seemed almost too perfect. Almost as if I was being told to go for speed.
Package Level
(Cumulative) Cost in Thousands
1
25
2
50
3
75
4
125
5
200
6
325
7
525
Yes, putting everything into the Speed and Acceleration package would make this vehicle essentially a one trick pony, but it would be a heck of a trick.
At least, that is what I thought, while pumping all 525,000 experience points into constantly upgrading my Speed and Acceleration package to the seventh iteration.
There was a moment of pause, as all the screens cleared from my mental vision and I was once again allowed to see just how close the other vessels were getting.
And they were hostile, as I could already see a few tracer rounds being fired to gauge and judge our speed and distance.
“What do we do?” Maranda asked.
For a second, I was at a loss as I had half expected the ship to become really fast.
I mean I could feel the lingering traces of golden energy fusing around the vehicle, before focusing primarily on the propulsion system. Being one with the machine, I could feel light but obvious changes being made to the exhaust system that would open up the fuel intake and maximize the torque being generated by the engine.
Lurch.
There was a slight hiccup, as the last of the changes seemed to take place.
PRRROOOMM!
Then the engine purred to life, as I let my smile that had been somewhat hesitant for a second spark to life as I realized something big was about to happen.
“Well?” Maranda asked, clearly trying to get my attention as I possibly appeared to be lost in my own thoughts.
“Buckle up! This is about to be fun!” Was all I said, before I tightened my grip on the helm, and made sure everyone would be Telekinetically held in place.
“What?” Was all Maranda managed. Before force met gravity, and gravity lost.
VAA-VARRRROOOOMMMMMMMM!
We began screaming through the skies.
All I knew next was pure adrenaline filled excitement as number passed by my vision, while the world around me began to blur.
The ships that had been coming to intercept us were quickly avoided as we blurred past and through their formation.
Entering floor 249. Entering floor 250. Entering floor 251. …
I saw what was a golden burst of light envelop me, as I felt that I had likely just received the quest notification that I had reached floor 250 and likely received my undergraduate degree that I had wanted. A degree that until recently I felt I would not be deserving of as I had not been able to use external Qi and Mana simultaneously, at least not until I learned to power and propel this ship.
I even felt my mind automatically going for the standard increase in abilities for my Master’s degree as we continued to climb to floor 300.
Entering floor 259. Entering floor 260. Entering floor 261. …
We were still climbing, as I realized that we had met that mythical jump pad that would easily take us up in levels.
For a second, I allowed myself to breathe, as this should be the easy way to get to floor 300 and likely beyond.
Of course, that was assuming everything went well.
Then just as that traitorous thought filled my mind, I heard and felt a disturbance in the force.
Groan.
Yes, my ship, as amazing as she might be, was not prepared for an apparent rocket launch into space. My new titles and deeper connection to the vessel that I created let me know that this was bad.
Yeah, that’s on me.
As I looked for a way to safely slow down my ship without us ripping apart entirely. I knew that if I let the most recent quest completion truly settle over me, I might get more experience that I could use to hopefully buy increased hull durability. Of course, that would mean that I would have to stop focusing on flying upwards and avoiding the suddenly large branches of the great tree Yggdraspirit that are suddenly coming down at us like giant swinging clubs.
Again, they aren’t clubs and aren’t being swung at us, but that is the appearance they have as we propel upwards, into, around and finally through the branches.
Of course the turning only makes the strain on my poor girl that much more noticeable.
GROOAANNN!
“Sorry girl.” I say, then trying to figure out how to stop this crazy thing, I realize my problem almost immediately.
Me.
I’m the problem.
That’s when I finally decide to fix this.