“I never enjoy using Portals.”
“Really? I like them. Which is lucky. I need to take them everywhere back home. Most contracts come with a Portal Device, or I need to make one.”
Alex turned to look at New Ben.
“How do you make Por… oh, Eternal Equilibrium just caught up.”
“What? Caught up?” New Ben groaned and shook his head while looking at the grey sky. “Never mind, what now?”
Alex looked around, taking in the Upgraded Outpost compound.
“We'll find out soon enough. The Station House will be a good place to start.”
“Station House?”
Alex pointed at the building at the heart of the Outpost with a smile.
“The System, or I, modelled it off my old Station House. Which coincidentally is now our Faction Headquarters.”
“Spending time with you always makes me forget that your Earth isn't fully Integrated yet. Then you go and say something crazy like that. Stop reusing pre-Integration designs. Definitely stop using the same design every time. The Kyrn, or another of your presumably numerous enemies, will use it against you and send Adventurers or… a rat squad, that can destroy everything with ease. Honestly, I'm surprised this Outpost is still standing.”
“Fine.”
“What?” New Ben turned to Alex. “Oh. I just treated you like a child, didn't I? Sorry Alex. I want to make sure you have as much information as possible, eventually, I'll need to head back to my Earth and you attract craziness.”
“Crazy attracts crazy.”
Alex turned to the professor and frowned.
“Thanks for your input.”
The professor's cheeks coloured.
“I didn't mean… you aren't crazy. I just mean, you do crazy things and attract powerful enemies.”
“The Kyrn aren't that powerful.”
Both the professor and New Ben stared at him.
“Individually, sure. But Alex, you're at War with the entire Dominion. They wiped all life across this Earth out. That's powerful.”
“You also have an entire Pantheon gunning… swording, doesn't matter, the Onix Trono hates you Till, and you have to admit they're pretty powerful.”
Alex threw his hands in the air and headed towards the Station House, leaving the professor and New Ben in his wake. New Ben again looked to the sky.
“He has to realise. surely? He's in a terrible position and it is only going to get worse when he gets to level 100 and Upgrades his Class.”
“He does. He just struggles with accepting difficult truths. It had been seven years since Maddy and I think he still believes he can save her. This Integration, the Multiverse, even meeting and being friends with you, none of that has helped.”
“Yet you call him crazy? Isn't that frowned on here, or on your Earth?”
The professor sighed and looked after her Companion.
“You're right, but also wrong. My position as his Companion gives me certain liberties and honestly, I take all of them. But I’m far more aware that Till needs more help than I'm equipped to provide.”
New Ben followed the professor's gaze as Alex disappeared into the Outpost Command Center.
“Any idea what he has planned?”
The professor shrugged then standed moving forwards.
“I don't know if you've been keeping up, but plans are really his thing.”
Grumbling quietly, New Ben moved to catch up and they entered the building together to find that the inside of the OCC was all one open space. Two things gripped their attention straight away. First, Alex was off to the side of the entrance leaning his head against the wall with one fist pressed to it like he was about to pull the arm back and deliver a punch. Second, in the middle of the large space there was a circular table with a holographic projection flickering above its surface.
The professor and New Ben made eye contact, one peeled off towards Alex and the other to the table.
You have discovered: Command Map
Command Map:
Drawing basic information from the Earth 39 branch of the Project Aegis Surveillance Network, the Command Map displays general positioning information as well as details on terrain, local weather conditions and army strength
Levelling up the Outpost will provide more detailed information
High level Obfuscation Abilities can impact the Command Map's accuracy
“Wow.” New Ben reached the Command Map and leaned over it then frowned. Putting his hands on the convenient bar that ran around the circumference of the table he felt his legs go weak and the blood drain from his face. “Well, fuck.”
The professor slowly approached Alex with her hands slightly raised.
“Till?”
Without looking around Alex turned his head slightly to reply.
“I'm not a rabid dog.”
“I know that…” The professor dropped her hands to her sides then slipped them into pockets that just appeared. “Sorry. You looked, look… angry?”
“Angry? That's what you get from this?” Alex looked around himself then sighed, “I get that.”
“I was trying to casually approach this situation. Honestly, you look like you're broken. Again. This time though, it looks like something has crushed your spirits and, if I can guess, you've just realised that reclaiming Earth 39 is going to be slightly harder than you anticipated.”
Alex rolled against the wall till he was facing the table. The professor watched as a large amount of red was reflected on his face from the holographic display. Then Alex slumped to the ground with a sigh and held his head in his hands.
“Till?”
“Professor?”
“Talk to me.”
Alex opened his mouth to reply then stopped. He tried again, this time gesturing with a hand but no words spilled forth.
“I believe he's trying to articulate how dire our current situation is.” The professor turned slightly as New Ben approached, but kept her eyes on Alex. “Because we're royally fucked.” Alex nodded. “The Dominion are positioned around the city, only the water is rat-free.”
“So, they all need to die anyway.”
“Professor Ladere, there are more rats in…” New Ben pointed in a random direction, “a line directly out from here, than everything you and Alex have killed since the Integration began on your Earth. Single file, in a straight line.”
Alex nodded slowly.
“Still, they're only… really? That many?”
This time both New Ben and Alex nodded.
“That's a lot of rats. So, what's the plan?”
Alex looked up, the whites in his eyes overly prominent.
“The-” Alex cleared his throat. “The plan? You walked in here executing my plan.”
“Alex Till, do you mean to tell me that you're giving up?”
“Yip.”
The professor deflated.
“That backfired. I was hoping it would spur you into action.”
“That only works with heroes.”
There was a thud to the side, Alex and the professor looked up to see that New Ben had slumped to the floor as well.
“No.”
“No?”
“No, I don't accept it. This. What you, what you're both doing.”
“It's the three of us against an army. An army of crazy roided out humanoid rats.”
“Three…”
“Yes, three.”
“Till, take a moment. What are the differences between this Upgraded Oupost and the War Outpost?”
Alex swiped at the air a few times, while New Ben looked on.
“Nothing. Actually, that’s not true. The War Outpost doesn't have access to a Portal area.”
“What about defence or defenders?”
Alex looked confused and shrugged.
“The same.”
The professor pushed a screen over to Alex.
A War Oupost can be defended by, a) Faction or Pantheon members, b) System generated NPC's, or, c) Mercenaries.
“Then buy an army.”
“Buy…”
“Mercenaries. Pantheon members. Maybe some Faction members, the Captain is strong enough.”
“Buy an army. New Ben, thoughts?”
The Alchemist first looked at the professor, then shifted to Alex then looked at the space in front of the Fire Warrior then back to the professor. Finally Alex took the hint and pushed the same screen over to his party member. New Ben reached up when the screen appeared and Alex watched his pupils move as the information was consumed. Then he saw a smile start to tug at the corners of New Ben’s mouth until the Alchmist released an unexpected laugh.
“Nothing like throwing off the feelings of existential dread and realising there is a commercial avenue that could lead to success. Also, you’re paying.”
Alex’s smile mirrored New Ben’s and they both stood. Alex looked around the large open space and started to frown.
“How do I hire more Mercenaries? With you it was easy, I had your contact info. Everyone else I’ve met is dead or in my Faction.”
“Mostly they’re dead. You only know a couple of people from the Faction, the Captain, that guard guy and the person who met you at the door. Did we get their names?”
“I also know… that guy whose family died… and the girl whose friend was the guy’s daughter.”
“That guy whose family died…”
“The one who wanted to kill me but was too weak. I’m not even selling this to myself.”
“Hamish and Nadia.”
“Yeah, them.”
“I’ll be honest, those two don’t sound amazing.”
“They weren’t. But there’s a chance, a slight chance they levelled up. Or they died.”
“Let’s consider them options if you have Credits left over. After bringing in as many other people as possible.”
“Agreed. So,” Alex tapped the side of his head and opened and closed his eyes, “Eternal Equilibuium doesn’t have any information on this. How do I buy an army?”
New Ben laughed.
“You can’t. Actually… as a War Leader with a MCC. Anyway, I’d get your Faction Leader onto it. It would be worth getting him over here. Based on the…” New Ben moved a hand in front of his face, “... he’ll have a Portal at your HQ to get here. Also, you’ll want him involved and levelling up. If he’s a Chosen,” Alex needed, “as a Chosen he’ll have access to other Mercenaries through his Pantheon.”
“Time for the Captain to visit.”
“You should also reach out to your Sponsors, they may have some Adventuruers who want to get involved. As this isn’t a direct conflict with the Onix Trono, just the Kyrn Dominion they could be convinced to jump. I’ll check in with my Guild’s and see if there are any commercially minded Adventurers who want a battle off their Earths.”
New Ben walked away talking softly to himself.
Alex pulled up his contact list and was about to reach out to the Captain.
“Till?”
“Hmmm?’
“This is a lot, are you ready?”
“It was your idea.”
“I know, but are you ready? This will be the biggest fight you’ve ever been in.”
Alex paused and looked outside, his eyes slowly panned up to the sky and he flinched.
“Have we talked about the sky before? It’s weird.”
“The drastic environmental changes, as well as increased pollutants from how the Kyrn live have impacted Rayleigh Scattering. You have a lot of work to do.”
“Rayleigh… anyway, I’m ready. Plus this needs to happen.”
“We’d be screwed if you weren’t, I just wanted you to say it.”
Alex shook his head and connected to the Captain.
“Sir?”
“Alex, is everything ok? You’re off Earth? How?”
“I don’t know how up to date you are…”
“Are you referring to the War you started?”
“Ah, so you know about that?”
“You’re surprised that I know about the War you started between The Clark County Resistance and The Kyrn Dominion, the rulers of Earth 39. Oh, that explains where you are. Have you been captured?”
“Captured? No. I’m in our Outpost.”
“Our… so that’s where the large Portal that opened goes to?”
“Yes. There’s a situation and I need your help. Can you come through?”
“Through the Portal?” The Captain released a shuddering breath. “I guess. I’ve cordoned it off on this side, but, I can come through. Just so I know, does it hurt?”
“Not at all. I think it’s weird, New Ben likes it apparently.”
“New Ben…? I’ll be there soon.”
The Captain signed off leaving Alex looking at the grey sky.
“I really should keep him more up to date.”
“He is your Faction Leader. More than that, he was your Captain before the Integration so it isn’t like it’s new to report to him.”
“Yeah. That’s on me. In my defence, I just do stuff and whatever happens, happens.”
“You’re his Second, the Ambassador and the Chosen of two of the most powerful God’s in the Coricancha, one of whom is the Prime Deity. You need to get better at that. A lot of people look to you, even though you don’t realise that.”
“This would be so much easier if no one knew who I was.”
“Really? So you don’t want to be Viracocha or Supay’s Chosen?”
Alex turned away from the sky and looked towards the COmmand Table.
“I do. But the notoriety that comes with that title, or titles, isn’t great. The Multiverse is pretty intent on keeping up to date with what I’m doing.”
“Just deal with it, and channel some of that into how regularly you talk with your boss.”
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“Helpful.”
The professor smiled and pulled out her thinking chair.
“Want yours?”
“Definitely.”
Alex sat down just as his Thinking Chair appeared and he sighed happily and smiled at the professor.
“Vance?”
“You called?”
“Honestly, I didn’t think that would work.”
“The benefits of being your Sponsor. How are you?”
“Under siege.”
Vance walked to the Command Table and whistled softly.
“Yes you are. Wow. That’s a lot of… rats?”
“Yes. The Kyrn Dominion. I’ve managed to aggravate them a little.
Alex walked over to join his Sponsor.
“Cosmic Projection?”
Vance looked shocked, then smiled.
“The passive Ability? Interesting. It provides information?”
“Amongst other things. It attunes me to the harmony of Multiverse, so, I can see the weaves and threads of Creation.”
“Fascinating.” Vance stared at Alex until his fingers twitched then seemed to get himself under control. He shook his head and looked away. “Sorry, my Class is drawn to unique people.”
Alex took a step back as Vance shook himself.
“I'm fine. Sorry. Now, what can I do for you?”
“I thought you would've been watching my Feed?”
“I am, or I have been. You aren't on your Earth and your Integration isn't complete so your Feed went down when you went through the Portal. You have some very, very unhappy fans right now.”
The professor moved closer.
“You have fans?”
“Professor Ladere.”
Vance bowed to the professor who looked shocked.
“I believe the two of you refer to this as ‘System Fuckery’. As you're off Earth and in a zone that belongs to you, the usual limitations to your presence don't apply.”
“You'll be able to meet the Captain.”
“Lucky me.”
“Rude.”
Vance on with a smile on his face.
“It was easier when only you could see me.”
“It was easier when you were just a big sassy book.”
The professor looked scandalised.
“Big?!”
“This is far more amusing when I can see and hear both sides of the conversation. On your Feed you look unhinged.”
“More than looks.”
“Enough you two. Massive battle, a lot to prepare.”
Alex, the professor and Vance all turned to New Ben when he interrupted. Vance laughed again as the professor looked even more scandalised.
“Do we need to keep him? Don't forget, he also drinks spinal fluid.”
“On that note, what can I help you with?”
Alex pointed out towards the massed Kyrn behind the walls.
“Mercenaries.”
“Mer… you're hiring an army.”
“Consider it, asking for a favour from one of my Sponsors.”
“You have my attention.”
“Do you have any Spine Variants that you want to trial? I'll bring honest, they won't survive, but they may cut down some Kyrn.”
“Interesting. A War Trial. I think I can contribute, for science.”
“For science.”
“I have two legions of Flayerspines and a single Legion of…” Vance coughed awkwardly. “Infernospines.”
“I like the sound of the Infernospines.”
“Yes. Well. They're based off a Fire Warrior Class type.
Alex went silent and the professor started to laugh softly.
“They're a fire-based melee and AoE berserker Variant. Untested, but… lethal.”
“That sounds useful. Now for the favour. How much would your army pay for a test like this?”
Vance went still, so still his projection appeared to glitch slightly.
“Pay?”
“Of course. Conditions like these. A real battle. This doesn't happen everyday.”
“No, it doesn't.”
“Real War conditions would be beneficial.”
“They would…”
“I'm sure you and the army receive a retainer for supporting Integrations.”
“We do…”
“Good, off the top of your head, what would you day a fair and reasonable rate for something like this would be?”
There was silence until finally Vance replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
“3000 S-Grade Credits per legion.”
“So little?”
Vance sighed.
“Fine, 10,000 S-Grade Credits. Total.”
“That sounds better. Now…”
Everyone turned as a large man in ornate Greek-inspired armour walked into the Command Center.
“Alex?”
“Captain. Perfect timing. You and Dr Vance here will be discussing a War Trial for three legions of Spine Variants. Just to be clear, the Credits are to pay for Mercenaries. The Faction can keep anything left over. If there isn't enough I'll pay the extra… maybe. We can't too overboard.”
The Captain and Vance looked at each other, then back at Alex. As they walked away to an area off to the side Vance spoke quietly.
“Well done. The army will love this and it'll give me a chance to dissect some Kyrn.”
“I was hoping you'd approve. If you know anyone who wants to join the battle…”
“I'll put the word out on my Earth. Portal Devices?”
“Ask New Ben.”
Alex watched as the two men left, they struck very different figures. The more powerful of the two in a rumpled suit with a lab coat over the top, the other in full Grecian armour looking like he'd been pulled from the Battle of Troy.
“I didn't see that coming.”
“Asking Vance to pay?”
“I thought the favour would be the troops.”
“So did he. Hence the ‘Professor and Alex Show’. He was relaxed.”
“You played him?”
Alex shrugged.
“I guess. Not maliciously. They aren't his Credits and he wants the trial. But he answers to the army. So… I needed him to see the benefits.”
“You played him.”
“I really did. Should I feel bad?”
“Do you?”
“Is it bad if I say no?”
“I think so? But I think there are more important things to worry about.”
“There are.”
“That's a lot of Credits.”
Alex shook his head and walked back to the Thinking Chair.
“Not really. On a Planetary scale, with a full Defence Budget. It'll barely show up. Honestly, I think Vance will take the trial cost on the chin then on charge the army. He'll probably do pretty well out of this.”
“So, you played him and he knows it, and he'll play them.”
“They'll more than likely know as well.”
Alex sat down and leaned back in the chair with a sigh.
“This is going to be a long battle. Mama?”
Alex felt a cool breeze on his skin and he looked up to see the diminutive Goddess in full battle armour.
“Quite the entrance.”
“Those… rats are aligned with the enemy of our Pantheon, with the deities that have my husband. Armour is justified”
“Wait, will you fight?”
Mama clenched her fists and seemed to grow, then, like a balloon being popped the air seemed to flow out of her.
“No. I can't get involved… directly. Your army will be buffed by the full Pantheon though. There isn't all.”
Mama flicked a hand at the wall and a golden Portal opened and disgorged Adventurers in an Incan-inpired attire.
“Chosen?”
“A couple.”
“Meet your peers, Yatiri Till.”
Alex followed the Goddess until he came face to face with the tallest human he'd ever seen.
“Allillanchu, Yatiri.”
Alex silently repeated the Quechua word for hello to himself while Scanning the group.
Name: Pachacuti
Race: Human (Earth 6)
Class: Light of Dawn
Title: Earthshaker, Chosen of Inti, The Radiant
Faction: Inti's Children
Pantheon: Coricancha
Deity: Inti
Mercenary Contract: n/a
Level: 117
Name: Mayta
Race: Human (Earth 6)
Class: Shrine Protector
Title: Blessed by Inti, Shining Shield
Faction: Inti's Children:
Pantheon: Coricancha
Deity: Inti
Mercenary Contract: n/a
Level: 104
Name: Manko
Race: Human (Earth 6)
Class: Storm’s Final Embrace
Title: Chosen of Apu Illapu, Stormborn, Wrath of the Gods
Faction: Storm Lords
Pantheon: Coricancha
Deity: Apu Illapu
Mercenary Contract: n/a
Level: 128
Name: Manka
Race: Human (Earth 6)
Class: Riptide Harmonist
Title: Blessed by Mama Qucha, Harmony From The Deep
Faction: Healers Without Multiversal Borders
Pantheon: Coricancha
Deity: Mama Qucha
Mercenary Contract: n/a
Level: 102
“Thank you Mama.”
“The Coricancha helps its own.” The Goddess reached out and touched Manka’s shoulder, infusing the healer with more Unu.
Alex turned his back on the new arrivals and leaned towards the Goddess who waved a hand and erected a small shield of water.
“Who's in charge?”
“Because your level is lower?”
Alex just nodded.
“That's up to you. This is your Earth,” Alex opened his mouth to object but Mama waved his words away. “This is your Earth. You're also the Chosen of Viracocha.”
“Manko's level…”
“He, and the others will defer to you, if you take charge. That's up to you. If you step back then they will assert their levels and this will be their battle. The decision is yours.”
“They haven't heard any of this?”
Mama just looked at him then reached out and pressed a gauntleted finger against her water shield. The barrier collapsed, soaking the Fire Warrior but leaving the Goddess dry. Drawing from his Inner Fire Alex rapidly increased his body temperature, drying himself and his clothing while Mama looked on smiling. With a nod she turned back to the gathered Incan Adventurers. Before she could speak Alex beat her to it.
“Allillanchu, Manko,” Alex bowed slightly, “Viracocha and I thank you and Apu Illapu for your assistance. The same goes for all of you, Pachacuti, Mayta and Manka.” Taking a deep breath Alex looked out towards the walls and steeled himself. “We'll need to work together, there may be other Adventurers, but we should plan for it just being you, Ben,” Alex indicated his party member, “my Faction Leader,” Alex indicated the Captain. “and myself.”
Manko nodded and stepped forward, moving into Alex's space.
“As the strongest member of my group I will lead-”
“No.”
Four sets of deep brown eyes snapped up at Alex's interruption.
“You haven't even upgraded-”
“Manko, don't take my lower level, or my appreciation for your support as a sign of my subservience. You are here, on my Earth, at my request. If you, or any of your group, can't take orders from Viracocha's Chosen, from me, then you are welcome to leave. I'm sure Apu Illapu will accept your decision, though Viracocha wouldn't.”
Electricity flickered in Manko's eyes as the large man stared down at Alex. Manka reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Brother. Yatiri Till, the Chosen of Viracocha,” she stressed Alex's Title and combined it with a squeeze on Manko's unarmoured shoulder, “will lead us.”
Manko's power flared once pushing his sister back then with a frown he nodded once, then looked toward the Map Table and nodded again.
“Apologies Chosen. My pride and Inner Storm got ahead of me. I will follow your lead.”
Alex and Manko locked eyes then Manko wrapped his arms around Alex and gave him a quick hug before stepping back.
“Right. Ah... I forgot that hugging each other is a thing.” Alex cleared his throat. “Familiarise yourself with the Table, learn the positioning of their leaders, their Elites and the Royal Guard.”
The Incan contingent all bowed their heads then moved to the centre of the large area.
“You did well.”
“Thank you Mama.”
“Alex. You need to be the Chosen of the Prime Deity. That position comes with challenges, but it also comes with inherent expectations.”
With that the Goddess walked away, leaving Alex deep in thought.
“Well… shit.”
“Till, we've talked about this.”
Alex sighed and walked towards New Ben.
“Any word from your lot?”
New Ben looked up and shook his head.
“A few Alchemists are interested, which will add some explosions but not enough to turn that tide. When you anger an Earth, you really anger an entire Earth don't you.”
“I've been known to push some buttons.”
“On the plus side, the resources here restrict the Dominion's numbers. That may look like a lot of rats, but it's likely more than half of all the Kyrn on this Earth.”
Alex looked out towards the army.
“When you put it that way… I expected more rats.”
“Let's not go crazy, it's a shitload.”
“It really is. Hopefully there aren't any Null Stones.”
New Ben went white and gulped loudly.
“We can only hope.”
“Oh, can you make some Portal Devices? For the new Mercenaries.”
New Ben gulped again then nodded.
“I'll get started. How many?”
Alex shrugged.
“As many as possible. I'll create a Quest, that should bring in some more Adventurers. What reward would you suggest?”
“A quest?” New Ben flexed his hands, cracking all of his knuckles, “Thats actually a good idea. My suggestion, restrict it to Adventurers over level 100, preferably C-Grade. As for the reward, 50 S-Grade Credits would work. They’ll keep their own drops. Throw in a bonus, 50 more S's for every 1000 Kyrn killed.”
“Is that enough? It seems low.”
“S's? Definitely. Most Adventurers will come for the experience anyway.”
“Thanks New Ben. This is all, I don't know, it's a different kind of a lot.”
New Ben nodded slowly then looked up and swiped at the air between them.
“Guild stuff,” he mouthed, then turned away.
Alex walked towards Vance and the Captain.
“Alex.”
“Captain.”
“Alex.”
“Vance. Now that introductions are done. How is everything here?”
“Vance drives a hard bargain. We've modified the agreement, we, The Clark County Resistance, receive 2000 S-Grade Credits and provide a battlefield to test Spine Variants. Additionally, we provide unlimited access to the Lost Vegas Dungeon. Lastly, Vance provides the Floor Boss for two levels in the normal Dungeon, he’ll also provide the boss for the final floor. He also gets access to Crush.”
“A hard bargain?”
The Captain smiled.
“He drove the bargain. It isn't hard for us, but its a lot for them.”
“If I can, in the long run this benefits us more. In the short term, Alex gets the Credits he needs to win this War.”
“What now?”
“Now Alex? Now I give you a lot of Credits and you… do what you do and kill a lot of rats. Probably annoy a lot of people and some powerful deities.”
“So, a normal day for Till then.”
Alex frowned at the professor, Vance chuckled while swiping at the air in front of hm and the Captain just stared at the professor.
Dr Cullen Vance (Earth 78) has initiated a trade
Accept
Yes/No
Alex accepted the trade.
You have received 2000 S-Grade Credits
With that Vance looked around, made eye contact with Alex and the Captain and stood up. Drawing Alex's attention to the chairs.
“Where did…”
“The chairs? This building is programmable. The only set component is your Table. You and the Captain have complete control over it.”
“That's… awesome and something I really need to look into after the battle. Captain, we need to set up the quest to bring in more Adventurers. Also, are you staying for this?”
Vance stood up and indicated his chair.
“I'm going to go and talk to that healer, she has a vacant Sponsor slot.”
With that Vance straightened his tie and attempted to smooth out his suit then moved across the large room leaving the Captain and Alex looking after him.
“He's different.”
“He is that. I'm pretty sure he's considered dissecting me at least once. But we want him on our side.”
“Agreed. Now, you mentioned a Quest?”
“You've set them up before, back on our Earth?”
“At home? I have. Gathering and Rescue quests mostly. Some Elite Hunting quests.”
“Good. We need go set up a War Quest. For people on different Earths, that are D-Grade at least. Some C-Grades would be amazing. A B-Grade would probably finish this straight away, but they'd cost more than we have.”
“B-Grade?”
“Oh. Right. Professor?”
Alex watched as the Captain's attention was diverted by a screen.
“You sent him the notes from your chat with New Ben?”
“My notes?”
“Professor.”
“Fine. You're no fun when-”
“My boss.”
“When your boss is around. Yes, I sent him the notes… which includes my source.”
“Ben de'Vries? Alex, I read about your accident. Ben de'Vries was the name of-”
“My best friend. Who died… who was killed by the pricks,” Alex felt his anger surge and knew his eyes had changed, he took a moment to compose himself, “the pricks who attacked our camp. Yes, he died. This Ben, New Ben,” he indicated New Ben pacing on the other side of the Command Center, “is from Earth 79. Completely different, but he's helping me deal with my… issues.”
The professor snorted and laughed softly.
“New Ben, Alex’s Emotional Support Alchemist Assassin Chos-”
“Professor Ladere!”
All eyes turned to New Ben who was aggressively swiping at the air.
“New Ben?”
“You said that so innocently.”
“Shush Till. He looks angry.”
“Professor Ladere, why do I have new title? One with your patented style of humour.”
“Oops,” the professor said softly so only Alex could hear, then continued loud enough for New Ben to hear, “I don't know what you mean. I was just talking with Till and…”
“Damn it. Oh… it's actually useful. Carry on.”
Alex looked between New Ben and the professor then shrugged.
“I really don't have time for this. Now, Captain, the War Quest. We're running out of time.”
“Let's get started. D and C-Grade Adventurers, a minimum of,” the Captain swiped the air, “level 100. Reward?”
“50 S-Grade Credits, personal loot, 50 additional S-Grade Credits for every 1000 Kyrn killed.”
“Done. Reporting to?”
“Me.”
“You?”
“Captain. This is my Earth. They, and you, will report to me here.”
The Captain looked at Alex and after a moment nodded.
“Accepted, and I've posted the quest. You'll start getting…”
Alex held up one hand while swiping the air with the other.
“Are there Adventurers just waiting for quests? Now Ben? Those Portal-”
Ben de'Vries (Earth 79) has initiated a trade
Accept
Yes/No
Again Alex selected Yes.
You have received 211 Earth 39 Portal Devices
“Not a bad start… professor can you deal with these applications?”
“What will you be doing?”
“Greeting new arrivals.”
“Make sense, there's going to be a lot.”