Damn, I hated my high stats sometimes. It was the only evening I really wanted to drink and try to ease some social awkwardness and embarrassment, and my body let me down. Dance told me that being past Tier 5 would make taking mind-numbing intoxicants of any sort expensive, rare and dangerous, not necessarily in that order.
Damn Dance. Damn Rach. Damn, Sarah.
Despite the high-level drinks I had consumed and Dance's efforts to make me puke coffee grounds and shit pinecones, I was stone-cold sober. Dance had done his best to funnel some high-tiered booze into me.
Each time, he smiled and just said, "This should do the trick."
Between him and Rach, I did have a fine time, but I was pissed off that I was not allowed to dance with Sarah, and she left before I could talk to her.
Sprite was a mix of pissing me off with a running commentary about boundaries and making suggestions about who I should talk to.
Out of ten, it was a pure ten for epic parties, but I ranged between six and seven for my enjoyment. There were moments, like dancing with Raechina, that made up for it, but overall, I was slightly annoyed.
It was capped off when the mercenary stole Rax. I couldn't believe that we just watched. I was able to restrain myself and not intervene. If I had been half-cut or totally drunk, things might have been a bit different.
It was sobering that The Hooda smiled at me and told me to ensure I had my affairs in order if I interfered. Her smile would have sobered me up anyway. She was just that scary. Even Dance tip-toed around her and deferred to her when it was important.
It was like no other party, and I woke up the next morning feeling fine, except my stupid HUD was still playing up.
Luke Hammond EARTH HUMAN (Evolved) Tier 6 Level ?? No Class
Body: error (S: NaN A: ?? E: ?? C: ??)
Mind: error (I: NaN W: NaN F: NaN)
Spirit: 344 (C: ?? K: ?? P: NaN)
????: ??? (?:?? ?:??)
Luck: error HP: NaN MP: NaN EP: error ??: ??
Titles Offline > Insufficient privileges
Skills Offline> error Initialising database.
Adjust Non-System Stats.
See error log: Redacted.
Sprite was working overtime to try to recompile parts of my system, and her interactions were limited.
The Empire System was not ready for such high Tiers, and there were incompatibilities between the System's Skills and their transitions to Non-System Skills. Through the AI grapevine, The System had expected at least a century before dealing with this issue, and if someone transitioned at normal speeds, it would have worked with that person to ensure things worked. That didn't help with the chaos of the days after the party which put my memory of the fight in the swamp to shame. After my recent Tier up, I wanted to keep a low profile, get training, get a damn class and sort out my ever-expanding skill list, but that seemed to be impossible.
Not only was my connection to the system acting up, but Dance was smug. He congratulated me on being worth knowing now and told me to keep a low profile, not paint a target on my back and to get my shit together. Except he took half an hour to say that.
He was infuriating.
He would sneak up on me and attack me with various weapons, knives, swords, bricks, and bats, and he even shot me at point-blank range with an energy cannon. He kept trying to dent my new body, which was impervious to normal damage. Nothing. Absolutely nothing hurt me. Well, it hurt, but it did not damage me. Despite his continual references to Cato Fong and humming the Pink Panther theme, I got a little smug until he poked me with his finger. That winded me and dropped my health by over 10%.
All he said was, "Big fish. Bigger Fish. Nearly time for a new pond." I didn't know how much damage it caused or what it did as my HUD glitched out. Sprite told me that all the more powerful did non-system damage and could bypass some of the restrictions of Tiers. No one would tell me what non-system skills and non-system damage were or how I could do it, only that it was up to me to learn. My trainer wheels were off, and Dance was happy to make fun of my ignorance.
Our settlement meetings with the Drakes went as well as could be expected. Julie and Mike were thrilled with the outcomes. I was more sceptical about Drake's motives, and neither The Hooda nor Dance would give me a straight answer as to why they were keen to be here.
Not that I really spoke to The Hooda. She terrified me in a way that I imagined would be like a stormtrooper meeting Vader in a pub, scary – like a psycho-killer grandmother who patted your cheeks while telling you that she was going to murder your entire village, and no one believed you. Overall, the deals were good for Min Min and Earth Inc., and I guess Earth as a whole as well. We had seven Drakes who decided to invest in the community, purchasing or leasing units at the resort. One even had plans to open some sort of business.
Mike negotiated a treaty with them, claiming the resort as neutral ground for all Drakes, and even got some recognition for this. It also gave our town a bit of protection. Not that the Drakes would ever advertise themselves. At least here they were a not-so-well-kept secret. Most people knew there were some powerful being around, but few would be able to put a name to their organisation. I guess if you were a secret organisation, going somewhere that had never heard of you would make sense.
Alakaʻi cemented her reputation as a relaxed and calming influence, able to deal with child-like monsters and was given the title of unofficial Neutral Grounds Arbitrator. It was a bit funny – Mike got jealous of all the attention she got and was annoyed that she was requested at most meetings.
The result was that the Drakes beefed up the security around the resort, including some Tier 4 Mana Cannons, a Tier 4 Planetary Orbital Defence Platform over Min Min and a security AI housed in space. Damn, it was starting to get to be scary stuff, and these guys did not mess around. We were planning to build all the blueprints I got from the party, but they would be awhile off, so no spaceships for me for a bit.
No matter how hard I pressed Dance, I could not get him to explain Drakes' insistence on being here in a backwater. I suspect it had something to do with Sarah's encounter with whatever she encountered and my weird mythical tier connection through the ring.
I tried to stay well away from things and spent time with Xarius to get some training between being Rach's bodyguard and champion.
I felt out of sorts since my Tier increased, and I could not determine what was happening. My HUD seemed more broken than my father's 1970s Kingswood Ute. He loved it despite it being rusted so severely that the tray fell out, and no scrap yard would touch it. As far as I knew, it was still sitting in the backyard on our old holiday property near Townsville. It worked, and you could drive it, but it was uncomfortable, dangerous and very inefficient.
Sprite and I tried to reboot the System Nanite Interface, and it sort of worked, but it was still full of crap.
Luke Hammond EARTH HUMAN (Evolved) Tier 6 Level ?? No Class
Body: error (S: NaN A: ?? E: ?? C: ??)
Mind: 476 (I: NaN W: NaN F: NaN)
Spirit: error (C: ?? K: div 0 P: NaN)
Luck: error HP: NaN MP: NaN EP: error
Titles Offline > Insufficient privileges
Skills Offline> error Initialising database.
Adjust Non-System Stats.
See error-log
My Stat summary had become weird. At times, it had numbers, but I lost all access to the underlying stats. It just reported errors. Sprite was working on trying to fix this. Despite the nonsense, I spent my time testing the limits of my new Tier and trying to work out what NaN and Non-System Stats were. All I knew was that NaN was short for not a number, which was not at all comforting.
Sprite: I don't want to alarm you, but this could be an error in the System Nanite Interface V2.10 (Beta Earth Human Expansion Tier 4 and beyond) package. It was rushed, and I don't think the appropriate resources have been put into it. I would guarantee that the Tier 5 and 6 code bases would have been a low priority on a newly integrated planet, with the expectation that no Tier 5 or higher beings would evolve for at least a decade or century. I have logged a ticket. But we are still waiting for your first one to resolve.
Figures. Does that mean I can't use Tier 6 skills?
Sprite: I am unsure if there are actually Tier 6 skills you would have to talk to Dance about...
That is not going to happen. He'll attack me or something.
Fuck that, he is annoying, and he would try to be some Mr Miyagi rip-off and tell me to go and do some useless thing to get to know myself. No, thank you. He can wax on and off by himself all he likes.
Sprite: Well, the only other option is The Hooda. She seems nice, and I think she likes you. Perhaps you could ask her for advice.
Damn, Sprite was a crap judge of character.
I am not sure The Hooda likes anyone, and nice is not a word I would use to describe her.
Sprite: In that case, some research, such as The Imperial Archives in the Imperial City, would be a good starting point. Mike's Ravenkin Forvitni might be of assistance.
I'll ask Mike if we can get his researcher on board. I don't think we will be near the Imperial Archives soon. Rach wants nothing to do with them until we find a way to find the traitors. The Hooda thinks Rax's engrams will be back at the Senate soon. In the interest of my safety, I want to keep Rach as far away from there as possible.
Sprite: Allen and Harold could help; maybe they have a unique insight into Systems. Well, I guess you will have to do your own training and see how you work things out. Perhaps we can sort it out. It's not like you are in any physical danger here anymore. Not that you were before, but now…
No to Allen. He doesn't seem all there. He's a nice guy but just a tad on a power trip. Harold is, well, unique. I'm not sure if I am ready to trust too much there.
I was deep in thought for some time, trying to work through some of my bigger issues.
Hey, did you notice I didn't get any titles for Tier 6? Not that I need more. Sometimes, I seem to get a title when I sneeze, although I could have gotten a dozen with the way my HUD is playing up.
Sprite: When I view the Title routines, they log errors. The errors are going somewhere, but I need more help. I need system-level access. One of the first AIs, Petal, might be able to convince the security routines to let me look. Maybe Allen. Amy said he had some Codesmith Skills that allowed him to look at the system code.
Maybe as a last resort.
Sprite: To minimise risk, I suggest using the collar again. We can adjust it to meet your previous stats.
Crap. Are the bugs that bad?
Sprite: Think – would you trust your current situation with your life?
Point. I'll collar myself. Can you adjust?
I got the Incarceration Collar out, and Sprite adjusted it.
It did nothing to my stat output; it still showed errors, but Sprite assured me that it was capping me and would only display what I wanted. The maximum stat that showed up across the board was 50. That seemed low, but it let me see the stats and reduced the headaches when I tried to use my skills.
Luke Hammond EARTH HUMAN (Evolved) Tier 6 Level ?? No Class
Body: 50 (S: 50 A: 50 E: 50 C: 50)
Mind: 50 (I: 50 W: 50 F: 50)
Spirit: 50 (C: 50 K: 50 P: 50)
Luck: error 50: NaN 50: NaN EP: 50
Titles Offline > Insufficient privileges
Skills Offline> error Initialising database.
Adjust Non-System Stats.
See error-log
I sighed just for a change, wishing things were easier. Sprite and Dance surprisingly insisted that I hide my stats. I'm not sure why I bothered; most people knew who I was around here, and I didn't care what others thought about me anymore. I wanted something like this.
Luke Hammond. Earth Human. Be Nice
Sprite insisted that it was polite to show Tier and level, so we compromised.
Luke Hammond. Earth Human Tier 5 Level 30 Warrior. Be Nice
I was dreading the next meeting with the executive team, which I considered the de facto council of Min Min, made up of Myself, Mike, Sarah, Julie, Amy – not that I told anyone she had access to Min Min, Alakaʻi, Xar and now Dance and The Hooda had muscled their way into our meeting chamber, with no new news, just to be a pain to us.
We were still waiting for fall out over the stolen engrams, as they would take some time to make their way to what we hoped would be the Senate at Madauros. Dance had some convoluted plan to flush out the traitors. He sure was being active for someone who said they didn't or couldn't meddle too much. But I was not telling him to piss off, no matter how many times he jumped out at me. He was reasonably confident that Rax's Engrams, or the Imposter as Rach kept calling him, had inherited some of his final instability. Personally, I was concerned about the potential for Primus to still be around; Sarah had said she was mostly confident that he did not survive, but mostly sure was not 100%. Our AIs agreed with me.
I was very conscious of how I was around Rach; we spent a lot of time together, and I could see her flip between being angry that someone would dare to steal them and happy at the entire situation of his engrams being someone else's problem. Despite all our time talking and hanging out, it was primarily dull bodyguard stuff. We were that busy, and I didn't get much quality alone time with her. I did try, and I think she noticed.
It was so hard to figure out what women thought. I was also conflicted with the mixed messages I was getting from her. One moment, it was as if we were a couple, and the next, I was relegated to the role of a manservant. I was off the hook learning etiquette through a skill crystal. Still, she found a three-volume manual entitled "The Imperial Compendium of Courtly Graces" by Master Thelonious Vireo, Royal Etiquette Master to the Imperial Court, for me to study. Yay.
I was unsure which I preferred, being the manservant or being in her good graces. Being with her still made me feel guilty about Sarah, so I was happy to have time to do mundane things and just think. I had yet to tell her that I was not able to access skills and that if something happened, I would be next to useless.
Damn, women were frustrating, and it was worse when the woman involved was one of the most important beings in the galaxy. Damn, that was great for the ego and soul-crushing at the same time.
I thought Mike would know what I should do, but when I mentioned it and tried to ask for advice, he just laughed at me. He could be a right bastard at times, but I guess I deserved it after how I reacted when he introduced me to Alakaʻi.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Mundane time also made me a bit melancholy, as I was also unsure how I felt about Sarah leaving soon after returning without saying goodbye. Not that I had made time for her, but time and the demands of others had conspired against any meaningful interactions. I didn't see her after the party, and she had left the party before I even got a dance with her. With the party, the theft and my HUD glitching, she was long gone by the time I was coherent.
We had so much unfinished business, and the extra layer of the Empress, the Consort and the Champion made things much more complicated. I knew I loved Sarah, which I hoped I could tell her one day despite being friend-zoned. I felt that it was important and that it was needed so I could move on.
I had no idea what I felt towards Rach; our friendship was building, desire, sure, love – whatever that was, maybe, it was hard to separate sheer charisma and comeliness from emotions. I didn't trust myself around her, and Sprite was constantly keeping me on an even keel.
She didn't help by playing games and stringing me along with mixed signals. All I knew was that if she said jump, I wouldn't stop to ask how high. I would just jump. Damn her. Sprite was no help, scolding me and encouraging me simultaneously.
As her Champion, she treated me like her bodyguard, manservant and toy. I loved and hated it at the same time. I wish Mike had a serious moment to discuss it, and he wasn't being a smug prick in his own relationship now. He would have a handle on this and wouldn't have half my issues.
Rather than moping about and pining for something lost, I would concentrate on what I had here, make the most of … well, that was the problem. I had no idea what I had here.
That's when I turned to my Legion training, hoping that now that we had time, I could get some practice in and learn some actual muscle memory skills. I was surprised when Xar told me training was over and to put on my big boy pants and man up. Just what I needed.
In a short ceremony, Xarius promoted me from recruit to Centurion, a cohort leader. He gave me Jean, Dallas Corey, Ryan, Phillip, Jerrod, Rahsaan, and Jamie as a crew to work with as a detached unit. I smiled at that thought out of fear and relief that they already knew how bad I would be at leading them. Jean would be very intimidating and a hard act to follow. Shit, I was in charge. Fuck. I'm not sure if I was up to be what they needed, but I would give it my best, and thanks to the rat bastard Rufus from boot camp, I had half an idea.
Evidently, I could have up to 80 people in my Cohort, and I was to be responsible for them. My first duty was to appoint Jean as Optio, for which she got a title and some skills. That meant I got orders, I gave them to Jean, and we discussed how to do it, and then she made it happen. It was a bit of a safety net for me, and I think everyone knew she would be the de facto leader. Way to go, me, breaking the chain of command before we even got out on a mission.
They had finished their 'First Cohort Bootcamp', an unofficial training run by Brick and Eolus. They were gladly accepted into the Earth Inc. security and loaned back to the Legion. Whatever the structure, they were working with me. The goal was to power-level them and work as a rapid response unit, a hybrid Legion and Earth Defense force. They were happy because they were somehow getting paid by both organisations. I was pleased just to be doing something. Leading people, not so much. It was much easier not to make the big decisions and be told what to do, even if I would complain about it.
I had no idea about Leadership or anything like that, so I was leaning heavily on Sprite and delegating to Jean. The crew were very diverse, and despite Jamie being a former traitor and an assassin, he gelled well and was a good fit when he wasn't whingy about little things.
For a small team, we had a good mix. Jean seemed to have leadership and logistics skills from her Army training, and from my dealings with her, she has always been organised. She had a depth of knowledge of tactics and strategy that seemed quite impressive. Dallas seemed more impulsive; he would be the off-tank if we were an MMO raid group. Ryan covered our tech and engineering. He was very hands-on and practical, someone you wanted in any survival situation if McGuiver was unavailable. Phillip complimented Jamie with some more scouting and stealth. There was a quiet rivalry happening there, but nothing too serious. Hopefully, it would spur them to improve each other. Rahsaan rounded out the crew as our Heals.
We would take a short window to sort out how we would work before our first active duty - visiting my holdings on Theshan OZL, where I was Prime or Barron. They would come with me as a shakedown and protection detail.
Mike had contacted my Steward, Tryggvi Benonýsson, to organise my visit as it needed to be sorted out sooner rather than later. Since I had become Champion of the Empire, the event had become bigger than Ben Hurr. As the Champion, it seemed I was now more important than a mere Prime. They needed at least a month to prepare, so we had a date for me to leave.
In the meantime, the plan was to take the team to find and close some nearby incursions to help Xar out and learn how we would operate as a team. I wanted to find out how badly I was without my interface. Physically, I didn't think I would be in much danger, but I was not sure how well I could assist the team.
The hardest part of this was convincing Rach that I had to go. It broke my heart to see her vulnerable; she was alone and had been left by her father, Sarah, to a certain extent, and now I was going on an extended absence. I couldn't tell her how excited I was to be going. We had our new scouting dropships. Surprisingly, she seemed fine—almost relieved. Maybe she was getting sick of my moping around.
Dallas flew the Mellow Viper, our light scouting dropship. He was the first to qualify for the pilot's license for this military-class vehicle. It had a range of over 3000 km and a top speed of 500km hr. It was sleek, radar invisible, not that this was an issue anymore, but it was very hard to see in the air. Since it ran on Mana Batteries, it was also silent and undetectable by most old Earth technology and most current Earth tech until more settlements gained Tiers and purchased upgraded sensors. The mana signature could be dampened with a competent pilot with skills, making it nearly invisible. The Mana Battery could be recharged from ambient mana or energy or directly from someone with sufficient mana. It took about 8 hours to fully charge from empty and had a six-hour flight time. Just like drones. Fly, then wait. It was an expensive purchase despite being second or third-hand. Extra range and other options were well and truly outside our immediate budget.
The first time I saw it, I got Sprite to order me a pilot skill cube. I wanted to fly this.
Sprite: You cannot use skill cubes. You could learn to fly the old-fashioned way – spending hours in the cockpit.
Gee, thanks, sprite.
It was hard to let Dallas take control, but as much as I thought I would be ok to pilot it, there was no way I would until I had training. As video game-like as the interfaces were, I realised this was not a flight simulator despite appearances. The required pilot skill was in demand, and it would take some time for Hydrox to find one. Even then, I'd be useless until my interface was fixed. I added visiting the shop and Hydrox to the list of things to do as I missed the watery shopkeeper friend.
In the interests of training, I made Dallas practice some low drops and fast landings, which seemed like something a leader would do. Well, he suggested those with a grin, and I agreed. I don't think Jean was impressed with 'Boys and their toys.'
Despite the craft's small size, we had ample room for the whole team and gear. The small cargo space was large enough to include supplies for an extended mission. We were strapped into the comfortable drop seats and had full audio comms with Dallas. It was Aliens meets Starship Troopers meets a Valkyrie Assault Carrier. I was in nerd heaven and hated Dallas so much.
With the month's delay before we could leave for my holdings, I decided we could afford to spend up to two weeks off base. We would hit Chaos Incursions and drop Settlement Stones off to any groups of people or smaller settlements we saw. We were in a perfect position to survey our extended area and make friends with anyone we could find. The area of Western Queensland was sparsely populated, but there were quite a few cattle stations and homesteads scattered around. Surprisingly, they had done better than a lot of the bigger townships. It said something about the character of people who live on the land. A 3000km range seemed like a lot, but when Queensland was 1.853 million square kilometres, we had a lot of ground to cover.
I was excited to be out doing something. I had mixed feelings about leaving Rach alone, not that I feared for her safety. Xar and Brick were organising bodyguard duties. The role of Champion was a more ceremonial position than out of need, she was still a kick ass fighter, even if she could no longer level in her class. Despite the time I spent with her, I still found her an unknown, erratic, and unpredictable person. Nonetheless, I would miss her.
Dallas relied on our limited settlement scanners and the Viper's onboard sensors. Once our Orbital Defence Platform was online, our settlement would progress to the next level; It would become a Regional Capital, and we would have better sensor coverage.
We did not yet have the population, but we have more than enough technology and upgrades to push us there. Our average level had skyrocketed with the Drakes in semi-permanent residences, so we were batting well above our population numbers. Once we had a City Hall, we would gain access to more detailed maps and be able to tie them into the other settlements around us, forming a network of overlapping safe areas. This would make what we were now, scouting and eyeballing places, easier as we could pinpoint the incursions before setting out, rather than having to fly in close to them and detect them either by sight or with our short-range scanners.
Luckily, we knew there were a couple that had been spotted reasonably close, and we knew we would be able to handle them. We did not expect any repeats of my cluster fuck earlier with that stupid pig, or not until Earth's energy levels peaked.
Dallas flew us north towards Cloncurry, a smaller township where Mike had previously sent some people to set up a settlement, as our first stop and check-in before hitting the incursions.
As we flew towards Cloncurry, we flew over a small community that was not on any maps. We could see the small outpost, a ringed wall around several buildings. Our maps marked it as Selwin, an abandoned mining town with an official population of 50. As we banked low around it, we could see cattle, horses and other farm animals in pens in the walls. It looked to be well over the 50 people registered here, with several large buildings and dozens of smaller structures.
"Fly in closer for a look," I told Dallas.
As we neared the walls, the comms of the Mellow Viper pinged.
"Unidentified craft, please state your business if you wish to remain in Selwin Airspace. Any acts of aggression will result in hostilities. If you wish to land, please respond." It was an AI message.
Dallas looked back from the cockpit at me. I nodded and motioned to land. He said something over his comms, then banked the aircraft, landing it on the flattened area outside the township's walls.
I shrugged as we prepared to disembark, "This was not here last time, so let's go check it out. Jean, Dallas, Rash and Jamie, you're with me. The rest of you sit tight."
I quietly nodded to Jamie, "Scout it out. No one sees you."
As we left, just because I had always wanted to, I said, "Ok, people, stay frosty."
Jean elbowed me, "No one says that anymore. Just because Hicks says in Aliens doesn't mean everyone says it. Don't try too hard."
I smiled. I could get used to this comradery.
We approached the wall of the settlement. It was tall and obviously system-built, smooth, sturdy and impressive.
I identified the wall.
Tier 2 Wall.
This wall has improved defence against ballistic and physical attacks. Magical attacks do increased damage.
Whoever lived here was doing well. I almost blacked out from using my skill. Damn.
A small side gate opened beside the main entrance, and two ringers walked out. They looked exactly like some of the cowboy folk from Desert's Edge from my tutorial. Jeans and flannel, large hats to protect from the sun. The only difference was they were all wearing Akubra hats. They both had rifles and, interestingly, short swords strapped to their sides. A short, petite lady strode forward and stopped before us.
She smiled, a bright and friendly smile beaming out from under her Akubra hat. "Finally, someone from the government. We need some help."
Since integration had only been a few weeks ago, I was slightly startled and didn't correct her immediately. What could go wrong with lending a hand to some people in need? There were no significant threats in the area that we could detect, and they looked happy—exceedingly happy.
I identified them.
Valarie Addley. Tier 2 Cook. Selwin Settlement Owner.
Friendly. Trusting.
Conditions: Aetheric Blight (Severe) ??
Ty Bridgewater. Selwin Tier 2 Beast Wrangler.
Friendly.
Conditions: Aetheric Blight
A headache formed at the base of my skull, and my vision went grey at the edges, but the skill worked—my skill worked! What I saw was new. It had never shown conditions before. I loved the identification skill. I had no idea what Aetheric Blight was, but it did not sound good.
Sprite: Stay back. Aetheric Blight could be related to Mana Blight and maybe a local adaptation. Some spores or parasites can cause Mana Blight.
Is Mana Blight contagious?
Sprite: Yes, it can be. It is an energy parasite that infects an area that feeds off mana. A host's Mana regeneration is sapped, and eventually, they will be unable to generate mana or energy and become comatose. Potions are an expensive short-term remedy. Destroying the parasite nest will alleviate the symptoms. Like toxoplasmosis, people and rats catch it from cats; it makes the hosts friendly, helping spread the infestation. Casual contact will expand the Blight into the new host's energy sphere, which will lie dormant. When it finishes incubation, it starts its energy syphon. Most hosts do not know they are infected as the rate at which it ramps up is slow, over days or weeks.
I used our private comms and notified Jean, Dallas, and Jamie to stay back and pass on Sprite's information.
Valarie stood forward with her hand out, ready to shake.
I stepped back. "Sorry, ma'am. We are not the government. We are from Min Min, just checking in on people to ensure you are all okay."
"Isn't that the government's job? Since Everett returned, things have been better, but we will need food and medical help soon. Dianna has fallen sick, and we can't help her." Valarie was still smiling. It was unnerving, and she seemed to be talking too quickly.
Ty spoke, his deep voice oddly calming, "Val, we can't just ask these good people for help. They don't know us. Maybe we can offer them some things. Dianna had some trade goods, and Everett had some things he thought were worth something."
Sprite: I would recommend helping. If it is a Blight, then it is imperative that we remove the risk. Finding the central nest can be difficult once it spreads, as you must track it back across different energy plains to the sources. It is quite insidious.
I think we should help too. People, especially Earth people, are valuable.
Valarie's smile was infectious, and I found myself wanting to trust her. Hopefully, that was all I would catch as I smiled back, "We would be happy to see if we can help. Rahsaan here is a medic. He can have a look." Shit, was it the Blight making me trust her, or did I really want to trust her?
Rahsaan nodded. "If you don't mind, ma'am, until we find out what it is, we might use some quarantine protocols in case it is infectious."
Valarie looked shocked and stepped back. "I am sorry. We did not even think of that. Of course. What do we need to do? And enough of the ma'am business. I am Valarie, Valarie Addley."
"Nice to meet you, Valarie. I'm Rahsaan, a Medic. You don't need to do anything. I have some suits we can wear to protect us."
Rahsaan grabbed some suits out of his inventory. They were in similar packages to the under armour, a small cylinder to be held against your chest.
As we did that, a bright yellow hazmat suit folded out and covered us. Mine had some cooling and a large clear mask that was relatively easy to see out of.
Sprite: I am still determining whether these suits will be enough. You should be fine, but Jean and Dallas may be at risk.
Ok. Rahs and I will go in to see what is what.
"Jean and Dallas, you stay here. Rahsaan and I will go see what we can do."
I felt self-conscious walking around in what was essentially a bright yellow bubble suit. Luckily, it didn't restrict movement too much. I was going to be chafed tomorrow, though. Actually, I wouldn't be. Not only did I not chafe anymore, but my passive regeneration easily coped with most minor irritants.
Aetheric Blight Resisted
Aetheric ?#@ Resisted
Aetheric Blight Resisted
Aetheric Blight Resisted
It kept repeating, spamming my HUD.
Is that a bug, or is it just that virulent? Can you stop that until it changes?
Sprite: Done.
Rahsaan: One of my medical skills allows me to be infected by a disease and learn how to combat it. I have not tried it, but this will be a good opportunity. If I pass out, I should be ok. It seems to be a mental skill, so be patient.
Ok. Make sure you have some mana, stamina and energy potions.
I looked at him as if he were mentally ill. What sort of sick skill made you get infected and learn how to cure it?
He just smiled. A light sweat broke out on his forehead as we walked into the settlement, and I was amazed. This settlement was far better off in a few short weeks than in many of our larger towns.
I made that comment to Valarie.
"When everything started happening, we quickly went to all the close-by homesteads and got everyone here together. It was Dianna's idea. Since I was the head chef at Station's Way and the part-time Mayor here, I got the first offer of being settlement owner."
She pointed at a building resembling a cross between a pub and a café. "That is where I still work. I have some cooking skills and can make some amazing meals now." The smile was slightly more genuine but no less creepy.
Ty spoke again, "I'll leave you to it. I have some cattle to look after." He turned and walked towards a paddock.
"When fifty people were here, I got offered a settlement package. We spent a day researching and then started building. Luckily, Everett gained a class that enabled him to locate ores, and we could reopen the mine. It has produced Gold, Silver, Copper and Phosphate. We sold them at the store for loads of credits and spent it improving our defences. A week ago, Dianna got sick, and we have been working and waiting since."
Something was off, but I put that down to the Aetheric Blight.
Sprite: the messages are still spamming. I don't see any indication that you will be infected.
We entered a well-appointed medical centre near the centre of the walled area. There was an empty waiting room, a vacant reception area, and rooms off to the side. One door was open, and a light could be seen from within. Valarie led us into a small ward room that contained a mix of old-school hospital and best-of-system medical technology. We saw Dianna suspended in what looked like a Bacta Tank from Star Wars.
"We upgraded the Medical Facilities when she became sick." Valarie nodded at the tank.
Rahsaan moved quickly to the side of the tank. After a few moments, he turned to me. "I should be ok. 6-8 hours."
Rahsaan: It's a doozie. I am infected, fighting it off, but it will take time. Once I beat it, I can cure others. But from what I can see, it will just re-infect if the area is not cleared at the nest. I'll leave that to you.
Sprite: The nest needs to be destroyed.
Rahsaan, are you sure you are going to be ok?
Rahsaan: I'll be fine. I can contact you if there is a problem.
I turned to Valarie, "Can I meet Everett?"
For the first time, I saw something other than a smile on her face. I swore I saw a flicker of fear or confusion flash over her features.
The smile beamed at me, "Sure, Hon. He is over at the mine head. I think he is leading a team down the mine."
It hit me. I had not seen another person in the town. There should have been others around, but it was a ghost town.
I was unsure where everyone had disappeared to, but we need to check if Everett is at the mine with others.
Valarie led us out of the medical centre and towards a low mound in the middle of the settlement. It was deceptive and tricky to see, but it was definitely the top of an underground mine entrance. It was not a massive open pit mine but a tunnel where you could almost drive a car. As we approached, I felt a moment of doubt. There was nothing overtly wrong, just a sense that not all was as it seemed. The tunnel sloped down with a rail track and a walkway leading down. Some system lighting lighted the first few hundred meters, then faded into dark black in the distance.
Valarie smiled, "They are about a click underground. It takes ten minutes to walk. You head down. I have some things to deal with. I'll radio ahead and tell him to wait." She gave one last big creepy smile and then walked back towards the medical centre.
Well, this is awkward. Any ideas?
Sprite: I cannot sense anything amiss. There are some minor fluctuations in the mana flow, but nothing unexpected. Wait. There are some erratic temporal flows. Be careful.
Even with my advanced perception and skills, Identify and Eye of the City Watch, I could not detect anything unusual, so I started my trek into the dark tunnel with a sigh, a headache and a sense of foreboding.