Local: You are in a negative energy zone.
I could not remember the last real hangover I had woken up with, and the feeling I had now just confirmed why I didn't really drink as much as others around me. Sure, I had been rolling drunk before, but sometimes, you needed to be out of control to make the right choices. Sometimes, you need to be out of control to forget. The next day was something that always made me swear I would not touch alcohol again.
Cat litter, bees buzzing, jackhammers, and gravel were some of the more mundane words to describe how I felt.
Local: You are in a negative energy zone.
The first thing that registered was the incessant pounding in my skull. A relentless throbbing seemed to reverberate through every fibre of my being with each sluggish beat of my heart. I let out a low groan, immediately regretting the sound as it amplified the chainsaw cutting into my brain.
Opening my gluey eyes was a mistake - the bright morning sunlight was like a million tiny shards of glass piercing straight through to the back of my aching eyes. I squeezed them tightly shut again and buried my face into the grainy surface beneath me. The rough texture scratched against my cheek, and the smell of salt and brine assaulted my senses, sending a wave of nausea roiling in my gut.
My mouth was as dry as a desert like I'd been gargling with sand. Yep, I had been gargling sand. I ran my tongue along parched lips, tasting stale alcohol? and lingering hints of whatever ill-advised substances had led to this wretched condition. Bile rose in my throat, and I swallowed it back with a grimace, not daring to move too suddenly for fear of unleashing further unpleasantness.
Local: You are in a negative energy zone.
Every slight motion sent the world spinning and tilting dangerously. The crashing rhythm of the surf pounded alongside my migraine, each rolling wave like a jackboot stomping on my muddled consciousness. I made a futile attempt to piece together the night's events, but my mind was a hopeless tangle of blurred images and fragments of forgotten conversations.
With tremendous effort, I cracked one eye open just a sliver, blinking against the glare. All I could see was the endless expanse of golden sand stretching out before me and the brilliant turquoise waters glittering in the sunlight. I must have been on a beach, though how or why remained a mystery locked away in the foggy recesses of my addled brain.
There was something off about the beach. The ocean was slightly not right, the waves seemed more elastic in their movements, concentrating was hard, and I was distracted by a bead of sweat that trickled down my temple as the relentless Cayman? sun continued its relentless assault. Why did I think I was on a Cayman Island? I needed water. Sustenance. Perhaps the mercy of a swift demise to escape this hell my overindulgence had wrought upon me. But for now, suffering seemed the only certainty on this forsaken stretch of shoreline.
I was missing something. Something big.
Local: You are in a negative energy zone.
Sol, what's going on?
Solace: We are outside the system, low, low Energy. You are suffering from energy deficiency. Hopefully, it is localised and not on this entire planet.
Shit. I thought I was hungover and wondered what I had taken. I can't remember anything. I was in space and shit. Solace, I need to help Luke.
Solace: Gather yourself. Take stock. There is an Empire beacon not far from here, inland 500m.
I can't. I want to die. I need to rest.
Solace: I'll put a marker in your HUD. You could convert some crystals into Energy. It won't last long, but it will help. While you are at 0 Energy, your health and mana are cannibalised to support your higher tier being.
I had been given a few as a gift from Raechina before I left. They were convertible to credits or Energy. They were a cheap power source for lower tiers, and a higher-tier crystal was exponentially more expensive. I smiled, thinking of her other farewell gifts.
Solace: Focus. We need the Energy. Remember, I, too, suffer if you are.
With a sigh that was more of a groan of pain, I started the impossible job of concentrating on what I needed to do.
Stats:
Sarah Owens Transcendent HUMAN Tier 5 Level 29 Mystic Spell Dancer Body: 452 (S: 396 A: 419 E: 357 C: 637) Mind: 668 (I: 396 W: 661 F: 727) Spirit: 561 (C: 798 K: 455 P: 431) Luck:366 HP: 235/675 MP: 821/2910 EP: 0/485
Shit. My Energy and mana were being sucked out of me. No wonder I felt like shit.
Hey, I levelled up a couple of times! I need to pay attention to things like that. Isn't that your job?
Solace: Sorry, Sarah, I have been a bit distracted; learning magic via simulation is not the easiest thing to do. Despite being awesome, I am not infallible, and here I am, reduced due to the lack of Energy.
Is there a way to protect against that?
Solace: Well, Eddy, that is, Amy's symbiont, has a nanoscale wormhole linked to a pocket of uninhabited space to store resources; it could be used as an energy store. We should talk to them.
Sure. When we get back.
I examined one of the crystals.
Tier 3 Energy Crystal: 1000/1000
Holding the crystal, I absorbed 485 energy.
Clarity. Relief.
I still had to wash my mouth out with some water from where I had been lying in the sand, but other than that, it was an instant hangover cure.
I pulled 10000 mana from my Belt of Infinite Spells that topped me up with 1000 mana.
A healing potion helped with my reduced health.
Local: Reduced effects are due to ambient mana absorption by the local environment. Recommend finding areas of higher energy concentrations.
Seven more did the trick. Typically, one or two would be sufficient.
I felt sick.
HP: 627/675 MP: 1821/2910 EP: 485/485
Close enough.
True to her word, an arrow appeared in my HUD.
I had not really moved, just shuffled myself to a sitting position while I was suffering from Energy Depletion.
Shit, I had better get out of here.
HP: 627/675 MP: 1821/2910 EP: 482/485
Solace: 1.8 energy per 10 seconds. Just under 45 minutes. We can use the energy crystal one more time.
The water is moving slower. The sky is slightly off-colour, and gravity seems to be higher.
Solace: Gravity is 1.2 Earth normal, and the sky is what you would call bright cobalt 19-4037 under the Pantone colour scheme. The water moving slower is a result of it being slightly denser, higher in salt concentrations, and also having a higher specific gravity, making it closer to concentrated syrup.
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Leaf of Broken Season: Spelldancer Novice
The outfit was a Caesura special before he got nabbed by the Empress. I was happy with it. The buffs from the material made it so it added environmental protection to my exposed skin. Caesura the perve ensured that there was enough of the showing. I was pretty happy overall, and since my training with Liora, I was a lot more confidant. This was not something you would wear daily, but much like a knight putting on their armour before battle, this was the Spelldancer's battle robe.
Mine was a poor imitation of Liora's, and I had something to aspire to, yet mine would be more functional and sleeker rather than ethereal and mysterious. Despite the comparison, I finally felt that I could wear the outfit with pride and confidence. I was not sure if it was appropriate for my current situation, but I wanted to make sure that if I met anyone, they knew what I was.
I stopped and took in the endless desert as I crested the rise of the beach foreshore. Tall dunes and valleys of red and yellow golden sand stretched out before me. A cloudless sky with a large, hot sun gave the vista an almost infinite appearance. The horizon seemed close, yet I knew that I was seeing further than I should.
The sun and sky, can you give me the non-einstein difference?
Solace: Not really. Because it has a slightly shorter wavelength, the sun is hotter and appears more yellow-green, affecting the sky and making it deeper blue. That is mitigated by the atmosphere's composition, which includes more helium, more oxygen and slightly less nitrogen, making it lighter.
I did ask for the dumbed-down version. But I kinda understood that. You should have just said the hotter sun and different gases in the atmosphere.
There were also what appeared to be rips or tears in space that seemed to appear and then disappear. I sat watching, gathering data. There didn't seem to be any consistent size, orientation, or timeframe. Some were small and lasted moments, while others were the size of buses and lasted the same time.
Dozens were popping in and out, some close together, others hundreds of meters apart. None touched the sand and appeared more than fifty meters in the air. There was little warning when one would appear. With my high perception, I could see a build-up of something in the energy realm before an ozone crackle would rip through space.
The tears ranged from pitch black to deep purple, surrounded by writhing, jagged edges that faded into the surrounding air. The rifts defied gravity and logic, looking like wounds into the underlying fabric of reality, making me feel like I was witnessing something that was so wrong.
The lack of Energy was hampering my investigation as I was minimising my active skill use to conserve Energy, so I was not actively using any skills to assist me.
Solace: I would stay away from them, not to state the obvious. If we get closer, I can measure the ambient Energy and various other variables to build a model to predict them. At the moment, I can give you a subsecond warning. I would suggest that, if needed, Spectral Leap could be used, although the use of a teleportation skill in a low-energy area next to a forming vortex could be catastrophic. Emergency only.
So you have no idea?
Solace: Some, just nothing that is good. The data I collected from our previous catastrophic realm hopping is helping immensely. The models I built there are helping me to pinpoint distortions of the local energy matrix and to scan for anomalies while constructing a comprehensive theoretical framework that governs the dynamics of energy fluctuations and their potential to distort the fabric of space-time. I am continuously monitoring the emergent patterns and behaviours of energy fluctuations to accurately represent the intricate interplay between Energy, matter, and space-time, incorporating the governing equations and parameters derived from my theoretical research.
Stop. No. Quiet. Please. Just point me to the beacon.
Even though I had only 500 meters to move, it was slow and hard going after I got off the beach. No skills and constant scanning of my immediate area kept me on a knife edge. Solace did not let me throw anything into a rift, purely for science, of course. Her curiosity was backed by simulations and predictive models, where I just wanted to see what would happen. Her argument that it might alert something somewhere to our presence stopped me. I had not considered that there might be an alien presence involved.
Solace: It is a remote chance, but we should not take chances until we rule it out.
We could not travel in a straight line and avoid anomalies, so Solace plotted a course that zig-zagged up and down the dunes while moving through higher ambient energy zones. There seemed to be contours of energy differentials creating peaks and troughs of Energy. She was keeping me out of the lowest energy areas, which would speed up my energy depletion rate.
Solace: Move. Left.
My reactions were pretty good with such high stats, and I could see the rift appear as I made a graceful dive and roll, using my newfound class-embedded movement skills to land meters away. I was able to react and respond to her warning in the sub-second timeframe. It was scary to think how much I had changed from my former self pre-integration.
Solace: Stay here until it dissipates; I'll get some readings and add them to my …
I'll stay. I don't care what you need me to stay for; I trust you. I just don't want the explanation.
Solace: Sometimes I feel very unappreciated.
I saw our target from a hundred meters away, the first break in the monotonous desert. It was not much more than a series of dark patches covered in sand at the base of a dune. I could see where whatever it was, hopefully, whoever had slid down the dune.
Having a specific target motivated me and seemed to make it easier. I managed to pick up speed, heading towards the now visible person half buried in the sand.
It wasn't Luke; I knew that the being's Aura was not strong enough; I was guessing Tier 3 and moderately level. Solace had been making me practice detecting and trying to identify Tiers and Levels using my Aura rather than relying on an Identification Skill. So far, I was reasonably close, but it was all feelings and intuition. I would have cross-checked it with Solace if I had the Energy to spare.
Shit, it was Jean. Unconscious. Half her body was under the sand and covered in tiny mites.
Local System Identification Database Connection Detected
Identify: Dune Leech:
A terrifying scourge that lurks beneath the shifting sands of the desert planet Mortavir. Their insatiable hunger for Energy and mass drives them to swarm. These creatures possess the ability to envelop their prey in an entropic field, leeching away matter and Energy at the subatomic level. Anything caught within this field rapidly disintegrates, its fundamental particles ripped away and devoured by tLeechech. Resistant to Toxins, heat and psychic damage.
As I got closer, I could see the field they generated. Each mite was surrounded by a tiny egg-like energy field. I guessed that breaching the field would subject me to their leeching effect. The most significant danger seemed to be their numbers. They covered most of Jean's body, and only my high perception allowed me to see her shallow breathing.
Solace: Chilling them might work because their native environment is a desert.
Shit, I didn't have a lot of elemental spells that would work without killing Jean.
Solace: Rite of Purify Body. Also, you could use your Aura, flex it and use it for dominance rather than damage; it may force them to flee.
Shit, I keep forgetting the basics. What would I do without you?
The rite required a little preparation and would benefit from some meditation.
It felt weird to do some prolonged meditation. I had done minimal during my time at the Mages Guild, and my time with Loria was not conducive to being still and meditative, so I took the opportunity to do this right.
Wanderers of Alubusm's Novice Prayer Mat, Turtle of Godaago Garden and Leaf of Broken Seasons: Sporty.
It seemed like an age ago that I had received these, yet I had used them quite a bit. Now, they seemed like a friend I had neglected for some time. Getting them out stilled me and made me realise what I had been missing.
The mat was still beautiful, and I felt calm and inner peace as I rolled it out. The turtle, whom I would see if I could find the original of one day for the joke, seemed heavier and dense.
I drew a small ritual circle in the sand, just large enough to add some herbs. This time, I was a bit more selective, checking each leaf's energy and aura signatures. Intent and alignment of Energy were important.
Shit, Solace, I learned some crap at the Guild.
Solace: I would hope so; I also learned quite a bit.
Before I started the ritual, I spent ten minutes learning my mind. Once I was more at peace with myself, I burned the leaves and wafted the smoke over Jean's body. Concentrating on trying to dominate the mites, I sent Energy into my Aura.
Solace: If it takes more than ten seconds, we must find another way. Your energy regeneration is compromised on this planet.
The effect was nearly instantaneous as tLeech'sh's small energy fields popped, and the small mites swarmed off Jean, disappearing back into the sand. Due to their numbers, size, and speed, I did not get a good look at the creatures themselves; I just had an overall general impression of small, multi-legged, tapered tubes with mouths. Their colouration varied in light browns and dark golds, making them difficult to track in the sand.
Once I was pretty sure that Jean was free from them, I pulled her from the sand, grimacing at how her skin looked saggy and sallow where she had been buried.
Solace: We need to move. There seems to be a nest of them below us and we are not safe here on the dunes. The beach at least is free from the portals.
I administered several healing potions to her, with diminished effect, while giving her a quick check. Damn, I did not have any real medical skills, but from my recollection of basic first aid from my mandatory first aid courses, I could tell that she was in a stable but fairly critical condition. There were no apparent external injuries. She remained unconscious.
Solace: Her AI is in caretaker mode, only responding with a critical warning about low Energy. The lack of Energy is hampering her healing. We need to move her somewhere that can support her needs.
Back to the beach. We have been lucky with the portals so far.
It took some time before I could move Jean into a safe and comfortable carry hold without aggravating any injuries. I kept telling myself it was only 500 meters, yet the dunes and endless sky made it seem ten times that distance. Finally, I saw the beach in the distance and slowed down to admire the view.
I wish I were heading to the beach in less stressful conditions.
I sighed. The beach and the weather would be perfect for my red bikini or maybe even that new dark blue one. The blue one would hold up better in the surf, while the red one was more for tanning and would be prone to wardrobe malfunctions in the surf.
I love the beach. I was missing Port Douglas and just relaxing—not so much the sand, but the salt air, the sound of waves, and the cool breeze.
Sol, Remind me when we are not running from crisis to crisis that I need a beach holiday.