Blake kept his pace steady, focusing on his breathing as he jogged across the uneven terrain. His boots crunched against loose metal and debris, each step effortlessly placed to avoid twisted sheets and jagged edges thanks to his [Unfettered Stride]. The afternoon sun beat down, but his suit regulated his temperature rather well.
"Are you certain whatever lives in that Den will dispose of the remains?" Chimera's voice held a note of skepticism.
Blake's mind flashed back to his first night in the scrapyard—the glowing eyes in the darkness, razor-sharp teeth, and that horrible mechanical whine. His stomach turned at the memory.
"Trust me," he said, picking up his pace slightly. "Those things will strip the bodies down to nothing. Rax's people won't find so much as a bootlace."
"You sound unusually certain."
"Let's just say I had a close encounter with one of the residents." Blake suppressed a shudder. "They're like dogs crossed with industrial meat grinders. Nasty piece of work."
"And Mara was certain about the Den's location?"
"Yeah. Said they've lost people there before. Scavengers learn quick where not to go." Blake hopped over a fallen beam. "Perfect place to make things disappear."
"The confusion should be spreading nicely by now." Blake studied his HUD map, marking the locations of his three successful operations so far. "Different sectors, different times of day."
"A sound strategy," Chimera said. "Though Rax will eventually notice the pattern of lost patrols."
Blake nodded, zooming in on the patrol routes Mara had provided.
"That's the point. Right now his people are trying to figure out if it's equipment failure, desertion, or something else. Each missing squad raises more questions."
The red dots on his map formed a rough triangle across the scrapyard sectors. The first group had vanished into an innocuous area of scrap, buried in a ship no one would remember existed. The second was close to an old mining site Korrn had apparently suggested. And now this third patrol, gone without a trace near the warning indicator Mara had labeled "Ferroghest Den".
"You seem satisfied," Chimera noted.
"Professional pride, maybe." Blake traced the patrol routes with his finger. "When you can't match the enemy's numbers, you make them waste resources looking over their shoulders. Fear is a force multiplier."
"And how did the new suit hold up after those adjustments I made?"
"It did great, Chimera. It's almost unnerving how comfortable the suit was after I bound it, and your work on the plates really helped this time." Blake tested his left thigh and found it barely tender. "Yeah, the force of that guy's club dispersed nicely. Nothin' compared to that last guy with the hammer."
"Glad to hear it," Chimera purred. "So if you feel good about the gear upgrades, can we review your actual status? You've been putting it off."
"I told you that I'll look when something meaningful changes," Blake responded rotely. He and Chimera had different opinions about how often he needed to stare at his class screens. She had argued with him about going over it all the night before, but he had vetoed anything beyond soup from the canteen and a long rest to restore his broken ribs. He had put his last 4 points into Vitality to speed the process along, and they were now merely bruised instead of cracked.
"So, I ask you: Has anything meaningful changed?"
"Yes, actually," Chimera said with smug satisfaction. "Especially after that last fight."
"Oh, alright. Then let's get at it."
----------------------------------------
[I've gone ahead and organized the mess for you a bit.]
Notifications flashed across Blake's vision, one after another in rapid succession. The familiar blue text scrolled by:
[ Experience Gained: Battlewright ]
[ Experience Gained: Coaching ]
[ Mastery Increased: Coaching | Apprentice → Adept ]
[ Experience Gained: Insight ]
[ Experience Gained: Intimidation]
[ Experience Gained: Physical Conditioning]
[ Experience Gained: Stealth ]
[ Mastery Increased: Stealth | Apprentice → Adept ]
[ Experience Gained: Unfettered Stride ]
[ Mastery Increased: Unfettered Stride | Apprentice → Adept ]
[ Experience Gained: Roadwarden ]
[ Mastery Increased: Roadwarden | Amateur → Novice ]
A warm current rippled through Blake's muscles, spreading from his chest outward. The sensation traveled down his arms and legs in gentle waves, finding natural pathways through his body. The energy flowed like water seeking the lowest point, eventually circling back to his core.
Blake closed his eyes, remembering that first surge of Gnosis - how it had filled him completely, transforming his understanding in an instant. This felt similar, but lighter. Like comparing a trickle to a flood. The energy circulated steadily, lacking the overwhelming force of true enlightenment, yet carrying that same signature of growth and change.
His core pulled at the energy, drawing it inward in a slow spiral. Blake focused on the sensation, recognizing how it differed from his earlier attempts at cultivation. Where before he had struggled to direct the flow, now it moved with natural precision, guided by the system as he furthered his abilities and class.
He pulled up his overall Status screen.
Blake Connover
Tier 2 Human | Leviathan Bio-morph (Corebound)
Age: 43
CORE
Leviathan Core (Warp)
ATTRIBUTES
Unallocated: 8
FORCE
* Strength: 16
* Intent: 14
* Willpower: 16
GRACE
* Agility: 17
* Alacrity: 21
* Resonance: 9
RESOLVE
* Vitality: 21
* Adaptability: 23
* Resilience: 23
INSIGHT
* Perception: 22
* Awareness: 24
* Affinity: 20
TITLES
COREBOUND
* Corebound to Bio-morph Leviathan
BATTLEWRIGHT
* Universal Weapon Skill
* Increased capability with weapon-based mana manipulation
* Increased effect of Mental and Spiritual attributes on use of weapons
DEADEYE
* Minor increase in Perception & Alacrity
* Allows for the manipulation of projectiles in flight based on skill level
EDGEWALKER
* Substantial boost Grace attributes
* Moderate boost to Insight & Resolve attributes
* Variable increase to effect of movement
SAND IN THE GEARS
* Minor increase to Insight attributes
* Increased effectiveness of Insight attributes when identifying points of sabotage
GRAVEDIGGER
* Title Effects Locked
* Increase your Tier to access additional Title benefits.
CLASS
ROADWARDEN (NOVICE)
Keeper of the Fragile Order
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* Warden’s Insight (Apprentice)
* Unfettered Stride (Adept)
SKILLS
* Animal Handling: Adept
* Battlewright: Adept
* Burglary: Adept
* Coaching: Apprentice
* Deadeye: Apprentice
* Disguise: Apprentice
* Field Medicine: Apprentice
* Fishing: Adept
* Gambling: Novice
* Gardening: Apprentice
* Improvisation: Apprentice
* Insight: Adept
* Intimidation: Adept
* Logistics: Apprentice
* Negotiation: Apprentice
* Physical Conditioning: Adept
* Piloting: Adept
* Squad Tactics: Journeyman
* Stealth: Apprentice
* Survival: Adept
* Tracking: Adept
CRAFTING
* Baking: Apprentice
* Calligraphy: Apprentice
* Carpentry: Adept
* Cooking: Adept
* Mechanical Repair: Adept
* Mixology: Apprentice
* Origami: Apprentice
* Sewing: Apprentice
* Whittling: Adept
PERFORMANCE:
* Dance: Novice
* Guitar: Apprentice
* Harmonica: Apprentice
* Impressions: Novice
* Legerdemain: Adept
* Piano: Novice
* Singing: Apprentice
* Storytelling: Novice
"Did you need to keep all those random skills visible?"
"You never know, Blake. Your ability to mix drinks might just save the day," she replied, laughing. "Shouldn't you track your progress in that department, just in case?"
"Ha ha. So what do you think triggered the experience gain?" Blake asked Chimera. The sensation of power continued to cycle through his system, finding natural pathways through his muscles and bones. "Roadwarden hasn't ranked up since I chose it."
Chimera's voice took on that analytical tone she used when untangling a particularly thorny problem. "You've been actively fighting tyranny by hitting Rax's forces where it hurts. The class description flat-out says it's about protecting civilization from barbarism."
Blake frowned, considering that as he maintained his pace through the wreckage. "Maybe. But I've also been actively undermining society by hitting those patrols. It's difficult to argue I'm protecting civilization while I'm systematically dismantling the current power structure."
"The Demiurge system operates on layers far beyond full comprehension," Chimera said, her tone measured and deliberate. "It’s likely weighing everything—your actions, their ripple effects, the bigger picture. Beyond that, it’s probably factoring in your own interpretation of your Path and what it means to walk as a Roadwarden."
A piece of wreckage shifted under Blake's foot, but [Unfettered Stride] kept him steady. The power continued to settle into his core, finding its place among his existing abilities.
"In the end," Chimera continued, "the system apparently decided that your actions represented a net positive for civilization. Perhaps because you're working to replace a corrupt, violent regime with something potentially better?"
Blake ducked under a fallen beam, considering Chimera's words as he righted himself. The energy had almost finished integrating now, leaving behind a steady warmth in his chest. Her reasoning made sense - the system was far too complex to reduce to simple good versus evil calculations. Like any path worth walking, it dealt in shades of gray.
"Yeah," he said finally, feeling the last traces of power settle into place. "I can work with that explanation."
"Good thing that works for you," Chimera said, her laughter rippled through Blake's mind, bright and clear. "Because I don’t have anything more convincing to offer."
Blake stepped around a twisted piece of hull plating. "Speaking of explanations, is it finally time to discuss what the hell my supposed 'Leviathan Core' is? Been noticing that little detail on my Status screen for a while now."
"Only if you're willing to use up those free points to level out your Resonance," Chimera said, her tone shifting to something more businesslike. "As it is now, you poking around our core is likely going to do more harm than good."
"That's fai—" Blake was cut off as an alert from Zephyr pinged through.
"Or," Chimera said, parsing the message for Blake. "We could instead check out the latest from Mara. Something just came in through the mesh network."
"Sure, why not?" Blake said, annoyed at the interruption while simultaneously appreciating that Chimera was prioritizing. "The mystery of my own body can wait another few minutes."
* * *
Blake squinted at the flickering images projected onto his HUD. The grainy feed from Mara's network of spies was patchy at best, but the details were unmistakable. Rax's cybernetic arm gleamed under harsh artificial light, looking as though it had never been crushed by Eland.
"Fully repaired," Chimera noted, her voice a low hum in his mind. "Mara suspects it might even have been upgraded somewhat. Reports are saying it's a different material, but other reports note that his old arm was quite worn. No way to know yet."
Blake grunted, his jaw tightening as he studied the image. The new arm was bulkier than the one seen in older photos Mara had provided. The limb was reinforced with intricate plating that shimmered faintly. He zoomed in, trying to catch more details through the distortion, but it was no good.
Mara’s accompanying report filled in some more blanks as Chimera fed him her words. Rax hadn’t stopped with just his own enhancements. Over the past few days, several of his elites had undergone visible upgrades, their bodies augmented with gleaming cybernetics. Worse still, Mara mentioned spotting new faces among Rax’s forces—warriors previously unmodified now sporting implants and enhancements.
"She's right," Chimera added, her tone edged with unease. "The pace of this is… unnatural. Even with the salvage coming from that wormhole site, this level of progress shouldn’t be possible without external assistance."
Blake leaned back against a jagged piece of scrap and exhaled slowly through his nose. He’d felt vindicated when he realized none of Rax’s patrols included elites so far—just rank-and-file fighters. But this? This was worse than he’d anticipated.
"So," Blake said aloud, his voice steady but low. "Rax has been holding back his best this whole time. Makes sense why we haven’t seen them in the field yet—he’s been upgrading them."
Chimera's silence carried weight before she spoke again. "Mara suspects he has help."
Blake frowned, rubbing a hand over his jaw as he absorbed that particular revelation. "What kind of help? A supplier? Another faction?"
"Unclear," Chimera admitted. "Her spies haven’t been able to identify anyone directly assisting him yet. But they’re certain this isn’t just a matter of luck or good scavenging runs."
Blake refocused on the images as Mara’s report continued to stream in through Chimera’s interface. He activated [Warden's Insight]. Better to start figuring his enemy out now rather than waiting for first contact.
A few minutes of swiping through photos and zooming in on cybernetics later, Blake was interrupted. A new system message appeared in his view. Instinctively, he tried to will it away to be looked at later, but unlike all previous notifications, this one would not be ignored.
It was also, Blake noted with a start, golden. That had only happened once, when he first integrated with Demiurge.
[ Important Scenario Announcement Will Begin Soon ]
"Blake," Chimera whispered, sounding nervous. "I'm not sure I like that."
For his part, Blake saw the word "scenario" and immediately heard that bastard Archon's laugh again.
"No, I don't either. Let's get back to Eland ASAP."
Without hesitation, Blake slammed the remaining free points from his advancement into his Resonance. He had a feeling he'd need every tool at his disposal for whatever was coming next.