“Your mom tells me you found a dungeon,” Bren said casually as they sat down to eat. Isa nodded as she chewed distractedly, trying to remain calm.
She was still in a horrible mood after listening to the so-called leader of the colony dig for reasons to exile her. And for what? Because she had the nerve to look into an anomaly without orders?
And then she’d learned that her mother didn’t even have the courage to move to a new location to be with her, just because the government told her it was a ‘bad place’ where ‘bad people’ went.
She’d shown Jayne the satellite feed. There was nothing scary about anything they saw.
Isa couldn’t decide whether she was still angry or merely disappointed. Regardless, her emotions were still quite raw.
Reincarnation into a mortal body brought a lot of things that Isa was intellectually aware of but not truly ready for. It had been entirely too long since she lived as a mortal, and she’d easily forgotten how rampant one’s emotions often were, especially during the teenage years.
“I did,” Isa replied after she swallowed her food. “The Colony Leader wasn’t pleased with me going inside to scout things, but it saved her from having to send another team in.”
Her father shook his head disappointingly. “You shouldn’t have put yourself at risk like that. I know you feel vindicated, especially with your earlier theories about dungeons appearing. But you can’t do things like that. It is not acceptable behavior.”
“Trust me, I’m aware,” Isa muttered before getting lost in her thoughts. She couldn’t tell them what she knew since that would draw too many questions about how she’d listened in on the private conversation between the bitch – as the Colony Leader had been redubbed – and Commander Arcspire.
She really should have anticipated the possibility that someone would have interpreted her actions in the worst possible light. She’d had the annual social training every school-age student was required to take. Granted, she experienced a lot less cognitive and behavioral conditioning than most people her age, but that was only because she’d finished her primary education so early.
After the meal, Isa excused herself and withdrew to her room. Her parents watched her leave with expressions of concern, but neither attempted to stop her.
She was glad.
By the time morning arrived, Isa had transformed all the materials she’d gathered into casting foci and weapons, making her feel much more confident in her ability to challenge the dungeon. She even managed to turn the largest piece of crystalline core into a storage device using a basic array of spatial runes powered by Arcane mana.
She was too upset to worry about potential ‘what ifs’ regarding her magic use. Quite frankly, she’d been much too cautious anyway. Even if there was an active pantheon – which, oddly enough, there still was not – it wasn’t like most deities could access detailed system information.
And really, who cared if she drew a little attention anyway? They’d probably just assume she had a strong Soul affinity or something. Nobody was going to guess the truth.
She could be some reincarnated prodigy who lived in the Mana Realm during her last life. That was much more likely than the truth.
Annoyingly, her newly assigned guard refused to allow her to leave the dome. Even after the elemental magic-users arrived, Isa remained restricted to the dome unless on approved missions and accompanied by her full team.
Surprisingly, Zach was not among the magic users sent to assist with the atmosphere project. She wasn’t sure why he’d been held back, considering he’d shared his Air-making cantrip, especially since about half of the people sent only had access to similar cantrips.
It wasn’t like he was critical to the station’s network security.
Regardless, it was probably for the best. Anyone aware of Zach’s personality likely realized that sending him to Sumar would only put him at risk, especially given Ms. Scallard’s actions toward her.
There was no reason for the station to lose another security specialist.
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“Are you ready?”
Isa nodded at the older Water mage and activated the formation. Her team had used a shuttle to travel around Sumar, creating a huge formation over the past two weeks. Today marked the culmination of all their efforts.
Though she’d been promised access to the dungeon and any others found, Ms. Scallard had expressly ordered her team to avoid going near any anomalies. Another group had been sent into the first dungeon to obtain the stone and other materials she needed for her enchantments, and Isa made sure to take a moderate tithe in payment for her efforts.
Based on the variety of materials brought to her, the dungeon had incorporated at least some of her gifts. Seeing the items made her smile. The people of the colony likely had no idea of the value of some of the items they handed her.
Even the chicken bones were valuable to someone capable of enchanting materials.
Her team’s efforts over the past weeks had improved the budding atmosphere significantly. Once the last formation did its thing, the project would officially be complete. The entire population of the Sumar colony was standing by, ready to celebrate the occasion as soon as their helmet bands notified them the air was safe to breathe.
Even Station Commander Arcspire had shown up for the event.
Isa glanced at the older man as she monitored the gauges set up to track the budding atmosphere. He seemed pleased, and she was sure he would earn a lot of accolades for his involvement in the project. Even if he wasn’t directly involved, loaning critical personnel for the project would probably count heavily in his favor.
Conversely, the Colony Leader looked downright pissed as she stood next to him. Isa wasn’t sure why she wasn’t happy about the accomplishment since it would undoubtedly provide her with a large amount of merit. She was probably one of those people who were never satisfied with anything.
Isa hadn’t bothered listening in on the hateful woman after she submitted the paperwork to initiate the former goddess’s exile from the Empire. Quite frankly, it was hard to listen to the woman without accidentally causing her heart to explode.
A former goddess with access to her memories and Arcane mana was a dangerous foe.
Isa’s helmet band indicated the atmosphere was safe a moment before a cheer erupted, and the shields surrounding the colony residents’ faces started disappearing.
After several minutes of celebration, Commander Arcspire climbed onto the small stage that had been fashioned outside the dome. Another round of cheering sounded, and he waved before motioning for the Colony Leader to join him.
“What a momentous occasion! After more than twenty years, the mission of the Sumar Colony has finally been accomplished!” he said dramatically, raising both of his hands to punctuate his claim.
The crowd erupted into cheers once again. The excitement was palpable, and Isa found herself energized by the enthusiasm of her fellow humans.
Even Ms. Scallard seemed to be infected by the mood of the small crowd.
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“But the work doesn’t end here,” the man continued, causing the crowd to quieten. “Now that we can breathe without worry on the surface, it’s time to turn this rock into a verdant oasis. With as helpful as our elemental magic users have been, I’ve put out a request for more newly classed magic specialists to assist with the next stage of our project. The first to arrive is a Geologist who has taken an Earth Mage class.”
Commander Arcspire motioned to a gentleman standing just off-stage. The man was unobtrusive as he nervously made his way to the stage.
“This is Dr. Randolf Jordanson.” The man in question gave a hesitant nod and a half-wave. Commander Arcspire continued speaking. “With the success of Sumar Colony, your current Colony Leader has proven herself capable of accomplishing the mission. As a result, she has been rewarded with a new assignment – one that promises to have a longstanding impact on the way future colonization efforts are handled.”
Commander Arcspire raised his hands theatrically. “Let’s have a round of applause for Amanda Scallard!”
As the cheers died down, Commander Arcspire announced that Dr. Jordanson would be taking over the position of Colony Leader, in addition to his role as the Senior Project Leader for the new terraforming project beginning soon.
Isa watched all of this with a small amount of amusement. She wasn’t sure if Ms. Scallard’s ‘promotion’ was an underhanded reprimand for going against Commander Arcspire’s wishes or if it was a legitimate example of success creating more work. Either way, she was glad to know the spiteful woman wouldn’t remain on the surface after she left.
As the celebration wound down, Commander Arcspire made his way to where Isa was sitting with her parents.
“Congratulations on your success, Miss Stone,” the man said with a tired smile. “Without your assistance, I doubt this project would have been successful this decade. Unfortunately, your former Colony Leader seems to have taken offense to your actions.”
Isa sensed her parents’ attention had been piqued at the last comment, but they were much too afraid of the man to interject immediately. It made sense, given his relative position in the social hierarchy.
Isa nodded. “I assumed as much when she assigned a guard to watch me and forbade me from leaving the dome, then reneged on the agreement to allow me into the dungeons.”
“So, you’re aware of what is going to happen?” he asked, not bothering to make excuses for the former Colony Leader. The teenager nodded in resignation and glanced at her parents.
“Yes, and honestly, it’s probably for the better,” Isa replied with a look of sadness.
“Wait,” Jayne said, pushing past her discomfort to voice her confusion. “I’m not sure I understand what’s going on.”
Commander Arcspire looked at the woman sympathetically. “We should discuss this somewhere more private.”
Used to complying with people in positions of authority, regardless of the situation, Isa’s parents meekly stood and followed the older man into a private office within the dome. The dome had been built-up over the weeks she’d been there to resemble a mini-space station. With the small population, there were plenty of empty offices available.
Once everyone got settled, Isa said, “I don’t want you to get upset. I really will probably be better off going to the Wastelands.”
“What? No, Isa!” Jayne protested, reaching for her daughter and pulling her into a hug.
“Why would you suggest something like that?” Bren added with a hint of anger.
The Station Commander shook his head. “It isn’t a suggestion,” he said, drawing the attention of her parents.
“I’m being exiled,” Isa said with a sad smile before turning toward the man in charge. “I’d like to formally request emancipation. I’ve been providing for myself for more than a year and a half and am currently living independently. I am also only months away from turning eighteen.”
Five months, but that was beside the point.
Understanding her intent, Commander Arcspire nodded. “I agree. I’ll do the paperwork when we reach the station.”
“Wait a minute,” Bren interjected, fighting his natural inclination to remain silent in the face of authority. “I don’t understand why she’s getting exiled. Didn’t you just say how important her contribution was?”
“Unfortunately, Ms. Scallard submitted the paperwork under the auspice of colony security. She claims that Isamie is a direct threat to the safety of the colony because she has admitted to engaging in violence, which led to death.”
Isa tilted her head as if hearing the information for the first time. “No, I didn’t.”
The man sighed. “You described going into a ‘dungeon’ and killing the creatures found within. Either by magic or physical violence, it doesn’t matter. Without direct orders to engage in such activities…”
“I never mentioned killing,” Isa corrected him. “Killing implies something is alive. The golems were mana constructs.”
She could have explained more about how dungeons worked, but even what she’d shared was more than a genius should have figured out so quickly. Regardless, she was getting exiled, and she didn’t feel like fighting it. Sumar was never intended to be a permanent place for her. There wasn’t enough there to allow her to grow beyond E-Grade.
“Can’t you challenge the decision since Ms. Scallard is no longer the Colony Leader?” Bren pleaded, looking at the older man hopefully as his wife clung to their daughter.
Commander Arcspire shook his head. “It’s too late. Even if the golems are only constructs, it’s the action that matters.”
“It’s fine, Dad,” Isa said to her father while patting her mother’s back mechanically. “Really. The Wastelands is just another place. If what I suspect is true, it might be far safer for me to be there than anywhere else on Gentrius.”
“How so?” Commander Arcspire asked curiously. The girl’s eyes shifted to the Station Commander and hardened slightly.
She was tempted to tell him exactly how his beloved Senate was screwing the world, but she managed to stop herself. Her emancipation was not guaranteed, and the last thing she wanted was to get her parents sent along with her. They would be safer on Sumar or, even better, the station. No dungeons would appear there.
“I believe it’s only a matter of time before the dungeons overflow and start swarming the cities,” Isa answered bluntly, being careful not to criticize the government in the process. He needed to know what was coming. “People in the Wastelands will probably be better prepared to fight the threat, but destroying dungeons won’t be the way to do it. They need to be regularly cleared, not destroyed.”
“Why do you think that?” Commander Arcspire asked with a frown. “I haven’t noticed any reports of anomalies on Gentrius.”
“That’s because nobody is looking,” Isa replied, a touch of annoyance seeping into her voice. “I ran a few tests before my access to the network was restricted,” she paused, giving him a pointed look.
When he simply motioned for her to continue, not addressing the implied question, she said, “Everything I saw indicated dungeons serve as a sort of mana filter. I’m positive they are necessary for the well-being of the planet – or moon, in the case of Sumar. I’d be willing to bet the system won’t let the number of dungeons fall below a set number.”
The man chuckled and shook his head, dismissing her concerns. “That’s an interesting theory, and I’ll be sure to pass it along if needed,” he said placatingly. “I’m not sure about whatever ‘tests’ you ran, but I’m confident if there is something to be found, our experts will find it.”
Isa raised a brow and gritted her teeth. “I did just spearhead the establishment of an atmosphere… in two weeks,” she said with a frigid smile. “I might know what I’m talking about more than some ‘experts’ who’ve failed for more than two decades.”
Slightly taken aback by the forcefulness of the girl’s assertion but unable to argue the point, the Commander gave her a curt nod of acknowledgment. “Yes, well, regardless, you need to collect whatever you plan on taking with you. We don’t make people leave with nothing, but you won’t be given much space when you arrive.”
He seemed to realize where they were and shook his head slightly. “It’ll probably be about what you have here,” he admitted.
“You’ve been to the Wastelands?” Bren asked. Jayne was still sobbing as she clung to Isa. She was nearly inconsolable at the news.
Isa largely ignored her.
It would be easier just to cut ties completely. Isa could make new connections later if she felt the need for companionship.
Commander Arcspire nodded. “I have. I was a shuttle pilot early in my career. Did you know that Gentrius Station is the only hub that goes to the Wastelands? Every exile passes through our doors, and what limited trade is conducted between civilization and the wastes is run through the station.”
“So, it’s not a death trap?” he asked hopefully. “If there is trade, it means there is some kind of civilization there, right?”
The Commander looked a bit exasperated but answered Bren’s question. “There is. It is not as orderly or as advanced as it is here in the Empire, but I do not feel guilty sending people there. Were it a ‘death trap,’ as you put it, I would struggle to justify exiling former citizens.” He glanced at Isa. “Your daughter is right in some ways. She will probably do fine there.”
Commander Arcspire didn’t bother accompanying her to collect her belongings. Instead, he ordered her guard to ensure she was at the shuttle pad in an hour.
It didn’t take long to collect her belongings. Isa had already packed most everything into the low-quality storage device she’d created with the first monster core she’d collected. The device was nowhere near as good as what she could potentially make with more appropriate material, but it would do for now. She still carried a couple of duffle bags to keep from appearing suspicious.
After a tearful goodbye and a promise to be safe, Isa made her way to the shuttle and boarded. A half-hour later, the former Colony Leader entered the cabin and immediately sneered in her direction. Thankfully, Ms. Scallard was given executive seating due to her position, which placed her near the front of the shuttle and out of the former goddess’s sight.
As they waited to take off, a new notification appeared in her HUD.
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REJOICE!
The Gods have heard your pleas.
The Archon Pantheon has welcomed your world into their fold!
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