True to his word, it didn’t take long for Derrick to manufacture a variety and number of very dangerous items. It turned out that each of the generators was filled with diesel. With the scrap metal and other bits at hand, a twisted imagination, and a touch of System ingenuity, it didn’t take long for the engineer to create several hundred incendiary grenades.
Sitting back from his worktable, Derrick was sweating profusely as Ray observed the fruits of his labor. Each grenade was roughly the size of an apple and looked like any standard military fragmentation grenade. With one difference, they were cherry red with a small red and orange flame painted on the side.
“Did you… plan on making them red?” Ray asked, curious. “The flame graphic is a nice touch.”
Derrick shook his head, “No. Not at all. I don’t even have dye. I wish I could take credit for that but the System turned them that color and provided the graphic once the crafting was deemed a success.” He gestured to the pile of discarded parts soaked in diesel, “Not every attempt was successful either, but I have the measurements down now so making more should have a significantly lower failure rate.”
“Hold on a second. So let me get this straight,” Ray repeated back to ensure he understood, “When you craft something and it doesn’t meet the standards or requirements set by the System it becomes scrap. But if it does the item is… what? Generated? Put together?”
Derrick shrugged, “I don’t honestly know. All I know is that I assemble the item using the materials. If whatever magical criteria are met, then yes the item is created and… enhanced,” he said with a bit of uncertainty. “I mean… they got painted for fucks sake.”
“Maybe the System has a sense of humor? The author of that letter certainly did,” Ray mused. “Regardless… I wonder if I can use my ability to make them even better?”
Derrick gave him an odd look, “What do you mean ‘make them better’? They are fucking awesome now.”
But Ray wasn’t listening to him. He had focused on one of the cherry red grenades and mentally activated his {MODIFY} ability. Instantly he felt the drain on his Power as a screen opened up to him:
{COMMON INCENDIARY GRENADE}
EXPLODES VIOLENTLY WHILE SPREADING FIRE
{MODIFY GRENADE}
COMMON FORCE – 10 POWER
COMMON RADIUS – 10 POWER
COMMON INCINERATION – 10 POWER
COMMON MANA – 100 POWER
“Woah, that actually worked,” he whistled. “I can modify the grenades using Power and make them better. The cost is… a bit insane actually. I can only do five, then I’m drained.”
“Then don’t,” Derrick said firmly. “The upgrades aren’t worth it, and Power is hard to come by. You may have ten or twelve times the amount I do, but it seems to only refresh over a long period of rest. Perhaps even overnight. I don’t know yet, not enough information. The fact remains that if something comes up later today, like that horde earlier, you will need every drop you can get.”
He sighed ruefully, stretching as he sat even further back in his chair. “I only wish there was a way to store it. Banking Power seems like a solid idea.”
Ray blinked at that. “That’s… a fucking amazing idea. I bet there is something to do just that, and I know who to ask about anything that can do that too!”
Ray strode over to the shop with Derrick hot on his heels. The Lamia shopkeeper, Talla, was present and waiting patiently. The moment she saw them coming her countenance went from bored to smiling pleasantly. Ray was happy to see that the smile even reached her eyes.
“Hey there Talla, how are you doing today?” Ray asked, coming to a stop in front of the shopkeeper.
She nodded gracefully, “I am well, thank you, Mr. Finnegan. I heard there were some interesting events last night. Hopefully, everything went well?”
“We lost a couple of people, a Goblin and an Orkin. The loss hurts, but survival is paramount, and people are going to die,” Ray said, a bit sad but determined. “But here we remain. Anyway, I have a question for you… is there any item that will allow you to store Power? Actually, make that two questions. When does Power restore?”
The Lamia nodded. “Both excellent questions. The answer to the first is no, there is no way that anyone knows of currently to store Power. The second question is, likewise, easy to answer as it is well-known. Power restores at the stroke of midnight on whatever local planetary body the person is on. If you are not on a planetary body it restores at the stroke of midnight on the last world you came into contact with.”
“That… makes complete sense,” Derrick said, nodding. “Do you need to be asleep for the restoration?”
Talla shook her head, “No. Nor do you get a notification or a rush of energy. The Power is simply restored,” she said, ending slowly as she looked at Ray. He was practically bouncing on his heels.
“Thank you Talla! I will… having something to sell you here shortly,” he said. Then he took off at a run, heading right back to the crafting table that Derrick had just been at. The engineer quickly said his goodbyes and followed.
As soon as they got back to the table, Ray grabbed several pieces of scrap and examined them. Then he handed them to Derrick. “Make this into a cube please.”
Confused, Derrick did as he was told, handing back a flawless cube of metal. Ray concentrated on it for a long moment, feeling his Power surge within as his intent became known. Then he spoke a single word.
“{MODIFY}.”
The Power exploded from him, causing Derrick to take several hasty steps backward. Ray, however, stared at the floating screen in front of him in wonder. The new option, sitting there, was much lower in utility than he had wanted… but the option was still there. The System had responded to him.
{STEEL CUBE}
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
A BASIC STEEL CUBE
{MODIFY MENU}
POWER STORAGE – 50 POWER
He swallowed. While he wasn’t as outright intelligent as Derrick or had the understanding Gale did of the System… he knew that if he did this it would change a lot of things. It may also make him a target for those who had power and wanted him to crank these things out. But he needed the NEX. And if he could trade this for support and money? The trade was well worth it.
He hoped.
He chose the Power Storage option and the blank grey steel cube lit up with energy, becoming translucently blue in nature. Derrick stared at him in shock.
“What the fuck did you just do?” he asked, taking another step away just in case.
Ray licked his lips nervously. “I… just made a storage container for Power. I think.” He analyzed the item.
{POWER CUBE}
STORES EXCESS POWER FOR LATER USE
STORAGE 0 / 5
ATTUNEMENT: NONE
“Yup, that’s exactly what I did. Looks like this thing will hold a maximum of five Power,” he said, looking up at his friend. “I think this might be a big deal?”
“Go ask Talla. Now,” Derrick ordered, pointing him back towards the shop and the curious look Lamia. She had seen the flash of energy, but still had no idea what had happened.
Ray headed back over there and held out the Power Cube. “Here Talla, take a look at this and… let me know if I can sell it.” She took the cube curiously, looked at it for a moment, then went pale.
“I… I…,” she stammered. Then looked back up at Ray and offered the cube back to him. “I need to contact management. This is beyond my grade. Way, way beyond my grade. That shouldn’t be possible, and I have no idea what something like that would be worth. I will be back shortly.”
She pulled out a small red button and pressed it. The woman vanished in a flash of light, leaving the shop unattended but open. Ray wondered how long it would take for her to come back, but the turnaround shocked even him as Talla reappeared. And with a friend.
The demon-looking fellow was tall, rail thin, and was wearing an immaculate suit that seemed to be… alive. His face was wearing a grin that was far too wide for it, sharp teeth on prominent display. His four-fingered hands were pale, with long digits that ended in sharp tips.
“Mr. Finnegan,” the creature hissed out while holding out a hand to shake, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Ray shook his hand quickly, but firmly, letting go as the demon continued, “I am Argyle Trion, CEO of Trion Incorporated. My sales associate here, Talla, has brought to my attention that you may have an item capable of storing Power itself. Would this be… accurate?”
He swallowed deeply. Ray had the feeling that the creature in front of him was both ancient and powerful beyond his imagination. Something that should have been impossible, as the letter promised that everyone had been reset to level one. But he had trusted his instincts up to this point and had no reason not to go with his gut feeling. So instead of responding, he simply held the Power Cube out to the creature in front of him.
Argyle took the item cautiously, examining it with deep and cunning eyes that blazed internally. “Hmm. Yes. Yes, I see. Fascinating,” the demon muttered to himself. He looked up at Ray and asked, “Can you make more Mr. Finnegan? With more capacity?”
“Yes. I can make more that is,” Ray said, confirming. “I don’t know about capacity. This is the first one that I made and… frankly, it was expensive. Really, really expensive. At least for me. I haven’t experimented a lot with what I can make so far. I thought this may be valuable, so I brought it over to Talla to sell.”
Argyle nodded, “Of course. That makes sense. And yes, Mr. Finnegan, this item has… value beyond words at this time. So, tell me,” he said with a, somehow, even wider and toothier smile, “would you like to make a deal?”
Ray was immediately on guard. He had heard stories of demons and their ‘deals’. Hell, even working with Jalla put him on edge, and the man wasn’t technically a demon at all. He stared at the CEO of Trion for several minutes, carefully crafting his response.
“Yes. But only if it furthers my goals,” Ray responded, simply and directly.
Argyle burst out laughing. He clutched the cube to his side as his long skinny arms wrapped around his sides in mirth. After a few moments, he composed himself and straightened back up, the smile now reaching his burning eyes.
“Wonderful, simply wonderful,” he said playfully. “This is the second time this century I have been honestly amused. First by a half-breed and now by a resurrected. You, Mr. Finnegan, are right to be cautious when dealing with a True Demon. However, let me dispel something for you right here and now,” he said all levity dropping from his voice.
“I will deal with you honestly. Something I do not do often,” he said, the soft whisper of his voice giving Ray chills to his marrow. “What you handed me is a game changer on a scale you cannot imagine. The recent changes to the System are immense, widespread, and all-encompassing. You, and so far only you, have the ability to create these… storage devices. So let me make you a fair offer for the one in my hand now. One hundred thousand NEX per storage point.”
Ray blinked, opened his mouth, then closed it. In shock. Finally, he managed to get out, “Five hundred thousand?”
“That is correct, Mr. Finnegan. A Princely sum by any means, and an amount that is nothing to balk at. It is on par with any {LEGENDARY} item, for certain. In addition to this, I will upgrade your shop, at my own cost, to level three once you claim this territory. Speaking of, I will also provide you with enough temporary support to claim said territory as your own,” Argyle said, still deadly serious. “I wish for continuing relations going forward, Mr. Finnegan. Positive relations. Something that, once more, I rarely wish for. From anyone.”
Derrick moved up to Ray’s side. “Take this deal, Ray,” he said quietly, even as the duo saw Talla nod frantically behind Argyle. “I think this doesn’t happen often. And when it does it needs to be accepted.”
Ray thought about the offer. “I have one question,” he said slowly as Argyle locked onto him. “Can I remain anonymous as well? As the creator?”
The demon nodded. “Done.”
Ray held out his hand, “We have a deal,” he said a slow smile creeping up his face. This would catapult their plans forward, give them a base of operations well ahead of schedule, and help them find their other friends far more quickly.
“Thank you, Mr. Finnegan. I think this is the start of a wonderful working relationship,” Argyle smiled, giving Ray the shivers. Then the demon simply vanished. No smoke, no mirrors, no slow fade. One moment he was there… then he was gone.
“That was… amazing and utterly terrifying,” Derrick said with no hesitation. “That guy seemed absurdly powerful. Let’s try not to fucking piss him off yeah?”
Talla nodded vigorously. “Mr. Trion is one of the very, very few and utterly powerful True Demons in existence,” she stated factually, slithering forward to take her usual place at the desk. “He is powerful beyond understanding, and even the reset back to our base levels did little to hamper his abilities or knowledge. He is really scary, and I've never even seen him smile much less laugh,” she said, whispering that last bit as she slumped.
“You are… ok though?” Ray asked kindly, patting her on the shoulder. “They didn’t hurt you or anything?”
Talla blinked rapidly, straightening back out into a stance that was somewhat more professional, if more casual than she had been before. “Oh, gods no, I wasn’t hurt by any means. It is just difficult to stay comfortable in the presence of someone who is so very much more powerful than you are. They have this… aura that makes it difficult to breathe. And when they get excited…” she trailed off.
Ray nodded. “I get that. I’m just glad you are ok… and please let Argyle know that I prefer you here?”
The Lamia nodded thankfully. “I will Mr. Finnegan, thank you!” she said happily. She was about to say more when a high-pitched whining noise filled the air.
Ray was going to ask what was going on, but a pitch-black portal ripped its way into existence in front of him. Out of it poured a twenty or so seven-foot tall, heavily muscled and armored demons. Pouring out behind them were dozens upon dozens of black-skinned imps, equally as armored. They were all armed with a variety of spears and swords.
The last person out of the portal, before it snapped shut, was a skinny pale demon dressed in a suit. A smaller, and far less intimidating, version of Argyle himself. It walked over to Ray and smiled. “You must be Mr. Finnegan,” he said with a bow. “I am Louis. We are here to remove any opposition from this territory for you. What are our orders?” he asked with a somewhat bored tone.
Ray didn’t know where to begin, but there was one overriding question that was stuck in his brain as he struggled to process everything that had happened in such a short amount of time.
How much had the author of that letter predicted?