Administrator Dilyard watched Adam’s portal close behind him and then went to use his terminal. He did a quick search for Adam’s Place of Power. Once he found it in the System terminal, he pulled up an overview and looked over the layout. With the spatial and dimensional coordinates available to him, Ken stood from his desk and had the System open a portal to Adam’s Place of Power, specifically the entryway at the bottom of the stairs. A portal opened up and Ken stepped into the entryway of Adam’s Place of Power where all his friends and family were staying, all except for Pandora.
Cindy Bennard, Johnathan, and Adam’s mom looked over from the kitchen where she was making a cup of tea, saw Ken, and yelled, “Hey everyone, we have company!”
Robert Bennard, Robert that was the half-dark-elf and Pandora’s friend, Asling the female wood elf, and Cedrik the halfling came out of the entertainment room where they had been watching a movie. A few moments later Desirae and Clarence came running up the stairs from the basement levels where they’d been working out. Ken waited patiently for Abi, Amanda, Adaline, and Pythias to join as well.
Once everyone was there, Desirae asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Administrator Dilyard.”
“Administrator? As in someone that’s in charge?”
Amanda Sifford asked.
“Exactly,” Administrator Dilyard agreed.
“How and why are you here?” Adaline asked.
“How I am here is simple, everything within the system had been quantified and recorded. If you are part of The System we Administrators can visit. Why I am here is because I thought that all of you would like to do something besides sit in this pocket dimension while Adam heads off to do what he needs to do?”
“You know where Johnathan is?” Robert Bennard asked.
“I spoke with him a short time ago. I informed him of your status but didn’t let him know that I had plans to make your lives a little less tedious.”
“A little less tedious, how?” Desirae asked.
“By creating a portal to a location that has people in it that you can interact with and get to know, as far away from fringe areas of The System as possible. Basically, access to the more refined areas of our society.
“Why would you do that?” Adaline asked.
“Adam has a very important role to play. I do not want him worried about your well-being. Ensuring you have access to people and culture seems the best way to do this,” Administrator Dilyard said.
“Will the place we visit be like Earth?” Cindy Bennard asked.
“It can be?”
“How about more like our Dungeon World?” Cedrik asked.
“I can give you access to a town that will allow you to go off and do whatever you wish to. The access I will provide to you will be to an area that contains very low-level people that will have access to the Green train line which can take you to more dangerous places where you can investigate dungeons and kill monsters if you desire. Your levels and experience already put all of Adam’s family and friends at the cusp of Heroic level so they shouldn’t have any issues. Pandora’s team will need to get out and work a bit to level but you should be safe enough in that area, especially if anyone from Adam’s group tags along.”
“Aren’t you worried that we’ll be too powerful for the area in question?” Abi asked.
“Not really. The portal I create will open to a location on a parallel Earth that contains both magic and technology, though nanotechnology won’t be available, except in stabilized areas. Not like you have in this place,” Ken explained.
“How long until that’s set up?” Desirae asked.
“That’s up to you. I just need to know what type of area you want the portal to open into. Would you like it near a big city or a little more rural?” Ken asked.
“From a security standpoint, I’d like the portal onto an estate outside of a big city, close enough to easily visit but far enough away from everyone else so that our comings and goings can’t be tracked. Also, if the property you’re going to set us up on is to have a staff I would like the portal in an area that only the people in this room have access to, be that a room with a key and the portal hidden within a secret wall panel or whatever,” Desirae said.
“Additionally, any information on the current political layout would be good,” Clarence said.
“If you’re looking for a place like Earth we’ll need to live in a free county based around Capitalism, not socialism,” Amanda Sifford added.
“None of that will be a problem. I can feed the parameters into my System terminal, and it’ll choose or set up a location that fits your needs. Please be aware that it will be your responsibility to re-learn the local laws and customs in a world like Earth where the populace knows about The System,” The Administrator said.
Acknowledgments were given by everyone present. Administrator Dilyard gave a slight nod to indicate his acknowledgment of their agreement before he said, “As this is a closed domain, I will set the portal up in the courtyard. At this end it will be an arch that will automatically open the door it’s connected to with a thought. On the other end the door will activate a portal whenever any of you open it and as long as one of you is within ten feet of it. Otherwise, I will have the door I chose to use for your portal open into a closet for anyone else. The Portal should become active within the next 24 hours. I’ll make sure there’s a working version of whatever passes for the internet and someone there that can answer any questions you might have.”
When Administrator Dilyard was done talking a portal opened and he stepped back into his office near his terminal where he went to work. Within three hours he had everything set up on an Earth-like planet during the 22nd century. Terra was pretty close to Earth's standard, though it was about 200 years further along in development than 21st-century Earth. Magic and Technology had been melded seamlessly under a single unified government that covered the whole planet. Having researched Earth and the common references used there for other projects Terra would be very similar to Star Trek’s Federation at its beginning with magic and the System intertwined. It shouldn’t be hard for Adam’s family and friends to find a place in such a society.
Administrator Dilyard had the System purchase an Estate on the coast of one of the major continents near the city of Venture. A city that contained a space elevator nearby to allow people to get off the planet and explore space and also had a Dungeon Entrance nearby which allowed for a Green Line Train station connection point into the Labyrinth. Adam’s family would have plenty to do if they wished and they should be able to Get Pandora’s team out and level with little to no issue in such a setting.
Administrator Dilyard sat back from his terminal and typed in a command. As he looked into one of the cameras in the room as he said, “Adam, I’m pretty sure you’ve been watching what I’ve been up to and know what I’ve set up. Don’t you worry about your family. Concentrate on getting to Farpoint on the Purple Line and from there make your way toward the center of The System. Even I don’t know what The Omega has in store for you, Good Luck.”
***
Adam withdrew his attention from the nanites he’d been watching the Administrator through and continued to relax in the bar he’d found in Old Town Suigen. Right after he’d arrived he’d left Tana’s workshop and found the closest bar where he could sit down in a booth and not be bothered while he watched the Administrator through nanites that had replicated and invaded his clothing.
He had to give credit where it was due, the Administrator had known what he was going to do. Even so, he’d gone out of his way to take care of his family and friends as he’d said he would. They’d be safe enough as he went off to talk to the Omega and deal with whatever came up.
Adam finished his beer and waived over an elven waitress, “How much for the beer?”
That’ll be six credits if you’re paying that way or six silver.”
Can you take a Gold coin?” Adam asked.
“Yes, sir,” The waitress said.
“Can you let me see one of the Gold coins you take please?” Adam asked.
“The waitress reached into a pouch at her waist and pulled out a Gold coin which contained a pyramid with an eye over it on one side and a unique “S” on the back.
Adam made a show of looking over the gold coin as he allowed the nanites in his hand to infiltrate and analyze the coin. When that was done he handed the gold coin back to the waitress and used Mold Chaos to create two more which he handed over, “For the beer and your time,” Adam said.
“Thank you, Sir!” the waitress said as she hurried off to help another customer who’d raised his hand.
Adam nodded, stood, and left the bar. Once outside Adam activated Flight, lifted into the air, and started heading toward the Purple Line. It was fairly easy to find. Train tracks came to a point near a building off by itself from one side of town and left from the building in the opposite direction. As he drew closer to the Train station, there was a countdown timer that showed that it would be 12 hours before the next train arrived. Adam landed before the sign when something caught his eye. There was a purple circle with Purple Line printed in the middle. Under the purple circle was a note. “
“The Purple Line takes 15 days to get to Far Point and 15 days to get back. With short stops once a day in small outposts along the way. See pamphlet for locations.”
Adam picked up one of the pamphlets in a holder and opened it. He quickly read through the pamphlet and learned that the Purple Line had one train coming through each day around the same time. The train would stop at one city each day for about four hours and then get going again. The train stations and trains were protected by the strongest magic and technologies available. No such protections were in place for the outposts though there were protections and guards at each, just not as good as those for the trains. There was another note at the end of the Pamphlet.
“Come to Farpoint, Your First, and Last Stop”
Adam had no idea why someone would sell the place that way but if it was the Purple Line’s closest stop to the center of the System it kind of made sense. Of course, it could be some marketing joke implying that anyone foolish enough to go to Farpoint was probably going to get themselves killed, which was a very sound possibility for him.
Adam floated up into the air and spied on a structure that looked a lot like a hotel within 1,000 feet of the train station. He made his way over to the entrance, landed, and walked into what felt like a normal hotel lobby.
Before he could look around someone to his left said, “Good day, Sir! Welcome to Grathy’s Room and Board, are you looking for a room, a meal, or both?”
Adam turned to see a young Dwarf standing behind a counter. It was obvious that he was standing on something because the counter he was behind was about five feet high and the dwarf was at most four and a half feet tall.” I need a room until the next train comes through and a meal would do me well,” Adam said.
“Very good, Sir. The room is one silver per 10 hours rounded to the next 10 hours. As the train won’t be in until just about 12 hours from now that would be two silver. A single meal is also a Silver, though it’s a limited choice menu with complimentary beverages.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“So, three silver?” Adam asked as he used his ability Mold Chaos to create the three silver coins and handed them over.
The young dwarf slid the silver into a drawer under the counter and smiled. You are on the 2nd floor in room 203. Here is your key,” the dwarf said as he slid over an electronic key card. “Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served all day in the dining room down the main hall and to your left. All hotel levels have a hallway that directly led to the food court at the center of the hotel. The Kitchen is on the 1st floor with the dining area on the 2nd level with the kitchen directly beneath. As your orders are completed a chime will sound and the meal will appear on the table before you. The table has sensors so there’s no need to worry about something transferring into you while you reach for your drink. To order you simply pick up a menu and chose the items you would like.”
“That sounds fantastic,” Adam said. “I’m going to go check out my room and then grab something to eat before I take a nap. Thank you for all of your help.”
“You’re welcome, Sir. Have a great stay and a safe trip.”
Adam nodded and went over to a set of stairs off to his left and went up to the 2nd level. The hotel followed the normal hotel numbering rules and room 203 was the second room on the left. Just as the dwarven clerk had said there was a hall off to the left after rooms 205 and 207. He walked down and peered around the corner. There were six more rooms on each side of the hall which ended in a double set of glass doors, most likely to keep random sound down.
Adam turned back to his room and used his electronic key card to open the door to his room and was surprised to find that it was like any hotel room he’d find at one of the higher-end hotels on Earth, like the Hilton’s or Hampton Inn’s. The room had a bathroom, a small fridge, a desk, a sitting chair, a computer-style chair for the desk, and a King sized bed. There wasn’t an air conditioner but Adam could tell that the room temperature was regulated by magic.
He walked over to the dresser with a television, or giant monitor on it, and picked up the remote. The controls looked like any control he’d find back on Earth which made finding the power button easy. Adam turned on the power and the monitor came on with commercials geared toward Suigen
Be sure to come down to Barne’s Barnacles for all of your fishing needs. You don’t want to be in the labyrinth without the right bait and equipment for the right monsters….
Be sure to visit Leiara’s Secret for all of your clothing needs. While the days on your train ride of the Purple Line might be boring we guarantee that when your partner sees you in our clothing, they won’t be able to resist wanting to get a closer look…
Adam watched a couple more commercials. It looked like there were a couple of local shops that competed with the System Market but otherwise, it just seemed to play ads all day. Adam changed the channel to find sitcoms and reality TV. Shows that he couldn’t relate to. Not to say they weren’t interesting, just that he didn’t have the time to sit here and watch Suigen’s television channels all day to get up-to-date on Suigen and System pop culture.
After 30 minutes, Adam turned the Monitor off and made his way to the dining area. As he stepped through the glass doors toward the dining area there was a sign on a stand that read “Please seat yourself at any open table.” Adam looked past the sign and noticed that the eating area was surrounded by a 20-foot gap. The door he’d exited from the hotel opened onto a bridge that led directly into the dining area.
Adam made his way across and found an open table along the edge. As he looked down at the level below he saw that there was a moat of water with bridges across into the central area on all four sides. On the walls above the water were vines and earthen designs that made him think he was in the center of a forest of some kind. Adam could even hear birds and insects, though when he focused his attention he immediately realized that all the sounds were coming from speakers hidden along the walls.
The table he’d chosen only had two seats and the menus were held in a holder at its center. Adam picked up one, looked over the drinks and prices, and made an order for a Literian Amberschif. The description described it as a strong alcoholic drink that was guaranteed to knock the socks off anyone that drank one. Adam used Mold Chaos to produce the Gold Coin that it cost for a single drink and placed it on the table. As soon as he did, the coin disappeared and the drink reappeared. Adam picked up the drink and whistled appreciatively. Adam could tell just by the smell that whatever was in that Alcoholic drink could definitely be used as a disinfectant and could probably degrease engine parts.
Adam picked up the Literian Amberschif and without a pause downed the drink. Off to his left, he heard someone say, “Be ready to call for medical. No one ever believes the warnings and thinks they have something to prove. Any moment he should stand, start to move, and then topple, don’t you worry. No one has been able to down one of those in a very, very long time.
After the initial alcohol evaporated the drink had a nice fruity flavor reminiscent of a passion fruit and oranges. It tasted so good in fact that he ordered and paid for two more while he looked at the menu to decide on something for dinner. The menus were interactive. As soon as it realized he was human the choices provided included common dishes from both Earth and Primore as well as a few dishes he hadn’t seen before. To keep things simple he ordered the Steak and potatoes with greens. As the meal was already paid for the table beeped and his meal appeared.
Adam went through a total of six Literian Amberschif, which did not affect him, other than they tasted good. When he was about done eating his dinner a young woman came up and asked, “Sir are you feeling all right?”
“Yes, thank you. I overheard you talking with your friend. My endurance and constitution are quite high, no need to worry about me.”
“Very well sir, you have a great evening,” she said as she walked off a bit flabbergasted.
Adam finished up his meal and left a gold piece on the table for whoever cleaned up after him. The drinks weren’t fey wine and they didn’t seem inherently magical so he wasn’t worried about after effects. He made his way back to his room, set up intruder alarms and a wake-up alarm with his nanites, and went to sleep.
Adam woke up an hour before the train was to arrive and checked out of the hotel. It was a quick trip to get back to the station to wait for the train. There was no one else on the platform. This gave Adam time to think about The System and this whole idea of an Omega. Try as he might he couldn’t produce a working hypothesis for what was to come. He just didn’t have enough information yet.
The train pulled up two minutes early and an announcement filled the air.
“Purple Line now boarding. Departure leaves in one hour!”
Adam thought the stops were supposed to be for four hours each day but as he thought about it. It made sense that the start and stop of the Purple Line would have a very short layover. People coming back weren’t going to catch the train heading back out and people heading out knew when it was supposed to arrive. He’d seen updates to the schedule periodically while surfing the channels before and after his meal before he closed his eyes and slept.
Adam boarded the train and was ushered into a compartment that offered some privacy where he sat back and relaxed while he waited to head out. There was a terminal in the frame of the train with a menu which he tapped to activate.
Welcome to the Purple Line. This terminal can give you an overview of the services and amenities provided on this train. Would you like to view them now?
Adam chose “Yes”
The Purple Line consists of multiple cars allowing for the quick deployment of Conglomerate forces to outposts and the City of Farpoint should they require assistance. There are at least three quick response units assigned to each train which exist as an extra-dimensional space attached to the train with an entry and exit point from the train and the training grounds. Personnel swaps are made while the train sits in Suigen station and can deploy if needed at any time.
Each train also has a car that connects to the System Market where goods can be bought and sold. It should be noted that some of the more exotic items will not be available on the train. Anything can be sold though and will become available to the General System Market once the train returns to Suigen Station.
There are also multiple dining cars situated every three cars for ease of access. Each dining car accesses the same dimensional space though. Please remember which entrance you came through to return the dining car you entered from.
Should the Train come under attack the Rapid Deployment Forces will deploy to handle the threat. A general alarm will sound indicating that response. Should an evacuation become necessary make your way to the nearest dining car. Once in the dimensional space the dining area is in a portal will be opened to the nearest outpost to await the next train. On the first day out or the last day of the trip that will be Suigen. Otherwise, it will be the closest outpost.
Please note, if a dimensional incursion takes place and you are forced to flee the train while it is underway, you will find yourself randomly placed somewhere within the Labyrinth within System designated Purple areas, if you survive leaving the train while it is in motion. Try to find other survivors and make your way to one of the outposts along the purple line. We apologize that we cannot give you specific guidance in such instances. The Labyrinth is vast and always changing. The general advice we can provide is this; if you find yourself in an area that far surpasses your capabilities; hide, travel quietly, and keep to yourself. Even the children of some of the monsters in this area can eat Legendary Adventurers with little or no effort.
Again thank you for trusting the Purple Line to get you to your destination. Have a great trip!
Adam finished reading the information and sat back. It might be good to see what a Rapid Deployment Forces could take on something above Legendary level looked like. Adam sat back, put his feet up, and waited for his trip to begin. This would most likely be the easy part. After he reached Farpoint, that’s when his journey would really begin.
***
General Eris reviewed the footage of the man that had killed 16 of the Conglomerate’s assets and hurt an additional 7. The seven that had been spared were the problem children, the ones that didn’t always do as they were told because of their moral values or some other such nonsense. Additionally, their cash cow had just dried up this morning when Queen Pellmir of De’kree Empire had withdrawn the bounty they’d posted. 16 Assets dead and they wouldn’t even see the bounty, or the tax off of it, to help pay for those losses. The Board of Directors was not happy with that loss, nor were they going to let it go unpunished.
First, though the Board wanted him to spend his considerable talent to track down the thorn that had killed their assets and either turn him into a puppet controlled by them or destroy him. With the losses, they had firmly recommended that he try recruitment but General Eris had his doubts about bringing such a man to heel. He had no idea how he’d beat all the assassins, especially since some of them had Classes in that weird rank above Legendary that he’d only come to believe in recently. Given that none of his forces were above Legendary rank it made the prospect of going after this “Adamantadine” troubling if he’d been as powerful as he’d originally thought.
Of course, the intelligence he was reviewing didn’t make sense. One good thing had happened over the last few hours. The error that was putting the cost of getting information from the System about Adamantadine costing over 39 quintillion credits had dropped down to 1,147,000,000 credits which the Conglomerate had paid as soon as the price appeared. Adamantadine classes and levels, in order from basic to the category above Legendary, were:
Agent of Chaos, Level 50
Envoy of Chaos, Level 50
Ambassador of Chaos, Level 50
Representative of Chaos, Level 50
Legate of Chaos, Level 50
Embodiment of Chaos, Level 50*
Adamantadine’s attributes were all sitting at 1,147 with a new attribute the general had never seen before, “Chaos” being the highest at 4,710. Hit Points were listed at 460 with a Stamina and Mana pool of 11,470 respectively. The only ability listed was Chaos Incarnate, so only one ability though it had only a one word description.
Ability, Chaos Incarnate – Mutable.
General Eris was reviewing the information before him and still couldn’t understand how this man had survived attacks from 21 of his best, or up-and-coming assassins. There were many ways the General could approach this. The more he thought about it the more he didn’t like the “smell” of the situation. General Eris tapped his terminal and pulled up their list of investigative specialists. Someone that they’d just picked up during the latest System influx. What was her name? oh yes, Councilor Cilira.
General Eris pulled up her file and a picture of a slim balding human with brown eyes appeared. She had some mental capabilities that allowed her to interrogate and question the subjects they sent her to. The General sent out the request and ten minutes later Councilor Cilira entered his office.
“How may I serve the Conglomerate today?” Councilor Cilira asked.
“In your previous System did you ever encounter a being by the name of Adamantadine?”
“Adamantadine? Why yes we encountered him right before we were absorbed by The Multitude and then The System.”
“What did you think of him?” The General asked.
“As I was a Councilor for my people at the time I found him helpful. The dungeons had just started popping up all around our empire and a group of children was caught in one. If I remember correctly, our Universe was a higher density which made us inherently more powerful than him yet his power level was off the chart. He went into the dungeon and rescued the children in almost no time at all.”
“Do you think he’d remember you?”
“I don’t see why not, we parted on good terms,” Councilor Cilira said.
“Very well, I would like you to meet with Adamantadine and try to convince him to come work for the Conglomerate. Sell our good points as hard as you can.”
Councilor Cilira looked thoughtful for a moment and then asked, “Why are you sending me?”
“There was a 5 million credit bounty on Adam’s head when he arrived at Suigen. Our assets there tried to collect that bounty. He killed 16 of the 23 assets that attacked him,” The General explained.
“So you’re hoping a familiar face will keep him calm long enough for me to make our pitch? Very well. What’s the contingency plan?” Councilor Cilira asked.
“The contingency plan is for us to take him into custody and convince him to join our cause.”
“Very well. Do you mind if I make a backup copy of my mind just in case this goes south and I become collateral damage?” Not at all. As soon as you’re done portal over to our Suigen station and then to the next outpost he’ll be stopping at. While we may not be able to get you on the train, we can get you to any of the outposts in front of the train he’s on. As they just left Suigen today it’ll be 15 days before the train reaches Farpoint, which we believe to be his destination. Your backup procedure should only take a day so you should be ready to go the following day,” General Eris said.
“That sounds about right,” Councilor Cilira agreed.
“Very good, you have your orders. Good luck!” General Eris said as the Councilor turned and left his office.
As the Councilor left General Eris couldn’t believe his luck that had someone that knew Adamantadine working for the Conglomerate. Granted she had just entered her Advanced class and putting her in harm's way on the Purple Line was a bit reckless but that is why they had memory backups and clones. Besides, he had no complaints concerning anyone from the Eterium Empire. Every single one of the adults they’d been able to find that had come from that empire had proved to be worth their weight in credits and then some. Maybe things were about to look up?