14 - Mana Stripper 2000
“Mana Aura, y’all know what it is, right?” Maya asked.
“Yes,” Bell said.
“No,” everyone else chorused.
“It’s a thing that SIL have. Very important. Like that cloud of CO2 everyone has around their head from exhaling.”
“It’s nothing at all like that,” Bell said.
“It’s the way I see it.”
“You, by far, have the highest Mental stats of those gathered in this room; how is it that you come up with that as an explanation?” Bell asked.
“No need to be rude, Bell,” Maya folded her arms. “Tender, back me up here.”
“I do not exhale CO2,” Tender replied.
“Neither do I,” Roci and Veskari added.
“Me too,” Yosi said.
“Wait, you don’t exhale CO2, Yosi?”
“Yeah, it’s a combination of-“
“I believe we are getting off track here,” George stated, rapping his knuckles on the table.
“Right, Mana Auras.” Maya looked expectantly at Bell.
“As you level, you body absorbs mana, it is what gives you levels, it is what enhances your body, mind, and soul. Mana auras surrounded every SIL. Depending on your level and your Skills, your aura will be different, big, small, compact, soft, you get the idea.”
“Bell’s got a big, squishy aura because ehe’s such a softie,” Maya said.
“Unlikely,” Bell replied.
“Anyway,” Maya tapped the table and brought up a hologram, “People are like little mana cores. We’re sucking up mana all the time, but there comes a point where we can’t suck up anymore. That’s fine, because being full of mana ain’t all that fun, therefore the System gots it where your body is condensing usable mana around you all the time. That’s your mana aura, it’s just a slurry of condensing mana that your bod’s gonna chug down the moment you got some space to stuff it into.”
“That’s… not entirely correct,” Bell said.
“Yeah, the higher level you are, the bigger that extra mana condensing tank is, so when you blast a big old fireball at a level 1 Rat, you’re burning up mana inside of you. Then when there’s space in the old bod, mana aura tops it off, no sweat.”
George rubbed his temples. “I think we need the documentation on this mana aura in addition to this explanation,” he said.
“AI’s don’t have mana auras,” Maya said. “Nor do inanimate objects.”
“I resent the implication of that comment,” Roci stated. “Are you comparing me, your system given daughter, to a lump of rock?”
Maya eyed Roci. “Really?” she asked.
“She is very rock shaped,” Tender added.
“I am-“
“Please,” George said. “Just tell us what this is all about.”
“If you ain’t got an aura, you can pass through as many doors you want with no probs. You got an aura, you go squash, like the landsharks; the bigger the aura, the bigger the squashiness” Maya said.
“So high leveled people cannot just willy nilly wander through the dimensional thresholds you create?” Hanna asked.
“Yeah, totally. See, she gets it.”
“What about the dragon, Chuckles? He totally wandered through from the RSH and into the multiverse,” Roci said. “He definitely was not Tier 3, maybe Tier 4 because he was tossing around essence mana like there was no tomorrow and he didn’t need a ticket to come through.”
“He’s probably bros with the System, like me,” Maya said. “Plus, Tier 4, it’s like comparing comparing tomatoes to a janky red ball, not even anywhere close to each other.”
“So you know the issue that is preventing people from going through more than one threshold; do you have a solution?” Yuri asked, his gaze intense.
“Totally,” Maya said.
A long silence filled the room.
“How is it that you were interviewed?” Roci asked into the silence. “I mean, of all of us, I should be the one interviewed. I am a system touched masterpiece of technology and wonder. Should they not be swooning over me and what I represent?”
“I’m Tier 2, kiddo. Everyone’s agog about that,” Maya said.
“I’m level 16, level 22 in [Engineer],” Roci cried.
“Wait, you’re level 16 already? When?” Maya asked.
“Do you not even pay attention? Do you not ever check in on me? It’s all just ‘Roci, tell those human drones to do stuff. Make sure George doesn’t mess up the satellite orbits again. Make sure Izumi isn’t trying to blow up the 4S with his enchanting experiments’.”
“Well, Tender and Yosi are busy,” Maya said.
“They’re busy? Why-“
“Good God,” George groaned.
Hanna chuckled and Yuri sighed.
“I did not try to blow up the 4S,” Izumi said.
“I remember differently,” Roci said.
“Okay, maybe a small piece.”
“Back on topic. The way we can get folks to go from A to B via the doors, is to strip ‘em bare of mana auras. It’s gonna hurt, maybe; defiantly it’s gonna be a trip,” Maya said. “Actually, it’ll be a trip. Literally.”
Hanna groaned.
Maya waved her hand and a wall of the meeting room melted away, revealing a large complicated device in the shape of an arch.
“I present to you, the Mana Stripper 2000!”
“Nice name.”
“It slices and dices and gets rid of that pesky mana aura you’ve got.” Maya said, walking up to the machine. “The best Union technology has to offer.”
“Union tech?” Roci asked, moving toward the machine. “You can use it now?”
“Of course, do I not have the highest Mental stats in this room?” Maya asked.
“I will regret saying that,” Bell muttered.
“Union tech is actually pretty awesome, too bad y’all don’t got the knowledge cubes I got to truly understand the vast and complicated nature of this forgotten technology.”
“Didn’t you say it was crafting made easy?” Tender said.
“In confidence, Mister!”
“Oh, sorry, boss.”
“How does it work?” George asked.
“It strips mana,” Maya said.
“How?”
“Magic?”
George groaned.
“Honestly, I don’t truly know. I tried it with a couple of live specimens we got from Ko Sumai and it worked, like fifty-fifty.”
“Fifty-fifty?” Inez asked.
“Forty-sixty?”
“What’s the forty?” Izumi asked.
“Uh… non-squashiness.”
“I suggest we take a look at the schematics and diagrams of this device to determine it’s actual function and how we can increase the… squashiness factor,” George said.
“Don’t trust me?”
George didn’t say anything.
“That’s cold,” Maya said, sniffing. “Plus, it’s mostly union tech and system tech, with a hint of tesseracts swimming in it. If you’ve got [Engineer] level 50 and [Union Engineer] Level 25, you might totally understand this machine.”
“What are your levels?” Roci asked.
“Rude, much? Did I raise you to ask such rude questions among polite company?” Maya admonished.
Roci snorted. “Last I heard you were only level 9 in [Engineer] with Merchant being only level 10.”
“What other closely held secrets will my trusted confidants tell the public?” Maya asked, looking to the Cage roof.
“When I first met Maya, she was making food out of her own body waste,” Bell said, chuckling.
Complete silence fell as everyone looked at him.
“Too far,” Hanna muttered.
“Totally,” Roci added.
“House Domakun’s honor has been tarnished,” Tender said.
Maya cleared her throat. “The reason that AIs and the like can go through, is that they’re not processing mana, but living breathing SIL are. It is also tied to the place you first entered the Cage, like from the Space station or from one of the settlements. Once you enter from the outside, your mana aura is imprinted into the Cage and it kinda just lets you go in and out. One of those weird Cage stuff.
“There’s like a ten kilometer limit from where you first entered to where you can get out. Any further and ‘squashiness’. What I managed to do was isolate the mana aura imprint that people make when they enter and kinda scramble it with this here device, that’ll cause the Dimensional Threshold to not immediately try to turn you into paste or disrupt the whole stability of the reality bubble we’re in.”
“You mean this bubble could collapse on us all?” George asked.
“Yeah.”
“What would happen then?”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“I guess I and the AIs would be dumped out into the RSH, anything living would get a chance to beat the odds of one in a billion to survive the interdemensional crossing.”
“God,” George muttered.
“We’re all in a death trap?” Hanna muttered.
“You were literally living in a tin can falling around the Earth,” Maya said.
“One we built,” Inez added.
“Ole Cagey has been working well for me,” Maya said. “With Chuckles’ upgrades, the Union tech bonuses, and my fusing with it, it’s as permanent as my left hand.”
Bell and Maya chuckled.
“What?” Hanna asked.
“Nothing,” Bell said, smirking.
“So it works?” Yuri asked.
“Yup. Who’s first?” Maya asked.
“You gotta be super brave or utterly crazy to agree to go through that,” Inez said.
“I will do it,” Yuri stated, pushing himself to the front of the group.
“I was just joking. I’m not one hundred per-“
“I will do it,” he said again.
“Uh…”
“Russians were first into space, now Russians will be the first to return to the Motherland from space,” he said.
“Well, if we’re being patriotic about this whole business,” Hanna said. “I nominated Izumi.”
“Me?” Izumi asked. “Why?”
“Aren’t you patriotic?”
“Yes, but suicidal? No.”
“I will do it,” Yuri said again. “Send me through.”
“Easy there, champ. I need to do some calibrations and you need to like, I don’t know, prepare? Food, water, weapons, one last night spooning your anime body pillow.”
“I will be taking my anime body pillow,” Yuri said. He began laughing hysterically in the complete silence that followed.
***
“To the bravest and craziest man I know!” George cheered, clinking a glass of Sword Union booze with Yuri. The Astronauts had commandeered a room and were having a shindig honoring Yuri’s trip. Zoya was there, but she had decided to stay, with Yuri’s blessing, so that she could learn to pilot the system tech ships.
“We’ve taken complete scans of the area around Moscow,” Yuri said. “It will be fine.”
“You don’t know where your government is?” Inez asked.
“There are many bunkers, places built in case of emergencies. I was not privy to many of them, but there will be survivors in Moscow.”
“Doesn’t look to have been hit by any dimensional instabilities or major mana renders,” George said. “We did see a giant moth looking thing fluttering about.”
“A giant moth? Mothra?” Hanna asked.
“I didn’t get its name,” George deadpanned.
“You got family in Moscow?” Inez asked.
“Brothers, all military. They should… be fine.”
A moment of silence fell on the table as everyone gathered thought of their own families.
“It’ll be good,” Hanna said.
“To family,” Izumi raised a toast. They all cheered on that.
***
“Not hung over?” Maya asked, grinning.
“I do not get hung over,” Yuri said, adjusting his pack. Across his chest was strapped a light railgun, several pistols, a sword, and he wore some high priced Sword Union low-grade armor.
“Don’t get eaten,” Maya said. “You’re my in with the Russian government. Plus you’re carrying a wealth of items.”
George snorted. “It’s good to see capitalism alive and well,” he said.
“U-S-A!” Hanna chanted.
“Oh, I also got you a present,” Maya grinned.
Maya clapped her hands and a portion of the Cage floor melted away. From the hole that appeared, a robotic creature emerged on a pedestal. It was a thick bodied creature, with four massive legs and a large central armored body. More gear, tools, and weapons were strapped to the underside of the machine, with the top holding a pair of turrets. It stood by Yuri, nearly four meters in height.
The Cosmonaut stared at it.
“I present you your new AI companion,” Maya announced. She tossed Yuri a tablet. “It is our new line of Battle Buddies-“
Everyone groaned.
“Fully programed to protect you and those you identify as your companions, it will carry up to a metric tonne of cargo, it is powered by a refined black goo lattice battery, and armed with dual plasma cannons, four centimeters of Tanamanium alloy blast plates protect its soft innards. The weapons can be replaced depending on the situation needed.”
“Why is it red?” George asked.
“Uh. Because-“
Hanna groaned. “Because he’s Russian,” she said.
“I think that’s racist,” Inez remarked.
“That would explain the bear like shape to the robot,” George said.
“That was totally coincidental,” Maya said.
“So you admit that its red because he’s Russian,” Hanna said.
“Of course,” Maya admitted.
“It is good,’ Yuri said, slapping the thick armored leg of the Battle Buddy.
“Use it and abuse it,” Maya said. “We need to know how it does under combat conditions.”
“I shall,” Yuri said, a grin on his face.
He looked to the gathered Astronauts and Maya.
“It has been an honor. I shall return with news.” He saluted and turned toward the Mana Stripper 2000.
“This might hurt,” Maya said.
“I will bear it.”
Maya flipped a switch and Yuri began cursing.
***
“Seems anticlimactic,” Maya said as they watched Yuri’s figure slowly recede on the view screen. The massive Battle Buddy’s turret was swinging to an fro, scanning and sending the information to the satellite network.
“He didn’t pop like a balloon,” Hanna said.
“So I guess the Stripper works.”
“Strippers always work,” Hanna grinned.
“It might be RSH weeks before we know anything,” George said, completely ignoring Hanna.
“Yeah, the problem with living twelve times faster than the world outside,” Maya said.
“At least we get to level faster,” Hanna said.
“There’s that.”
They all stood in silence as Yuri slowly waved goodbye.
“What’s next?” Hanna asked.
“Mr. George Goes to Washington?” Maya asked.
“Washington DC is a death zone,” George said.
“Oh, shit. Really?”
“Looks like multiple dimensional instabilities and mana renders tore up the place. It’s ruins and monsters.”
“So the president?”
“Most likely dead. Congress was also in session when Integration occurred. Some kind of big defense bill was being hammered out. It was all over the news, everyone was putting their stink all over it.”
“Shit.”
They stood there in silence for a bit longer.
“Well, this is depressing,” Maya said. “Who wants to be the first one to send the Sullivan Box to some beleaguered humans?”
“Me!” Hanna cried.
***
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Day 21
Corporal Daniel Chu grunted as he climbed into the back of the old Ford. The truck had seen better days, and it visibly sagged as five other men joined him. He yawned loudly and scratched at the five day scruff on his face.
“Hey, Chu, you look like I feel,” Dodson laughed from the driver’s seat of the beat up old truck.
“Well, you smell like two weeks of piss and ball sweat,” Chu responded listlessly.
“Sweet burn, bro,” Carmichael commented.
“The Corporal’s a wordsmith,” Blake added.
“Fuck the Bard, Chu’s spittin’ fire,” Johnson said.
“You know he keeps a diary,” Carmichael said. “Writin’ down the Truth about Integration.”
“Fucking System,” Washington said. “My mom lived through Integration, the real Integration, where white dicks were threatening her life. Now this fucking System goes and ruins what that means, by just killing everyone.”
“Fucking System,” everyone chorused.
“It’s a journal, asshole,” Chu said. “Not a diary.”
“Shit, now he’s write that down in his diary.”
Sergeant Barnard walked up to the truck, tucking a map under his arm and cursing under his breath.
“Where to, Sarge?” Chu asked.
“Market,” he said.
“Oh, thank Jesus.” Johnson kissed a crucifix.
“Shit, why did I even get up this morning if we’re gonna babysit a bunch of piss poor [Sellers]?” Washington demanded.
“Dimple Dick here thinks he’s Zelda or something. Gonna slay dragons and shit,” Carmichael laughed.
“I keep telling you, it’s Link. The guy in the game is Link. Not Zelda.”
“Whatever, nerd.”
“Be glad you ain’t going out there today,” Bernard said. “We lost half a platoon last night. Some fucking flying monkeys or something. Brass thinks they came out of the old zoo, mana mutations. They’re gearing up to wipe that place off the map.”
“Shit,” everyone said. ‘Fucking System.”
“Alright, lets move. They ain’t paying us by the hour.”
The old truck stuttered to life and jerked forward.
Chu looked out over the city of Chicago. It had seen better days. Integration had brought to life all kinds of horrors in the last three weeks, monsters that were straight out of nightmares. It also gave them power, but not enough power.
Daniel Chu - Level 16
[Soldier] Level 21
Everyone was similarly leveled too, but too many were dying to the monsters. The entire city was a war zone, death and destruction that Chu had never experienced, but maybe his grandparents had before they immigrated from Vietnam.
They all rode in silence, the joking and bravado on hold as everyone scanned the land around them. Monsters could come screeching out from the sky, or they could be invisible, or they could literally tear a hole in reality and come bursting out. Fucking mana renders.
The Market was a fortified area. Even with the end of the world, people still needed to buy and sell stuff. There were [Salvagers] who went out and brought back items people needed. It was the Mayor’s decree, that business should go on as much as it could.
It was also the wild west out there. Everyone was packing heat, no one tolerated theft, and punishment was medieval as all hell. Mostly hanging and firing squad.
Chu had joined the US Army to defend America, but the days he had to patrol the Market felt like police work. As a great man once said, the reason you separated the military and the police was because the military fights the enemies of the state, while the police serves and protects. If the military does the policing, it won’t be long before the enemies of the state become the people.
It was barely dawn and the Market was already bustling. There were stalls selling everything from cans of soda to ammunition. There were scantily clad men and women, catcalling and offering services, and there were a lot of bars open. Armed men and women wandered the stalls, some carrying chunks of monster flesh, others bartering for more ammo or weapons.
It was some Mad Max shit, people slapping anything metal they could find onto their bodies for protection. There was a real life [Smith] who was hammering out swords and spears and they were selling out as fast as he made them. Dollars were the currency of choice, but some people were already using credits as trade.
The Mayor had decreed that dollars would remain the true currency. Chu didn’t know about that, he already had about fifteen thousand credits on himself, all the monsters he had killed and all the gambling he had done in the barracks. He just needed to find a place to spend them.
Chu paused in his walkabout. He looked to the only non-packed spot in the whole Market. The Gallows.
Five men and two women were strung up against a wall. Hanging from their necks were placards that displayed their crime. Thief, Murderer, Thief, Thief, Murderer, Horse Killer, and Murderer.
“Someone killed a horse?” Washington asked beside him.
“A horse is worth more than a human life, these days,” Chu commented.
“Fucking System.”
“Nah, this is Chicago PD,” Chu said. “They’re hanging happy these days.”
“Hail his Mayorness,” Washington scoffed. “Fucker’s corrupt and spineless like all politicians.”
“The Brass likes him. They got his back.”
“Yeah, yeah. But shit like this, this ain’t American. Leaving them hanging out here? Fuck no.”
“What are you gonna do?” Chu asked rhetorically.
Washington grumbled and then spat onto the cracked pavement. “Fucking System.”
Chu paused as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to rise. He looked to Washington, the man had felt it too. Something was happening. They snapped up their rifles and began scanning the crowds.
The air seemed to thicken and the smell of ozone was heavy in the air.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Washington muttered.
“Mana render,” Chu said.
“I was gonna meet up with Lucy this evening,” Washington muttered.
“You and half the company,” Chu said without heat. He scanned the area, looking for where the render was going to open. Twice he had survived them, one had produced nothing, the second… it had been a nightmare of claws, teeth, and clicking pincers.
The Market lost it’s vibrancy and noise. People began shouting and yelling, rushing to find safety. Everyone knew the drill now. Mana renders; pack up and hide or pick up a gun and pray.
Blue light suffused the area Chu and Washington stood. They stumbled back, watching as the light seemed to bathe the seven hanging bodies. A moment later the bodies vanished, but the light intensified. There was a loud crack of air and pressure. Chu staggered back and Washington tripped on a loose rock.
“Fuck!”
Chu had his rifle up as the light dimmed. He blinked as he saw what looked to be a large purple rectangular box sitting where the Gallows had once been.
SULLIVAN BOX: buy, sell, trade
Chu pulled Washington back to his feet. The two eyed one another and then the bright purple box. It was about the size of a shipping container, eight feet wide, eight feet tall, and forty feet long. On one end, there was an ‘Enter’ sign, including a black frosted glass door with a small sign that said “pull”.
“What the fuck,” Chu said walking forward.
“What are you doing, man?” Washington said as Chu set his hand on the door. “Fuck.”
Chu flung open the door and Washington prepared to fire into it. They stood there was they were greeted with a room that had a comfortable looking couch and a large flatscreen television on the wall before it.
“Welcome!” a voice cried. Chu jerked back and saw a cartoon holographic image appear in the center of the room. A cartoon dinosaur danced across the space, throwing confetti.
“Welcome to the Sullivan Box! As our first customer, you gain a prize of one thousand credits!” the voice was definitely female, although Chu didn’t see anything female about the dinosaur.
Credit Payment: SSS to Daniel Chu: 1000 universal credits.
The dinosaur danced some more and almost childish music played. It was oddly terrifying.
“What the fuck is this?” Chu asked.
The dinosaur stopped and stroked her chin. “The Sullivan Box. I am Yosi Sullivan. Merchant Extraordinaire! You want to buy stuff? You’ve come to the right place? You want to sell monster bits? We’re buying. You want to trade your old laser blaster for the newest Sullivan Light Pistol Mk II? We can discuss easy payment plans.”
“Y-you sell stuff?” Chu asked, looking to Washington to see if he wasn’t going crazy.
“If you have credits, I have wares.”