> Imagine a world. Any world will do. Think of all the various factions, nations, tribes, ethnicities, and every other factor that can contribute to its political landscape. Everyone has their own perspective, and on a scale of billions, the only result is barely restrained chaos. Now, multiply that by thousands of planets, and you’ll understand how complex a galaxy’s political landscape can be. But even that only tells a tiny fraction of the universe’s story.

Alistaris Kargat

Even as I peppered the crystalline monstrosity with superheated balls of plasma, my mind went white with rage. Shards of crystal flew with every shot, and I didn’t even realize that I was screaming incoherently. I just wanted to punish the monster. To tear it apart, piece by piece until there was nothing but glittering dust left.

In the back of my mind, though, I knew that none of it would bring Patrick back. He was gone. Buried beneath that giant golem’s massive weight. And there was nothing I could do to change that. Without my fury, I probably would have given in to my grief. Then and there, I would have surrendered everything. But my anger buoyed me. It kept me afloat to exact vengeance.

As the monstrous golem fully formed, my first magazine ran empty. So, I used Instant Reload, then Explosive Shot, before resuming my barrage. Each round tore huge divots into the crystalline structure, but they were mere pockmarks for all the good they did. If I was going to take my revenge, I would need a more potent weapon.

The only problem was that my most advanced firearm had been destroyed. Cut in half by a giant-sword-wielding android. At the time, it had probably saved my life, but as I faced off against that crystalline golem, I couldn’t help but lament its loss – at least I would have if I was thinking straight.

I wasn’t.

I sprinted forward, emptying my magazine in a tight grouping around its leg. It didn’t really have joints, per se. Instead, its limbs were shapeless lumps of crystal, which meant that there really weren’t any spots of vulnerability. Still, in my less-than-optimal frame of mind, I figured that if I destroyed one of its legs, I could send tumbling to the ground. What I planned to do then was a mystery, but I couldn’t really be bothered to think about that.

Not when images of Patrick’s sudden and unexpected demise kept flashing through my mind.

At the moment, I didn’t realize that tears were falling down my cheeks. Even if I had known, I can’t claim that I would have cared. I was too focused on destroying the crystalline golem by whatever means I could muster.

My latest magazine ran dry before I reached the monster, so I yanked Ferdinand II from his holster, and at a dead sprint, took aim. In the space of an instant, I was already squeezing the trigger, and to predictable results. The revolver was already loaded with a drum of armor piercing rounds, so each shot dug a little more crystal out of the crater I’d already created with the generous application of Explosive Shot-enhanced rounds from my R-14. But I knew it wouldn’t be enough.

The creature finally finished assembling itself, then turned its attention on me. It swung its arms in a ponderous arc, and I leaped, intending to sail over the crushing attack. But at the apex of my leap, it used an ability.

A sound like the world’s largest tuning fork tore across the emerald forest, shattering limbs and felling trees for a mile in every direction. I didn’t fare any better as the noise pierced through me, shattering my eardrums and sending blood misting from every pore. More leaked from my eyes, and even my fingernails splintered under the attack.

It was almost enough to get me caught by the monster’s next swing, which came at me much more quickly than the first. However, at the last second, I pushed through the agonizing pain, activated Teleport, and instantly appeared in the crater that was the result of my previous efforts. I stumbled to one knee, but I couldn’t allow myself to stop; so, still reeling from that aural attack, I yanked a small demolition charge from my arsenal implant, shoved it into the gaping wound, then leaped away.

When I hit the ground, I did so with a roll before finding my feet at a dead sprint. A second later, the crystalline golem’s featureless arm crashed down, narrowly missing me. However, it hit the ground with such force that I had to flare Balance to keep my feet and stop myself from careening over the edge of the traps we’d dug.

I juked to the right, then immediately reversed direction. The maneuver worked, fooling the golem into attacking the spot where it expected me to end up. Meanwhile, I dashed in the other direction – directly toward the monster’s other leg.

Exchanging my handgun for my assault rifle, I took aim at the middle part of the undamaged leg. Then, I once again used Explosive Shot, draining a good portion of my Mist. However, because of my progression, the cost wasn’t nearly so onerous. I hadn’t gained any more Mist; rather, my abilities had gotten more efficient. And given that I’d barely even made a dent in the crystalline golem, I knew I would need every scrap of efficacy I could muster.

I continued to fire on the right-most leg, repeating my previous actions. If there was a scrap of good news, it was that the creature was seemingly incapable of real thought. Instead, it was almost purely reactive, which allowed me to utilize the same strategy I’d used before. I tore a hole in its leg, then raced forward; this time, there was no aural attack, though, so I made it without issue, then planted another charge.

All of that happened in the space of half a minute, and for most of that time, the thing hadn’t even fully formed. However, by the time I completed the latest step of my plan and bounded away from its leg, the creature gained the capability to follow. It lumbered after me, its massive weight shaking the ground with every step. I led it away, reaching the end of our little corridor of death and leaping over fallen and shattered trees as I manually reloaded my assault rifle.

I had Mist to spare, but I wouldn’t waste it unless absolutely necessary.

The creature followed, and I continued to pepper it with gunfire. Soon, I had stretched my lead enough that I felt confident enough to switch my strategies. So, after vaulting over the crystalline trunk of a fallen tree, I used Vanish, then Stealth. The moment those two abilities took effect, I summoned my Pulsar, then cycled through my most potent abilities.

First came Explosive Shot, draining yet more of my Mist. Then, Execute. And finally, Empowered Shot. As I rose from cover, a second passed, letting that final ability charge. And then, I squeezed the trigger.

Stolen novel; please report.

In the past, when I’d used all three of those abilities in conjunction, I’d seen the resulting shot practically disintegrate less powerful enemies. Even against the strongest foes, it was wildly effective.

But now, with my modifiers having increased by a significant amount by my class’s evolution into {Mist Warden}, it was absolutely devastating. The shot took the monster directly in the chest, digging a six-foot crater in the bulky crystal. Then, I repeated the actions, though I left off Execute because it wasn’t usable without Stealth.

Stil, the results were acceptable, so I kept going, digging six more crater’s in the golem’s crystalline body. Once that was done, I once again charged. I was ready for the creature’s aural attack, but that piercing sound ripped through my defenses like they weren’t even there. I stumbled mid-stride, though I managed to recover just in time to avoid being crushed beneath one of its pulverizing attacks.

Mostly.

I still got clipped, and the shockwave sent me skidding across the ground until I hit another overturned tree. But whether by fortune or instinct, I had angled my approach in such a way that my trajectory ended with me behind the monster. So, by the time it lumbered around to face me, I was back on my feet and leaping onto its body.

The first charge, I planted in its chest, but in only a few scant seconds, I jammed six more demolition charges throughout its body. Then, I jumped away, narrowly dodging another lumbering attack. This time, I rode the shockwave rather than fought against it, and when the dust – and crystal – settled, I was almost fifty feet away.

That was far enough.

So, I yanked the detonator from my arsenal implant and ignited the charges.

Once again, my newly enhanced modifiers showed their worth, and the resulting series of explosions – all nine of them – ripped the creature to shreds. If I’d simply planted the bombs on the golem’s exterior, it wouldn’t have been very effective. That was why I hadn’t used the BMAP. But shoving those charges into its body definitely did the trick.

Even as dust and shards of crystal rained down, my grief caught up to me. The monster was dead. I had felt the influx of Mist the moment the bombs went off. However, that was poor compensation for what I’d lost, and now that I didn’t have the immediate danger of a towering monster looming over me, my emotions slammed into me with enough force to fell a building.

Somehow, I managed to stagger back the way I’d come. There, in the center of our well-prepared killing field, was Patrick’s armored form. I trudged that way, knowing precisely what I would find. He hadn’t moved since the beginning of the fight – which was at least ten minutes, but probably more – so the odds that I’d find him alive were slim.

Still, I clung to a thin thread of hope when I saw that his armor hadn’t been completely crushed. Sure, the enamel was chipped, and it bore quite a few dents. But after what it had been through, that was the height of expectation.

Perhaps it would be fine.

Maybe he would live.

My mind whirled with that hope, but it was tempered by my many experiences with death. Everyone else I’d ever cared about – really loved – was already dead. Because that was the world in which I lived. And no amount of luck, or in this case, hope, would change that. Pessimism quickly pummeled that hope into submission, so it was with a heavy heart and copious tears that I finally reached the mech suit’s cockpit.

It took quite some effort to lever it open, which only served to extenuate the tidal wave of grief threatening to overwhelm me. I pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand. Patrick deserved that much.

So, with some difficulty, I managed to pry the cockpit open, and when I did, I saw the familiar face of the man I loved. His eyes were closed, making it appear that he was sleeping. Or that would have been the case if it wasn’t for all the blood.

It was everywhere, but it had was especially thick around his eyes and ears…

“Wait…”

Hope bloomed anew, and I leaned forward, flaring Observation as I tilted my head, putting my ear only an inch away from Patrick’s face. For a long moment, I felt nothing. But then, a second later, a gentle breath tickled my ear. My heart jumped into my throat as Triage came into effect, noting the pace of his heartbeat, the depth of his breathing, and his approximate body temperature.

And it all told me one, simple fact. He was alive, if unconscious. Though, aside from the blood, there didn’t seem to be any outward indication of what had knocked him out. That’s when I once again remembered the aural attack. It had been powerful enough to tear through my defenses, so Patrick’s were nothing before it. After all, his armor wasn’t soundproof – a vulnerability that neither of them had ever expected to rear its ugly head.

But even that probably wouldn’t have been enough to knock him unconscious. There had to be something else.

It was only when my heart slowed down to a normal pace that I started paying attention to the curious senses I’d gained upon evolving into a {Mist Warden}. Usually, a cloud of Mist clung to everyone; I’d come to think of it as an aura, and its density was dependent on a few factors. First, it was a good gauge for how strong someone was. The higher the level, the larger the cloud. But I’d also discovered that a person’s attributes affected the density of their aura. So, if someone was like me and they had nearly reached their potential – a temporary thing for me until I filled all of my skill slots – then it would be incredibly dense. However, if they hadn’t trained themselves, then it was the opposite.

There was one other way to affect the density, though, and that was if someone had exhausted their Mist reserves. So, being as how I knew precisely how Patrick’s aura should feel, there was only one explanation for why the cloud of Mist around him was so diffuse.

That, coupled with his unconsciousness, told me precisely what had happened. He’d used the entirety of his pool of Mist – probably in an effort to survive the golem’s attention – and as a result, he’d reached too far. I knew from experience the consequences for that kind of thing.

More, knowing what was going on made it clear what I needed to do. So, I pulled one of the precious Mist boosters from my arsenal implant, then jabbed the needle into his hip before discharging the payload. Almost immediately, his aura began to recover, and it was only half a minute before his eyes fluttered open.

Relief washed over me as I stared at him. Then, without saying a word, I clapped my arms around him and buried my face in his bloody chest.

His cybernetic hand found my back as he asked, “What did I miss? Did you get it? What even was that thing?”

I didn’t’ answer. Not immediately. Instead, I just hugged him as tightly as I dared – what with his apparent infirmity and my enhanced Constitution, I had to be careful not to do too much. In any case, a few moments later, I puled away, wiped my tears as best I could, then asked him, “Are you hurt? Other than the Mist deficit, I mean.”

He shook his head. “I’m in pain. Worst headache I’ve ever had, really. But I’m okay, I think,” he said. “That sound…I was just about to get the armor back under control when it hit me. I used one of my emergency abilities to cut it down, but it drained the last of my Mist, which was already low after running the armor. But I’m okay. It was enough.”

I nodded, then described an abbreviated recounting of the battle I’d fought. Once I finished, he asked, “What about the other golems?”

“Huh?”

“The big ones you saw in the distance. That’s why we didn’t want to –”

It was at that very moment that I let my mind envelop the sensory input that came from Observation. And I heard something crashing through the emerald forest. It was still a long way away, but…

“I think we’re going to have a problem. Is your armor still operational?” I asked.

He nodded. “It is, but I need at least an hour to regenerate my Mist,” he answered. “I can move it now, but…well, I won’t be at full combat capability until then.”

“Okay. I’ll distract them, then,” I said.

“How?”

“You’ll see.”

When I’d looked before, there had been six of the building-sized golems. So, no matter how I spun it, things were going to be close. They were still miles away, though, so I figured I had plenty of time to prepare a proper welcome. So, after explaining my plan to Patrick, I set off through the emerald forest, my plan at the forefront of my mind.