“The second core, friend-Serra?” Osar replied to the young woman, and Eric could see that their alien companion was clearly surprised by the question. His confused gaze included all of the Terrans. “I would think it is too early for any of you to be thinking about adding their second core.”
“Is there some milestone we need to be waiting for?” Cid had been looking over the selection of storage devices they had spread out over the table, but he had quickly turned towards the group when Serra had voiced her question. “Or is there a level or threshold we need to be at?”
“No, not really,” Osar answered, still taken aback, although Eric still couldn’t quite grasp why the question appeared to be so strange to the Urgan. “Look Jad-Os, my friends, I understand that becoming an adept is exciting and makes everyone feel strong and powerful… but there is a natural progression to improving your Gens, steps that must be taken to ensure that the foundation is firm before the rest is built upon it.”
Eric found himself unconsciously nodding with agreement at the Urgan’s words; they made a certain kind of sense, especially from a trainer or mentor’s point of view: Get the fundamentals down, work on the basics to create the foundation over which to build the skills, habits, and rote-actions that make up a true expert.
“I promised yesterday that I would explain the basics of the System, as well as help you out on your ability selections,” There was an apologetic undertone to the deep rumble of the big Urgan’s voice, but it was also firm. “Unfortunately, sorting through the items we’d gathered took up the entire day. For now, I suggest we all look through the item lists, pick out those items you think might be most useful to you, and we’ll discuss everything first thing tomorrow.”
“Roger that,” Serra said grudgingly. “But I’m warning you right now Osar, I have a lot of questions.”
“And I shall be happy to answer them as much as I am able Mes Jakobin.”
With a nod, Serra turned away and headed for the Plunderer, muttering something about taking a shower. Apparently satisfied to wait for tomorrow, Cid wandered over to where Luna’s drones were loading the miscellaneous and unidentified items into several spatial chests, picking up items at random. The scientist had been using his Prime ability to check out items all day, attempting to use it to help identify items, so far with mixed success.
“Is there something wrong, Osar?” Eric had walked up to stand beside the big man, startling him from his thoughts.
“Ah… no, Jad-Os… there is nothing wrong.”
“But there is something bothering you, yes?” Years of experience in a command role had given Eric an instinct for detecting uncertainty among his crew, and he could see that Osar was still disturbed by Serra’s question.
“It is just…” Osar began, clearly trying to choose his words carefully. “You Terrans, you are all so… different.”
Eric waited, sure that the alien would eventually attempt to elaborate on his statement. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the big man continued.
“You arrived less than three days ago, all of you seriously injured, thrown into a place… no, an entire Universe that is completely different from your own. Then, with almost no time for adjustment, you go forth to battle against what you clearly see as monstrous creatures, which Cid assures me are not common in your Universe! And you do this again and again and by Ifni, against all expectations, you keep winning! Even friend Cid, who freely admits that he is no combatant, seems to take everything in stride, willing to face danger along with the rest of us!”
Eric looked sideways at his companion, noting the greenish tint on the alien’s normally gray skin, the wide flare of his nostrils, and the agitated movements of his chin fronds. The big man turned to him, and for the first time since they had met Eric saw uncertainty and even fear in the big man’s face.
“I have been a warrior for nearly all the sixty cycles of my life Jad-Os.” Osar said softly, his voice rough with emotion. “I have struggled and fought, schemed and planned, and yet never have I ever had as much success or as much confidence in the ability of my companions, as I have these past few days.”
“Believe me, Osar,” Eric reached out and placed a hand on the Urgan’s shoulder. “We could never have done any of this without you.”
The big man gave a snort and a laugh. “I am not a youngling you need to soothe with empty platitudes, Jad-Os.”
Eric smiled as he let his arm drop to his side, looking over the hangar where Luna’s drones were busy storing items and clearing up the space. “It is the truth, my friend: We need you to be our guide in this strange Universe we are in, and we would never have achieved so much without your guidance. Whatever resilience or resourcefulness, or even luck that you think we have, I do not think it is because we are something extraordinary or special… I think it is because we, all of us including you yourself, are just too stubborn to just lie down and die.”
Eric looked over the entire breadth of the vast room they were in, taking in the hovering lumen drones, the high ceiling, and the stairs and doorways that led deeper into the massive structure that was the Fortress Belzond. For the first time the old soldier felt the weight of the future upon his shoulders, and saw the potential of what was unfolding at this very moment before his eyes. They were all free now, from all obligations, duties, and shackles of the past. They had been, all of them, been born anew, and then, blessing upon blessing, they had been given a place to make their stand and forge a new direction for their lives.
“We will make our place here.” He vowed, almost whispering, feeling the thrum of energies underneath his boots, the life pulse of the Obsidian Moon itself.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“On this rock, we shall build ourselves a future.”
Much later, in his quarters, Eric sat on the edge of his bed, looking through the last of his notifications. Pig had insisted they do so before sleeping, stressing the need for Eric to develop a cohesive and effective build to further streamline and enhance the capabilities of their four-man crew.
“This is also essential so we can select the proper equipment tomorrow.”
Eric had agreed with his AI, and was now looking at the first window that Pig opened for him.
Congratulations, your Gens Development has reached High Novice Tier.
You currently have four unassigned attribute points and two unassigned abilities.
Would you like to assign your attribute points now? Yes/No
Eric selected Yes and then settled down to read the Attribute descriptions properly, something he had neglected to do previously. Once he started to do so though, he was once again reminded of the System’s penchant for brevity especially when it came to giving out helpful hints:
Corpus
This attribute indicates the overall integrity and health of the adept’s physical body. Certain abilities, spells, items, and other System features may require a threshold Corpus value to become available for an adept to use.
Nerve
This attribute indicates an adept’s reflexes and agility. Certain abilities, spells, items, and other System features may require a threshold Nerve value to become available for an adept to use.
Psyche
This attribute indicates the adept’s mental acuity, strength of will and resistance to mental influence. Certain abilities, spells, items, and other System features may require a threshold Psyche value to become available for an adept to use.
Gen
This attribute indicates the adept’s sensitivity to and ability to weave aspected aether. Certain abilities, spells, items, and other System features may require a threshold Gen value to become available for an adept to use.
“Hellfire!” Eric breathed out, staring at the decidedly unhelpful window before him. The goddamn description didn’t even give him thresholds or equivalencies for the attributes. Perhaps he should wait to consult with Osar before allocating points that he would not be able to get back?
“I agree, sir.” Pig contributed, sounding as annoyed as Eric felt.
His mind made up; Eric dismissed the window before him before he became tempted to just make another even spread of points across the attributes. He badly needed more information. “What’s next on the docket, Pig?”
“I suggest you choose your abilities, sir: You currently have an open slot for a Type ability and another ability of your choice, which will place your ability total at six. You may also choose any one of those abilities to either replace or enhance.” Pig paused, but seeing that Eric just patiently waited for him to continue, the AI did so. “As per your instructions, I have selected the following abilities as the best matches based on the criteria you gave me earlier.”
Two new windows opened side by side, showing two abilities, their breadth nearly filling Eric’s entire field of vision. Eric leaned in to read their descriptions, wincing at the terse flavor text, knowing that Pig had gone through the entire Gens Trees available to find them:
Squad Net (General [Base])
Communication enhances teamwork.
Cost: 500 Gens Points
Effect 1: Connect and communicate with designated party members (max five) within a ten-meter-radius.
Further Effects may become available if certain conditions are met.
Would you like to equip Squad Net? Yes/No
Auto-Map (Striker [Base])
See where you’re going and where you’ve been.
Cost: 250 Gens Points
Effect 1: Overlay an automatically updated map corresponding to your line of sight.
Further Effects may become available if certain conditions are met.
Would you like to equip Auto-Map? Yes/No
Eric had asked Pig to find him abilities that gave him ways to enhance team cohesiveness and coordination, recognizing that his strengths lay in planning, tactics, and directing the members of his squad to where they would be most effective. This specialization of abilities would lessen his personal damage output but Eric figured that his other team members were more equipped for the direct damage role anyway. If he had been alone then he probably would have taken different options, but for now, this seemed to be the best way to increase the team’s capabilities. He would still be the team’s sniper and pinch hitter, but he knew that at their current configuration and abilities this was the most efficient way to maximize his contributions.
Satisfied with Pig’s picks, Eric chose yes for both abilities. A warm, golden glow suffused him, giving him the details needed to effectively control his two new abilities. He then chose Dragon Sight to undergo the free evolution. A new window appeared and the ability description appeared:
Dragon Sight (Innate)
The eyes of the dragons see the Breath of Worlds.
Like a dragon, your eyes are able to see the flows and forms of aether.
Higher levels may unlock higher functions.
You have chosen Dragon Sight as your Tier ability adjustment. Do you wish to replace Dragon Sight? Yes/No
Eric immediately, but carefully chose No. The last line of text changed:
You have chosen Dragon Sight as your Tier ability adjustment. Do you wish to evolve Dragon Sight? Yes/No
Yes.
The familiar glow emerged around Eric once again, but now it seemed stronger, more intense. The light in the room flared, and Eric closed his eyes instinctively. His eyes burned in their orbits for a moment, causing Eric to let loose a low groan of pain, and then it was gone. Eric’s mind felt stuffed, and even Pig seemed stunned by the experience.
When Eric opened his eyes, the window before him had changed once again.
Dragon Sight (Innate)
The eyes of the dragons see the Breath of Worlds.
Effect 2: You recognize distinct aspects as you perceive the flows and forms of aether, giving you an idea of the purpose of aether constructs.
Higher levels may unlock higher functions.
He looked around the small room curiously, gratified that now he could identify the pale yellow aether flows that fueled the room’s dimmed lumens as light-aspected aether. He also knew that this was a weak flow, regulated by the glyphs carved into the switch on the wall.
He amused himself with looking at the various aether-activated items within the room, finding out that along with the ability to actually identify the aspect of the aether flows, he was also capable of gaining a rough estimate of the amount of aether contained in each individual flow.
“I think that should do for now, Pig.” Eric said after a while, climbing fully onto the bed and preparing himself for sleep.