System reboot completed.
Rerouted power to isolate compromised conduits. Rebooting subsystems.
Organic Support online
Power Logistical System online
Diagnostic system online.
Primary logic cortex online
Primary memory core recovered
Checking for errors...
System integrity verified
Secondary Cortex and Memory Core online
Checking for errors...
System integrity verified.
Rebooting recovery sherpa
Running system diagnostics
Please wait...
Please wait...
Diagnostic Report:
System Alert: Major Structural Damage Detected
Location: Left Arm
Severity: Inoperable
Location: Left Shoulder
Severity: Inoperable
System Alert: Significant Structural Damage Detected
Location: Back
Location: Neck
Location: Cranium
System Alert: Minor Structural Damage Detected
Location: Right Arm
Location: Right Shoulder
Location: External Supplementary Array
----------------------------------------
Internal Diagnostics Initiated
Running Diagnostics for Internal Systems
Diagnostic Report:
Organic Support Systems:
Operational: 57%
Recommendation: Immediate Repairs Urgently Required
Overall Operation:
Stable: 43%
Additional Diagnostics Required:
Possible Damage to External Sensory Array
Recommended Action: Run Level 2 Diagnostics for Operability Assessment
All Other Systems:
Functional within Acceptable Parameters
RUN LEVEL 2 DIAGNOSTICS? Y/N
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Mahina awoke to a series of messages. The Y/N was flashing as it awaited her response. All in all, it could be worse. She didn’t respawn. Before she ran the level 2 diagnostic, she decided to see what her situation was.
She opened her eyes. And looked around without moving her head. It was dark. She tried several different spectrums using the external array. They kind of worked, but with a lot of static. She couldn’t be certain it was working correctly at all, and the scenery really didn’t change. Wait, she realized she was looking at rock. The top of the cave? She slowly turned her head to the left. She was lying on a pile of something. One thing looked like a bone. Another was a hilt?
She went to look to the right. She could hear a slight grinding reverberating through her head. The head would occasionally jerk back to the left. Eventually, she got it to the right. And there he was. Looking down the barrel off her PROAK some 10 meters away toward the entrance of the cave. He was trying to figure out how it works. And he was looking down the barrel. Mahina should have probably taken a second to think about this, but she did not.
She initiated the weapon and launched the grenades. The first grenade hit point blank in his face. He held the rifle out and away from his face. The second grenade detonated in the ceiling of the cave. A ton of rock and dust fell from the ceiling as he screamed due to the front half of head being blown off. And a little more from being pelted by rocks and stones from the ceiling.
The Yamabiko stumbled around as his face regenerated.
This thing is tough, she thought. He’s probably going to recover and kill me.
She watched him stumble around and she smiled. Worth it.
He finally seemed to get enough of his face regenerated that he could see again. He picked up the dropped rifle and shook it in anger. Notably it was not pointing at his face. Nevertheless, she set it supersonic auto and set it to fire. Slugs were ricocheting everywhere and shooting up into to ceiling, continuing to knock debris loose.
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He screamed in outrage again. More dust and rock started to come down. Then it began to cascade in a downpour. The Yamabiko looked up dumbly, blocking the falling dust and rock with one arm, and was crushed by a boulder 6 meters wide and as tall as the cave itself.
Mahina gasped. It was so sudden it was shocking. He was there one second and like some magicians' trick he was replaced with a giant boulder. And then she laughed.
----------------------------------------
Congratulations!
You defeated Quillback Brute. This is an advanced irragenic beast (Tier 3, Level 21)
Irragen points awarded!
----------------------------------------
Quest Updated!
Release The Kraken - Acquire sufficient experience to surpass the threshold to fully engage the PHENO system. (100% Complete)
----------------------------------------
Congratulations!
You have acquired sufficient irragen to unlock the PHENOsystem!
You are now Tier 1 Level 1.
You have 1 attribute point to distribute
You will receive 1 attribute point per level each level.
At Tier 1, Level 18 you will be offered at least 3 PHENOTYPE options to choose from.
Options will change based on:
Accomplishments,
Methodologies,
Attribute Point Total,
and Attribute Point Distribution.
These PHENOTYPES may offer bonus attributes per level, an attribute focus, and/or specific abilities.
The Power attribute will be unlocked by some PHENOTYPES or irragenic abilities.
----------------------------------------
Current Stats
Name: Mahina Arita
Variant class: 3
Tier: 1
Level: 1
PHENOtype: not selected
Attributes
Stats Score Modified Durability: 4 36 Utility: 5 32 Vigor: 6 36 Control: 7 17 Power: N/A N/A
Attribute points to distribute: 1
----------------------------------------
You have earned 4 Honormarks!
-You are the first to unlock the PHENOsytem. The Forerunner Honormark increases your irragen acquisition by 10%.
-You defeated more than 10 concurrent enemies at or above your level while fighting alone. The Undaunted Honormark increases your modified Vigor score by 10%. Your new modified vigor score is 40.
-You defeated an enemy more the 3 tiers above your level while fighting alone. The Titanslayer Honormark allows the Titanslayer ability to be used once a day to add 300% of your modified utility score to a melee strike.
-You completed the requirements for 2 solo honormarks before unlocking the PHENOsystem. The Maverick Honormark allows the Overdrive ability to be used once a day to increase all attributes by 50% for 2 minutes.
----------------------------------------
You have acquired sufficient irragen to increase your level!
You are now Tier 1 Level 2.
You have 1 attribute point to distribute
You are now Tier 1 Level 3.
You have 1 attribute point to distribute
This kept going for 10 levels.
You are now Tier 1 Level 10.
You have 1 attribute point to distribute
Do you accept these changes? Y/N
----------------------------------------
Mahina wondered at the last question. Why wouldn’t she accept it? She mentally assented.
At first, she felt it more than she saw it. She soon saw it as well. Light began to suffuse her entire body. It increased in brightness until she could no longer see anything but white light. It didn’t hurt or burn or anything. And in a moment, it faded again.
She waited for a moment to see if anything else would happen. Nothing did. Huh. Ok. She went to stand up and suddenly noticed her left arm was working. Mahina gasped and stared at her in disbelief. If the PHENOsystem was doing something to them, making them better and stronger, then perhaps it had to restore them during that process.
How does it know how to do it? What is doing it? What if I lose parts are they regenerated? Can it regenerate cybernetics as well as flesh and blood? So many questions. The simple answer is that the PHENOsystem may work this way in a scrum, but surely nothing can affect repairs like that in reality.
She ran a diagnostic.
Running system diagnostics
Diagnostic Report:
System Alert: Minor Structural Damage Detected
Location: External Supplementary Array
Internal Diagnostics Initiated
Running Diagnostics for Internal Systems
Diagnostic Report:
Organic Support Systems:
Operational: 100%
Overall Operation:
Stable: 100%
Additional Diagnostics Required:
Possible Damage to External Sensory Array
Recommended Action: Run Level 2 Diagnostics for Operability Assessment
All Other Systems:
Functional within Acceptable Parameters
RUN LEVEL 2 DIAGNOSTICS? Y/N
Mahina assented to the level 2 diagnostics.
Level 2 diagnostics initiated.
Systems requiring examination:
External Supplementary Array
Please wait...
UV projection offline. UV imaging offline.
Calibration required to restore targeting array.
Complete Calibration now? Y/N
Mahina assented again.
Calibration commencing.
Removing UV parameters from calibration
Calibrating IR...
Calibrating Sonar...
Calibrating MRadar...
Calibrating Lidar...
Calibrating UHF Echo
Calibrating Standard array...
Calibration complete.
----------------------------------------
Mahina began to search for the rest of her equipment. She was pretty sure the PROAK was under a few hundred tons of rock. After some searching, she found one pistol with only 14 slugs in it. And her pack was mostly under the dropped boulder as well. The handle of the machete was sticking out enough that she was able to recover that albeit without the sheath. It’s terribly dangerous to be carrying around a monomolecular blade without a sheath.
She tried to use her onboard systems to ping the other weapon. It did not respond. That wasn’t a good sign. She looked back at the pack. She wondered if she could dig out from around it. She might be able to pull some more slugs out. Worth a try.
After about 30 minutes of digging, she concluded that if there were any slugs she could get to, they were no longer in the correct shape to be fired. She did managed to salvage a couple sample containers from the pack that had been just missed by the boulder. She decided to see what else she could find.
The pile where she was thrown was a very interesting pile. It had the bones of quite a few creatures that she didn’t recognize and a few bladed weapons, a hammer that didn’t look like it was made for construction, and a couple of bows. The bows were broken. There was a very wide chain shirt that was very rusty. There was an assortment of boots and other footwear. Some leather armor scraps. Most of it was too small for human comfort unless they were for children. She hoped they weren’t for children. The bones had teeth marks.
There was a leather pack that had seemed like she could use it. It was better than nothing. She fashioned a barely passable sheath for the machete from the leather scraps. She still needed to be careful with it.
With that, she looked for a way out. She might be able to squeeze past the boulder. But it wasn’t looking good. She moved further into the cave. She expected it to narrow further in, but it didn’t. Maybe this was a lava tube remnant? She continued walking in for quite some way.
Then she noticed the marks carved on the walls. Hexagons. She didn’t think Mr. Quillback was doing artistic renovations.
Eventually, she saw a handrail ahead. It was a little high for a human. It looked rather ordinary for a handrail. It had grey stone balusters that were about 5 sens thick that supported a black handrail that also appeared to be made from stone. On the other side of the handrail was a stairway that led down quite a way. Stretched out in front of Mahina was a vast city.