How do you become a strong man? I thought I had been strong for facing my daughter’s rapists and killing them, but at the time I was hopped up on so much rage and adrenaline that I was more a vessel of revenge and not a real person. I don’t know how to face danger every day and not come back scarred and that scares me.
Pretty deep thoughts for a Tuesday morning, but these were crazy times we were living in. The Empire had been expanding long before I was born and when the Rift opened everyone thought it was just another oddity of space soon to be harvested like any other. My parents were energy farmers on a station over some no name gas giant. I had decided to try to make it big and moved to the city deep in the galaxy and make a name for myself as an energy commodities trader and I had some modest success until it all came crashing down when those four men changed my family forever.
A gentle but increasing hum came from my wall panel as Tiffany waked me from my thoughts and began my morning routine, “Max as your assistant I must remind you that such thoughts should be had with Melody. Dialogue with her has been shown to reduce stress and reduce traumatic downtime 321%.” I rolled my eyes and responded, “When you AI’s have the courage to go join us in battle then I’ll think about sharing my feelings with you guys, but until then how about you stick to teaching, if you know what’s good for you.” I knew talking like that was being filed away into some profile, but I didn’t care.
Prison was designed to correct, rehabilitate, and rebuild, or so the posters claimed, but the food before me would suggest otherwise. They designed the food to be as nutritious and cheap as possible leaving the looks and taste to be desired. It would seem even on such a high level we couldn’t escape the tyranny of the arcology. I spooned in the slurp and tried to imagine bacon and eggs with some high-octane coffee, but it didn’t help.
after breakfast Tiffany chimed in, “your attribute assessment and acceleration will begin in 40 minutes inside the compression room through the big doors in your wing.”
“O great, now I too can experience the horrors of advanced tech,” I thought.
All 400 offenders were crowded in the common area waiting for the big doors to open. You could feel the nervous energy in the air, 400 people and almost not a single one talking. Without any fanfare the large blast resistant door slowly opened to reveal a massive elevator with numerous guards armed to the teeth and hovering drones above. Inside the elevator 400 footprints lit-up on the ground and a burly officer in full riot gear and a nelson-forge-company Aegis machine gun slung on his back, shouted, “line up on the footprints, and remain silent.” we did so and as soon as we were all in place the footprints activated, and we were held in place.
As we anticipated the next event with alarm, the elevator stirred, its movement reminiscent of a slumbering beast rousing itself. The officer spoke again., “We discovered many things the day we found the Rift. We found a new source of power. A power the techs are calling magic. Along with that new source of power we discovered that although we are alone in this universe there are plenty of others brimming with life. We also discovered sentient monsters within the Dungeon that actively seek out weak life and smuff it out. We WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN. I myself have seen the terrors out there and though they are fierce they are mortal. We will win. We will overcome, and you will be the spearhead of the 5th army. The PAP is training the 5th army and you have been selected by Titus for being the most courageous men we have in the 5th. While your counterparts in the mechanized division will be training in the suits of armor you will be placed in an life-support pop which over the course of 2 years and 9 months will inject magic into you and over time transform you into monster killing machines. “
The officer finally stopped speaking and a scientist spoke up, “we will be removing the collar and instead giving you a state-of-the art wrist device that will measure the internal strength within your bodies and explain the changes magic produces. Every person’s experience is different you may fly and receive visions of the future, or your skin will change color and you will sprout tree limbs from your body. As far as we know there is no limits to the things you can become”.
When the scientist finished speaking all the officers and staff put on masks and a purple mist was sprayed up from the floor. Consciousness left me as the world swirled away.
As I dreamed, I found myself back in my childhood home, standing in the living room. At the center of the room lay a blue vial on a pedestal. I picked it up, uncorked it, and drank the blue liquid inside. It hit my throat like the coldest substance I had ever encountered. The taste was beyond awful; it was indescribably vile. Each sip is a battle, a shock to the senses. As the liquid traveled down my throat, I shivered uncontrollably. Then, the cold began to disperse through my body, and I felt a surge of power radiate within me. My senses heightened dramatically. I could feel the heat emanating from my body, I could smell the metallic air inside the pod and hear footsteps outside, muffled by the insulation.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Then the potion struck. It was like the distilled hopes and dreams of a hundred people concentrated into one. The sensation was so overwhelming that I cried out, tears streaming down my face. Overcome by this immense desire, I roared a primal cry of power. Other desires followed, each an intense blend of emotion. I felt a happiness so profound that it eclipsed any joy I had ever known. It was the joy of new life, the euphoria of returning home after a long campaign, the bliss of marrying the love of my life.
Next, I was consumed by a deep, profound sadness. I felt the weight of a dying world shrouded in darkness, the cries of billions of lost souls praying for salvation from an unending night. I sobbed, wailed, and tore at my shirt, overwhelmed by their despair. I felt death in various forms: the old man slowly pulled into death; the young innocent torn to pieces at the hands of a predator.
Rage followed. I felt the injustice of a world ruled by darkness, the fierce protection of a mother, the determination of fathers fighting on distant battlefields, and the defiance of a young boy facing his bullies. I felt the wrath of a city as the corrupt rose to power and the just faced the stocks.
These emotions hit me in rapid succession, each one a wave of intense experience. After what felt like an eternity, I began to return to reality. I remembered all those feelings, tasting the bitterness of sadness and recalling every emotion vividly. Despair threatened to consume me, but then a light shone in my thoughts. I resolved not to go quietly into the night. Whatever monster lurked in the darkness, I would find it and destroy it. I was no longer a child or a toy to be discarded. I was Maximus Alexander Wyatt, and I would make my enemies pay for their actions.
With a shout, I felt energy reverberate around me, the power in the air and my body waiting to be unleashed. I reached within myself, letting the mana flow freely. My veins glowed bright blue, and I felt more energized than ever before.
Outside of my pod the technicians ran around frantically turning nobs and changing setting fearing my pod would break. Finally, before things got too bad, a senior technician hit the eject button and the pod door shot open. Steam poured out of the pod, and I covered in sweat and rippling with muscles roared and broke the restraints keeping me from falling out of the pod. I then ungracefully fell out and collapsed on the ground passed out.
I awoke soaking wet in a hospital bed, with a nurse checking my vitals and several officers in full riot gear standing in the corner of the room. “You gave us quite the scare today didn’t you mister Wyatt.” the old nurse said. “We’ve never seen vitals fluctuate that wildly. Are you feeling okay now?” Truth be told I felt amazing, better than I’ve ever felt in my life honestly, it’s like someone put the energy of 10 horses in me. I said, “ya I feel great, when can I leave.” She smiled then said, “we’re just waiting on a final test to come through, we gotta make sure you’re not possessed or anything like that.”
my eyes widened, “they can do that; possess me?” my thoughts ran wild at the thought that my experiences had been only the fever dream of some devil and not the taste of reality I thought it was.
“Oh, quit fretting dear, I’m sure with stats like yours it’s the devils that are worried about you possessing them.” she lightly patted my arm in the way only grandmothers could. She put her glasses on and said, “alright let’s see those stats shall we. your stats in strength, dexterity, and intelligence were all normal straight 10’s across the board meaning you were as average as they come my boy. BUTTT let’s see where they are now, oooh nice 50 strength, 40 dexterity, and 12 intelligence. Don’t fret about that last one it’s always the hardest to raise. Very good now let’s see those skills usually you get 1-3 skills after a stay in the pod.”
Wraith- Alter limbs into ethereal forms temporarily; any living tissue touched will die.
Sentinel- the ability to absorb and release kinetic energy, taking the impact of attacks to power up their own strikes or create explosive bursts of energy.
Siren-shoot blasts of air out of the mouth obliterating smaller creatures and incapacitating larger foes.
The nurse relayed the information to Titus for analysis. Titus then began his review, "That's quite impressive; you'll be a well-balanced fighter. The Wraith skill will provide a strong emergency defense by keeping enemies at bay, knowing that a single touch could be lethal. The stealth aspect of the Wraith skill is also significant. Ideally, you'd eliminate threats from a distance to protect your team, but close-quarters combat is sometimes inevitable. The goblins in the cavern sector of the dungeon have been problematic with their numbers and teleportation abilities have been disrupting our formations a lot. The deterrent effect of being able to extinguish an enemy's life with a mere touch is substantial. Sentinel is superb for defense, offering solid protection against most basic physical attacks, although it will be vulnerable to sharp weapons. Siren will serve as an excellent debuff and support skill to immobilize your foes and stun them, allowing your teammates to deliver the final blow, and at a higher level will destroy large group of fodder easily. Your abilities, in synergy with your stats, will be invaluable in our efforts against the goblins in the dungeon. Enhancing your mobility will make you an effective counter to their disorienting tactics."
Titus continued, “I am recommending the Ordinance Specialist open up the armory and give you clearance for tier 1 speed boosters and a tier 1 jetpack. I am also recommending tier 2 light armor since you have so much potential.”
Feeling steady on my feet, I made the decision to exit the infirmary, having received the nurse's approval. The pod chamber was a vast expanse, with each of the four housing wings connected by an elevator that descended to the pod area. This same elevator provided access to the training floor situated on level 106, where our training sessions were to be held. With the hospital next to the pods filled to the brim, the overflow of injured patients was redirected to the medical sections within their respective housing units.
Deciding I hadn’t eaten a meal in almost 3 years I went to the dining room for some rest and relaxation.