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The Mongol barbecue had a lot of drinking alongside, so much so that Vincent collapsed at the end of the party and forgot to check the armor Scoundrell looted. The next day, he managed to extract the core but failed to absorb or reboot the armor. Storing it, Vincent continued his other plans: finding the enemy base. Or bases because he couldn’t know how many of those there were around.

Vincent started by inserting the System’s diamond in the usual backpack and Elkandaros’ shard in a secondary nock. He ignored the Grand Archetype’s insistence on being taken as a robot. After the System showed him images of the two realms with mainframe backups, Vincent jumped between the planets, entering his Outsider’s Refuge, maintaining invisibility to the outside world but allowing the outside view in.

The System: Wait for it…

“For what?” Vincent asked. The sensation inside the suit was a bit claustrophobic, and he was cranky, as the armor was tighter than the spacesuits he had used before.

The System: This…

A Solar wind pushed the Mana in front of him, raising a magical surf wave. It crashed on the snow-covered planet, raising a cloud of fine particles that flew toward the twin planet, covered in sand. As it touched the atmosphere, the snowflake melted in a fine rain, sparkling as it fell toward the desert below. The distance between the planets was a few miles at the closest point, which meant magic was involved.

“It’s beautiful,” Vincent said.

The System: It is, right? Very few people live here because the conditions are harsh. But they love it.

“When my original and his friends installed the backups, they chose an extended cave system,” Elkandaros said. “I’m detecting multiple layers of pocket universes in the caves of Frosthaven.”

“You can detect pocket universes now?”

“You can detect them, but you’re not focused on it. My personality’s model can connect into your senses and interpret things you sense.”

“So they protect the secondary mainframe with multiple—

“Or they moved it away and set you a trap. If about ten Archetypes coordinate their pocket universes, they’ll create a maze and change things as soon as you pass one wall. They’ll oblige you to spend Karmic Charges and funnel you into an ambush. That’s what I’d do.”

“Shit…”

“Why don’t we explore Stellarelphella? The dwarves’ shipyards are there.”

The System: Sending images in your brain. Are they clear enough to attune to the location?

“I hope so…”

He appeared about sixty miles above the ground. The Elven planet was about the size of the Human one. Vincent invoked his Refuge, scrutinizing the surface through a telescope. Only one continent looked inhabited, and it was shaped like a bow tie. On the right side were dwarven cities, and the terrain was barren. On the left, greenery dominated. The Elves' cities were being built in giant treehouses.

“The Elves’ cities are nicer,” Vincent said.

“Yes, but all their house appliances and commodities are built or brought by the dwarves,” Elkandaros said. “It was part of the deal when the dwarves' planet was destroyed and they emigrated here.”

“Ah, yeah… the one with that Calamity,” Vincent nodded. “Fuck… they prepare for war, don’t they?”

On the dwarven continent, a few giant shipyards had tens of spaceships aligned in rows, and those were clearly enhanced versions made for battle.

“They build fast,” Elkandaros said. “Check the isthmus. See the mixed city?”

A town built in both styles was on the land bridge between the two continents. “Yeah, what about it?”

The System: Thorrak was the president of the military college last time I checked. That was when I fined him for sending an idiot to haul the Calamity to the sun.

“You think he’d be so stupid to hang around the college?”

The System: Let’s check out. What do you have to lose? I’ll show you the coordinates.

“That’s a big college…” Vincent said, teleporting downward a few hundred yards over the building. Hundreds of young people were moving around, and if he had to guess, it was lunch break because many had food they shared on the lawn. The average age looked younger than what college meant on Earth, more toward high school. Every species he knew was there: humans, Nekojin, Elves, and dwarves.

The compound had an archery range, but that was the only military detail. For the rest, it was indistinguishable from any normal school. The bad part was there was no sign of the dwarf, but directors were supposed to sit in their office like they were in an ivory tower.

“I have an idea,” Vincent said, taking several landmarks before jumping to Scoundrell’s camp. Searching for his friend, he found him playing cards with the Mongol Khan. “Hey, Etienne. I’m looking for your squire.”

“My who?” Scoundrell furrowed his brows.

“You know, the one always hanging around you. Big grin, freckles… stinks a bit… could use antiperspirant and a hair wash.”

“Oh, goodness… She’s not my squire, she—”

“I’m his fiancee!” the girl appeared out of nowhere, which meant she had a Stealth ability.

“—just stalks me…”

“I saved his life. We will get married as soon as I’m of age,” the girl said solemnly.

“But Scoundrell is a prince. To marry him, you must first advance in the ranks. What do you say about going with me on a dangerous mission?” Vincent said.

“Hey, pal, she’s fifteen! She should be in school, not risking her life!” Scoundrell said.

“Oh… you care for me,” the girl kneaded her hands near her cheek, battling her eyelashes. Vincent could tell she had either garlic or onion with her breakfast, if not both.

“Go wash your hair and teeth,” Vincent said. “You’ll infiltrate a military college and search for an evil dwarf. If you do well, I’ll take you to Earth, where you can study to become a princess and marry Scoundrell in time.”

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“Don’t lie to the kid!” Scoundrell frowned.

“I wasn’t lying. My father-in-law has connections to a Swiss college for rich people. I’m sure he’ll arrange for a scholarship for such a fine lady,” Vincent stared at his friend, meaning: ‘Do you want the kid out of your way or not?’

“Ask your mother for nicer clothes,” Scoundrell told the girl. “If the kid dies because of you, I’ll cut your dick,” he told Vincent.

Vincent showed his friend the middle finger and inspected the First Princess's armor, hoping to unbound it. No matter how hard he tried, his second try didn’t succeed either. Fifteen minutes later, the girl returned, dressed in the Realm’s equivalent of day clothes, a plain tunic and a pair of pants.

“Good. You’ll fit in perfectly. I will transport us on a roof, and you’ll climb down first. If anyone asks, you’re a new student looking around for instructions. Ask if Master Thorrak is around. Pretend he’s supposed to interview you. I’ll hang around and pose as a new teacher but won’t intervene except if you’re in danger. Ready?”

“Ready,” the girl nodded. “What’s your name, just in case?”

“Vincent. And yours?”

“Rynn.”

“Let’s do this, Rynn.” He took her hand to help the girl feel less disoriented and jumped on the roof he had selected. “Go go go!” he blurted, opening the door for her.

The girl darted down the stairs with a speed Vincent didn’t think she could attain. He followed slowly, dressing in dark jeans and a T-shirt, as he saw many students dressed. With luck, he could be mistaken as an older student, but he fit in a young teacher role more. Once in the courtyard, Rynn was far away, stopping every student and yelling in their faces: “Master Thorrak?”

“Goodness,” Vincent whispered to himself. “That’s far from a delicate approach.”

“Did she give a delicate vibe at any time?” Elkandaros twisted the knife in the wound.

“Look, they're pointing to the main building. It means the dwarf could be here.”

“Hopefully. Or maybe they point to the cantina. She’s not speaking either Elven or Dwarven.”

“You mean there’s no Common Tongue here?” Vincent gasped.

“Of course there is. Elven.”

“Gosh… I didn’t think about that.”

Vincent hurried to catch up with the girl. Maybe he had time to extract her and leave. Then, Thorrak exited the large building, and a couple of students shouted to attract his attention, pointing at the girl. The dwarf, dressed in an elegant three-piece suit, barked something at the girl.

“Hey, old dude, calm down. I was tasked to find you, that’s all. Take it with the boss.”

Thorrak turned his torso toward Vincent. His eyes widened in panic as his mouth started to scream. The dwarf’s armor started wrapping around his body, and the Warp whirled. Vincent Strode into the dwarf, sending it flying. Thorrak hit the wall behind him and collapsed unconscious. The Raven’s armor and spear appeared over Vincent’s body and in his hand. From everywhere, scores of young people ran at him, weapons in hand or preparing offensive spells.

“Can you speak Elven?” Vincent asked. The target was obvious: Elkandaros.

“Yes.”

“Translate this: I am the true System’s emissary. Thorrak has been found guilty of rebellion and murder. I will take him with me to face justice. The old System will be restored soon. Keep out of the war, or face my wrath!”

"Thorrak na-loth alessë i'ne'eth a'roval. I'yael lothen-na i'ldaer al'raen. I'kael Lothorië e'naral i'raëna thíri. I'nael e'lara na, mel'arië or lothen vaëli'!" Elkandaros spoke through Vincent’s radio.

A scream and broken glass noises arrived from above. Warned by his Awareness, Vincent started his Refuge around him and Rynn. Fenros slid over the wall of force, powerless. “You’re late,” Vincent said. “Some bodyguard you are.”

“Fight me!” the man yelled, his katana in hand.

“I won’t. I promised your parents to spare your life.”

“Where are they?” Fenros yelled.

“They’re my prisoners.”

“I swear I’ll kill you,” the man raised his sword in a straight line in front of his eyes.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. The next time we fight, you will either surrender or forfeit your life. You’re nothing without your skill, and I can’t wait to see how well it will go against a nuclear explosion,” Vincent pointed to the sky. The moon he destroyed was now a line of debris and asteroids. He knew well that everything had limits. A Rezz or pod armor was insufficient to protect someone from a nuke or a tungsten rod. The Queen and many Archetypes had fallen to those, and Vincent decided to continue the same strategy. Fighting one on one was a last resort thing.

Vincent rested the tip of his spear on Thorrak's neck. Taking the dwarf with him had a simple solution. He was himself putting the dwarf’s life in danger. If he felt the dwarf wouldn’t follow, he would kill him on the spot.

They reappeared in Cottbus, in the empty park he had used before. “Go and tell people to sound the bells. The citizens are to gather here,” Vincent told the girl.

“Why?” she asked.

“In an hour, I will publicly execute the one who destroyed part of their city. I need a podium,” he looked around.

“There’s one to the west,” the girl pointed.

“Thanks… You did well, mademoiselle… By my power as a Guildcher, I raise you to the rank of small nobility and grand you a house in Prodigia. But you are required to attend a school I will choose for you.”

“Thank you so much!” the girl jumped on her toes. She hesitated a second, her arms twitching, and Vincent realized she was aiming for a hug. He offered it, ruffling her hair, and then Rynn darted away.

Squatting near Thorrak, who was still out, Vincent examined a bracelet the dwarf had on his wrist. The armor had grown over the forearm from there. He thought about cutting the arm, then tried to pull the armor off. It was a loose fit, and he found a resort that opened the bracer in two halves, allowing him to pull it off. When he did that, a round object came out.

You have looted Space Ship Control Module Armor and the Walking Dungeon’s core from the previous owner, Thorrak, the Archetype of Oaths and Dwarves. Unlike other dungeons, the Walking Dungeon relied on disguise and mobility. This core is not dead; it only pretends to be. Its peaceful nature makes this core more suitable for travelers and merchants.

Secondary Mana Storage: 300.000 MPs

Skills:

Disguise: the wearer of this core can shapeshift to resemble a human or other Realm species. Cost: 30 MP/second

The Space Ship Control Module Armor has three perks:

Spatial storage: 100 slots / 100 metric tons in total.

Spaceship Control: This armor can interface with a spaceship, allowing direct control. Cost: 6 MPs/second

Warp: Transports the ship and the owner to a preset location. Locations have to be unlocked through physical presence first. Current unlocked jump points: Stellarelphella (25 locations), Stellarterra (12 locations), Frosthaven (1 location). Cost for a jump: 30.000 MPs.

The optimal use of this armor and core is to be bonded to the robot carrying Elkandaros, the Grand Archetype.

“I’m in,” Elkandaros said.

“OK,” Vincent said, extracting the robot from storage and inserting the personality crystal first, then the looted objects. “But let me be clear, you will do your part in this incoming fight. I strongly suspect that jump point on Frosthaven—”

“Is the one where the new System is… Of course, I will do my part. The Dungeon is squeamish, but it’s aware that the old System is better. We will work together.”

“Perfect… Let’s take care of the dwarf…” Vincent slapped the captive until Thorrak opened his eyes, gasping and looking around. Desperation was the main emotion on his face, and a bit of hope, maybe to squeeze his way out of it by ratting on his partners. Vincent crushed that dream. “You have an hour to live. I sentence you to death for killing thousands of this city’s citizens. Tell me now if you have a last request, wish to see a priest, or want a cigar or a drink.”

“You hang on a pipe dream,” Thorrak barked. “The old System is dead. There’s only one way forward, embracing—

The System: I’m not dead, Thorrak… I’m hurt and disappointed. You took an oath as an Archetype: to not harm.

“Shit…” Thorrak said.

“Walk,” Vincent said, changing his spear into a Hungarian axe, a polearm registering simultaneously as an axe and a spear.

“I do have a last request,” Thorrak said, painfully getting to his feet. “Don’t defile my body, cutting it into parts or sticking my head on a spear.”

“Agreed,” Vincent said. The bells had started to toll. He pushed the dwarf with the tip of his spear, making him step up on the stage. He dragged a sturdy bench up to serve as a log and let the dwarf sit on it, lost in thoughts.

Slowly, the crowd gathered in the thousands. When the hour came, Vincent announced his decision and what he held the dwarf responsible for. Tomatoes and eggs started to fly, but he deflected them with Outsider’s Refuge until the people calmed down.

Thorrak didn’t say any last words. He put his neck on the bench, staring defiantly at the crowd. With one clean swipe, Vincent beheaded him. Blue streaks of mana erupted out of the neck, trying to tie the flesh back together, a Rezz of sorts, but Vincent grabbed the dwarf’s head by the hair, raising it up for the crowd to see. After blinking twice, Thorrak’s eyes remained immobile.

Vincent was notified about slaying the dwarf and getting his Karmic Charges to full. It meant only one thing: he had done justice for thousands of people.