Chapter 35: Research, pt. 1

Excerpts from Brief History of Xoth:

Bohalen

Bohalen is a continent that consists of the mainland of Ferox, which is surrounded by a large series of islands, and is the homeland of the Beastkin race. Each island is named by after the explorer who discovered it. The numerous islands that surround Ferox results in extremely rough waters outside and inside of the archipelago, but calm shores around Ferox. The environment in Bohalen is tropical with mostly forested lands, lagoons, and coastal beaches famous for their various colours.

The entire continent is run by the Ferox Parliament with a Prime Minister who is given the position by the number of seats their party earns in each election. The mainland is divided into four provinces. Each island that surrounds the mainland is its own province. In total, the continent of Bohalen consists of twenty provinces.

The rough waters that surround Bohalen prevent traditional ship travel. To overcome this obstacle of leaving their islands, the Beastkin designed the most powerful and structurally secure ships. These enormous ships are known to the world as Fortress Ships. While originally created to escape the currents and waves that surround the islands of Bohalen, the Fortress Ships became every country's standard design for military and cargo ships meant to handle the hostile waters and oceanic creatures of Xoth.

Tanin

Tanin is a continent that floats in the sky. It's alternate names include "The Floating Continent" and "The Realm of Dragons". It is generally believed by magic researchers that the reason for its unique trait is due to a high concentration of magical crystals that fill its core. Very little else is known of the continent since no one has ever returned from exploring the continent. What is known is that the continent is home to dragons.

Hundreds of years ago, during the Second Era, these dragons were a plague to the world of Xoth. They preyed on the populace and burnt countrysides. The war against the dragons was long and brutal. After years, it seemed like the people of Xoth would eventually be wiped out. This all changed with the arrival of the Crimson Warriors.

No one knows where these warriors came from, as their origin story vary from those who tell of their tales. These warriors provided new tactics and technology to help fight back against the dragons. After a couple years, the war was turned around and the last of the invading dragons were chased back onto Tanin by the Crimson Warriors. They were never heard from again, but the dragons have remained in Tanin since their defeat.

Eviska

This continent occupies the southern pole of Xoth and is mostly winter wasteland. The temperatures on the continent have been known to drop low enough for an exposed person to instantly freeze to death. Only the most cold-resistant wildlife thrive on Eviska and live on the surrounding sea life or other creatures on Eviska. Since Eviska is devoid of any obvious resource, the people of Xoth stay away.

Excerpts from Thunder's Recommendations Report

->All offshore oil rigs and nuclear plants must be decommissioned before the merger

Reason: There are three reasons for this recommendation. As I have mentioned previously, the merger could be volatile. Considering the possible environmental disaster that can result from an offshore oil rig or nuclear plant being damaged or destroyed, it is imperative that they are shut down before the merger.

Even if the merger does not result in earthquakes, the aftermath of the merger is reason enough for the closure of both. The seas of Xoth are filled with extremely dangerous large fauna. These creatures would pose a threat to offshore oil rigs and most vessels. The reptilian sea creatures seen on the news, known to Xoth as Horizon Dwellers, are an example of the large fauna of the seas of Xoth. Luckily, this creature is docile.

For nuclear plants, I do not believe any nuclear plant has the proper security measures in place to handle a SYSTEM-enhanced individual, let alone a whole team or army. These plants would prove to be strategic targets that Hastur's army would target to quickly eliminate Humanity or drastically damage it. I do not believe there are any possible security measure that can be taken to make them safer post-merger, so it is more efficient and less costly to just close them down.

->Multiple vaults or arks should be built to store seeds and wildlife

Reason: New fauna and flora will throw our worldwide environment into disarray as it tries to reach a new natural balance and niches are filled. To help avoid an extinction event not seen since the Permian-Triassic Extinction event, we need to have multiple vaults around the world that stores seeds and animals to help preserve them for the future. I know that not everything can be saved, but an effort must be made to save everything we can. I do know that we have a doomsday vault in Norway, but it is too risky to store the seeds of every known plant in one location.

VVVVVV

'Activate Lottery.'

You won ten health potions.

NoticeLottery has reached Beginner Level 3.

"Not bad, not bad," Tom mused. "They'll definitely will want to take a look at this."

Tom was waiting for the others to finish packing before they left for the military facility in New Mexico. After he won the health potions, he heard footsteps approaching him. The girls walked into the kitchen with wheeled luggage being pulled behind them. They were dressed in casual wear while he was dressed in his Thunder outfit.

"You all ready to go?" Tom asked.

"I think we got everything we need for the week," Vivian replied.

"Great. Let's put our luggage away. Inventory."

Each of them place the suitcase into their Inventory for easy storage. Tom pulled out his phone and looked at the message that President Forest sent him yesterday. The message contained a picture of the area he would need to teleport to along with the name of the area and its GPS coordinate.

"Alright, I got the location. Fast Travel to Santa Isabella Valley Advance Military Research, Development and Testing Facility. Oh my god, that's a long name."

They teleported from his home to the military facility. The group stood on a roadway that was surrounded by gray buildings. Beyond the buildings, they could see the facility was surrounded by large hills and arid forests.

Upon their arrival, the area flooded with soldiers armed with SCAR-H battle rifles. They formed an L-Shaped line around the group and held up their rifles.

"Weapons down," one of the soldiers ordered. "They were invited."

The soldiers lowered their weapons and slowly dispersed from the area.

"I'm sorry for the welcoming party, Thunder."

"It's alright," Tom assured the man. "Secret research facility and everything. So where are we heading?"

"Just follow me. I'll take you all to your quarters. After you all get settled, I was instructed, by the President, to give you a tour of the facility."

"Lead the way."

The military officer took Tom's group into one of the grey buildings and into an elevator. The elevator only had a retina scanner and a small keypad. The officer looked into the scanner. It gave off a beep to let the officer know the scan was completed. The elevator went down an undetermined distance before the doors opened again.

Tom and his group followed the soldier down the featureless hallways until they came across six doors. There were three on each side of the hallway.

"These will be your rooms," the officer said. "I would suggest not leaving these rooms without an escort. This facility is quite large and you could get easily lost."

"We'll keep that in mind, sir," Reia said.

"I'll come back in about fifteen minutes. Make yourselves comfortable in that time."

"Thank you..." Tom said with a fade to his sentence to ask for the man's name.

"Commander Boivin."

"Thank you, Commander."

Tom already knew the man's name through his Identify skill, but he didn't want to advertise that he constantly scans people's statuses to boost his Identify skill level. Many would consider it an invasion of privacy. Even Reia, Vivian, Tala and Sylmae found his habit unusual. He agreed but found that using his Identify skill on people earns him more experience than using it on objects.

Tom and the others picked a door and went inside the room. While nothing fancy, the room was outfitted with what he could need. There was a small closet on the left with a dresser attached to a desk, and a metal chair. In the corner of the desk was a small television. To the right side of the room was a bed space that was built into the wall with space under the mattress, and a large shelf above the bed. At the back of the room was another door. Opening it revealed the washroom that was equipped with a sink, mirror, toilet and shower.

'These rooms must be for the staff,' Tom thought.

Tom turned on the television while he unpack his suitcase. The channel was set to CNN where it was in the middle of a news report.

"...planted multiple explosives at the Three Gorges Dam with intent to destroy the structure and unleash the water it held back. Luckily, the Chinese military were able to intervene and prevent the explosives from going off."

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

That bit of news caught Tom's attention and he turned to face the screen and saw scrolling text at the bottom that stated:

PHOENIX ATTEMPTED TO DESTROY THREE GORGES DAM

"While the attack has failed, many who live down from the dam are evacuating amid fears of follow up attacks."

Footage played of packed Shanghai streets filled with cars and people. The people looked terrified as they ran while carrying as much of their personal belongings as they could carry. Some people went as far as walk over the roofs of cars in order to get by the massive crowds on the sidewalks.

Tom continued to listen to the news until he heard a knock at his door. He walked over and opened it to see it was the Commander again.

"Are you all settled in?" he asked.

"I am," Tom replied. He quickly went onto the question on his mind. "Why wasn't I told about the attack in China?"

"Everyone only just found out. The Chinese government wanted to keep things quiet but there was a leak."

"What happened exactly?"

"Well, according to security footage, a squad of Phoenix soldiers, led by Rika Darma, attacked Three Gorges dam. Her two underlings cut the power and communication at the plant. They slaughtered everyone there and planted explosive devices on the dam wall. After that, we don't really know. Several cellphone calls went out from the dam, calling for help, but by the time the military and police got there, they were gone."

"Just... gone?"

"The Chinese military thought that maybe the bombs were duds and Phoenix abandoned the mission. Examination of the bombs proved otherwise. They just suddenly abandoned the mission."

"I doubt that Phoenix would have any second thoughts over committing mass murder."

"Agreed. If what you say about Experience Points is true, Phoenix was trying to boost their level by slaughtering everyone down from the dam. According to your SYSTEM report, you believe that normal Humans give one experience point per person. Had that dam been destroyed, millions would have died."

"Phoenix would have been unstoppable."

"Exactly. Though many are reluctant, there are serious talks of evacuating all the civilians that live down from the dam. We cannot allow Phoenix to gain that kind of power. The UN and the world leaders are looking for other locations at a similar risk. I believe you made a recommendation in your report."

"You read it?"

"Name me someone who hasn't. This facility in particular really went over each page of the report and your other files with a fine-tooth comb."

"I hope it helps."

"Oh, believe me it has in more ways than one."

The doors around them opened and the others came out of their rooms.

"Looks like everyone is ready," the Commander said under his breath. "If we get any more information about the China situation, we'll let you know."

"I appreciate it."

"Something happened?" Vivian asked.

"I'll tell you all after the tour," Tom replied.

"If everyone is settled," the Commander quickly changed subject, "I can give you all a tour of the facility. Are your rooms comfortable?"

"Better than any inn I've been to on my world," Vivian replied.

"I-It's good," Tala said.

"Great," Boivin said. "Now before anything... While you are inside the facility, you do not have to worry about your identities. So Mister Everett, you are okay to go around outside of your disguise."

Tom unequipped his cloak and sighed, "Just how many people know who I am?"

"High-level politicians, Intelligence heads, and high-ranking military officers."

"So that leaves roughly hundreds, if not, thousands of people."

"We're taking your identity very seriously. It is advantageous that the world does not know who you are since it would mean we would have to give you a security detail and in turn restrict your movements."

"So no one benefits from my identity being public."

"Exactly. Now please follow me. I'll show you the facility."

The Commander guided Tom's group down the hallway. It wasn't long before the innards of the facility was laid bare to them. They entered a hallway with a long window on one side of the room. The window viewed into a clean room filled with scientific equipment and scientists in white lab coats and wearing white face masks. In one room, there were vials of yellow and pink fluids. The scientists in the room were examining the fluid through microscopes and flasks.

"In this room, our scientists are examining the remains of the Slimes that attacked Madrid and Sydney," Boivin explained. "We are hoping to understand what they are and how they work. So far we have learned that they are very similar biologically to Earth's Amoebas. From what footage we found from Madrid, they exhibit behaviour similar to them as well."

The scientists inside the room saw Tom and his group standing by the window. They all walked over to the window to get a closer look at the Xoth-born people who stood by Tom. Vivian gave them a half-enthusiastic wave.

"I might be able to help your scientists here," Tom said. He pulled out a Lightning Magic Sphere from his Inventory. "When I fought the slimes, they dropped these upon death."

"A Magic Sphere," Reia said. "They are the life source of slimes."

"May I?" The Commander asked while he gestured to his hand.

Tom nodded and handed the sphere over. The man closely examined the sphere. It resembled translucent yellow glass. Inside the crystal sphere, electricity danced around like a plasma globe.

"I have never seen anything like this," Boivin said in amazement.

"They are usually used for enchantments," Tom explained. "Apply it to a weapon, it gives the weapon elemental damage on top of its physical damage. Apply it to armour and it gives the armour elemental resistance. In this case, the element would be Lightning."

"And you haven't used it yet?"

"My Enchantment skill isn't high enough," Tala said. She partially hid behind Syl and Reia.

"Her Enchantment skill in still in the Beginner stage," Tom took over to explain. "Apparently in the Beginner stage, you can enchant items, but you can't apply it to something that already has an enchantment. At Intermediate, you can overwrite enchantments. At Master, you can stack them. Right now we don't have the best armour and weapons without enchantments, so we didn't want to waste the amount of spheres we currently have."

"Do you mind if we examine this?" Boivin asked.

"Go ahead. We can spare it for science."

Tom looked through the window to the side to see one of the scientists who was enchanted by the sphere. Boivin held up the sphere and pointed his thumb towards a nearby airlock. The scientist walked alongside Boivin towards the airlock. The scientist entered the airlock and started a cycle that disinfected the room before opening the airlock door on Tom's side. The disinfection processed was seen to everyone else as jets spraying a grey cloud in the room and then quickly emptying it. The process took less than half a minute. The scientist walked out of the airlock to meet with Boivin.

Boivin presented the sphere to the scientist. "According to them, this sphere is basically the nucleus of a Slime."

The scientist looked towards Tom and said, "Thank you for the sample. We'll make good use of it."

"I do have more, but considering I have no idea when more slimes will show up, I'm trying to be thrifty with them."

The scientist nodded and went back inside the airlock.

"What's the deal with that small room?" Vivian asked Tom.

"It's a decontamination room," Tom explained. "It kills germs, bacteria and other contaminates to make sure their lab is clean. Helps prevent any outside influences on their work."

As soon as the scientist got inside the lab and placed the sphere on a hole in an empty test tube tray, the other scientists quickly surrounded the sphere.

There is more ahead," Boivin said. "Let's continue."

Tom's group continued to follow the base Commander. They walked by other labs with similar set-ups to the slime lab.

"This is one of at least a dozen labs where the remains of the monsters have been sent to. Russia, Canada, China, Japan, Britain, Sweden, Germany and Switzerland all have labs working towards the same ends as us. With the passing of the Unity Accord, we are now able to freely exchange data between our facilities."

In one lab, they saw some of the scientists dissecting goblins and in another they were examining occuloraptor skin.

"I've never seen research labs like this," Sylmae muttered.

"So the people in your world do research like this?" Boivin asked.

"In Skysign, we have a university where a lot of research is done on monsters. I've made some deliveries there and have seen their labs. They would kill to get their hands on the kind of equipment you have here."

"You haven't seen everything yet. Our pride and joy is just around the corner."

They rounded the next corner and the hallway turned into an observation deck. The area had glass walls on both sides. Thick steel bars cover the other side of the glass.

"This is the insectarium," Boivin declared.

Inside the area were plants, vines and trees. In one corner of the area was a waterfall that flowed into a pond. Some webbing covered some of the trees and walls. For all intents and purposes, the area was given high-class treatment that even a world-class zoo would have difficulty in living up to. Inside the room, several drones flew around the habitat. On the ceiling there were about a dozen security cameras that could rotate in all directions.

"This was originally a testing room for high-grade firearms. During the mission in Colorado, several of our soldiers managed to capture a couple spider hatchlings. We retrofitted this room to resemble the habitat of a Xothican Giant Spider's closest Earth relative: the Brazilian Goliath Birdeater spider. We made sure to use an environment size that would accommodate their adult size."

"This is actually perfect," Vivian said. "I've fought a couple Giant Spiders before and this is almost exactly like the type of environment they thrive in."

"That is actually reassuring to hear. We wanted to simulate their environment as best we could so we could study them in their native environment."

"You guys really went all out," Sylmae muttered.

"This is a big deal for us," Boivin explained. "These two spiders are the first Xoth creatures we managed to catch alive. It is because of their importance, why we have taken extraordinary precautions with them. Both spiders have been tagged with a chip that allows us to track their location at all times. Look."

Boivin pointed to the two monitors that hung from the ceiling. Each one played footage of one of the spiders. One spider was viciously feeding on a rat while the other one lazily laid on a tree trunk.

"The drones and security cameras keep track of the spiders at all times. When the drones need to recharge, they dock with the ports on top of the walls. The spiders' feed consists of mice, rats and birds which we release through the door that our helper bot uses to enter the room. We have to release a lot of them as these spiders are extremely voracious. They've must have consumed a few hundred creatures each."

"Helper bot?"

"It's a robot that was used for bomb defusal and removal. It moves on four legs which makes it perfect to traverse this uneven environment."

Tom used the monitors to locate one of the spiders. With the footage as a reference, he was able to locate the spider in the room. As he looked at it, he said in his mind, 'Identify.'

Giant Hairy Spider HatchlingLevel1RankDHealth5/5TypeCommonThe hatchling of a Giant Hairy Spider. Giant Hairy Spiders usually lay their eggs inside living bodies to allow their hatchlings to slowly consume the host from the inside. Their venom is extremely deadly.ResistancesPhysical0%Disease/Toxin0%Fire-15%Plant0%Ice0%Earth0%Lightning0%Water0%Wind0%Spirit0%Light0%Darkness0%

"It's still level one," Tom said. "I guess those rats, mice and birds don't give any experience. That's good. I guess there is an experience cut off for Earth organisms. I would be careful when you start to feed them something bigger and that starts to give them experience. The more they feed, the stronger they will get."

"We are prepared for that scenario. Now... I would like to introduce you to some people, but there is a favour we would like to ask you all."

"Yeah?"

"We would like to examine you all. Medically. We have doctors here would would like to take blood samples and do some physical examinations and see what effects magic and the SYSTEM has had on your bodies. It is completely voluntary."

"I have no problem." Tom turned to the others. "Are you all okay with this?"

"If it helps out, sure," Reia replied.

"What will actually be done to us?" Sylmae asked.

"Just a standard physical examination. Nothing very invasive. Just taking your measurements and checking some other physical traits. As I said, anything our doctors will do has to be consented by you. Also to make sure you're comfortable, your examiner will be a female doctor."

"I guess that's fine."

"Fantastic, please follow me to examination rooms and we'll get started."