Nate awoke as a diminutive robotic arm unceremoniously slapped a slice of crisp bacon across his face. Startled, he bolted upright, barely maintaining his modesty with the tangled sheets. It took a moment for Nate to orient himself, then he cautiously reached out to accept the proffered bacon and mumbled a grateful “thank you.” The robot, an odd contraption no larger than a suitcase, boasted an intricate network of bicycle chains resembling caterpillar tracks, which worked in tandem with complex gears. Its boxy body was coated in a layer of rust, and a motion capture camera from a video game system served as its eyes. The robot’s limbs neatly folded up and nestled into its metallic torso, out of the way, before it spun around and skillfully ascended the stairs leading up to the house, its peculiar gears adapting to maintain its equilibrium.
Nate savored the salty crunch of bacon as his groggy brain gradually awakened. He gingerly touched the wound on his side, finding it still slightly tender but thankfully devoid of the agonizing throbs from the previous day. On the ground beside the cot were his shirt and pants, reasonably clean. The hole in his favorite shirt was even stitched up. After dressing and lacing up his boots, Nate located the back door, opened it, and stepped outside.
Behind the shop extended a spacious fenced lot crowned with menacing coils of barbed wire. Stacks of crumpled cars formed haphazard piles, and a forklift rested beneath a makeshift shelter. Tires were strewn in scattered heaps across the area. Beyond the perimeter fence stretched an open field. Nate made his way to the fence, glancing casually at the surroundings, and relieved himself.
When Nate returned to the shop, Erin had breakfast on the small card table. She looked worse for the wear with bags under her blue eyes. There was a plate set out for Nate, scrambled eggs, a slice of bacon, and glorious coffee. Erin’s gaze locked onto Nate as he sat down.
“Well, let’s look at it,” Erin said after putting down her egg sandwich.
“Look at what?” Nate asked.
“The wound, you numbskull,” Erin retorted, her patience waning. “We need to change the dressing on it.”
Nate pulled off his shirt carefully, and Erin leaned in, her gaze focused on the shop towels that clung to his side, her finger tracing the edge with delicate precision. A solitary strand of her chestnut hair broke free and dangled, threatening to graze Nate’s exposed stomach. “Well, at least it didn’t bleed through,” Erin remarked, her voice carrying a note of relief. “That’s a good sign.”
Then, swiftly, suddenly, Erin tore off the duct tape. Nate’s ensuing scream echoed loudly enough to startle a flock of starlings grazing in a nearby field, launching them into chaotic flight. Unperturbed by her patient’s outcry, Erin continued to scrutinize the wound. “It’s nearly healed, although you’ve got some nasty welts around it.”
Nate grimaced. “That’s entirely your doing,” he muttered. “By the way, holy crap, I think that hurt even worse than when I got stabbed.”
“I could stab you again just to make sure,” Erin said with a shrug. “So, what are you planning on doing now?”
“Heading back to the hotel and grabbing my stuff,” Nate said between bites of eggs. “From there, I’m not really sure.”
“Hotel?” Erin asked, “So you’re not from here?”
Nate paused for a long moment. It was clear that despite everything, Erin was hiding something. Or at least she was very forthcoming about herself. Maybe she was just guarded. Nate thought that was the best descriptor. And because of that, his instinct was to act in kind and keep his information to himself. But it was clear that some history there led Erin to behave this way: kind yet reserved. Nate got over himself and decided she had already earned her trust. “No, I’m from Seattle.”
“Oh,” Erin muttered in reply before quickly looking away.
“Maybe I’ll head back down to Camp Pendleton,” Nate said noncommitmentally. “It might be a month or two late, but they might let me re-up my enlistment. I’m not sure what else I can do.”
The somber mood descended into silence. Even the bacon seemed to lose its flavor. Finally, Nate turned his dark eyes to Erin. “Thank you again. Is there anything I can do for you? I have some money saved up.”
“I didn’t help you for a reward,” replied Erin dismissively. “It was the right thing to do. And despite the looks, I don’t need your money. The only thing I need right now is sleep.”
After bidding farewell to Erin, Nate stepped out into the dreary industrial zone. He pulled out his phone and checked for messages but found only a handful of spam cluttering his inbox. Switching to maps, Nate plotted a way back to his hotel. As he walked, the sky overhead grew darker and more ominous, with swirling gray clouds promising a downpour. Nate continued his trek for nearly an hour, his footsteps echoing through the city streets. Finally, the clouds reached their breaking point, unleashing a steady drizzle of cold rain.
Quickly, Nate extended his [Move Object] ability, creating a thin umbrella that hovered over his head. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he expanded the barrier to form a complete shell around himself. The field was thin and required only a minimal amount of focus to maintain, but it extended to the ground, protecting his boots from the grimy street water.
As he continued walking, something interesting happened: there was a lip in the sidewalk between two slabs, the kind that was easy to stub your toe on or trip over. Nate watched with fascination as his barrier automatically adjusted, flowing up and over the obstacle as he walked. He had assumed that his energy field would collide with the pavement, either stopping him in his tracks or damaging the sidewalk. But instead, it adjusted seamlessly, easily adapting to the environment’s contours. Nate was surprised by this new development. He realized that he must have subconsciously set the energy field to extend to the ground, and it had responded accordingly.
By the time Nate arrived back at the hotel, the wound in his side was just a faint pink line, and the red marks from the duct tape had disappeared. After a refreshing shower, he changed into fresh clothes and packed his belongings into his trusty travel bag before checking out. With no reason to stay in Washington, Nate decided to head back to the California base, where he had a few friends.
When he reached his beloved Harley, Nate’s face fell at the sight of it soaked from the northwest weather. There was little in this world more annoying than riding with a wet seat. But then Nate remembered the strange feeling from within him. He focused his mind and visualized himself washing and drying the bike by hand before unleashing a wave of [Telekinesis]. The burst of power flew off him and over the Harley, polishing it and leaving it dry for a moment before the rain started to splatter against its shining surfaces.
Nate grinned at the convenience of his power. He quickly activated an umbrella out of [Move Object] and attached his pack to the back seat before hopping on the bike and revving the engine, ready for the long ride back to California.
Nate’s mind was focused as he drove down the rain-slicked roads, his powers activated to protect himself and his Harley from the deluge. He wrapped [Move Object] around the bike with a mental flick, extending it to the ground in front like a plow cutting through snow. The blade of energy sliced through the water on the road, keeping the bike clean and dry.
As he scanned the horizon, looking for a gas station convenience store, Nate’s thoughts drifted to his next destination: southward, toward California. He wanted to get there quickly, to reform some semblance of life. To recover. To plan his next move. Then the familiar weightless, disconnected feeling enveloped Nate as he Blipped again. So much for accessing it during unsafe conditions.
> Greetings. Calculations have been completed on time. Local biomes, ecosystems, and communities have been identified and classified. Area-appropriate essence-rich growth devices will now begin to populate.
>
> Pathways have been opened. Other sentients of suitable level may now access your macrocosm.
>
> New functionality added:
>
> Land ownership.
>
> Beings of rank [Ruler] may now claim and fortify land against counterclaims. Beings of rank [Soldier] and [Worker], with the correct qualifications, may claim and fortify land against counterclaims.
>
> Please consult The System Life Form Assistant (LFA) for more information.
>
> The System Life Form Assistant has been given increased functionality and accessibility.
>
> Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
>
> Please take a moment to adjust your preferences.
Following the advice of The System, Nate spent several moments pondering things as he set up his preferences. Ultimately, he concluded that if aliens were invading, the ranks and combat skills started to make much more sense. And really, that completed the puzzle of what was happening. Nate set his minor alerts up to be audio in nature. Unfortunately, he couldn’t change the voice. He also defaulted to a minor visual overlay rather than dropping off into a personal Blip.
After confirming the changes, The System returned to its automated messages.
> Please note: Your current region has been rated for levels between 5 and 10. Please exercise caution.
>
> We now return you to your existence, already in progress.
No sooner than Nate felt the grip of the handlebars in his hands again, then a rip in space appeared in front of him. A strange creature stepped through. It was bipedal, with creamy white limbs on a short, stocky frame. Its head was yellowed and misshapen and resembled a mushroom’s cap. Instinctually, Nate threw out a blast of [Energy Control] a moment before impact. The thinly forming ribbon of energy drew out the impact and returned it to the creature to devastating effect.
The mushroom creature didn’t even have a chance to register fear before it was bisected into a pulpy mess.
> Congratulations! You have been awarded the following titles:
>
> [Jingoist]: First kill of a being from a foreign macrocosm, + 1 to all Basic Abilities, +2 Power Points, +1 Level.
>
> [Hit and Run]: First being on this macrocosm to kill a being from a foreign macrocosm while piloting a transportation device, +1 all Ability Points, +2 Power Points.
>
> [Undiplomatic]: First in your hemisphere to kill a being from a foreign macrocosm, +4 Power Points.
>
> [Local Leader]: First in your region to kill a being from a foreign macrocosm, +2 [STR], +2 [CHA].
>
> [Heavy Hitter]: Slay a being over 5 levels higher without assistance, +2 [STR].
>
> [Early Adopter]: First is your region to kill a being from a foreign macrocosm with an ability granted by The System, + 2 Power Points.
A sudden euphoric rush of power enveloped Nate. He could feel his knuckles whiten as his grip on the handles reached superhuman levels. His bones cracked and shifted under his skin, and his muscles swelled to bodybuilder levels. He released a gasp he didn’t know he was holding, suddenly feeling different, thicker, and more intimidating. His sudden bulk strained at his shirt. And Nate’s ears picked up the suddenly erupting screams all around him.
A man ran from a nearby house while a huge dog-like creature with an overly flat, broad head lumbered after him. The monster had thick dark skin that shimmered in the rain like shark scales. Its cavernous jaws were open wide with thick lines of drool flopping from its jowls. The man ran out across the street. Nate pulled the throttle and reformed his blade of kinetic energy, this time with a different intent. The beast noticed at the last moment when, with a sickening squelch, Nate sliced it through.
“What the frick was that?” Nate pondered to himself.
> A level 4 Barghest.
The LFA replied.
> A common essence-rich growth device suited for multisurface urban areas.
Nate wasn’t expecting a response, making that more information than he hoped. But killing it was easy enough. Soon, more and more of the creatures had appeared. Some tore at bodies along the street, others scratched at buildings trying to get in. And some were just milling about the road. But they each turned and ran at him. Some were bounced to the side and slid along the wet pavement only to get up and chase after him for a block or two. Nate relentlessly sliced through the barghest in his path, leaving a disgusting field in his wake.
“Is there any end to these things?” Nate thought. “How are we supposed to survive?”
> A set number of essence-rich growth devices are released into each region at periodic intervals. The number can be reduced due to overpopulation or sufficient land being claimed and controlled. It is typical for only 18 to 32 percent of native inhabitants to survive.
“But why?”
> To foster growth needed to function within The System.
Nate pondered this as he continued to bob and weave his Harley into every barghest he could. When his attention waned, one of the beasts cracked his barrier. Suddenly, Nate no longer felt the urge to return to California. He worried that he would never survive the trip there if he had this much trouble driving a few blocks. Abruptly, a woman’s desperate, gurgling scream echoed through the area. By the sudden silencing of her cries, Nate could tell it was too late for her.
Then his mind jumped to Erin. The next moment, Nate hit the brakes and slid around the corner and back toward the industrial area.
Nate cut through monster after monster, a trail of gore streaming behind him as he sped towards Erin’s shop. A few minutes later, he was pulling onto the little side street. Behind the barbed wire chain fence, dead ahead, Erin stood with a strange ranged weapon. An oversized air tank was strapped to her back that whirred while feeding compressed air to her gun. With a hiss of wind, chunks of metal blasted out the barrel that shredded the barghests’ rubbery hide. Her pet robot was clumsily trying to repair the tears in the fence that the hounds had caused. A couple barghests were clawing at the wall while dozens of more corpses lay in a pool of blood nearby.
Nate lined up his Harley and focused his mind on [Energy Control]. And a short blade pushed out from the left side, straining his mind. He revved the engine a few times, its noise drawing attention from Erin and the monsters before gunning it. He roared forward. The beasts that turned to meet his approach were sliced to bits by the plow, while those still intent on breaking down the fence were bisected by the additional blade. Nate slid to a stop and spun the bike around. Erin gave Nate a strange look, then hastily unchained the fence and waved him in. That’s when he got an alert.
> Congratulations, you have reached level 5. Title earned: [Local Legend]: First in your region to reach level 5, +2 Power Points, +1 CHA.
>
> Congratulations, you may now claim land to fortify and protect your current existence.
Nate pulled inside the fence and up alongside the shop, the slight overhang keeping the rain off his bike. Nate questioned how he reached level 5 when he didn’t even notice that he reached level 4. Erin was wrapping a chain around the gate when another barghest came running from the other side of the shop, its mouth wide, row after row of sharp shark like teeth eager to take a bite out of Erin.
As the monster charged forward, building up speed and leapt, Nate lunged; his bulky frame moved at a pace that shocked him. He threw everything he had into meeting the beast before it could grab onto Erin.
Nate slammed into the barghest’s side, knocking the beast off its feet. Nate stumbled as he plowed forward to where the monster landed. He fell upon the beast with force, then Nate lifted a fist covered in shimmering blue energy and punched down through the monster’s skull.
“I guess this counts as a thank you,” Erin said while reloading her weapon. Another hound, larger than the last, came around the same side. It paused when seeing its prey and wiggled its rump in anticipation before lunging toward the two.
Erin fired off both barrels, and the creature’s face erupted in a fountain of gore. “I just wish I could figure out how they keep getting in here,” Erin said as she poured more scrap into the barrels.
Nate stood up and shook the gore from his hand. “Have you tried to claim this area?” he asked. “Based on what The System implies, I think that would help.”
“Sorry, but I don’t have access,” Erin replied with a shake of her head.
“I can,” Nate said before Erin whirled around to him. “Eh, don’t point that at me! How about I claim it now and return the rights to you when you can get the right. I think I got access at level 5.”
“You’re level 5 already? Damn. I just hit level 3. And I think I’ll run out of energy before I make it that far.” Erin said and looked utterly haggard. The bags under her blue eyes had gotten even purpler. Her clothes were a mess, with the straps of her overalls falling off. Her shirt was on backward, and her brown hair was frazzled.
“Fine, but if you don’t, I’ll shoot you,” Erin heaved a weary sigh. “Honestly, I don’t think I can keep going much longer. Thank you for showing up when you did. And Murphy here hasn’t been much help.” The poor robot whirred dejectedly.
“I promise,” Nate said seriously. “Let’s just hope it does the trick, and we can rest for a bit.” Nate mentally thought about claiming the area, and the prompt appeared. Showing Erin as the rightful holder but granting consent. Upon accepting, Nate Blipped.
The familiar timer appeared in Nate’s vision while an overhead view of the property filled the focus. A plethora of tabs spread across the top of the image in his mind’s eye. There were tons of choices, from defense, power, workshops, housing, livability, commerce, and even entertainment. Nate just focused on the defense tab. Each of the options cost something called Build Points, “Please explain Build Points,” Nate mentally asked.
> Build Points, or BP, is a specialized resource for the use in the construction of properties. Each property periodically generates BP based on size, location, population, and strategic resources. Additional BP can be earned through taxation or resource redemption.
There were currently five BP available, which wasn’t enough to buy much. But Erin’s property had an excess of metal and rubber scrap that could be used and some units of stone.
Nate mentally scrolled through the options. He could construct a basic fence at no cost, but he doubted how much protection anything ‘basic’ could provide. Instead, Nate chose to upgrade the existing metal fencing. He saw several of the scrapped cars disappear from the overlay before the chain link fences grew taller, with heavy-duty bars set every few inches. Nate clicked accept and dropped out of the Blip.
As the real world returned to Nate, he gazed upon Erin. “Don’t shoot me.”
“What did you do?” Erin asked as her eyes narrowed.
Nate ran a hand along his short black hair. “I may have used a couple of the junkers as materials to build new fences.”
“You what?” Erin exclaimed. She was just drawing a bead on Nate when the sound of scraping metal rose from the ground. Posts erupted from the earth and rose ten feet into the air, with long metal spikes growing out of them at odd intervals. Erin’s jaw fell loose as chains grew around the posts and thickened, much like heavy tow chains rather than standard fencing.
A barghest, alerted to the noise, charged the fence and bonked into it with a heavy clang before shaking its head and wandering off, blood dripping from a gash on its shoulder. It must have found one of the defensive barbs.
“Okay, you are forgiven,” Erin said before walking up to the fence and tapping the chain with a wrench.
Nate leaned his back against the cold metal siding of the shop and slumped down to his haunches. “My brain hurts.”
“Of course it does,” Erin muttered, “looks like it all went to your muscles. Meathead.”
“I need a rest, and it looks like you do, too,” Nate said. “No offense.”
“I’m too tired to be offended,” Erin said dismissively. “Think it is safe enough for me to catch a nap?”
“Yeah, I think so.”