CHAPTER XXXII: REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD
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{00:13 LOCAL TIME 2ND JULY 1ME}
UNCOMMON PERIOD
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FORT CHAVEZ
PRIME
Clyde brushed his teeth in the steam-covered mirror. The bathrooms were larger on the inside than they looked on the outside, a byproduct of his unique combinations of Titles and Quest/Event awards. They had eaten like it was Thanksgiving dinner when they got back, their magically enhanced bodies needing more energy to move. Weirdly, if they did exert themselves, they used less energy. It was like their bodies were more efficient at rest than before.
“We need more information on our world before we go out there and change it up. I like your plan of conquering the world in practice, but governing that will be a pain in the ass, to be honest.” Soto said from next to him, flossing. “Damn, that jerky was really stuck in there.” His upper torso was tattooed with the four names of his children. His right forearm had the name ‘Layla,’ his oldest. His left forearm, ‘Alena,’ his middle girl, and his two youngest, Anthony Jr and Ava, were tattooed around his heart. “Yeah, the more I think about it, government isn’t for us. We are old soldiers who are meant to take land, not govern it.”
“I know. I plan to have each region govern itself.” Clyde replied as he rinsed his mouth. “We will keep the charter rules and expand on them for the new Game world. They were a great compromise when we had them before. I think it works better in the magical world, to be honest. With a few tweaks, of course.”
“We can enforce it better in this world, you mean,” Soto semi-agreed.
“Yes, with more power, you can make sure people follow the rules. The more powerful a person is, the more rules they can break. However, holding the most powerful people to the rules of the charter would require us to be even more powerful. So we must continue to grow, or someone else will be above the rules.” The Colonel said, walking over to his hygiene bag and rummaging through it for some mouthwash. “We really got lucky with our professionals, but we need more people. If we want to grow, maybe when those girls wake up, we will have more information about the area.”
“Yeah, hopefully. Hey Sugar, are you coming tomorrow?” Soto yelled at a curtain.
“You guys do know I am a girl, right?” Brittney said from the shower stall, where she had been hiding since the two soldiers had entered a few minutes ago.
The two look at each other, standing around in their underwear. “Yes...” Soto drugged out the word. “Kind of hard to miss. Your point?”
“It isn’t appropriate to be talking to me in the shower, right?” She added, exasperated, holding her towel around her, her hair still wet.
“Huh? Why not?” Soto asked.
“Don’t y’all give girls privacy in the Army?” Sugar asked, almost pleading.
“To be fair, we were in all-male units most of our time in the Army; once we got to the JTF, we implemented universal showers and latrines. In the early days, at first, we got a ton of complaints, but after a few months of field training and quite a few male applicants being dishonorably discharged for harassment, it was the new normal. We keep it separated by rank so that enlisted, Non-commissioned, and commissioned Officers could decompress in peace and together regardless of gender.” Clyde stated.
“We are in our fifties, Sugar; we have daughters your age. Believe us, we aren’t here to creep on you.” Soto said. “We need separation from the Nobles or Officers and the enlisted. It keeps the relationship more or less balanced. No one wants to see their boss’s private parts.”
“That is my point! You are my bosses.” Sugar pleaded again.
“Alright, we are leaving. Next time, say something sooner, sheesh,” Soto said with a chuckle.
Clyde rolled his eyes.
“I have been saying that for...” Sugar started but was cut off by the Colonel.
“He was kidding, Sugar; we are going to leave. Figure out a time for the female officers to shower in this locker room, and we will comply with that time. Outside of that time, females will be allowed to use the locker room, and males can’t use it during their time. How is that?”
“That's...reasonable.” She replied sheepishly.
“Good, this is your fort, Lady Sugar. That being said. You will handle the Hamlet problem since I just solved this one. This will be your first independent test. Prove to yourself that the Lady Job is for you.” Colonel said. “Soto and I will be leaving in the morning to handle the monk problem of the Event. If we aren’t back in time, continue to build up this fort, protect our people, and save those NPCs, we will be back; it may just take longer; we aren’t going to die out there for sure.” He continued confidently.
“Send scouts out to all of the local Hamlets and other Strongholds marked on the tactical table. Just get as much information as they can and update our area maps. We don’t know how the table works without me being attached to the Stronghold, so you need to document everything and have a report for me when I return. Also, don't engage with superior forces, may that be in numbers and especially superior in Tier.” He looked to Soto.
"Citizens, food, and shelter," Soto said off the top of his head.
"Right, any Player who wants to join must do so by Oath, no questions about it. They can decide on their minimum time, but they will have to understand that the benefits they gain will be locked if they leave the nation either by abandonment or timing out their Oath. I will put up some more turrets before I leave. That way, you can protect this place. It is pretty big for just a hundred people. I don't want you to be overwhelmed."
“She won't be. Adia will be here with her to help.” Bour said from the shower next to Sugar.
She screamed a little, hearing his voice.
"I’ll go with you. But I can't enter where I believe you are going, but I can travel with you." Bour said, ignoring Sugar stepping out of the shower.
Soto and Clyde looked at him and nodded respectfully.
"I know the floor is clean, Bour, but make sure that thing," He chuckled, looking at the Desert Dwarf, "doesn't brush against the ground as you walk."
"Eww..." Sugar said from her stall.
“You are so cute when you‘re flustered.” Adia’s voice came from the shower stall on the other side of her. “I’ll stay here and help our beautiful Lady go over the running of a proper Stronghold.”
“Get OUT! All of you now.” Sugar said with a towel wrapped around her protectively, still hiding in the stall.
“Hey now, I am a girl just like you, sweetheart,” Adia said with a pout.
Sugar didn’t have an answer to that.
Clyde smiled and stepped out into the clean, crisp air, leaving the yelling Sugar behind. He looked up and saw the moon in the center of the sky. It was much bigger than before. It shone brightly in the pitch-black night sky despite its waxing gibbous phase. Behind the moon, Venus glowed much more prominent and brighter, and Mars’s red surface stood out in the clear skies also way bigger than before. Clyde could kind of make out the asteroid belt of the solar system if he looked hard enough.
It was like they were much closer than they were pre-Breaking. The stars lit up the background with billions of twinkles. Clyde smiled. He hadn’t had time just to sit down and take in the new world; there was beauty in the quiet of the night.
Stolen novel; please report.
The Legacy was on his task of bringing together the Mortal realm. He was pretty sure he had the power to beat anyone or group, but he needed to make everyone stronger to let them grow. From what he had learned, even with his power, he couldn’t defend the Celestial on his own. He was still underpowered compared to true Cultivators as well, but that wasn't a problem just yet in the Mortal realm. The sky realm was exclusively Cultivators, and He and his team would have to go there after the Mortal ream was conquered. He smiled at the feeling he got from even thinking about conquering the Mortal realm. Looking at the sky, he got to work creating turrets. He was going for more quantity than quality since he was so tired and knew that he would be able to upgrade them when he got back from his mission.
The view was so majestic that he walked around greeting every one who was still up. About twenty percent of the players were already sleeping. Another group was crafting things. Clyde had given out Trade and Skill tomes to the players who had slots and compatibility, which was everyone. The crafting of weapons and armor was going as well as Weapon Style Shards and other Trade-based powers. They had enough to outfit ten times the people they had, but Adia and Bour warned them that a Stronghold was a magnet for people, especially before the platinum Period. They said they wouldn't be surprised that by the Platinum Period, the stronghold would have over a million players and their families.
Clyde made it back to showers in about an hour or so and smiled at his upgrades to his Profession and Trade knowledge. He sighed and thought about his family. It was something he tried to avoid in combat, as it could be a distraction. But after each battle, he likes to remember what he fought for.
Then he got a Twin Link Alert, and his face lit up. "Great timing."
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< TWIN LINK ALERT >
{Your twin is trying to contact you. Would you like to respond? YES/NO?}
Ability NAME: TWIN LINK
LEVEL: MAX
Description: The player and her twin are irrevocably connected.
ABILITY EFFECT: The player can communicate telepathically with his twin across any distance once per day per twin.
MAX EFFECT: The player can project his likeness anywhere the player is to talk.
WORLD FIRST EFFECT: The player can sense their twin anywhere in the world.
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He smiled and said, “Yes.”
A holographic projection of a man that looked just like Clyde, except he had lower back length salt and fine dreadlocks. His goatee was longer than Clyde remembered, almost like a Fu Manchu. The projection solidified, and Andre Jacob, his former dead twin brother, came to life with a massive grin.
A timer popped up that started to count down to the end of the conversation slowly. Dre’s eyes unfocused for a few seconds, then he smiled sadly back to him. “We only have a limited time to talk like this, it seems. I didn’t pay any attention the last time.” He looked into Clyde’s eyes. “I have missed you, Junior.”
“I missed you more, Andre; you left behind a big ass mess, you asshole, Miriam, Domenica, hell, the JTF secret section.” Clyde chuckled through tears.
"Bro, where you been..."Soto walked out of the shower, putting on his fitted cap; he stopped talking and looked at the projection, then started to sing. “Reunited, and it feels so good.”
“Don’t mind him. He got hit in the head a lot,” Clyde said, ignoring Soto.
“Ahh, come here, Chef.” Soto made to hug the projection and then walked right through it and stumbled forward onto his face. “Ouch. Oh, snap, umm, well, that made me look a little foolish.”
“Yep.” The twins said in unison with a shit-eating grins.
“Ugh, you two are already back at it.” Soto gave a long-suffering sigh.
“Whatever do you mean, Soto?” The brothers said together in a creepy voice, both cocking their heads to the side like curious puppies.
“Okay,” he put his hands up in defeat and smiled at Andre. It is really Chef Dre. It is good to see you, Master Sergeant.” Soto smiled. He had always had rank on him.
“I am actually a Major now. The JTF had protocols for when Magic came back.” He paused, “I am sorry we couldn’t tell you both before. We just could not risk polluting your Class, Caste, and power options. You two have a destiny. I didn’t expect to die, to be honest, and thought I would be there to guide you when this time came. I am sorry for that as well. We have a lot to talk about. Like a lot.”
“All is well that ends well,” Clyde said. “But you owe me big time, brother, and don’t fucking die again.” His voice cracked a little at the end.
“I am sorry, Junior, and all isn’t well. The last six months were much worse than they should have been. The Common and Uncommon hordes were way stronger than they should have been as well because of the Breaking. Whole countries disappeared overnight. We had JTF locations in every country in some capacity, and most are still standing. The ones that aren’t the countries were wiped out according to intel we have gathered, which is still limited by the size of the world now, which is also way bigger than it was supposed to be.” Andre said. "Getting control of the Mortal realm will have to be done in two parts. Tentatively, the plan is called the Mortal realm Part One and the Mortal realm Part Two."
Soto looked at the projection. “You have a way to communicate across the world?”
“Yes and no. Roger can send out messenger drones, but only about ten percent make it back, and that is only to the closest places to us. The others are either destroyed in transit there or back. But it still gives us the information we need to get a good idea of what we are dealing with. He can also contact any JTF base that made it to Town and above.”
“And what are we dealing with?” The Colonel asked, getting back into leadership mode.
“Wild Dungeons,” Andre answered. “They don’t follow the rules of normal Dungeons in the GREAT GAME. If anything, they bend the rules to favor its environment. They are supposed to be rare, but in a world with millions of dungeons, rare can be tens of thousands. We have been clearing the ones we could get to in the Caribbean and northern South America. They have a treasure trove of loot. But that also means others are getting unique treasures around the world. Some of these can kill gods if they aren’t too careful. Some items have allowed a few factions to dominate their zones with sheer power.”
“That doesn’t seem too bad,” Soto said. “Not very different from before the Breaking.”
“It isn’t. If you beat the wild Dungeon and destroy/collect the Dungeon Core, most don’t, however. They farm it for resources, and that only allows it to grow bigger, and sometimes they grow out of control. We believe a lot of areas that have been lost was to those wild Dungeons, and possibly Rouge ones.” Andre answered.
“So that is bad, but what does that have to do with us?” Clyde asked.
“The whole of North America has been blacked out, outside the original thirteen colonies and Mexico. You are right in the middle of a continent filled with wild Dungeons. Every day they are not cleared, they are more likely to overwhelm nearby Strongholds. You can’t lead the dead Colonel.” Andre explained. "Also, Rouge Dungeons hides powerful demigods and even Demons. That is much more problematic. If Demons come to the Mortal realm unchecked, they will entice more and more players, and before you know it, we will be in a civil war with the very people we want to protect. You may soon be surrounded by Demon rifts."
“Technically, we are at the edge of the continent,” Soto said.
Clyde and Andre looked at him flatly. “Good to see Soto hasn’t changed,” Andre said with a chuckle.
“Is it, though?” Clyde asked incredulously.
“Hey!” Soto complained.
“You will be alright.” The twins said together.
“Please stop doing that.” Soto pleaded. “I’m going to bed. Glad you are not dead, Chef. Good to have you back, brother. We will handle what we can here, but we should set up a better line of communication.” He said, more sober. “Good night, gentlemen.” Soto saluted Colonel.
“Good to see you too, brother.” He walked up to Soto and patted him on the shoulder with a smirk.
“You’re a dick.” Soto laughed and hugged the now corporeal projection of Andre.
“Hey now, not so handsy,” Andre complained as Soto messed up his dreadlocks. “You know how long it takes to keep these symmetrical?”
“Nope, I have dead hair. Black hair is more alive with bounce, you know,” Soto said.
“Can we not,” Clyde stated coldly as he pried the two apart. “Don’t you have something to do?”
“Nope,” Soto said as he stepped back.
Clyde’s eyes burned into Soto, but he just ignored his Team lead.
“So we need to clear these out?” Soto asked, expecting a quest.
“Yes, the Long Beach Airport should be at the epicenter of one. I see you are close to where it used to be. The maps don’t update that far away. If you can clear them, there should be JTF equipment and a base underneath. If we are ucky, the JTF members could have even survived.” Andre continued. "Also..."
“Wait, the JTF is still up and running through this shit show?” Soto asked.
“Yes, and you two are still in the chain of command. Colonel?” Andre answered.
“Yeah?” Clyde answered, rubbing his chin.
“You are the official leader of the JTF.”
“No, I am not. I retired.”
“Forever our leader means just that. Also, I am assuming allyuh aren’t going to stay in LA and plan to head to the DMV to link up with the family there, right?”
“Yes.” Soto and Clyde said in unison.
“Oh, that is really annoying.” Colonel and Andre both look at each other as they got the one-minute alert of the end of the conversation.
“Hit you up at midnight tomorrow; I’ll bring Roger and the family, okay,” Andre promised. “I love you, baby bro.”
“You are thirteen seconds older than me.” Clyde chuckled. “I love you more, man. It is so good to see you. Talk to you tomorrow. Hey...”
"You can tell her yourself she is on the way to you. She is your daughter, and she is stubborn. It should take a few months but she should be to you by the platinum Period. She will be strong when she gets there. If she takes the skyway to Mexico she could be there in a few weeks. So good luck..."
The projection faded away as the time on their conversation expired.
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< TWIN LINK DEACTIVATED >
{Your twin and you can now talk when you both think of each other again. In the future the other twin will get an alert when the other needs to speak to them after the cool down.}
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The duo walked away from the showers to the sleeping area. Clyde took out two sleeping bags and handed one to Soto.
“Good looking out, boss,” Soto said.
The sleeping area was just a big open field of newly grown grass for now. The following week of construction was already planned, and Clyde had left that job in Sugar’s hopefully capable hands. He wasn’t an engineer or city planner, so he hoped they could pool their knowledge together in order to make something livable and, more importantly, definable.
Soto laid out his sleeping bag, “This shit is wild, man. We haven’t had a break break just to evaluate what the fuck we’ve been through. I mean, we are essentially in a video game. Is this our life now? I’m going to level up to 30 before we hit the sack.”
“That is the Bridge tier,” Their spot was at the edge of the sleeping area away from the Latrines. They lay down and stared up at the night sky. It was majestic. They had a list of things they had to discuss, but looking up at the heavens above, all of their thoughts went away. The moon was bright, and in its little more than half-moon phase, Venus glowed bright next to the moon, and Mars’ red glow made the view idyllic. They just stared off for a few minutes in quiet contemplation, slowly losing the battle against the Sandman.
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< DEBUFFED TRIGGERED >
{DEBUFF NAME: Dungeon Exhaustion
DEBUFF TYPE: Physical & Mental/debilitating
DEBUFF DURATION: 7H59M58S
DESCRIPTION: Dungeon Exhaustion happens to a player who doesn’t rest to consolidate power after clearing a Dungeon. The Debuff hits like a brick and puts the player into a sleep they are unable to wake up from for the Duration.}
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‘I hope I don’t have fire watch detail or anything like that.’ Clyde thought as he blacked out to Soto’s snoring.