Arriving at the office, I threw the umbrella to the side and slowly climbed the stairs to my office. I hadn’t recovered completely, my head becoming light before getting to the third level.
Finally getting there, I sat down on my chair and laid my head in my arms. I felt exhausted just from the climb, which further frustrated me. Raising my head, my attention turns to my laptop, still and off. Too tired to do anything with it, I slowly stood as a knock came from the office door and before I could say anything it opened gently with Isabelle walking through it.
“Greetings, Madam. I will be watching over your recovery, please advise me of what I can do to help you.”
Nodding slowly, my eyes looked her up and down before looking away. As I move towards the door to my office bedroom, I turn to her once again.
“Don’t let anyone intrude. Take note of who visits and record a message on a piece of paper if required. Pens are in the top draw and paper in the second draw. I’m going to rest. You are only to knock, not enter and if anyone comes to redress my bandages they are to wait until I have awoken.”
“Understood, Madam. Rest well.” Isabelle bows slightly, causing me to frown at the motion but shaking my head I ignore it and enter the bedroom. Laying down on the bed, I easily fall back into the embrace of slumber once my head hits the pillow.
***
Time seemed to crawl to a snail’s pace. I slept for three days, resulting in an angry nurse who had to rebandage my wounds and clean them. Isabelle did not seem bothered by the length and in fact seemed irritated at the nurse’s attitude. I lacked the emotional capacity to really care about their feelings and after being rebandaged, spent the next few days in my office, showering whenever my bandages were removed.
On the fifth day of resting, I felt most of my strength return and when the bandages were removed it was found that the majority had healed, leaving behind light scarring all over my body. There were some deep scars but they could be covered with clothing, though the scars didn’t bother me.
The stab wound had healed a lot, but would still require a weekly visit to remove the stitches and possibly have it restitched, but the nurse said at the rate I was healing it’s likely to be healed in a week. After they left, I sat at my desk and picked up a stack of papers that had appeared, each one noting who had visited and the message they left.
All of the Vice-Leaders and Managers had come by at least once, leaving messages asking for me to come and see them once I had recovered. Rebecca too had stopped by to tell me she’d be out helping with bringing the materials of the monsters back. They had found, through some careful experimentation, that the meat from the hydras, snakes and dragons were all edible. The message rambled a bit about how delicious they were with promises of keeping a big pile for me. Seeing her handwriting, I couldn’t help but smile as I put it away carefully.
“Isabelle, give me an update on what’s been happening.”
As she places a cup of coffee and a plate of food in front of me, she stood and nodded.
“Clean up is underway, teams being put together to clear out the bodies of the Husks or to harvest the monsters that are edible. We have also discovered that the Mithril Golem’s you killed were all made from mithril, a light but extremely durable steel. Currently work is being done to bring all of that metal back, process it and start using it to build. Most of the meat from the monsters have been correctly stored and frozen.
“The moat has been mostly cleared out. Vice-Leader Aerith froze the entire moat after the totems were destroyed, to ensure that the Husks in them had died. They have been slowly moving large chunks of ice towards a place far from us and with the help of Vice-Leader Jupiter and some additional Fire Mages they have been burning all of the corpses.
“Morale has also been dropping due to the sheer size of the attack and casualties that we suffered. We also have roughly a dozen who have lost a limb who have become limited in their duties. Whilst the Vice-Leaders have done well in maintaining some morale, it is steadily lowering, likely due to the overwhelming work that is needed during the clean up.”
Nodding slowly, I looked out the window at the downpour still happening. Working around the clock in this weather? I could understand why people felt down, especially since everyone here had just been slapped in the face with the reality that we could be killed at any moment.
Putting together an idea of what to do, I turned to Isabelle while resting my hands on the desk.
“Have those who passed been laid to rest?”
“Not exactly. We have found a place to lay them to rest, but there is some guilt about doing so without the attendance of others.”
“Okay. I want you to go to my house and collect a list of things. Take this and store everything in it and come back here.” Taking my ring off, I explained exactly how to use it and what items I needed. Isabelle practises taking items out and putting them in. Seeing her leave, I opened the laptop and looked at the map of our base, marking where the planned burial site is.
“Burial…huh…” Sitting down and pursing my lips, I couldn’t help but feel a bit down at the thought of having to bury people. It’s not something I thought I would be doing…I was just a captain of a small group of gamers before.
My thoughts turned to my leadership, or lack of right now. A lot is left with Sheep to handle and if it’s not suitable for him, either Aerith or Geralt would pick it up, with Jupiter helping them out. My Job, Machinist, had been ignored for a while now and I needed to get back into it…turning back to my desk, I picked up a pen and a stack of paper and started to organise everything that we needed to do.
Point contribution system, Magic and Mana research, Physical training, Martial Arts and Techniques, Dimensions, Workshops for Bek and I, Machinery to expand the base or to help those gathering materials, travelling to Haven, finding more people, strengthening the base, making weapons and armour and so much more…
Isabelle had entered at some point but remained silent while I wrote everything down. Finishing, I place my pen down and rub my forehead. There is an overwhelming amount to do yet we didn’t know how long we had to do it before the next Nexus Event. I needed helpers too, doing machinery by myself is just going to end up with a lot of other tasks being delayed.
“Isabelle, what Job do you have?”
“Bakery, Madam. It allows me to learn various recipes for bread-based foods that can also enhance individuals for a short amount of time.”
“Can it?”
“From the description, yes, however I have yet to make it that far into the talent tree.”
“I see.” Nodding thoughtfully, I opened my laptop and grabbed my ring, bringing out the dev laptop and a few boxes of mechanical parts. Loading up my programming app, I tap on my laptop for a moment before looking at Isabelle. “I need someone to be my assistant and help me with various tasks, would you like the job?”
“I don’t mind, but why me, Madam?”
“So far you’ve excelled at gathering information and providing it to me in a clear and concise manner without skipping details. Not only that, but I gave you an order earlier and you followed it perfectly, no matter how angry the nurse from before got. I need reliable people and I believe you’re one of those that can assist me.”
“Then I accept.” Isabelle gives me another bow as I wave my hand.
“Two rules. No more ‘Madam’, just call me Midnight and no more bowing or other gestures of respect.”
“As you say, Midnight.” This time she gave me a nod and decided that was good enough. I picked up a few sheets I had written down on before and handed it to her.
“First, I’d like you to make a rough draft on how to handle these problems. Don’t worry about it being good or bad, I just want ideas from another perspective. Use this laptop to write down your ideas, I can access them when you’re done.”
The notes I handed her were to do with the Physical training and Contribution System. Seeing her skim read them, she nodded and sat down, taking the laptop I offered her before starting to work. Seeing an alarm with the phone in my drawer, to ensure I only spent a day programming, I began building a foundation for the contribution system using the pseudo-code I had made earlier.
Time flies by and with the sound of my alarm, I looked up from my laptop and noticed that the downpour outside had turned into a light drizzle, the sky seemingly starting to clear up. Looking at Isabelle, I saw that she had fallen asleep at some point, with her head resting on her arms. Getting up, I moved to the kitchen and made two cups of coffee and used some of the fruits to make a fruit salad.
Placing the coffee next to Isabelle, I sat down without disturbing her and turned to the boxes of mechanical parts. When I heard that there were those that had lost limbs, an idea came to mind to make prosthetic replacements, though I had no idea where to start. While it would be simple to make a non-functional prosthetic, I wanted to give them a replacement that could work.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
A knock rings out from my door and as I glance at it, I see Isabelle stir from the noise. Getting up, I walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a drenched Dawn, who carried two baskets, a very delicious smell emitting from them.
“Ah, you’re on your feet?” Showing a hint of surprise, Dawn smiled gently as she passed me the two baskets. “Meat from an assortment of monsters, cooked into various meals. Thought it’ll help you recover.”
“Thank you, Belinda.” Taking the baskets, which were slightly heavier than I expected, I motioned for her to come in, which she declined.
“Thanks, but I’m currently running around helping out the base with food delivery. It’s good to see you on your feet, you had us all worried for a while.”
“Sorry about that…”
“Don’t be, we heard what happened and I have to say, I’m impressed. Creating a new spell on the go to deal with a threat is impressive. Take care of yourself, Ruby.” Belinda smiled and left as I closed the door.
Taking the baskets to the kitchen, I unloaded the various meals, like salads and sandwiches, storing them in the fridge before heading back to the office to see Isabelle sitting up, drinking her coffee while rubbing her eyes.
“I apologise, Mada- Midnight. I didn’t intend to fall asleep.”
“It’s fine, you’re only Lvl 1, Isabelle. Head home, freshen up and get a change of clothes then come back here. You can use the shower here, no need to wait till the public ones are free.” Isabelle nods as she continues to drink her coffee. “I’m going to shower now, we’re going to head out and check out the damages to the base and arrange the burial.”
“I understand.”
“Finish your coffee first.” Heading to the shower while leaving those words with her, I washed up while taking care not to disturb the stab wound before changing into some light clothing, a simple shirt and skirt like usual. Opening a cabinet that held my firearms, I grabbed a handgun and knife. Hearing the shower turn on in the other room, I returned to the office and sat down, looking at the System.
You have defeated a Void Legion Captain! Rewards are available.
You have survived the second Nexus Event! Rewards are available.
Clicking the first one, a cluster of items appeared in front of me, including what appeared to be an…
“Egg?” Sitting on the ground in front of the small pile of items, I looked at the egg before glancing at the System.
You have received the following rewards for defeating a Void Legion Captain:
Void Crystal
1x Void Spell Tablet
1x Egg Incubator
1x Abyssal Wraith Wolf Egg
1x Book on the Mysteries of Void Machinery
“Eh? That’s a lot of ‘Void’ stuff. Is it because those Void Legion guys are more advanced than us, or is it just tailored to them?”
Picking up the egg first, I looked it over carefully. Pitch black in colour, as I moved it around a bit, it felt as if I was looking into the night sky without any stars…it’s strange. Looking at the incubator, I checked it to see it’s simply a device used to keep an egg incubated, nothing magical about it. Putting the egg inside, I placed it on my desk before turning to the rest of the loot.
Flicking through the large book, I found it filled with strange, complex machinery that had extensive uses, like short form teleportation, creating small dimensions and more. The sheer complexity of these machines overwhelmed me, which meant these were not for the current me. Setting it aside for the time being, I picked up the Void Crystal.
Void Crystal.
Used to study the mysteries of Void Magic. Focus your concentration on the Crystal to start studying the contents within.
Used to study the mysteries of Void Magic. Focus your concentration on the Crystal to start studying the contents within.
“Void magic…another element? Are they really this easy to learn?” Frowning at the Crystal, I put aside the temptation and put it aside. Picking up the spell tablet, I found I couldn’t use it unless I knew Void magic. Sighing lightly, I stored everything into my ring except the egg and turned to the rewards for the Nexus event.
Several boxes hit the floor as I claimed it, and looking through it all, I found it to be mainly food, water and ammunition. Feeling surprised that there wasn’t much compared to the first time, I opened one of the last two boxes and found a new type of weapon. Picking it up, I felt my heart skip a bit.
Plasma Railgun:
Fires off super heated Plasma, requires a cooldown period after a certain amount of shots. Excels at melting through heavily armoured targets.
Fires off super heated Plasma, requires a cooldown period after a certain amount of shots. Excels at melting through heavily armoured targets.
Several metres long, it’s surprisingly heavier than I thought it would be. It wasn’t graded, but this type of weapon would be insanely useful. If we had this for that butterfly…
Finding nothing else, I shrugged slightly before taking all of the food and water, storing it away. The food this time is proper, edible meat from our world. Is this the System giving us a treat after a hard fought battle, or are the rewards lessened if the group is bigger? Not thinking much on the topic, I returned to the office to see Isabelle waiting for me.
“Let’s go, I want to just check out the progress of the clean up. While we’re doing this, I’d like you to ask random people about how they’re going and see what their needs are.”
“Do you intend to survey common needs and wants, Midnight?”
“That’s right. With the rain ending, we’ll also be planning the burial of those who passed. I want to raise morale around the base before we start progressing once more. While I have some ideas in mind, getting the opinion of those around the base will be good. Oh, and if you see any of these nine, make sure to ask them.” Handing her a notepad from my desk, I passed her the information on the nine that were suspected to be conspiring against the leadership. Explaining this to Isabelle, she seemed a bit annoyed while looking at the notepad.
“Ungrateful…” Muttering under her breath, she breathed out before putting the notepad away. “Understood, I will keep an eye out for them.”
With that, we both left the base while talking about her Class. From what she told me, her Job is Psychic which allows her to deliver mental attacks and plant suggestions. The suggestions would only last for at most an hour depending on the suggestion and there are restrictions. For example, she is unable to plant a suggestion for someone to kill themselves.
“Human instinct is too strong, subconsciously it will resist and reject any suggestion like that. While I can suggest they walk into danger, that danger must be unknown to them, but even then their subconscious may identify that it’s dangerous to go to that location. In a sense, the most I can do is suggest for one to hesitate or sit down, like I did with you.”
It seemed like it wasn’t all powerful as I had thought, but when she became a higher Lvl, it might become far more powerful. Deciding to head to the east tower first, we kept a low profile and avoided attention due to not wanting to make a scene. As we walked, the rain finally came to a stop and hearing cheering, I looked over to see a small group celebrating the end of the rain. Smiling softly at this, I kept walking while the spirits arrived, sitting on my shoulders and head.
Arriving at the eastern tower, shock ran through my core as I saw the damage to the tower. The wall, still intact, stood proudly with a ramp leading up to the top. The tower however, had nearly collapsed.
“The aftermath of your fight with the void legion captain…well, the aftermath of it crash tackling you through the tower.”
“What about March?”
“He lived, though your kick broke his arm. He understands that without that action by you, he would’ve perished the moment you were crash tackled through the walls. Ah, your sniper hasn’t been recovered yet, it’s believed to be in the debris.”
“How do you know so much?”
“I was on the communication team during the battle and continued to receive follow up reports whilst ensuring your rest was not disturbed.”
“Good work.” Climbing the ramp, I saw a ramp leading down the otherside, dozen of people sitting there sorting out massive piles of metals.
“Mithril from the giants you killed. They believe the amount is enough to build an even bigger wall around the base…five times over.”
“Order them to set aside enough for me to make a workshop.” Giving Isabelle the amount needed and some additional amount to account for error, she nodded and wrote it down in the notepad. Just as we’re about to leave, I heard a voice come from behind us.
“Seems like you’re out and about.” Turning my head, I saw Diana there, holding a familiar basket. “Oh this? Food and drinks provided by the cooks. It’s about time for lunch, want to join us, Ruby?”
“Another time, I’m going around and checking the aftermath with my own eyes. Reports are nice, but I need to understand exactly what everyone experienced.”
“That’s understandable. Then I suggest going to the north next, they were hit the heaviest.” As Diana was about to wave us off, she stopped and hesitated for a moment before looking at me. “Ruby, I may need to ask for time off…and perhaps in a few months for time away from my Job.”
“Need a vacation, do you?” Smiling with a giggle, I looked at Diana before something clicked about how she looked at me, and the length of time before she might stop working, something I hadn’t expected to happen in this world. “Wait, Diana, what are you…”
Diana looked at me seriously. “I’m pregnant, Ruby.”