I felt something poking me. Let me sleep. It poked me again. “Michael wake up,” I heard a voice say.

“Urrg. Getting up, getting up,” I grumbled while sitting up and rubbing my eyes. Clarissa was there with a long stick. “Really a stick, Clarissa?”

“Just to be on the safe side, poking a sleeping dragon. It has been six hours. Our outer scouts have reported the Ritualist is a zone and a half away but is settling down for the night. He will be here mid-day tomorrow. Hurry, your armor is cleaned and ready in the next room,” Clarissa said. I shook my head and followed her to the next room, where clean clothes and clean armor were waiting.

I began to carefully put everything on while she continued to update me. “Consumption has been released, with several people taking the offer. My special unit stands ready, and my mental attack squad stands ready as well here at the plaza. Radiant Beam users and summoners have been positioned to the East gate, ready to depart at your arrival. Doctor Katz is ready when you are to discuss the bombs he has developed.”

“Good, good. The populace?” I asked.

“Bunkered down. But there have been no major incidents. Michael.” Clarissa then paused for a bit after saying my name. I didn’t say anything, since I knew she was getting her thoughts in order. “Will you win? Not the bullshit you would give to other people. Not can, but will?” Clarissa asked me.

That was a heavy question. “Nothing is sure in a fight. I have no doubt that the Ritualist will pull something out of his rear once again. But the numbers are what concerns me. And the sheer variety of attacks I have never seen at his disposal.”

“If I don’t win, I probably won’t survive. You will know if that happens instantly. If it does, then flee immediately. Don’t hesitate. I like you, Clarissa. You always keep surprising me with your competence and lack of betrayal,” I said thinking of the city permissions and ownerships.

“Too many people create drama where there doesn’t need to be any. Also, you aren’t the worst boss I have ever had,” she replied.

“Well, after this war, we share a drink and talk about how much better I am,” I replied.

“Of course, Michael. Ready?” she asked.

“Ready, let’s go see the good doctor,” I replied. We left my room. Clarissa’s guards falling into lockstep behind us. We entered the conference room and the door was closed. It was just the three of us, Clarissa, the good doctor, and myself. Doctor Katz jumped right into things.

“Champion Michael, I have prepared stick bombs with a harness. The metal has been color coded. The cylinders are designed to break apart easily with weak points. In addition, there are small gaps where your four fingers can touch four crystals,” there was a harness laid out along with twenty cylinders, that were like thick batons. They were shorter and slightly thinner than the Processing Rod. They made me think of pipe bombs.

I counted 5 blue, 4 brown, 3 silver, 3 white, 2 black, 1 purple, 1 gray, and 1 bright orange and green. “The crafting crystals you brought back haven’t been tested and as you know the name given by the System doesn’t make it clear the effects of the crystal itself,” the good doctor said.

“Each of these bombs is level 3, with four crystals. The affects are localized. That means the more crystals there are, the range is not expanded, only the extent of the reaction when they go off. You do not want to be within the range of them. The range varies based on energy input. You should aim for 50 energy per crystal, 200 total.”

“Priming them longer than 1 day can lead to instability or if the tether to you breaks.”

“What about using them as mines?” I asked.

“General Smith is already doing that outside the East gate. But there is a lot of risk. Champion Michael listen closely. If one of these goes off and you are in range with another primed bomb, that primed bomb is likely to go off as well in a chain reaction,” Doctor Katz said.

I picked one blue one up and put in 200 energy. “You need to be at least 20 meters or 60 feet. Anything less than that, is asking for an accident. Understand?”

“I understand. Thank you for the warning,” I replied.

“Alright. Now the blue bomb you are holding, unleashes a lot of acidic slime and liquifies solid objects nearby. The brown bombs, are force bombs, pushing everything away. The silver ones are boosters, enhancing physical ability and skill resistance. The white bombs, are mental attacks, that cause bliss and euphoria. Causing loss of focus. The black bombs cause decay and death.”

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“The purple bomb causes a massive sonic and vibrational attack, which will disorient things in a wide range. The gray bomb will force everything to look away from that area or basically ignore what is there. The effect is very short lived, at best a distraction. The bright orange and green one,” the good doctor let out a sigh and paused at this bomb.

“It is a combination bomb. Combining bombs can have crazy effects. It is how I have been trying to work out the type chart. Seeing what results when two bombs are smashed together. The results aren’t consistent, but there are results. Do not mix bombs willy nilly. I know you will probably try that as some last-ditch attack. Don’t. I mean this Champion Michael. You could empower, hurt, or unleash a weird effect,” Doctor Katz said. I nodded at that and planned to ignore that advice, but the warning was appreciated.

“Now that last bomb has nature-poison type for two crystals and two fire crystals. When the effects combine, you will most likely get sound-vibration which is purple, light which will persist for a while on top of the base effects. But it has also shown mental effects of fear and joy, and the physical effects of force, and dusting of void. Also, there were weird energy effects.”

“That is your last resort. Since I know you would try to make one up yourself. Now remember the safety distance and chuck them. Activating them just above the ground at head height will produce the best effects. Questions?”

I shook my head. “That was very well explained. Thank you for the warnings. Any risk if these are hit in combat?” I asked.

“Yes! They are fragile.” The good doctor pinched his nose. “Once primed, they are tied to your mental state. If you experience a bout of pain or a shock, they can activate accidentally. It has happened before. As for attacks, they can trigger them as well if directly struck. Not from mental attacks thankfully, but anything based in energy is dangerous,” the good doctor warned me further.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“No. That is it. Try not to get yourself blown up. Good luck Champion Michael,” Doctor Katz said, bowed, and then left the conference room. I carefully put on the harness.

“He didn’t use the crystals I collected,” I replied.

“He is preparing them, but using unknown crystals is dangerous. You could empower the Ritualist accidentally,” Clarissa said.

“True,” I replied.

“I didn’t prepare any potions or enchanted gear, since it would all be level 1 only,” Clarissa said.

“That is fine. Too many new things would confuse me. The bombs are more than enough,” I said while I finished putting on the harness of bombs. If I had a beard and did some angry shouting the picture would be complete of me appearing as a terrorist. “I am off, anything else?” I asked Clarissa.

“No. Good luck. And may the Almighty System watch over you,” she said. I smiled at that, and she gave me a small grin. I left the conference room and then the building.

I set off for the East Gate at a high speed. I reached the gate in under an hour. A far cry when I struggled to go the distance at a walk, gasping for air with every step.

I arrived to see twenty people, mostly men, but there were a few women, lined up in the uniforms of the RMPF. There was a Captain as well. They all saluted me as I came to a stop in front of them. I returned the salute.

“At ease. By the uniforms, eight summoners, eight Radiant Beam users, and four combatants?” I looked them over.

“Yes, Champion Michael. We all have at least 100 mind. Summons are waiting outside the gate. Everyone here volunteered and we had to turn some people away,” the Captain said.

“Your name?” I asked.

“Captain Kenji,” the man said. I nodded at that.

“Very well then. The plan is to locate the Ritualist’s forces and then an alpha strike to wound and reduce the number of hybrids he has while I cover for your retreat. Don’t aim for the pulsing red worms. While big targets they are too obvious. Don’t aim for the metal men or clear hawks. Solid monsters, specifically those white, pink, dark green, or light yellow,” I said. I got several nods in return.

“Do not attempt to remain behind after the initial attack, retreat at full speed back to Purgatory and don’t stop. The lowest Body and Mind stat?” I asked.

“Lowest Body is 150, lowest Mind is 100,” Captain Kenji said.

“I am going to have to earn my paycheck then. Don’t stop after the attack. Don’t look to admire it. Once the attack is finished, turn and run. We will send in the summons. Right before they strike we will unleash Radiant Beams. Then immediately retreat. I will attack right after the alpha strike, and draw away the Ritualist if he attempts to follow me. Don’t stop. Understand?” I asked.

“Yes, Champion Michael!” All the soldiers said.

“Captain Kenji, you will take charge of the timing of the attack, approach, and retreat. Leave everything else to me,” I said.

“Yes Champion Michael.”

“I know you are all afraid. I am as well a little bit. Don’t let that fear consume you, but harness it to sharpen yourselves. And when we win this war we can all celebrate as heroes,” I said.

“Yes, Champion Michael!”

“Good. Let’s set off right now. I will be in the middle of the formation, since I need to conserve my strength for the fight to come and make preparations,” I said while I primed a third bomb.

“You heard the Champion.” Captain Kenji began to direct his soldiers by name. The four fighters would take the front. Then the Radiant Beam users and then the summoners bringing up the rear riding on wolves they had summoned. We left Purgatory and set off at a slow pace towards the East.

“Captain, is this the max speed?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, and I winced at the answer.

“If the Ritualist chases you all, split up. He can’t pursue everyone,” I finally said.

“Understood,” Captain Kenji replied. We reached the edge of the level 1 zone around Purgatory and pushed into the level 2 zone to the East with the scorpions. I kept priming bombs with my energy the entire time.

The good doctor knew one thing. I was going to chuck all of them across the Ritualist’s forces. Hopefully it would be devastating.

“Alert! Halt!” Captain Kenji said. I quickly spotted why he called that out. On top of a hill in front of us was a dark robed figure with silver stars on their robe. Their face was hidden by a dark hood. They had a silver belt and black gloves with glowing silver stars on the back. What was concerning was I hadn’t noticed him until the Captain had pointed out his presence.

“Hello, Champion Michael and well met. I am the Astrologer,” the man said.