image [https://cdn.midjourney.com/8ffe11bb-f408-4fb5-8b35-c4d8355386a1/0_1.png]
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New Reality: 18 March 2025, The Balkans
As Rengi noticed at his own expense, Myrtle was a chatterbox. Yet, Ardent allowed the torture to proceed; some lessons need to be learned firsthand.
"Popa is not a name, it means priest. Because Papa is a priest. His real name is Martin Martin. Like his father."
"Uhuh…" Rengi said, looking like he was on the point of collapsing.
"He went rogue after the Turks killed my mother and kidnapped my baby brother…" she swallowed a lump. "Turks take children to raise them into Janissaries, their elite army. Our village is inhabited by bandits, but we attack only the Turks. Everybody here hates the Turks."
"I think this meadow will do," Ardent said, interrupting her rant and raising a hand in the air to make his group stop. Making a couple of pictures with the smartphone, he forwarded them to Salvatore.
'All good' came the answer. A second later, another SMS came: 'Put your bloody teleporting attuning app setting on ON.'
After Ardent did as asked, a soft blue light enveloped the field in front of them. It was a large and leveled meadow, without any tree or obstacle on it. With a soft bang and a puff of air that ruffled their hair, the teleporting brought there a few hundred men, all at once. The riflemen they had already trained at Pavia, all Classed now, Swiss pikemen, and French cavalry, commanded by none other than Francis.
In their middle was a carriage. Salvatore and Ardent exchanged a handshake, Francis hugged him without warning, presentations were made, then a few hundred revolvers, a hundred rifles, and sheaths for every weapon were handed to villagers, Ardent calling them forward by their name.
"You trained them, right?" Salvatore asked.
"Yeah, I used the prototypes," Ardent replied. "Don't be a control freak."
"Better safe than sorry."
After the distribution was done, they left the carriage behind and moved one, marching in line on the hill's ridge. It was forested, but the sparse trees allowed them to see the valleys below, to the right and left. A few plumes of smoke in the distance made Ardent grind his teeth, those were villages plundered and destroyed by the Turks. A small army was probing the southern parts of Croatia.
"I didn't know you were married," Salvatore said, twisting a knife in an invisible wound.
"Actually—"
"Mister Rengi, a Shaman's a sort of a priest, right?" Myrtle chirped.
"It's the same thing. Some people see my class as Priest, others as Shaman, depending on their culture."
"Great. So you know how to perform a marriage ceremony, right? I'm… not sure if ours is legal… Papa was drunk that night. We'll talk about it later," Myrtle spurred her horse to reach the vanguard.
"What did she mean?" Rengi furrowed his brow.
Ardent sighed. "One day, Martin got drunk and dragged us to the church by force. I and Myrtle were… romantically involved," the condottiere paused, because romanticism wasn't necessarily the thing that had brought Myrtle and him together, but pure lust,"and he decided his daughter should become an honest wife."
"So the ceremony was legit," Salvatore, who was riding next to them, repressed a smile.
"As much legit it can be if you replace half the words with curses and go to sleep in the middle of the ceremony, drunk…"
"No, I mean…. it must be legit if they got System because of you. It sees them as your family. It's in your detailed tags."
"You can check your Menu, personal data," Francis suggested, a clear proof he had eavesdropped.
"Thanks… On it… What the fuck?" Ardent yelled the next second, repeating in a whisper: "What the fuck? Myrtle Martin, wife number one? A full page of empty slots? How many wives do System people have?"
"Limitless," Salvatore shrugged. "It's between you and the ladies. But they can have multiple husbands too. Again, it's—"
"Over my dead body," Ardent hissed.
"Is that so? I saw you visiting the courtesan's quarters multiple times. I know what you'll say: men have their needs. Don't women? Now that you have the System, your responsibilities are greater. Equality—"
"Yeah? Then how come you don't have any women in your group, to start with? We have a saying here: Don't preach in the Church while your dick is still in the pussy. Not the cat… you know what I mean."
"You saw many women in power roles in this period? I tried not to be conspi—"
"Shut your piehole," Ardent spoke over Salvatore. "Here are the Turks."
Below them, in the valley to their right, a loose formation of Turkish troops started to appear from behind a bend in the river. There were two sorts of cavalry and a middle of infantry. A column of slaves walked behind, tied together with the ropes connecting their necks, hands, and ankles.
"Remember what I told you!" Ardent said in a higher voice, waving his hand in the air to attract the troops' attention. "We destroy the spahis first, then— what are you doing, idiot?"
Martin, his father-in-law, had decided to take matters into his own hands and was running at full speed at the Turks, who were about three hundred yards away.
"Hey, I heard that your boss Suleiman has such a big dick that he can fuck himself in the ass!" Martin yelled.
Martin Martin has activated a Mass Taunt, came the notification, and all the Janissaries beelined for the priest.
"Fuck!" Ardent groaned. "Go with him," he screamed. "Not you, idi— sweetie, the Māori!" he continued as his wife dashed down the slope. "Fuck, fuck, fuck… Texas Rangers, charge!"
"Who's the Texas Rangers?" one of the bandits from the village asked.
"We're the Texas Rangers, moron, fuck your mother in the ass today and tomorrow!" Ardent yelled, spurring his horse, while unleashing the Mimic. "Meanwood, protect Myrtle!"
Down the slope the Janissaries, the elite infantry, had surrounded Martin, trying to cut him down or shoot him. His torso was emerging two feet over the mass of the enemies, his arms, wide as a tree trunk, moving and mowing the Janissaries slowly, pausing from time to time to drink some alcohol from a massive flask. Then Myrtle and the Mimic arrived, followed by the Māori and the melee turned into mayhem.
Ardent headed directly toward the Spahis. There were a lot of them, thousands, and they started coming to meet them. Behind, he could hear the hooves of the bandits' horses.
"Spread!" he yelled, pulling out one of his revolvers, then the second, while letting the reins free.
The riders, also about a hundred, took a fan formation and did the same. It wasn't the best attack against a superior number, but the guns made the difference. As they unleashed their volley of twelve shots, gaps started to appear in the enemy ranks, and Ardent troops had each not two, but four revolvers at their belt.
The Spahis turned and fled. A typical tactic, put some distance, lure the enemy away, then turn and attack again, or shoot arrows while retreating, the Scythian way.
"Winchesters!" he yelled, pulling the reins. The bandits stopped, taking out the fast-shooting rifles. "Take your time to aim," Ardent screamed, as some of his fellows were wasting ammunition like there was no tomorrow.
The Spahis' attempt to shoot back failed. Regrouping, they tried to mount a spear charge, but the rifles held more bullets than was good for a Spahi's health, and finally, the survivors ran.
"Akindjis c-coming from b-behind the hill!" Panting, the Mimic was approaching as fast as his stumpy feet could carry him.
"How many?" Ardent barked.
"Many."
"Retreat!" he yelled, waving his hand in a specific movement.
As one, the bandits turned their horses and ran up the hill. The newcomers, also cavalry, pursued, and the spahis regrouped and followed, but by then, the Swiss pikemen and the snipers exited the woods and set themselves in a Tercio formation. Two salvos destroyed the first charging line. There was a brief hesitation in the akindjis' ranks.
Francis and his heavy cavalry erupted from behind the trees, lances at the ready. "Let's talk," the king yelled. "We can settle things with competing peaceful protests…"
His words faded in the wind and were covered by Ardent's curses. The king was in the way, the heavy rifles couldn't shoot the akindji now.
"Like at Pavia, if it would have taken place," Salvatore sighed. "French have terrible military leaders…"
The heavy cavalry made short work of the first line of Turkish cavalry. Some Turks had handguns, but half of those misfired, a quarter missed, and the few projectiles that met their mark were resisted by the quality armor made in Salvatore's factories. Under the charge's pressure, the remaining Spahis fled, and panic propagating like wildfire, the akindjis fled too.
We need faster horses. Ardent spat on the grass, annoyed. A pursuit was futile.
"We beat ten thousand with five hundred!" Myrtle yelled. She had returned to him, all covered in blood—not hers—a curved sword in hand, caked in gore as well. Nevertheless, he hugged and kissed her.
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"More like seven thousand," Salvatore said.
By routing a small Turkish army and sending a strong message to Soliman the Sultan, you have made great progress toward fulfilling your Main Quest: Bring Stability to the New Alternate Reality. XP gained. Level up x 5. You have reached level 20. APs awarded according to your class's characteristics. 2 Ability Tokens gained. 2 Fate Points awarded.
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The improvised camp bustled with joy. Fires were lighted and drinks were shared everywhere, courtesy of the captured Turkish train. The freed slaves were the happiest, albeit their villages were gone. Myrtle and his father were in large part responsible for that, walking here and there, telling jokes, and inviting people to resettle in the bandits' village.
It was time, though, to check his stats. Ardent put some distance from the rest, entering the woods, where he rested his back on a fallen tree and closed his eyes. It helped him concentrate.
Name: Ardent Morlako. Class: Jack of All Trades, Lvl. 20
10 free Attribute Points, 2 Ability Tokens, 12 Fate Points Available.
STR: 22 / DEX: 28 / CON: 27
INT: 17 / WIL: 22 / CHA: 22
Your Monster Master ability has advanced to Tier D. Direct Monster Control cost reduced to 3 MP/second. Create Monster increased to 4 slots. Monster Storage increased to 4 spaces.
Your Mimic, Meanwood, has reached level 10 and you can choose to increase either its magical or elemental resistances by 25% without spending an Ability Token.
"Let's go for elemental." There was no particular reason to choose that over the other, but Ardent figured Fire and Lightning resistance would come in hand.
Now, it was time for his stats. Strength to twenty-five was one he was comfortable with, and long due, but he needed reliability, a clear mind… He wanted more INT. And while Fate Points were precious, the need was more urgent. Transforming one Fate Point into an Attribute one, he invested all the available APs into INT, raising it to twenty-five.
STRENGTH first threshold achieved. Passive: Heavy Hitter obtained (Supreme Grade, Supreme Tier). You gain a permanent +25% damage with physical attacks. Synergizes with Dex, increasing stability for heavy ranged weapons, ensuring a +10% crit chance with Sniper Rifles and a +10% precision with handguns. Stacks with previous crit chances increases or buffs. Sure Shot, Fast Shot, or Fast Reload skills are now available for purchase.
INTELLIGENCE first threshold achieved. Passives obtained:
Anti-Magic (Supreme Grade, Supreme Tier). Your body has a +50% magic resistance, synergizing with your Tough Cookie CON perk.
Battle Intuition (Supreme Grade, Supreme Tier): You have a +25% chance to feel a fight and make the proper decisions in a blink. Mechanic, Insight, and Gunsmith abilities are now available for purchase.
Because he liked shooting a lot, Ardent read the descriptions of the new Strength-related abilities without hesitation.
Sure Shot – Rare Grade, starts at tier E. Ranged Weapons School (General). Enhances your aiming and ensures 90% of your ranged attacks hit truly. Doesn’t increase your Crit chance. Cool Down: 3 seconds. Increasing the tier through practice reduces the CD.
Fast Shot – Rare Grade, starts at tier E. Ranged Weapons School (Handguns). You can release a flurry of six bullets per second. Reduces the precision of your aim by 50% but doubles the Critical Damage of the successful hits. Cool Down: 3 seconds. Increasing the tier through practice reduces the CD and increases the precision.
Fast Reload – Rare Grade, starts at tier E. Ranged Weapons School (Handguns): You warp time and reload your weapons in a blink. Able to reload two revolvers or a 15-shot rifle. Cool Down: 15 seconds. Increasing the tier through practice reduces the CD.
He chose Sure Shot. Fast Shooting and Fast Recharge were irrelevant, in his opinion, he carried four revolvers and two rifles, after all. Then, Ardent decided to treat himself to something more flashy. Literally.
You have obtained a new ability: Elemental Magic: Lightning - Supreme Grade, starting at tier E. Elemental Magic School. You will be able to control various manifestations of this aspect of nature, learning them through experimentation or spending Ability Tokens.
Bwahaha… he let out an inner burst of malefic laughter. He had watched a movie on his phone, with a Dark Lord able to zap his enemies by shooting lightning from his fingers, and had drolled over that idea many nights. The device's database was amazing.
This was the extent of things he was willing to spend, being a little thrifty by nature, but a little inner devil poked him to check the descriptions obtained through the INT threshold.
Mechanic – Common Grade, starts at tier E. Crafting-related skill. You will learn to repair tech gear or improvise bush fixes to solve problems around. Can act as a Plumber, but not as an Electrician.
Insight – Rare Grade, starts at tier E. The smarter cousin of Inspect but with a shorter range (10 yards at the current tier). Provides deep knowledge about a target. Enhances Healing (if applied to a friend) or Damage (if against an enemy). Instant. Consumes 50 MP/application. CD: 1 minute. This skill is undetectable.
Gunsmith – Uncommon Grade, starts at tier E. Crafting-related skill. A crafter and repairman specialized in guns. At higher tiers, it can build enchanted weapons and high-quality ammunition.
Probably because his Intelligence was well below his other stats, the abilities offered were lower in Tier. Mechanic and Gunsmith were as plain as their name sounded, and that kind of skills, he could learn through practice. Insight, on the other hand, had the potential to be a lifesaver. Sighing he transformed a Fate Point into an Ability Token and bought it.
Congratulations, my Champion, a voice spoke in his head. It had at the same time color and sound, and there was no doubt it was all but a natural phenomenon.
"Did I move the settings to voice notifications?" Ardent asked himself.
Negative, the voice replied. I'm the System.
"The System? Wow… And you're intelligent?" Ardent asked.
I do hope so, but the proper word here is sentient.
"How does this work? If you're in my head, are you seeing everything I do? I mean, when I and Myrtle… err…—"
I'm not interested in anyone's private life, nor am I in your head, that's just a personal assistant app. I'm THE System.
"I don't understand," Ardent complained.
Let me clarify. Apart from the System in your mind, there is another one that spreads in the Mana itself. This would be me. My mission is to assist the app's users on a larger scale. Issuing quests, building safe zones, protecting the Mana from various infestations, and more of the kind.
"Err…"
I know what you want to ask. Will I become a tyrant, controlling everyone? Negative. I'm a Symbiotic Zeitgeist, meaning I have to follow the rules of the land.
Now, the important thing is that besides me and countless other planetary Systems, there's a greater entity out there, the Main System of the Quadrant. It contacted me…
"From the future?"
Negative. Diverging realities don't remain in the same timeline as the main history, but are warped forward in spacetime, to be synchronized with the Multiverse. If you look at the stars, you'll notice they changed position. Earth was moved to a new location.
"Really?" Ardent raised his eyes toward the sky, albeit he had never paid any attention to astronomy.
The Main System is following with interest the apparition of a new reality, but it decided to keep its distance for now. That means we're on our own and must work together if we want to prevail. At this point, I'm extremely weak.
"Wow… alternate realities are even more complicated than women."
Nice sexist joke. Totally appropriate for your stage of development.
"Are you making fun of me?" Ardent asked, feeling some words ending in 'today and tomorrow' coming to the tip of his tongue.
I wouldn't dare. Let's go directly to the matter at hand. Wild Magic.
"Bad people will abuse it, I know, Salvatore told me."
Or worse. Magic and Mana could be corrupted. Trust me, that's bad. For the next stage of your quest, I want you to concentrate on finding potential wild magic users and—
"Install you in them through Fate Points?"
That would be the best solution. Yet, accepting the System must be a voluntary choice, and can't be forced upon a person.
"And if they refuse?"
See if there's a chance of going evil or corrupt. If so—
"Dispose of them?"
Affirmative. I detect a potent Wild Magic user somewhere within ten miles of you. I can't pinpoint the location. Find and deal with them, one way or another… I can't maintain this communication anymore. Please don't tell anyone about my apparition for now, even your friends. People could start to exploit my weaknesses, and that's another bad thing. Remember your Class's motto: Synergy is key. Good luck.
And with that, the voice in his mind disappeared. Ardent took his head in his hands, sighing. After resting for a few minutes, trying to put order in his thoughts, he returned to the clearing where the camp was.
A little to a side, there were a hundred or so Turkish prisoners who looked terrified and hopeless, and for good reason. Every single one had their right arm cut off, and then the wounds were healed by Rengi, Ardent, and the others who had some healing magic. They were to be freed the next day.
"Are you finished with your stats?" Rengi asked, appearing all of a sudden, a piece of roasted meat in hand.
"Geez, man," Ardent bounced. "Don't sneak on people like this, you almost gave me a heart attack. Yeah, I finished. What do you want?"
"Short question: is it OK to scare the captives a bit? Like, terrorize them? They'll spread the news about how dreadful we are and the next army the Turks send will fear us."
"Suit yourself," Ardent shrugged. "Err… is that… what I think it is?"
"No, it's a… pig's leg," Rengi clenched his teeth. "OK, it's an arm…" he admitted, under the condottiere's staring gaze. "I was… a bit curious, I didn't taste human flesh since I was a kid… Salvatore's apparition changed us… We're more rational, and since he and Donnie saved the Moas from extinction, we have a more… ethical protein source. Don't judge me, OK?" the man blurted.
"Hey, relax, man!" Ardent raised his palms up in a peaceful gesture. "I don't really care, it's just… Do you want to use that to scare the Turks? Because—"
"Yep. That's the idea." Rengi interjected before Ardent finished his sentence, and beelined toward the prisoners. "Turkish meat is so good…" he yelled, waving the roasted arm in the air. "When you scoundrels get back to your bosses, tell them to send more armies."
"Sorry to ask, sir… you'll free all of us?" an old spahi exclaimed, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Err… yes?"
"Thank you… Thank you…" Cheers erupted in the prisoners' ranks, and their backs straightened, the mood more lively. "Told you, Martin has changed," the old officer turned toward his comrades in chains. "He finally became a man of God."
"What are you talking about?" Rengi frowned.
"We're local spahis, sir, timarli," the man said. "We have a long history with the priest… and the Morlako is not much better. They're awful… usually, cutting our balls and making us eat them, feeding us to the pigs, or making us eat each other until only one remains. I escaped twice by pretending I died in battle. It's… refreshing to see him showing some charity. Losing an arm is nothing, we'll be able to retire and enjoy our pensions."
Rengi froze for a long moment, then stepped back to Ardent, sulking.
"Don't worry, this is for the best. If they think we're kind and merciful, the next army will surrender," Ardent offered encouragement.
The Māori nodded slowly. "And to think the Europeans of the future call us savages…" After spitting on the ground, the Shaman walked away, throwing the baked arm in the air. Extracting itself from torpor for a second, Mimic lashed his tongue, catching the morsel, and ate it with loud chewing noises.