~~~Stanley~~~
Stanley let Caffeine play as long as he wanted, which lasted right until lunch time. Then the kids he'd been playing with repaid his kindness with chicken snacks.
It was the beautiful circle of pug life.
Then he took the pug away. "You can play with them tomorrow, Caff. Especially once they're all at the same base with the rest of your friends. Well, most of your friends."
Play time was all well and good, and Caffeine had definitely earned it. But there were still things to do. Like getting stronger. More power was and would always be the key to more happiness. Caffeine might not understand that directly, but Stanley did.
Bernard also seemed to be lacking that understanding as well... Stanley would educate him. In time. For now, he went back to searching the dungeon for more survivors. While collecting cores, of course.
Which was how he ended up looking down at a familiar truck stop...
He hadn't realized where his grid search was taking him until it loomed below. Then the glossy surface of a former parking lot was sparkling up at him in the evening light.
It was inevitable that his search pattern would lead him here. Eventually.
Stanley wasn't sure how long he sat there looking down at it, but at some point, he stopped merely looking and descended closer.
There was the crater where he'd killed the skeleton. Its skull forever preserved in... whatever glassy substance he'd turned the asphalt into.
It was this very spot where he'd unleashed the source and laid waste. Where he'd gained his first soul skill. Where he'd met Zeke and Eve.
No cores glittered this time, and even the bodies of those core thieves were missing... animals must have eaten them. Or they stood up and walked away as zombies.
Could they do that? He'd hit them in the head... and did he even care either way? Did it matter?
Not really.
Stanley turned away from the memories and toward what had really lured him back down here. Another memory—and an even older one.
His truck.
Strangely enough, it was still there. Not only that, but it looked pristine. Unblemished by the surrounding destruction.
None of that was what really drew him. Rather, it was the strange feeling the truck gave off. A feeling Stanley recognized. A feeling of... himself.
It was faint, and he suspected no one else would even notice, but to him, it resonated loudly with lingering traces of power. His own power.
Weird. But he supposed it made sense in a way. What was it that crafter told him? Something about items soaking up essence the more someone used them? He'd spent months pushing his truck down the road... though those early days hadn't been pushing so much as giving himself a headache.
Was that what happened to Samantha's spear? Though they'd both used it. Had it soaked up both of their... essences? Was that why it had a glow in Soul Sight? His truck didn't. So maybe that was from her core?
He didn't want to think about that right now... but if he wanted that guy to make him something, perhaps a piece of the truck would work? Thinking about that reminded him he'd probably left his old knife somewhere around here... hadn't he? He’d lost it when the skeleton chased him across the city. Right to this spot...
Stanley dealt with the surge of memories by slipping into meditation. It blocked out the world, but not all of it. His truck resonated even more strongly in here... and so did something else.
It was the knife. He knew it was. Somehow. There was an... edge to it.
The truck was louder. Along with being bigger and closer. But it was also different in another way. There was a feeling of... motion. Ponderous yet unrelenting motion.
That was what the truck felt like, but he felt something far different from the knife.
There was motion in the blade, sure, but it wasn't ponderous. It was a violent motion. One full of deadly intent. Stabbing. Cutting. Pain.
Death.
Stanley saw through his domain as Caffeine sat up in his lap and licked his face. He couldn't feel it, but he saw it.
Thanks, Caff.
"You're a good boy," he said after dropping the skill, and the wagging tail he got in reply was enough to drive his dark thoughts mostly away. Then he stood, walked to his truck and opened the still unlocked door.
Caffeine sprang up the steps like he had so many times before and curled up in his bed on the passenger seat... like he had so many times before. He rested his head on the edge of the bed and watched Stanley. Like he had so many times...
"Did you miss this, Caff?" Stanley said while climbing in himself. He sank into the seat with a rush of nostalgia and muscle memory. "It was a simpler time, wasn't it?"
Caffeine sighed, his eyes drifting shut as he relaxed.
Stanley let the sleepy and relaxed feelings from Caffeine fill him as his gaze roved over familiar yet somehow alien gauges and controls. His hands moved without thought, one resting on the wheel while the other naturally found its spot atop the gearshift.
He could almost feel the truck rumbling beneath him. Could almost see the road scrolling past through the windshield and ahead of the long, square hood stretching out in front of him. "We had some good times, didn't we?"
Caffeine's eyes opened at the sound of his voice, then drooped slowly shut.
A key still rested in the ignition. His drive key. Likely the only one remaining. The rest were probably... somewhere out there. He didn't touch it. Better to leave the memory of his truck as it was. No need to tarnish it by hearing the dead click of the engine that he knew was waiting for him.
"Come on, Caff," Stanley said, opening the door. "You wanna go outside?"
He couldn't help but smile when Caffeine's head popped up exactly as it had so many times while they were on the road together. He’d always been so excited to go out...
Stanley left everything where it was. Even the key. Even the dog bed.
He was tempted to take that last one, but it wasn't right. It belonged where it was... The only compromise he made was to lock the door on the way out.
Then he rested a hand gently on the fender. "I won't forget you, but I'm afraid your journey ends here. Thanks for everything."
It was silly, talking to his truck, but he couldn't help it. They'd been through a lot together... They'd been together when this all started in those mountains months ago, along with the night he'd gotten trapped here.
The least he could do was leave it with a proper goodbye.
Also, he could take a piece with him.
He could see the truck's frame inside his domain, which meant he could also feel the faint indents from where he'd latched on with his power so many times to push it down the road. Nothing serious yet, but he probably would have done some real damage over time if circumstances hadn't... changed.
cut
Stanley shaved off a sliver of the twin steel beams that made up the frame, taking a little from each to reduce the damage to either.
Then he left that blue truck behind and went to find another piece of metal touched by his power.
A knife.
It was an ugly piece of metal that he found abandoned in the dirt. A piece of metal warped and twisted by forces it had been wholly unprepared for. It wasn't sharp anymore. Wasn't shiny either. But it didn't need to be any of those things. It was death.
Stanley tucked it into a breast pocket with the pieces of his truck and flew away to continue his search for survivors. Or lairs. Or both.
He didn't go much further. Not because he reached the wall of the dungeon, but because he reached the ocean.
The wall wasn't that far away, close enough that he didn't feel the need to venture out over those dark waters... not just yet. He'd have to go out there eventually, if only to search for the invaders... but it could wait. He'd fix his soul first.
Not that he was afraid of the ocean. Not very. Sure, there was probably a giant octopus out there somewhere... but more importantly, Caffeine absolutely didn't want to get anywhere near the water. Not even to fly over it. Never mind going down into it...
Unfortunately, it was just too damn good of a spot for the undead to hide. Which meant he'd have to check it, eventually.
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Stanley left that problem for future him and headed back along a slightly more southern route. He found no more humans, but gathered plenty of cores from the lairs. All of which he split with Caffeine. Not that he could see any progress in Caffeine's status...
Status
Name: Caff Caffeine
Race: [Canine(Pug)](E-grade)
Traits: [Good Boy]
Class: Beast Lord (Legendary) - Level 35 (Intermediate)
Class Skills: Howl of the Beast Lord (Legendary) - Level 20 (Basic) | Let's Be Friends (Legendary) - Level 2 (Novice)
Attributes:
Strength: 100
Vitality: 100
Dexterity: 100
Wisdom: 100
Intelligence: 100
Willpower: 100
Soul: 101 [Twin-Soul Bonded(Stanley Cascade)(Lee Cascade)]
Non Class Skills(0/6): [Big Enough] [Strong Enough] [Fast Enough] [Tough Enough]
Buffs:
Debuffs:
Well, he couldn't see Caffeine's base attributes changing, but his class and skills had definitely changed. Slightly. Of course, the new skill gave him no more information than the original... though the name seemed rather telling.
Stanley's own status was looking better every day.
Status
Name: Stanley Cascade
Race: [Wrathstorm](E-grade Human)
Titles: [Titan Slayer] [F-grade Source]
Traits: [Adaptable](57%) [Source Nexus] [Wrath] [Eye of the Storm] [Source Burned] [Ruthless Soul]
Class: Soul Psionic (Epic) - Level 105 (Expert)
Class Skills: Mind Over Matter (Legendary) - Level 75 (Advanced) | Premonition (Epic) - Level 49(Intermediate) | Still Mind of the Psionic Beast (Epic) - Level 49 (Intermediate) | Harmonic Soul Meditation (Rare) - Level 65 (Advanced) | Mental Fortress (Epic) - Level 1 (Novice)
Attributes:
Strength: 230(+70%)391
Vitality: 228(+162%)597
Dexterity 232(+70%)394
Wisdom 330(+1663%)6154
Intelligence 331(+1663%)6172
Willpower 351(+2727%)10259
Twin-Soul 101(+567%)583
Non-Class Skills 2/6: Soul Awareness (Epic) - Level 30 (Intermediate) | Psionic Barrier (Rare) - Level 15 (Basic) | Psionic Soul Shield (Rare) - Level 9 (Novice)
Buff: [Soul-Link]
Debuff: [Critical Soul Wound(Rune Seal)(Shielded)]
Bernard, would you still think the way you do if you could see my status? Stanley felt only anticipation for whenever that moron decided it was time to enforce his imaginary authority... It was going to be hilarious.
The more important question was, just what had Nate told the man? Maybe not much if he thought he could bring Stanley in line by withholding food? Was Nate setting Bernard up by pitting him against impossible odds? That seemed like the only explanation, but... why?
Stanley didn't waste time trying to figure out Nate's motives. Not when he could ask the man directly. Which he did after snatching him from the training field on the way inside. "Why?"
Nate played coy as he got dragged along into the building. "Why what?"
"Bernard."
There was a flickering of rapid emotions through his soul as the man probably did something with his intuition... "You talked to him?"
"Apparently, he's got ideas to bring me in line," Stanley said while watching for a reaction. He got one, but it was only confusion. "He seems to think I need food badly enough that I'll have to obey?"
Nate winced. "Well, I knew he was aiming to take over my position, but I didn't think he was that delusional..."
"So you invited him to move in, anyway?" Stanley stopped flying through the building in front of... Shit. He'd never learned the guy's name. "Hi. I brought metal."
"Oh?" The older man with no name took the metal and peered at it, then at Stanley. "I see. Yes. Give me a minute."
Stanley dropped Nate and looked at him questioningly while he waited.
"Perhaps we could talk about this later?" Nate said with a look at no name.
"What are you even worried about? Is he an actual danger, or is this just some politics? You should know that I won't play games. If he tries something, I will..." Stanley saw Caffeine's ears perk up and his head tilt. So he was ready when the pug kicked off with enough force to break lair walls.
Loud, happy pug noises echoed back along with Barbie's barking, and Stanley amended what he'd been saying. "I won't kill him if it's just something stupid, but I will gladly remove his limbs as many times as it takes for him to understand."
Nate smiled. "He's obviously a military man and probably has a certain way of thinking. Let's leave dismembering him as a last resort. I'm hoping he'll come to understand a few important things before it comes to that extreme."
"Fine." Stanley really wasn't worried. "How's the training with Zeke going? Ready to hit an actual lair yet?"
"I think so, but I'd like you on overwatch for the first one. Not to help him, but... just in case."
"Why? I assumed you would be with him."
"I will be watching. But not as a fighter on his team. Believe it or not, but I'm actually too powerful for him. It's good to have at least one heavy hitter on every team, but if they're too good, then everyone else stagnates."
Stanley could believe it. Not because Nate was strong, but because Zeke was just too weak. Which wasn't really his fault. He could heal like no one else, but when he started punching and kicking things... well, it was sad.
"Tomorrow? Maybe after Bernard moves in?" Stanley glanced around. "Speaking of which, where are you going to put all of them? Or are you planning to move into a bigger lair?"
"We have some actual classed builders now, and it turns out it only takes about a day to have the new structural additions become part of the lair. Much faster than trying to claim a bigger space and waiting for it to..."
Stanley regretted asking as the other man droned on about lairs and logistics. Luckily, rescue came for him, albeit from a source he hadn't expected.
"Might I have a moment of your time?" Michaels asked, still dressed in his ridiculous priest's outfit. Though whether it was actually worse than Stanley's all-white suit...
"You finally came to smite the demon, eh?" Stanley said, eyeing the weakling and daring him to try. "I won't call you father, Priest. I don't care if other people do. It's creepy."
"On the contrary, sir. I have come to apologize."
It was weird to hear the obviously older man calling him sir, but Stanley still looked... old. Not as bad as he'd been. All those cores were having an impact, just not as much as he'd have liked. "Whatever. You never actually attacked me, so forget about it."
"Nevertheless, I judged you harshly and with none of the Lord's mercy or understanding. Worse yet, I spoke ill of you to others. For all of my mistakes, I am sorry and beg your forgiveness."
Stanley glanced back and forth, but Nate looked as confused as he felt. "Zeke got to you, didn't he?"
Michaels smiled. "That young man... Out of the mouths of babes indeed. And yes, Ezekiel has spoken extensively of you and of the good you have done for those here. Though he is not the only one. Many here share his sentiments; myself now among them."
"Hate to break it to you," Stanley said. "But I am actually a demon. I just have Zeke and the rest completely fooled."
"Our Lord does work in mysterious ways."
Stanley rolled his eyes. "Are you at least making yourself useful?"
"I am doing what I can to spread hope and light, as our Father asks of us."
"I said useful. Save your useless sermons for the gullible. We need power, not platitudes."
"Have no fear, demon," he said with another smile. "I come not to convert but to apologize. Now, if you will excuse me, I must get back to practicing this magic and pray to the Almighty that I am not damning my soul by doing so."
"I guess that’s better than nothing."
Michaels touched his shoulder. "Go with God, my child."
Stanley started to roll his eyes, but stopped when a notification appeared.
Buff Gained: [Bless](59:59)
[Bless]
+5% Effectiveness of All Base Attributes
So... yeah. Better than nothing. But not much better.
"Finished." The voice brought Stanley's attention back to no name, and the completed... circlet? A steely-gray and jagged-looking thing.
"What the hell is that?" Stanley demanded. It wasn't a headband. Or a circlet. "You want me to wear a damn crown!?"
"Everyone's a critic," no name muttered under his breath. "How many people do I need to tell before you idiots understand? I am not a designer! I make it to work and work well! If you don't like it, then you can..."
"I meant..." Stanley tried to get a word in.
"The metal you brought me had to be sharp! Would you rather I pointed it in a different direction, like into your thick skull!?" The poor bastard must be new to customer service.
"Thanks!" Stanley snatched the crown from the guy's hands and stuck it on his head. It fit surprisingly well and comfortably, despite being made of metal. Though he hadn't been lying about the points being sharp...
Buff Gained: [Onrushing Thorns]
[Onrushing Thorns]
All cutting and piercing efforts initiated by the Psionic will strike with double the effect they normally would when encountering an outside force.
Anything set in motion by the Psionic will carry double the momentum it would normally hold when encountering an outside force.
Holy shit. That couldn't be right, could it? Would it only work for weapons or for his new preferred method of attack? Well, there was only one way to tell.
Cut
You have attacked a sapient lair structure. All residents notified.
Sapient Lair is under attack. Defend it!
Seriously? It warned him even though he was the one attacking... Unfortunately; the message spread a rather large amount of fear through the base. Oops.
"Thanks, um..."
"You forgot my name, didn't you?" no name said.
"I didn't forget," Stanley said with a smile. "In fact, I never actually knew your name!"
Unfortunately, his cheeky smile wasn't working... Stanley sighed. "Tell you what, next time someone gives you shit, just let me know and I'll cut off whatever of their limbs you want me to. Deal?"
No name smiled and held out his hand. "Hugo. And I might take you up on that offer."
Stanley shook his hand. "You rock, Hugo."
He did, too. Because, while Stanley couldn't say for certain that it was doubling his power, his attack against the lair wall had definitely cut through far easier than before.
"If you want cores, I'll bring 'em. Otherwise, I don't have much to offer, but feel free to drop my name, either as a threat or a promise, and I'll back you up."
Then he looked after the departed Nate. "Now I need to go reassure some people that we're not under attack..."
Caffeine might have had a reproachful expression on his face when Stanley snuck into the room with his Soul Shield at full strength. "Everything is okay... kids. That was just me testing a skill."
Barbie growled at him.
"Sorry, Barbie."
"Say sorry to Caff!" a small voice demanded.
"Sorry, Caff."