Audron Ef’i woke from his deep slumber to the sound of urgent alarms. He checked the time in his interface and grumbled in irritation. Only 3 hours. Damn it. What has that idiot Sochi done now!? He rolled out of bed in irritation, pulled on his tunic and headed for the bridge while reviewing the reason for the alarm that woke him from his rare sleep. A Mythic class weapon discharge? It’s only been two weeks, that’s not possible. His ire turned to curiosity and he quickened his pace to the bridge.
Mythic class weapons were generally only used in a vacuum. While they couldn’t destroy planets by themselves, they generally left a path of destruction the users themselves wouldn’t be able to avoid if used in an atmosphere. Migration hadn’t started yet, and even then, there was a cap to the level of beings that were allowed to settle the planet. That level was well below the threshold required to gain access to that level of weaponry. Which meant someone had snuck past the cordone of the system, or his subordinates were up to their shenanigans again.
My bet is on Sochi perpetrating some kind of fuckery.
As the door to the bridge opened the pair of junior administrators abruptly stopped the raucous laughter he barely heard and did their best to look innocent and busy. He stood in the doorway for long seconds analyzing each of them with a critical eye. Deciding that his prior assumption was correct he strode up directly behind Sochi’s station without saying a word.
Sochi attempted to ignore the silent glare he was receiving from over his shoulder then feigned shock when he ‘noticed’ his superior standing directly behind him, the irritation of being rudely woken up written clearly across his light blue face. “Oh! Hey boss! When did you come in? You startled me!” The guilty man said with an uneasy smile, already knowing he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“What did you do?” Audron asked quietly, being certain to punctuate every word.
Sochi shifted uncomfortably knowing he was caught but refusing to throw himself under the proverbial bus. Audron intensified his glare as the man launched into a hastily formulated response, “Uh, what do you mean, boss? I uh…”
A small giggle from his right directed his attention to Rusne who was holding a four fingered hand to her mouth and trying not to directly look at Sochi or Audron.
“Miss Rusne, do you have something to say?” Audron asked pointedly at the woman.
She looked at him for a long moment then let out a slight giggle followed by a long sigh, “Screw it Sochi, just tell him.”
“Shit.” The guilty man muttered in irritation and shot Rusne the stink eye.
“Indeed Mr. Soch, please inform me why I am being woken from my slumber for a Mythic weapon detonation alert. Why is that happening on a planet that doesn’t even have a native Master Classer, let alone a single individual possessing a Mythic Class?” Audron now stood with his arms behind his back, not releasing his hard stare on the man.
“So, I may have slipped a Mythic rated rail pistol into the kiosk of the SooHoo settlement and adjusted the usage requirements to see if our favorite settlement owner would buy it and then, you know, shoot something with it.” He deflated with his admission and fought to keep a shit eating grin from spreading across his round face.
Audron looked at him for another long moment considering the implications of what that particularly overpowered sociopath would do with a weapon that could create explosions that mimicked the effects of tiny nuclear explosions. Then he turned to his command chair and sat down. Sochi relaxed slightly then flinched at Audron’s measured words.
“Show me.”
Rusne couldn’t contain her laughter anymore as Sochi visibly wilted in his seat and turned to bring the playback up on the main screen. Audron watched the view zoom down onto the object of his growing anxiety, Karl Brunette, Merciless Reaper of the Foolish, Level 3, riding on the back of his soulbound companion, Kaia, and his dryad woman, Junipher sitting in front of him. A quick review of the previous nights log informed him that the man had just entered into a contract with another refugee group, the Valkyr. Despite the man’s faults, he at least isn’t racist. If this man came to control the planet it might be best for those that wish to settle. Though I don’t know if the Universe can survive his propensity for violence. That and being a Reaper! I suppose it’s all up in the air.
Audron broke from his internal musings when he saw Karl produce the weapon in question. Sochi having forgotten he was very likely going to face repercussions for this breach in protocol chose this moment to insert his foot further into his mouth. “So, I didn’t really think he would buy it. As we know he has a propensity to go big or go home, as these humans say. Seems he had some understanding of the weapons power, though. Me and Rusne decided to place a little wager on whether or not he would actually use it or not. If he did use it, the next wager was if he’d fire one round, a burst or the whole magazine.” Sochi paused and giggled a bit with a sinister gleam in his eye, “And then of course if he was going to empty the magazine, the wager was whether he used his Mag Dump skill or not.”
Audron just looked at the ridiculous man for a brief moment before resuming the playback without a word. Rusne, however, was far more capable of reading the room and supplied the thought that had been running through Audron’s head. “Dumbass.”
"What, you bet he’d Mag Dump.” Sochi responded.
Audron tuned out the bickering of his subordinates and watched the playback carefully as Junipher asked Karl if they should go up to the gates of the gnoll stronghold and let themselves in. Karl then aimed the pistol from a good hundred meters away over Junipher’s shoulder and responded with, “Meh, I have a remote.”
He could see the confused look on the dryads face as she properly identified the weapon less than half a second before Karl flicked the selector switch to burst and pulled the trigger. The playback then promptly went white as three one gram tungsten rods made struck their target while moving through the atmosphere at nearly ten percent the speed of light.
Audron’s Ascendant level of Perception was able to see when Junipher grabbed Karls vest and tugged him down over top of her just as Kaia’s instincts kicked in and crouched low to the ground before the explosion blinded their senses. The playback then panned back as the flash vaporization of matter died down and saw the trio tumbling unconscious across the ground several hundred meters from where they last stood. Ash and smoke filled the air and two craters, roughly two hundred meters across sprouted up, on where Karl had shot, and another some two hundred meters further past his target.
Audron watched as all the major players from Karls settlement surged out from behind their walls to investigate the massive explosion. They quickly found Karl, his woman and his animal companion and administered aid. He continued watching long enough to see that Karls Guard Captain talked him out of further usage of the weapon.
“Sochi, you fucking idiot.”
“What? That was great entertainment.” He responded with a lame defense.
“Seriously, dude?” Rusne rolled her three eyes at him then spotted the look on Audron’s face and made herself busy.
“What possessed you to provide a Mythic rated weapon to someone who has barely broken into their Advanced class, and a Reaper at that!?”, Audron was building up steam when Rusne interrupted him.
“Oh. OH! Boss, you’re going to want to see this.”
He stared at Sochi, debating on whether or not to continue dressing the man down. “What is it?”
“Well, it’s two things actually. First, Planetary Mana Saturation is complete.”
About time, as soon as we get back to Council space I can get rid of this idiot. “What’s the other thing?”
“Well”, Rusne’s tone shifted to one of confusion and uncertainty, “You have a communications request.”
“What do you mean, I haven’t received any requests in my own interface.” Rusne’s confusion now spread to him. There’s no one but us within four light years of this system.
“Uh, it’s from the planet, from Karls Virtual Private Assistant, Veep. She’s requesting to speak to management.”
“Shit!” Sochi blurted out, eyes wide with pure shock, “How’s he know we are here!? He can’t possibly see us.”
Audron face palmed and Rusne glared at the man, “You really are a dumbass. It’s not like the System hides it’s outside origins. And you just fucked with the kiosk offerings and almost killed the man. You almost killed the planet's first Reaper. You are so fucked.” The woman laughed when she delivered her last statement. Audron was a bit put off that she stole his thunder. “Anyway, should I put her through?”
He considered refusing the request, then reconsidered. They all just got the immigration notification. They know ‘aliens’ exist and will now be moving in soon. I suppose our largely hands off stance is out the airlock at this point.
“Put it through.” Audron sighed in irritation. I know someone else that’s about to go out an airlock. He thought as he stared at the back of Sochi’s head.
“Uh, is this Management?” Veeps femine voice chirped awkwardly in Audron’s ear.
Irritably Audron responded, “Yes. This is… management. How can I help you.”
“Oh, really? Ok, well, my Human, Karl Brunett, wished that I inform you, and I quote, ‘I am not a happy camper.’”
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Uh, ok, that’s it?”
“Yes. I think he’s upset you sold him a gun he can’t really use. He’s fond of his guns.”
“I see, please inform him that we will be rectifying the situation shortly and he can expect a full refund on his purchase.” When the fuck did I go from Saturation Overseer to customer service rep!? Eh, even an Ascendent being doesn’t want to piss off a Reaper of any rank I suppose. Even if he advances out of that class, ‘Once a Reaper, Always a Reaper’ the saying goes.
“Really!? I didn’t see that coming. Thanks. I’ll let him know.” The little AI abruptly ended the connection at the offered concession and left Audron’s mind spinning. He stood to leave the command center and gave Sochi a stern look. The man looked like he was about to ask him something but changed his mind.
“Where ya going, boss?” Rusne braved the question.
“To the armory. Find something more suitable for Mr. Brunett, then I am going to pay him a personal visit and attempt to patch things over so he doesn’t decide to Reap us in the future.” With that ominous note Audron left the bridge and a pair of audible gulps behind him.
Entering the well equipped armory he let his gaze drift across the assemblage of rifles, pistols, swords and other weapons that adorned the shelves and racks of every wall in the room. He wasn’t here for the regular armaments though, he wanted to make sure of this new Reaper’s favor if he could manage it. So he moved to the back of the armory where he kept this personal crate of arms and opened it with an order to his VPA.The crate clicked open and revealed the selection of arms he had collected over the years.
On the left was the pistol he had been looking for.
Krunoch’s Sting, (Unique), Soul Locked to Audron Ef’i. This Master grade rail pistol once belonged to the boss of the A’lonog Nightmare Dungeon, Krunoch the Vile. Many had attempted to claim this reward but it was only given once, to the man who had defeated Krunoch in single combat, Audron Ef’i.
This rail pistol has been calibrated to be used in an atmosphere and fires tungsten slugs at hypersonic (Mach 5 to Mach 7 depending on atmospheric density.) speeds in either semi automatic or automatic firing modes.
[Ammo Capacity: 50]
[Impact Energy: 2.9e+3 Joules]
[+50% Accuracy]
[+50% Recoil Control]
“Hello, old friend.” Audron reached into the crate and took the pistol in his hand gently. “Think it’s time for you to come out of retirement.” He placed the weapon in his inventory then used an ability to teleport down to the planet.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I sat at my desk with Junipher, Eli, and Johnny seated on the couch across from me. We were discussing the current progress of our subjugation of Winslow. The second team to leave had already made contact with the survivors at Little Colorado Medical Center and directed them to head our way, so we were currently discussing the logistic needs of housing and feeding another 150 people. This would bring our population up to roughly 450. Another 50 or so and, with the land I had already purchased since defeating the Gnoll Leader and Nandi’s team clearing the Elementary School stronghold, I would soon be able to advance the town to a Village. This would unlock a specialization slot for an Administrator of Agriculture, as well as some other important functions.
Some of the food concerns had been alleviated by the influx of hunters we received from the previous survivor group that came in with Charlie and his group from the Circle K. It also seemed the majority of the monsters that had been roaming the city beat feet to the north. Something about some crazy motherfucker setting off mini nukes across the city scared everything away.
While we were casually discussing the settlement issues Veep interrupted the conversation to inform me she had spoken with management about the improperly marked weapon of mass destruction that caused the nukage in the city.
“You did?” I asked, not masking the surprise in my voice.
“Yes. He is giving us a full refund and said, ‘we will be rectifying this situation shortly’. Whatever that means.”
“Karl, it’s highly unusual for a Mana Saturation Administrator to directly interact with the planet he’s actively administrating. Just know that Administrators are very powerful beings and you should do your best to…” Junipher looked at me with an apologetic smile.
“Not be an asshole?” I completed it for her.
“Ah, yes, my love, that would be the most accurate way of putting it.”
Johnny and Eli laughed then Eli asked, “What are you guys talking about? Who’s this administrator?”
Johnny looked on in a bit of confusion as well. I realized that with everyone scrambling to stay alive they hadn’t considered just who or what had flipped our world on its ear. “So consider what we’ve seen with the recent batch of Refugees. Choox’il, Lord Shubin, Freya, Troels, Hilga and Junipher.” I smiled at my sexy plant lady. “These aren’t magical beings, they’re aliens.”
Eli looked at Junipher and then back at me. “Why not come here on a ship!?”
“Why come on a ship when you can teleport?”
“Touche’.” He waved a hand at that and then continued, “So you’re saying that some bloody alien cunt is controlling the process of this shit show?”
Junipher cut in before I could continue, “The Council doesn’t really control it, as much as they guide it. You see, we haven’t really had any time to discuss it, but the System spreads across the Universe with Mana. What the Council does is ensure the Mana saturating the systems it passes through doesn’t do so in a chaotic manner.”
“What do you mean?” Eli asked now intensely curious at what she had to say, as were the rest of us.
“When left unchecked, Mana is chaos incarnate. What the Council has learned how to do is give it structure. I don’t know the science behind it, I just know if they didn’t do this then the Mana would simply burn out systems and all life contained within. The dungeons are one tool of managing the Mana on a planet and ensuring it doesn’t propagate out of control.”
“Oh.” Her explanation gave us much to think about.
Before we could get more information on how the Universe at large worked , a quiet knock at my door interrupted our discussion. Johnny stood to answer the door where his newly acquired assistant stood looking rather nervous. “Uh, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s an… Administrator Audron… here to speak to Karl.”
“Let him in.” I directed the assistant and soon the so-called Administrator Audron stood in my office. The man was roughly seven feet tall and thin. He wore a dark blue jumpsuit with what I assumed to be a rank pin denoting his status on a stiff collar. His skin was a light shade of blue and had long pitch black hair. His face was rather normal looking beyond the long sharp nose and blood red, wide set eyes. Despite his simple, yet strange appearance, the man radiated power. Even the Reaper stirred uneasily in his presence.
“Greetings, Mr. Brunett. I am Mana Saturation Administrator Audron Ef’i. Your VPA contacted me about a recent issue?” The man spoke in perfect english and carried a similar accent to Eli.
I stood and extended a hand to him in greeting. “Good to meet you Administrator. You already know me, I assume you also are familiar with my entourage?”
The man took my hand in a firm shake and then returned to standing with his hands behind his back and smiled at the other three, “Indeed. Mr. Butterfield, your command of the militia during the Second Siege of SooHoo was quite masterful, considering the forces that were arrayed against you. And Johnny, your management of the settlement has been quite competent. If there weren’t restrictions on hiring staffers from planets I was administering I might offer you a job. Considering one of my own staffers is the reason I am here today.” He cringed slightly at the last admission.
“So someone did adjust the information panel on the pistol?” Junipher gasped before the man could finish greeting her.
Then the man turned and bowed with a flourish to Junipher and my eyebrows raised at the gesture. “And Princess Junipher, you are correct, you see, one of my subordinates has taken to passing the time by watching the adventures your settlement has gotten up to.”
“So you’re spying on us?” I asked with a hint of irritation in my voice. Princess Junipher?
Audron turned briefly looked at Junipher with a knowing glance and returned his attention to me. “Yes and no. We observe everything that happens on the planet, and the solar system at large, for any anomalies and to prevent things like your world leaders launching nukes at each other.”
“Bloody hell.” Eli muttered as his face went pale.
“If we hadn’t been paying attention, yes, it would have been a bloody hell Mr. Butterfield.”
“Good to know.”
“Anyway, one of the other things we do is moderate the System Kiosk inventory and availability. This is where my subordinate royally fucked up.” He smiled apologetically. A man that speaks plainly. I laughed as he continued and the tension in the room slowly eased, “There are only three of us, and it gets... rather boring sitting on the sidelines. The subordinate in question decided it would be interesting to see if you bought the Mythic rated rail pistol he placed in the Kiosk. Then when you did buy it, well, it wasn’t like he could take it back without coming down here himself and fighting you for it.”
“You guys have complete control over the system, why couldn’t you take it away?”
“We actually don’t have complete control, we just guide it. The system has certain absolutes programmed into it, one of those is ownership. You bought it, it’s yours until you give it up or die.”
“Oh, another thing that's good to know.”
“Some of our restrictions have been lifted now that Mana Saturation has reached 100%. The system should keep things balanced while we proceed with administering the mana distribution to the rest of your system. As you may have seen, in about three months your world will be inundated with migrants. They will be able to claim land and establish competing settlements and cities. They will also not be restricted from attacking you.”
“Hmmm. That’s not good.” I commented as he continued.
“I wanted to come down here and make amends for the monumental fuck up of my subordinate, so, I thought I would share some advice. If you want to greet these immigrants from a position of power, you need to claim as much territory as you can. Do that through conquest or diplomacy, but grab as much as you can. And you’ve already begun working towards my next piece of advice, train your people, and get them leveled up. I think you humans have a saying about weakest links? It applies here. And last but not least, to be successful you will need the help of the refugees. You have a group already headed this way that you know about. And there is a group far to the north that would round out your settlement well. I’ll send you the information for them before I leave.”
“Ok. Sounds like solid advice. But why approach us with this info?”
“Two Percent.”
“What?”
“Two Percent of the refugee population that was transplanted to this planet has gained Sanctuary.”
I looked at Junipher and saw sadness in her eyes for the first time since I met her. “Are they still out there, or are they all dead?”
“Almost all of the Refugee groups that portaled near the largest cities have been wiped out.”
“Fucking Hell, I know Humans are a bunch of assholes but damn.”
“Exactly, which is also why I have approached you, you are one of only a few settlements or cities that has taken in refugees and captured dungeons. Furthermore, you have achieved two firsts for your planet.”
“My Reaper class and Alyssa’s Challenger title. I get the impression these are important things?”
“Very, one of those is enough to change the fate of a planet, having both in one place almost guarantees that interesting things are going to happen here.”
“No pressure, coach.” I smirked.
He smiled and stepped forward with a hand raised palm up, “Before I leave I wish to offer you a replacement for the weapon you wasted your credits on.” A beautiful looking pistol appeared in his hand. It looked similar to the former rail pistol that was recently voted off the island. This one had a polished blue grip with similar accents running the length of the receiver. Status lights ran the length of the barrel and a holographic sight and a tactical flashlight sat under the barrel.
I read the description and was slightly stunned. What the Administrator offered was a significant upgrade to my arsenal, one that I could actually use without fear of killing everything to include my allies. And it was also a one of a kind. When I picked it up a notification popped into my vision.
You have acquired [Krunoch’s Sting, Unique]. This weapon has been soul locked to Audron Ef’i.
Audron Ef’i has released the soul lock on the weapon [Krunoch’s Sting].
Would you like to claim the soul lock on the weapon [Krunoch’s Sting]? (Yes/No)