Chapter 317. Aftermath.
The platoon was going to stay on scene to secure the area until the recovery teams came in to clean up. What the scientists would find from mutated rabbits, I had no idea. Maybe, with the other data they’d uncovered from summoned beings, our scientists would work out some way to help combat this type of thing once our modern weapons lost their effectiveness.
It was a bit scary to see it in action, this one person with system powers, had been able to jam up several heavy weapons. What would happen once most of the population was integrated? At least the soldiers I was with had trained alongside my minions, and were as prepared as they could have been for the fight.
Oddly enough, the man commanding the rabbits, Warren, claimed that he wasn’t a summoned being. What did that mean if people other than those of us who were summoned beings, started to gain powers. I knew the mana levels were climbing quickly, so I had to expect the integration was going to happen much faster than anticipated.
Agent Lopez had the soldiers shuttle me back to the command post they’d set up for the operation. I had to dismiss my minions since they wouldn’t fit in the vehicle, so there was going to be a bit of a cooldown before I could call them forth again. At least I had a sizeable collection of consumable figurines to use here on Earth.
“Rico, good work out there. What can you tell me about the guy you fought?” Lopez asked once he hustled me into a large tent full of equipment. Others were there, mostly technicians and communications people. One younger soldier documented our conversation with a small camera.
“His powers were odd, and he as obviously the one in command of the rabbits. I don’t know if he created them, or just developed powers to control them after the system mutated the creatures. The strange part is that he claimed he wasn’t a summoned being,” I explained.
“That’s odd, but not the first time we’ve run across this. I was going to debrief you later on the newest developments, but this emergency popped up and delayed our meeting. Several people around the world have developed system powers. Most are weak, and are only tier zero, rank zero or so. A few, like what you just faced, seem to be prodigies as far as system powers go,” Lopez said.
“Sir, the current count of system inducted individuals, including the one our team just killed, is at 17,” the soldier with the camera added.
“Thanks Davis, the total has gone up from the twelve we knew of just two days ago. The rate of mana saturation is increasing, and if we know of 17, that means there are probably a lot more out there, most of whom are probably confused and scared about what’s happening to them,” Lopez said.
“I take it were watching hospitals and the like. Most people might be like I was in the beginning, thinking they’re having a stroke or going through some mental health episode,” I said remembering when I was first chosen as a summoned being.
It seemed so long ago, but it had been less than six months. While the time here on Earth had been limited, I suppose a lot more time had passed when you considered how long all my summonings had lasted. Just helping Fitzfazzle deal with Pharox had taken weeks, even though no time had passed on Earth. Thinking of my gnomish friend, I checked his figurine, confirming he was still on cooldown.
“We’ve got several teams out there searching for any hint of a system inducted person. Is there anything else you can tell us about this Warren guy that you fought? Did he tell you about his class? What powers did he reveal?” Agent Lopez asked.
“I didn’t get too far with his class, he was mental, and our conversation was a short one. What I can tell you is that he already had a version of the Fail Weapons spell. Not only that, but it was also a pretty powerful area of effect one. Several of the vehicles had guns jam and the like, but there were too many of us for him to deal with,” I explained.
“That doesn’t bode well, though it is in line with what we’ve found from the other system inducted people. About half were inducted with Fail Weapons and the Linguistic Adaptation Interface. For the ones that turn hostile or crazy, we at least have the advantage of their mana running out quickly.
“Earth’s mana levels are high enough now that you should start to see some slow regeneration, like a point or two a day. It’ll still suck the mana out of devices and enchanted items, so be careful what you bring back with you, but most summoned beings are now able to pull a tiny trickle of mana from the environment,” Lopez said.
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“This guy was controlling the rabbits, had been for some time, it seems. Not only that, but he was also chain casting Fail Weapons. That doesn’t seem like a tier zero, rank zero kind of mana pool,” I said.
“I agree, but we’ll not get any answers out of him. Things are moving fast, Rico, and I know you’re closing in on tier three soon. Do what you can to keep helping the soldiers train while you’re still around, Lopez said.
“You know I will, though these guys all just got a big dose of real experience after seeing the monsters in action. I’m sure my minions have helped with their training, but it’s a different story when the monsters are actually trying to kill you,” I added.
“You’ve got that right, and it’s funny, you sound like a grizzled veteran yourself now,” Lopez said. I thought for a few seconds before replying.
“It’s probably because I am. Now that I think about it, I’ve been in combat dozens of times. I’ve even been killed dozens of times. Not only that, but I’ve also seen horrors that words can’t adequately explain. So, yeah, I suppose I am a combat veteran now,” I replied.
“I suppose you are, Rico. Just like with the combat veterans in the military, we’re going to need to leverage your experience as much as we can to save as many lives as possible. The platoon you’ve been working with is being rotated out tomorrow, they’ve gotten their hands dirty and it’s time to bring in some fresh meat for you to train with,” Lopez advised.
“No problem, though I should probably get back home so I can sleep before meeting the new trainees,” I said, hoping that would trigger Lopez to have someone drive me back.
“Trucks will be leaving in a few to bring back the vehicles with the malfunctioning guns. We want our techs to dig into that back on base. Oh, there was one bright spot of information I almost forgot to tell you,” Lopez said.
“What’s that, I could use some good news,” I replied.
“It turns out that not all the new system inducted people are getting combat classes. Of the ones we know about, we have a nurse, a chef, and a construction worker that all received classes that are related to their work. Everyone seems to get some combat ability that they can use to defend themselves with, but the theory is that most of Earth’s people will have classes not directly related to combat,” Lopez said.
“That is good news. Having a world full of warriors, wizards, and rogues was going to be a recipe for disaster. I suppose Jeanette at Refuge is that kind of class, even as a summoned being,” I said.
“Yes, she is, though it’s really uncommon for summoned beings to have non-combat classes. The whole nature of your existence is to be called into trouble,” Lopez said.
“Don’t forget that you guys still have that summoning contract I gave you. It seemed like the system was setting it up so that the contract could be used even if I pulled into wherever the summoned beings are going. I’ll also make sure to store all my consumables in the top drawer of my dresser at home. If something happens to me, distribute them as you see fit,” I said.
“Thank you, we’ve got that summoning contract set aside for an emergency,” Lopez replied.
I had to wait around for another half hour or so as they loaded up the trailers with our armored vehicles. The trip back home went quickly enough, and I napped on the way back. Just before we pulled onto post, I got a call from Julio at Refuge.
“Rico, are you heading back home soon?” He asked.
“I’m on my way, what’s going on?” I asked, a bit worried that he’d call me at this late hour.
“It’s Marie and Jeanette. I think they’ve both been pulled away by the system. They’re gone, and from the security cameras, neither has left Refuge,” Julio said.
“I hate to see them gone, but both were over tier three, so it was probably inevitable,” I said, saddened to hear that two of the summoned beings I trusted the most were gone to wherever it was we were all being sent.
“Yeah, we had sort of expected that, but I just wanted to give you a heads up, so you weren’t confused if you went looking for them. How close are you to tier three? I know not everyone is taken away exactly at tier three, rank zero, but I’d like to at least prepare for another departure,” Julio said.
“I’m as close as you can probably get, Julio, I’m tier two, rank nine. My next summoning will push me over the edge, though who knows if I’ll be taken then, or sent back home again,” I explained.
“Whenever that happens, remember that you’ll have people back on Earth waiting for your return,” Julio said.
“I know that, I just wish I could remain behind to help with all the system insanity,” I said.
“You and all the others have done great. I don’t know if we’re exactly ready, but at least enough people in the right positions know what’s about to hit and are preparing for it. I’m almost excited to see that class I’ll get once the system takes over,” Julio said.
“Ha, you’ll probably get something cool. I suppose I’ll have to wait to find out,” I replied. Julio was older than me, but he had been a great friend and helped me to find my place among the others at Reforged. If anyone was going to get a good class, and survive any chaos, it was him.
When I finally got back to Refuge later that night, it seemed like something was missing. I don’t know if it was Jeanette’s class skills being absent, or if it was just that feeling of knowing people you expected to see wouldn’t be there. My days were busy enough that I didn’t dwell on it too much, though I was a bit anxious about what was going to happen to me after tier three.