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Chapter 61 – Meanwhile, back in Khrox…
🕑 Added 2024-10-27 16:13:42 +0000 UTCQuinn got home with Greg shadowing her, “What do you think? A day of rest and then back out there?”
Greg nodded and cracked his usual grin, “This last one got us a hefty reward.”
Yeah, 8,000 Stardust apiece, Quinn thought. Plus, I got an additional 4,000 from Broker’s Fee (Rank 16). Once more, she internally groaned thinking of the Stardust she had been missing out on by hoarding the Stardust. “Three days,” she stated as she opened the door and was followed in by her bodyguard. “I need more time to de-stress.”
“You won’t get any complaints from me. Gonna go out and treat my lady right.”
Quinn smiled softly and shook her head. “Don’t forget to use some of that Stardust to level up. We have to hit Tier 3-”
“To go back to Earth and not die immediately – yeah, I know. So, it’s official, then? Star Council is sending you, paying me to go with you, and will be paying this mysterious Dark Between Stars Signer?”
She glanced back at him, “I thought you were smart enough to have figure out who that is at this point.”
Greg smiled broadly and chuckled, “Jace, obviously. Going by a code name – Flicker, such a stupid street name. Yeah, he’s the one. And given how loaded Sera is…she’s got something to do with the secret faction also. But we have to keep a tight lid on it.”
He gestured to the enormous, open-concept first floor of the apartment building as they walked to the elevator. “Hell, she invited everyone Jace had at that party to live in a single building. It’s obviously to keep us from others that want either his ‘super special’ power or want to stop him.”
Quinn was actually surprised. He’s not just a meathead despite the appearance. He really has a brain under that oafish grin. She nodded as the elevator doors opened. “Once Jace is back – and he should be Tier 3 – then we’ll head out. I mean, he’ll probably want a day or two off. So yeah, if we take three days, it should all line up.”
The elevator went ‘ding’ and the two went inside. To Quinn’s surprise, in the three days since she had received this invite from Sera, and visited the building, each button for the elevator had a floor labeled. From top to bottom:
· Jace + Shhiv
· Priam + Quinn
· Greg + Missy
· Recreation
· Undesignated
· Undesignated
· Undesignated
· Entry Hall
Did they move in together? After what, one night? Quinn knew that Jace had left the morning after the little get-together less than a week ago. No, it must be two people per floor. Who is this Priam person?
Greg peered at the panel on the other side as he tapped the button for his floor. “Huh. Priam? Some new person Jace met?”
Quinn queried the System through Valerie using her Broker’s Interface strapped to her wrist. Priam…Westerfold. Huh, rabbit-person. Neat. Let’s see…Pulsar Priest. No information on his faction.
She looked up as the doors opened, and Greg patted her on the back, “See ya around, kiddo. Three days!” Greg walked into the space and let out a shout of joy, “This place is huge! Missy? Where you at, girl!”
The doors shut and Quinn shook her head. Valerie flew just about her head, “What are you thinking?” the bird Wayfinder asked.
“I need to get into Jace’s good graces.” Manipulate him to the Star Council’s side, or to be under their control.
But if anything, this Sera lady – who had to be involved with the Dark Between Stars, was controlling her. Quinn could have stayed at the Star Council headquarters in well-protected accommodations; but she did not want to fail her mission.
“I’m here, now, so I just have to keep doing what I can. Time on Earth taking down megacorps is going to give us time away from Shhiv, and I can try to get him…interested.”
“Oh, sounds like a solid plan. Let me know how I can help.”
Quinn nodded, “Can you go investigate the System and pull up everything you can on Shhiv and Priam? Oh, first – level up.”
“Yeah, you have got a lot of Stardust. 12,050. 8,000 to get to level 50, and 1,500 per level for the 51-75 range.”
“Then let’s level up to 52. That gives me 50 Stardust just left over.”
“You got it! What Skills do you want?”
10 levels… “3 into Cosmic Infusion to cap that off…and 7 into Broker’s Instinct.”
“No combat capabilities? Are you sure?”
She smiled and nodded, “I have a stash house back on Earth with some guns. We’re good.”
<<<<<>>>>>
Name: Quinn Cipher (Aspirant, Tier 3)
Power [Class Level]: Star [Broker 52]
Skills: Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Broker's Instinct (Rank 8), Broker's Contract (Rank 20), Broker's Fee (Rank 16), Cosmic Infusion (Rank 10)
Stardust: 50
Equipment: Broker's interface, Broker's starting gear, Webwalker Implants, [ERROR] Cybereyes Mk. 3, [ERROR] Cybermind Mk. 4
Boons: None
<<<<<>>>>>
Broker's Instinct (Rank 1) - Gives the location of someone who will purchase/sell information or trade goods.
Broker's Instinct (Rank 2) - As Rank 1, but will attempt to locate someone who will be inclined towards favoring the Broker.
Broker's Instinct (Rank 3) - As Rank 2, but will attempt to locate someone who will be very inclined towards favoring the Broker.
Broker's Instinct (Rank 4) - Gives the approximate location of a specific object with trade value.
Broker's Instinct (Rank 5) - As Rank 4, but provides exact location.
Broker's Instinct (Rank 6) - Gives the identity of a person who may have the information sought.
Broker's Instinct (Rank 7) - As Rank 6, but the probability of the individual having the information increases.
Broker's Instinct (Rank 8) - Gives the location of a lost item of minor value.
<<<<<>>>>>
Quinn ignored the error messages next to her cybernetics. I know I need to replace them, damnit. Stop reminding me! To her satisfaction, the notifications faded immediately. The new Skill ranks were quite useful and would be invaluable for her mission.
She took a deep breath as she went to the panel that enabled her to customize her half of the floor – her new, enormous apartment. It was quite a large space, and she was ecstatic. This was not quite a mansion, but it was a hell of an upgrade from the Star Council’s smaller apartments. Thanks Sera. This is pretty cool.
She thought about the upcoming task. Go to Earth and topple every megacorp…It’s going to be rough. My Webwalking skills will be valuable, but I’ll need a safehouse to operate out of. Plus sliverscreens to integrate with everyone, transport across the world that doesn’t rely on the portals since that would flag our arrival every time…She let out a sigh as she began to customize the space with the integrated devices.
We’re going to be on Earth for a good while. Might as well live it up while I’m here.
>>>---<<<
Greg lifted Missy in his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was sweating a bit, and seemed…to have lost some weight? Either that, or he’d gotten stronger. Or maybe both.
She was wearing a fitness outfit, “I was just going to head to the recreation level! Shhiv has been getting me in shape.”
Greg took a step back and let out a pleased purr, “Mmmm, my fine lady getting even finer.” He gave her another kiss on the cheek, and a firm slap on the rump that elicited an ‘eep’ from her. “Go get that butt in even better shape!”
“You know it, sweetie. Oh, I customized the place a bit so we have an actual kitchen, and did a grocery run – Sera gave me some Stardust to spend. If you’re feeling up to it, want to cook dinner?”
“Mmm. A nice protein-packed meal for my powerful prima-donna.” Greg waved at her as she went down the elevator. Turning back into the spacious apartment, he explored every room. She really thought of everything, he thought. He’d always wanted a ‘man-cave’ if they ever got rich enough back on Earth for a high-rise, more-than-a-hole-in-the-wall apartment.
And boy, Sera had delivered that in spades. And Missy made it feel right at home. “Darrin, can you fetch some recipes from The Cosmic System? Maybe…I don’t know…reference it with whatever Missy bought?”
“Sure. Your food preservation unit has a catalogue and can evaluate the components to create recipes.”
“Awesome. How much Stardust are we sitting at?”
“You have 16,000.”
Damn, I’ve been getting it rich, he thought. He’d taken a few extra pieces of gig work on their Vyrknadine wrangling expeditions over the past few days; getting some of the Brontasps and more of the flowers – even capturing one of the weird-goop-zombie people for study. This business is really paying off. “Remind me; Jace is going for Tier 10 because he can bring back his little sister, right?”
“That is correct,” the Wayfinder spider replied as it floated in front of him.
“Missy is eventually going to die…which sucks…and I’ll be immortal. So, I think I need to hit Tier 10 also so I can bring her back once her Civilian time is up.”
“A smart play to make. Shall we proceed with your leveling up?”
“Well, I’m level 36 now. That’s 14,000 Stardust to hit 50, and then…another 1,500 for level 51?”
“Correct again.”
Maths was always my strongest subject. 15,500, leaving me with 500. “Right. Let’s get to 51 and hit Tier 3.”
“15 Skill Rank increases. You currently have every Skill you have selected maxed out, save for Planetary Growth.”
“I just took that because we were getting those plants. Kind of a waste in hindsight.” He put his hand to his chin and scratched his bushy beard. “Hmm…I don’t have anything really offensive – just damage reflect. Can we do something with that?”
“How about the go-to ranged power, Rock Blast?”
“Oh, sweet! Can I, I don’t know, chuck the boulders like a shot-put?”
“Sure.”
“Is this one of those Skills I can endlessly dump Ranks into?”
“Yup!”
Greg grinned, “Then let’s do everything into that.”
<<<<<>>>>>
Name: Greg Bhastal (Aspirant, Tier 3)
Power [Class Level]: Planet [Protector 51]
Skills: Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Protector's Vow (Rank 3), Planetary Defenses (Rank 3), Planetary Retribution (Rank 3), Cosmic Infusion (Rank 10), Protector's Panacea (Rank 8), Planetary Palisade (Rank 10), Planetary Growth (Rank 1), Rock Blast (Rank 15)
Stardust: 500
Equipment: Protector's starting gear, Pheracorp deflection matrix, Stunstick
Boons: None
<<<<<>>>>>
Rock Blast (Rank 1) – The user launches a stone projectile that crushes a target.
…
Rock Blast (Rank 15) – As Rank 14, but deals increased damage.
<<<<<>>>>>
“Damage increases every Rank. Nothing else happens though,” Darrin stated. “It is a straightforward Skill, hence its popularity.”
“Give me an equivalent caliber for the damage it’ll do,” Greg replied.
“The equivalent would be 2,600 feet per second, so a .50 caliber bullet fired from an anti-materiel rifle.”
“Type of round?”
“Armor-piercing made from depleted uranium. With a Skill Evolution, you could acquire a shrapnel effect if you got lucky. Or a shotgun-style area blast. I would recommend spending some of your remaining Stardust on a few cheap ones to give yourself some variety.”
Good idea. But first…I have to cook for my lady.
“I need better equipment from one of my safehouses,” Greg muttered as he entered the kitchen and began checking cabinets until he found the various cooking implements. Turning the stove on to let the pans and pots warm up, he began making a delicious meal for his lovely lady.
Only a few days of these homecooked meals – then its back to the grind.
>>>---<<<
Priam woke up and yawned, stretching and cracking his neck and arms before twisting to get his back as well. “Good morning,” he muttered as he looked around. He was inside a small tent, and Jace was bundled inside a sleeping bag – seemingly dead to the outside world; the only hint of him being alive the slight rise and fall of his shoulders.
Bloopa popped into existence next to him. Ah. You exhausted yourself. Jace conquered the last Volcano tile, and moved you to the nearby mountain tile to find shelter. The Ascendant Archmage was attempting to track you both.
“That’s not good,” Priam muttered as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.
I also saw Ollie in the Starlit Sea. He transferred 250 Stardust from the enemies in the Complex.
“That’s thoughtful.” Priam reached into his pack and pulled out one of the survival meals, digging into the delicious brown paste. Taking his canteen out, he poked his head outside of the tent. The cave he saw in slight yellow and gold hues was empty; and he could not see beyond a bend. “Good hiding place,” he muttered as he pulled his head back inside and quaffed down some water.
This tent has an incredible property from an Augmentation. Surely Xera’s doing. Effectively, 1 hour of sleep in here is the equivalent to a full-night’s rest. Including resetting once per day, Legendary rarity (Equipment) Skills.
“That’s nifty. Should I wake him up?”
Give him a few more minutes.
“In that case, bathroom time.” Priam got out of the tent and walked out of the cave, cautiously peering around the corner. No one out here. It looked to be late morning, judging from the odd, silvery-gold sky. Day 5 of this Dungeon Run. Finding a nice, secluded place, he took care of business. But as he was wrapping up and readjusting his gear, he froze as voices reached him.
“Look! A cave!”
“Finally! A place we can hole up and get some shuteye.”
Two other voices joined in with the affirmation, and Priam made sure to tuck his ears into the brim of his hat as he crept forward. He peeked around the corner and saw four individuals going into the mouth of the cave and setting up camp. Thankfully, they didn’t go deeper. How do I wake Jace up and warn him?
But these people might not be hostile, also. Just in case, Pulsar Ward (Rank 20). The honeycomb style barrier popped into place around him. “Bloopa,” he whispered, “Can you go tell Ollie in the Starlit Sea what’s going on?”
Yes. I’ll be back in a moment. She went pop, and Priam froze as the noise drew the attention of all four individuals.
The one with red, all-encompassing full plate, stood up and drew a weapon, “Who goes there!”
“Just a priest!” Priam replied. Dad did say ‘honesty is the best policy.’ “I don’t mean harm! I just was camping deeper in that cave and have to step out for a moment. May I come in and get my things?” He made sure to shout, hoping that Jace would hear.
Another person, a woman dressed in the same style of full-plate, but dark green colored, also drew a weapon, “Or, we kill you, take your stuff in the cave, and enjoy our lives.”
“Oh, that’s not nice!” Priam shouted. Come on Jace! Hear the commotion! The other two figures stood up – wearing the exact same type of armor – but blue and white colored respectively – and all four were now wielding large, two-handed blades. They had the same Cosmic Power symbol. Planet. So really versatile. Well, my barriers are the best!
The four rushed towards Priam, and he let out a yell before running off down the mountainous scrabble.
