+ Reid +

In the days of travel since his revelation - and the resulting confirmation from Nyx - Reid hadn't been able to relax. The system was overloaded, and it also for some goddamn reason had a grudge against Reid.

She had tried to lead him somewhere else, he was certain of it. The minute blips of negative emotion she tried to hold in were proof enough that he had failed to grasp everything she wanted him to know. But between her restrictions and Reid's overwhelming unfamiliarity with the system, he honestly had no idea where else to take his frantic trains of thought. At least his boasts about meeting challenges seemed to reassure her - that's what they had been meant for, anyway.

The implications of the issues, though, were vast. If something was out there overloading the system, was it a threat to Susan and Sara? Would it slow or ruin his ability to get back to the two of them? Were the fundamental system features breaking down for them, as well? And, what did it even mean that the system could hate somebody? Did it just single out regular people, deciding that they needed to suffer and struggle for some twisted type of enjoyment? No omnipotent entity could be that much of a raging asshole, right? The evidence he had in his journey pointed to yes - and that was problematic by itself. His presence was likely bringing the wrath or ire of the system towards the very people he cared to surround himself with. What would happen if the system decided to try to put Lycra in harm's way? What if it did that to Win? What if he made it home, just to have Sara and Susan in the crosshairs of an angry, omnipotent entity?

He pushed back against the storm of ideas flashing cross-cosmic doomsday scenarios through his mind, and shook his head to steady himself. If Nyx hadn't pushed him harder, it meant the problem was one he didn't need to solve right now. And that meant he could focus on the other issues he would soon face.

Reid's entry into Dayo Sovni had not gone particularly well. The outcome ended up where he needed it, but to get there, Reid had to spend a long time in the jungle with a group of people to gather supplies. He did not want to have to repeat that process here - which meant some changes to the approach were in order. First - no flying into Dayo Evni. His wings had, unfortunately, caused a small panic in the local residents at the last town, and he wasn't going to use them unless the people here were in danger. The glimpses he'd caught of the town from the air proved there wasn't an ongoing spider problem here. Technically, since the beast wave quest still wasn't over, that implied some level of issue was ongoing or brewing at Dayo Wolte or the Ferber Compound. Reid stopped himself. That was not a here and now problem, and Reid was focused on the now. Good first impressions.

Alright. Second change was no armor. Lessen the intimidation factor further, and make people feel more at ease. Reid was almost always in his armor, so wearing different types of clothing felt a little alien to him. Vuxarinan fabrics were still woven with thread to make cloth, but they were oddly baggy in the shoulders and arms and uncomfortably tight around the calves. The color was also not his first choice, but free duds were free duds, and they technically 'fit' his larger-than-average frame. Plus - boots. An actual pair of honest-to-goodness shoes, made from what felt like a mix between a heavy duty jacket and foam-soled sneakers. A totally innocuous outfit, for a totally innocuous person. He was just another Vuxarinan coming into town to offer help.

Third, Reid was going to slowly meet a few select people, instead of the whole town at once. No large crowds and rubbernecking idiots peering through windows. No drawing that kind of attention. Just him, a few one on one conversations, and let that lead up to whoever's in charge so he could make sure his contributions got distributed evenly.

Fourth - don't stay in town. Don't get a room. Get in, figure out who's in charge, give them the goods, and get gone. The extra bolt throwers and silk strings in storage would be more than enough to outfit Dayo Evni, and he had already been building up extra stock for the next few towns as well. If he had to break that promise to himself, it would only be to have a meal, or if he had to stay overnight once or twice to get up the chain to the leader.

Twenty minutes later, Reid's Vuxarinan boots took his Vuxarinan-outfitted form through the last bit of forest, and towards the town. There was a decently high wall, made mostly of stone, brick, and wood. It was decently well manned, and had a person-sized gate he could see. These people had done well with their fortifications, and it was reassuring that they had people working the perimeter even now. Capable people were easier to help.

Reid strode to the door - and the small jutting platform that sat over it. Wings unmanifested. Humble and regular guy Serroc persona in full swing. Good first impressions, here he came. He waved a hand at the guard that had spotted him.

That guard then pointed at Reid. Another guard appeared. Then a third came into view. Reid kept a steady pace until they were in proper shouting distance from one another.

"Stop there! What do you think you're doing?"

Not a pleasant way to greet someone, really. "Hi! I'm Serroc, and I came to get a meal, maybe rest a bit. Can I talk to your captain? Or whoever leads the guard?"

The people on the wall shared confused looks, then muttered with one another. As the seconds ticked by into minutes and more guards came and went from the group, Reid grew impatient.

"Look, if I have to wait, why not have me wait inside? I can get a cup of coffee, get off my feet. We can talk more then."

A new face strode confidently out towards the wall. The other Vuxarinans seemed to shrink at their presence, and a kernel of unease in Reid grew. The new figure was wearing fancier clothes than the others, and a series of pins were stuck to his chest. He spoke first to the people around him, then shouted to Reid.

"He doesn't even live here. How can he be banished? HEY! Have I banished you!?"

The kernel of unease swelled, and Reid attempted to school his tone.

"No."

The new figure exchanged a few more comments with the guards atop the wall, and Reid overheard a name - "Honorable Hester". After a minute, 'Hester' turned back towards Reid.

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"Alright! Just pay the entry fee, and you can come right on in! Once you're in, don't forget your four T's. Trade, treats, and tenancy are all taxed! If you can't pay your taxes, you'll have to work them off." The broad smile covering the man's face didn't falter, and his volume lessened as Reid slowly walked towards his spot on the wall. The kernel was near full to bursting now.

"Bids are open for next week's awakening slots. Minimum bid is 2 years servitude or an equivalent in goods. Highest bidder gets the earliest positions, so don't be cheap! Once you get system powers, paying back bids is easy. Now, about that entry fee..."

Reid strode underneath the wall platform, where the door waited. The unease he felt was overwhelmed by a mix of disgust and anger. Then that was pushed aside by an even larger emotion.

Disappointment.

These people were sitting on a power-granting beacon, and this "Hester" was using it to build some goddamn post-apocalyptic monarchy. Why the hell couldn't people just be decent to each other? The noise of multiple guards struggling to remove a crossbar from the doors in front of him told Reid they were eager to let him inside. To fleece him and use him like they'd probably used dozens of others.

Above, Reid could see the outlines of figures on the platform, through gaps in the wood planks that made up the structure. For a Vuxarinan of normal height, the platform was high enough that they would've needed to jump to reach it. For Reid's larger frame, it was far less impressive. He reached out, and pressed his palm flat against the bottom of the planks.

Then he let out a sigh. The 4 step plan was good. Great, even.

Maybe he'd get to use it next time.

Reid cracked his neck, pushed power into his arm, and punched up through the magically crafted wood. It cracked and splintered as his punch opened a wide hole in the platform. Up top, they were already screaming due to the jagged pieces of wood that were now sticking out of their bodies and staining their gear with trickles of blood.

He ignored them, and clamped his hand over Hester's foot.

Reid dragged the wannabe monarch down through the splintered hole.

As wood tore against the man's skin, Hester's screams went an octave higher.

./\.+ Lycra +./\.

The undercity was neat.

Hundreds of stone-made buildings split the distance between the roof and floor of a cavern. The up-down space was efficient for storing people, he knew. No knowledge was useless, but those lessons had been boring. He used them now to estimate how many people the underground space could house. Then his mind set to work. People, sizes, crystals, metal, weapons. It was a fun mental exercise, estimating how many suits he needed to make. How many crystals he needed to find. The answer was more. A lot more.

His supply seemed like it would never end, at first. But tools were hungry, and they got used up fast. Part of him missed the easy access to crystals from the Warrens. Another part of him missed Reid's bonecraft. His friend could outfit everyone here in days. Maybe hours.

A bit of his growing competitive spirit shaded the thought. Faster, not always better.

Lycra, too, could make things quick. But he didn't just want quick. He wanted good. He wanted each piece to be an improvement over the last. He had succeeded, so far. Jenna was still mad at him, but he was pretty sure he made the biggest bomb possible from G grade crystals. He really did mean to run away before it blew up. Oh! Right. He needed to get Jenna something nice. The market loomed large ahead, filled with pink bodies that hustled to and fro.

He wanted to visit now, but there were other things to do.

As much as he hated the boring stuff, Lycra knew it was important. That was why he had already done the math for armor and weapons. It was part of the reason he checked out the robots on the way here. Once he got a laboratory, he could start tweaking them to be resources and defenders. Resources - the math there was not fun. They needed crystals. A lot more crystals. If they didn't have a mine, it was going to slow everything down. That was the most important. More Crystals.

And - he wanted to know where his friend had gone. Hugo felt like a good person, but he didn't know where Reid was. Nobody did. Something else weird happened to his friend. A new storm of fate, he knew. Stuff just happened to Reid like that.

The group he was in - Hugo, Jenna, and a few others - worked their way through busy streets to a squat building with tiny windows. It had very, very thick walls. His newest friend, Hugo, gestured with a hand at the empty space.

"Hopefully, this will serve you adequately as a workspace, Lycra. My people shall see it furnished as you need. There are sleeping quarters as well, should you choose to work late."

Lycra grinned wide, even as Jenna gave Hugo a glare. She worried about him too much. Sleep wasn't always necessary. Like when you were midway through a project. Or when you had a really good idea.

He reluctantly peeled himself away from the space - and stopped trying to summon tools from his storage ring - as they were led out of the space. His mind was alight with ideas on increasing the usable area. And he needed to get Lorabelle to help make new shields so they could save mana crystals. And-

Lycra was still in thought about the laboratory when everyone else stopped walking. He blinked, and took in a midsized room dominated by a large round table, and high-backed chairs. Everyone else took seats, and he hopped onto one that had three extra cushions.

Hugo was a good speaker, and he talked a lot. Lycra sat through introductions, promises to meet other people, talk about the undercity, the overcity, the tunnels, their culture. It was important to Hugo, so he listened. He kept listening as long as he could. His new friend talked about their tutorial, and when they got out of it to get ambushed.

"...so the carts rose up out of the strip mine to assault us as well. Those forces wore work clothing, not power armor."

"What kind of mine?" Lycra interjected.

Hugo blinked. "I... do not know. We fled shortly after."

Lycra smiled wide. Belar's base, their operations, and their documents all pointed to them needing even more crystal than Lycra did. If they made a mine on the surface, it had to be for crystal.

"I want it. I want the mine. We need it."

His assertion caught the full attention of everyone in the room. No one talked, so he did again, counting on his fingers. "Armor, rifles, grenades, defensive grenades, railguns, plasma cannons, bombs, ships. All need crystal. So, we need crystal."

Hugo nodded slowly. "You make an excellent point, Lycra. We are largely bereft of resources, and it is past time we change that. To operate efficiently, I suggest we combine our forces and integrate our fighting capacity. We will need the numbers to assault Belar up top and seize the mine - as well as other targets."

Lycra's eyes flashed through system menus for a few seconds. Hugo talked too much. He could've just asked to do things instead. That was okay. Lycra could just do it for him.

-

NOTICE: You have given [Jenna] authority to act as a negotiator on behalf of your faction. NOTICE: You have declared a vow of friendship to [The Osteal Empire]. NOTICE: You have submitted an open request to merge your faction into [The Osteal Empire].

-

Like usual, everyone else in the room stopped talking and just stared, even though this is what they all wanted anyway.

Lycra pushed his chair away from the table, and hopped off the cushions. He waved at everyone in the room.

"I'm gonna go make tools. Then we can get my mine. Jenna, do the boring stuff - please. Okay, bye!"

It was times like these Lycra really liked how good his stats were. He made it out the door, and out of the building before anyone else had a chance to tell him not to go.

Now he only had one problem.

Lycra had no idea how to get back to the lab.

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