War Core 4, Chapter 4.

I've decided focus more on War Core rather than Limitless Seas for the time being, but I will post a bit of both.

Chapter 4.

Normally, Hugh would be treated to the view of his consciousness traveling through the universe to his newest destination. This time, the trip was made in darkness. He got a sense of movement, but nothing to indicate where he was heading and no information on the world that he would arrive in. Whether this was some form of GCA operational security or further evidence of the deterioration of their systems was unknown.

The sense of movement ceased, and he could begin to feel once more as a new body was created for him. There wasn’t much pain, more a return of feeling like tingling in a limb that you slept on wrong. A mechanical whirring noise began and a crack of light was seen as the war core he was rebuilt inside began to open. Blinking and squinting, Hugh tried to sit up and take in his surroundings as a system prompt appeared.

You have arrived at the Battle Pits. The new body constructed to house your core is improved over your original form. A broad recap of your improvements is listed below. As you progress further in the battle pits, more upgrades may become available to you. Should your physical form be destroyed, your core will also be eradicated and your homeworld will not be allowed to replace your core. You have 5 minutes to acclimate yourself and gather the starting gear for this trial. Good luck, human, fight well and great rewards are yours to gather. Do poorly and your people will face the penalty of your failure.

Hugh Logan. Physical form enhancements.

Intelligence: 5%.

Perception and vision: 5%.

Physical endurance and strength: 12%.

Cellular regeneration capacity: 50%.

Natural weapons: Your species is far below the universal baseline for natural weapons. To compensate for your inferiority, a small boost to the weapons you will initially receive has been granted. During your time in the battle pits, additional ammunition and upgraded weapons suited to your species will have a greater chance to appear at any supply point your party visits.

Hugh’s eyes adjusted to the light inside the compartment he found himself in. It was quite a bit different than the dingy hospital room in the space station. This room was more like a cabin on a warship. The space was tight, and the war core took up most of the room inside. A small cot, with a footlocker, bolted to the floor was the only other piece of furniture inside the room. On the cot was a set of clothing, an Army uniform in the ACU pattern that Hugh had worn while he was on active duty. He was a bit surprised that the GCA didn’t use the latest uniform, but at least he was familiar with this one, despite it being a horrible camouflage pattern.

As he slipped on the uniform, he noted the material was different from the ones created by the Army. This uniform was soft and easy to move around in but was much more durable than something from Earth. It should provide him some extra protection from cuts and scrapes, but likely wasn’t going to stop a claw or bullet. The boots were also reinforced and would stand up to much more punishment than the standard issue ones he had gotten in basic training. Once dressed, Hugh opened the footlocker, not wanting to waste any time as the countdown for his five minutes to prepare was already counting down.

Inside was an odd collection of gear. First off was a composite helmet that fit his head perfectly. Knowledge filtered into his mind on how to use it. The helmet had an integrated sound protection system and a visor that would automatically drop down to protect his eyes from bright lights or debris. He could activate the helmet systems with a thought, but they also had some ability to automatically detect dangers without his intervention.

Under the helmet was a plate carrier with all the usual attachments he preferred. There were six magazine pouches, two grenade pouches, and a first aid kit. Sadly, all the pouches and the aid kit were empty and there were no trauma plates to protect him. It was a useful piece of kit, so Hugh put it on and hoped he would find items to fill it up before too long. Beneath the plate carrier were a pair of additions to his arsenal, a pistol, and a combat knife.

The pistol was an older style Colt 1911 in .45 caliber that appeared well maintained. It had a seven-round magazine and when Hugh dropped out the mag, he was glad to see it was fully loaded and there was a round in the chamber. His new weapon had a belt and holster that he strapped on, but all the magazine pouches on the belt were empty. He had eight rounds in total, so he would have to make them count. The knife was a Marine Ka-Bar style but the metal alloy it was made from was something he hadn’t seen before. It had a green sheen to it, and the blade was incredibly sharp and lightweight.

Armed and equipped, Hugh wasn’t sure what to do next. The compartment he was in was sealed and there wasn’t a hatchway that he could see. Hugh spent the last few minutes of his time searching the compartment, but there wasn’t any hidden cache of gear or extra ammo. He had been informed by the system prompt that there would be additional ammo, but maybe he would have just found an empty weapon if there hadn’t been a bonus. Creatures like Hssim likely didn’t get anything given how strong his natural weapons were. The 1911 gave him some confidence, no matter how strong a dino-like alien was, a .45 caliber round should be quite the equalizer.

With a loud metallic clank, part of the wall slid away as the timer finished counting down. The opening revealed a short passageway that led to a larger compartment. As Hugh made his way down the passage and heard the distinct hiss of Hssim’s voice coming from the new compartment. Several other strange voices answered him, but one sounded a bit familiar.

“The human, Hugh Logan, arrives. You are the last, we can now begin,” Hssim said as Hugh stepped into the compartment, his hand on his holstered pistol. The collection of creatures in front of him was a bit of a shock, despite already expecting Hssim.

“Maybe you can introduce me to your friends,” Hugh said, trying hard to not let his voice show any concern.

“Yes, many of us are strangers. I am Hssim, the great leader of the Ssath people. Hugh, you go next,” Hssim said.

“I’m Hugh Logan, human core from Earth,” Hugh said. He wasn’t sure if there were other humans out in the vast universe, so he figured giving his home planet might be appropriate.

“I am Blaylock, a Starn war core,” the largest of the group announced. He was a humanoid over nine feet tall and had a body that looked like it was covered in stone. Like Hssim, this Blaylock didn’t have any gear or weapons on him, which told Hugh he was dangerous enough that the GCA didn’t think he needed as much help as a human did.

“This one is Vilkrex, war core of the hive,” A six-legged, insect-like creature said. Hugh had the image of a centaur pop into his mind as he looked at Vilkrex, but instead of a horse, the lower body was that of an ant, while the human torso of the centaur was that of a praying mantis, complete with triangular head and sharp mandibles, along with a pair of wicked looking arms. The voice had a high, chittering quality to it, but also sounded rather feminine to Hugh.

“I am Pasharn, war core of the formless,” the next member of their group said. This was the only other member that had gear of some kind. Pasharn wore a clear suit that looked like something a hazmat team would wear. A handgun of an unknown type was belted to the suit, but that was the extent of Pasharn’s gear. Inside the clear suit wasn’t some humanoid, bug, or dino, it appeared to be a blob of gelatinous matter with a pair of glowing eyes. Pasharn was short, the smallest of the group, and her voice seemed to emanate from the suit, but there was no discernable mouth on the alien.

“I am Dalven, of the Yaelar. It’s good to meet you in person, Hugh,” the werewolf-like Yaelar said. Hugh thought he recognized the voice, and while he wasn’t exactly comfortable standing next to someone that looked like a beast from human nightmares, Hugh was glad to have someone with him whom he considered an ally.

“Good to see you in person, Dalven,” Hugh said, shaking the oversized claw of the Yaelar.

“You did not inform me that you knew this human when I told you who the other team members were,” Hssim said, giving Dalven a murderous look. Dalven stared right back, unafraid of the Ssath.

“You never asked, you only wanted to know if I was an experienced warrior, which I am. Does anything else matter?” Dalven said. Hugh wasn’t sure how the others were recruited, but it seemed that Dalven had been smarter than Hugh and had asked about the other team members before accepting.

“We’re all here to work together. You’d think that if Dalven and I have fought alongside each other before, it would be a benefit to the group, not something to get upset over. From what you’ve told me of this venture, we fight as a team or we all die,” Hugh said, trying to break the tension.

“The human is correct. You have been given leadership, Hssim, what is our next step?” Vilkrex asked.

“My apologies, I was just not expecting that any of you were acquainted. It matters not. What does matter is what we are about to face. I participated in the previous individual battle pits challenge and it was a long and grueling ordeal. We were given little information before things began, and I expect the GCA will be just as stingy with their information here,” Hssim said.

“This may not be the same type of challenge, but before this begins, maybe you can fill the rest of us in on what you faced before?” Dalven asked.

“Yes, first let me share the timer, we have a bit of time to prepare before things start,” Hssim said, and Hugh’s interface pinged as the timer Hssim mentioned appeared. They had just under twenty minutes to prepare before things started. Once he confirmed everyone had received the timer, Hssim continued.

“In the earlier battle, I was in a place much like this, metal compartments that all began to look the same. Inside, I faced beasts created by the GCA. They were deadly predators, but not overly powerful. The real threat was the constant battle, and the monsters would continually spawn if we stayed in one place for too long. Occasionally, we’ll run into rest areas that are protected from the beasts for a time, but the further we get into the challenge, the fewer of these respites we’ll encounter.

“We’ll also find the occasional supply caches, and the gear will vary, with some of it being specific to a particular species. Other things, like med packs, are typically for universal use. As the leader, I’ll see to supply distribution, but anything that is species-specific will be distributed accordingly. Other than that, the only thing I can say is that if this challenge is similar, things will get more difficult the closer we get to completion,” Hssim said, looking around to see everyone’s reaction as he finished.

“This one did not expect an easy path to our reward. Perhaps we should use the time we have remaining to learn how to fight as a hive,” Vilkrex offered.

“A wise suggestion, Vilkrek, perhaps we can each tell of our combat abilities so we can integrate our strengths and mitigate our weaknesses. I’ll start. As you may know, I am a Ssath and we are powerful fighters with our teeth and claws. Speed and strength are what I offer, as well as centuries of battle experience where I conquered all before me,” Hssim said, his species’ natural pride showing as he boasted of his skill.

“I am the bulwark that others break against. While I am not fast, I am strong and can hold the line while you others tear our foes to shreds. My blows will crush armor, and shatter weaker beings,” Blaylock said.

“Using my abilities, I can turn our enemies into slaves of our hive,” Vilkrex said. Hugh wasn’t sure what she meant, but he figured he’d find out once the fighting started.

“I have weapons to bring some ranged firepower to the mix,” Hugh said, feeling a bit self-conscious over his limited abilities.

“And when your weapon runs out of power, where will you be?” Blaylock mocked.

“I can fight up close if I need to, but I’d be best used as ranged support,” Hugh said, pulling his knife to show the others, but feeling it was a bit of a pitiful display given how powerful the others seemed.

“Like the Ssath, my people fight with tooth and claw, but you should not discount the human, Blaylock. This one has defeated many Ssath on the battlefield,” Dalven said. Blaylock just grunted, which sort of sounded like a small rockslide was happening inside his throat.

“My skills are also geared toward ranged combat, but as long as I live, my weapon will not run out of power,” Pasharn said, breaking the tension.

“Good, we have a balanced group, with powerful melee fighters and ranged support. In my previous experience in the battle pits, I fought alongside a human who was a great warrior, so do not discount the human or Pasharn. They will both be key to our battle plan and our survival,” Hssim said, the Ssath giving Hugh that same creepy smile he had shown before. It was much more disturbing than reassuring, and Hugh wished he would stop trying to emulate human expressions.

They spent their remaining time working out their battle strategy. Blaylock was as impressive as he seemed, but his reactions were a bit slower than the others. Hugh felt he could work around that and decided to position himself behind the stone-covered alien, confident he could shoot through any gaps without accidentally hitting his ally. Pasharn wanted to be more in the clear, moving around so her smaller stature could get a better view of the battlefield.

Hssim and Dalven worked surprisingly well as a team, as both species tended to fight as a pack to bring down their foes. The enemy would have a hard time getting past Blaylock, and if they tried, the claws and teeth of Hssim and Dalven would be there to meet them. The only oddball was Vilkrex and Hugh wasn’t sure exactly how she fought. Her arms had natural blades and her mandibles looked like they could do horrible things to a body, but she was content in their practice to simply shadow either Hssim or Dalven when they flanked the foes.

Hugh figured he’d find out rather quickly what everyone had to offer as the timer counted down to zero and their foray into the battle pits began.

The Battle Pits Team Challenge has begun. Prepare for battle!