War Core 3, Epilogue.

We've reached the end of book 3. As for what's next, I'll be jumping into book 3 of the Limitless Seas series full time. War Core Wednesday's will still be happening as I start work on book 4 of the series.

War Core 3 is now with the editors and I hope to have it released by the end of the month or early next month depending on how long editing/formatting take.

Epilogue.

“I’m almost out,” the human said, inserting the magazine into his simple chemical-powered projectile launcher. “Let’s hope this supply chest is better than the last one,” the human added, moving to the small container the GCA had left in the nearly bare compartment as a reward for reaching this far.

While the human sifted through the rewards, Hssim looked back at the way they had come, it was quiet for now, but it wouldn’t be that way for long. Something would come for them, whether it was other competitors or more of the hungry beasts the GCA had seeded the arena with. Hssim tried to ignore his injuries, but the gaping wound to his rear leg was impossible to ignore. Each step was an effort, and he could feel weakness in the limb, preventing him from leaping onto his prey.

If anything, the human was in even worse shape, it had been nearly disemboweled by a beast in the previous chamber, and only a rough bandage strapped around its waist was keeping its organs from coming out. The smell of the human blood was intoxicating, but Hssim pushed back the instinct to feed. This Stephan Wagner was not prey; he had become Hssim’s only ally in this dark place. For an untold number of days, the two had fought together, pushing through chamber after chamber, moving ever closer to victory.

Hssim had only been in the battle pits for a day when he found himself nearly overwhelmed by a GCA-created beast. The human had entered the chamber and raised the crude crossbow that had been its first weapon. Instead of firing on what should have been his enemy, the human fired on the beast and saved Hssim. Sharing a healing pack with Hssim, the two had struck an uneasy alliance, it would take a team to get through the battle pits and achieve victory. In between battles, they spoke of their lives, and Hssim found that the human was more than he seemed. This Stephan Wager was a warrior among his people, just like Hssim.

Hssim had returned the favor, the two saving each other from certain death many times, learning to meld their fighting styles with the human proficiency in ranged weapons and Hssim’s supreme skill in melee, the two had done well. Now, the battle was near its end, only one chamber remained between them and victory, but they were at the end of their endurance. Supplies, both food, and medical, had been growing scarcer the further they progressed.

“It’s not much, only a few rounds of ammo for my weapon and a pair of basic med packs. There was this, I’m not sure what it is, but it looks like something your ugly lizard head could wear,” the human said, smiling as he slid a helmet and the pair of med packs over to Hssim. The human’s odd and insulting way of building camaraderie was strange to Hssim at first, but he had grown to like it. The two traded insults with each other regularly, and it eased the tension over the dangerous situation they were in.

Helm of the Hunter. This helmet infuses additional strength into the wearer's natural armor. Limited species are compatible with this item.

Compatibility detected; you may equip this item.

Hssim slid the helmet on, the armor immediately disintegrated and the nanobots that made up its mass instead spread across Hssim’s scales, hardening them, and adding a tiny bit of extra insulation against elemental damage. Placing a med pack over his wounded leg, Hssim hit the activation trigger. More nanobots moved from the med pack into the wound, repairing damage and granting Hssim some relief from the constant pain. Sadly, the healing stopped before the wound was fully healed, and he still did not have the full range of motion over the limb.

“Take the other med pack, heal your weak flesh,” Hssim said, pushing the final med pack back to Stephan.

“No, I don’t think I can make it any further. One med pack isn’t enough to seal this,” the human said, indicating the bloody bandage over his mid-section. Hssim didn’t know much about human anatomy, other than they were weak and fragile creatures, but he could tell the wound was serious. The human’s movements were sluggish as he loaded the handful of shells the supply crate contained into the magazine of his weapon, a weapon he called an MP40.

“If I take this, you will die here,” Hssim said.

“I’ll die regardless, even with a couple of med packs, I’ll still be slowed down, and once my ammo runs dry, there’s not much I can do about those things,” Stephan said, indicating the corpse of one of the GCA creatures. The beasts were close in size to a zimbaxlan from Hssim’s world, a four-legged predator with a mouth full of sharp teeth. The GCA beasts also sported a pair of claws jutting from their chests. Stephan had called it a mutant crab-wolf, whatever that was.

“Then I shall take this and secure victory,” Hssim said, activating the pack and watching the wound in his leg fully heal. Smaller cuts and bruises were still numerous from the many encounters with the enemy, but there were no wounds that would prevent him from fighting at his full potential.

“Win this thing, and remember what you’ve promised,” Stephan said.

“I am a Ssath of my word, and the truth will be revealed to both our peoples,” Hssim said. They had found things other than rewards and equipment in the supply crates, clues as to the GCA’s true purpose, clues as to what they had been and what they had become. That information was more important than any war for territory, and hunting grounds.

“I know you will, now, get going, I don’t have much ammo and I can hear them coming. I’ll buy you as much time as I can,” Stephan said. Hssim helped the human drag the supply crate to block the hatchway they had entered from. Once opened, the hatches would no longer close, allowing whatever the GCA decided to send their way free access to the pair. Stephan had no strength to stand, but the wounded human could sit and prop his weapon on the crate and should be able to deal with at least a few of the beasts that pursued them.

At first, they had been given time to rest between each battle, now, after only a few moments to catch their breath, the beasts came. Occasionally they would reach a safe room where a longer safety period for sleeping was allowed, but those safe rooms were also becoming rare. This human named Stephan Wagner had shown Hssim, in both the battle he fought against Hssim on the Krixnas world and in his actions as an ally, that at least some of their species were worthy predators. They were not all worthless prey creatures like the Ssath believed. No, these humans and their strength would be necessary for the coming fight, and the war between them should end so that an alliance could be formed.

Walking to the hatchway at the far end of the chamber Hssim readied himself, slipping partly into the battle rage, far enough to bolster his strength, but not so far that the need to feed on the bleeding human nearby overcame his mind. A small sign above the door showed that this hatch led to chamber 1, the final chamber of the battle pits. Defeat what was inside, find the exit, and his promised reward of a new body awaited. With a final glance at the human giving his life to buy Hssim more time, the Ssath hit the hatch control and charged.

His claws slid a bit on the hard alloy floor, but once through the hatchway, the terrain changed. Instead of the featureless grey metal alloy that had been used for every other compartment in the battle pits, this time Hssim was outside. He was in a canyon, the tall sides carved from the surrounding rock by the small stream that lay in the middle. At the far end of the canyon, the final hatch was placed. Victory was only a few hundred yards away. The sound of gunfire thundered in the chamber behind him as Stephan Wagner fired his remaining rounds to keep the beasts back. Stephan’s sacrifice would not be forgotten. Hssim was fast, but the beasts were faster, and without Stephan’s help, he was doomed.

Victory was close, but Hssim was not alone out here. On his side of the canyon were dozens of other hatchways, most of which remained closed, but several had already opened, and other contestants were making their way toward victory. Each of the contestants was deadly, or they would have never made it this far, but none were Ssath, and the Ssath were supreme.

Splashing around in the stream at the center of the canyon were scores of the zimbaxlan-like creatures that had tormented him throughout the battle. Many of the beasts were already dragging down the first contestants to enter the canyon. Hssim ran forward, building speed and looking for an opening. To his left, a large tripodal alien spun forward on its strange limbs, and blades mounted at the ends of its appendages raked the flesh of the nearest beasts. To Hssim’s right, a pair of other contestants, a huge stone-fleshed giant, and a bipedal insectoid fought as a pair.

The tripod alien was the key, he could best it easily in combat, but for now, it was doing his job for him, cutting through the screen of beasts and clearing a path for Hssim to use. The pair of stone and insect aliens were also making progress, but at a much slower pace and Hssim didn’t want to face two opponents when he would only need to defeat one if he followed the spinning alien to his left. Progress was fast, and Hssim kept enough distance between him and the blades of his opponent to be safe, but not far enough that he couldn’t sprint forward and leap to attack when the time was right.

A beast, merely wounded by the blades of the alien in front of Hssim lashed out with an oversized pincer. These things were tough, but Hssim had defeated too many by now to be injured this easily by the clumsy attack. Stepping out of the path of the pincer, Hssim lashed out with the claws on his leg, tearing into the soft joint where the pincer limb met the body of the beast. Tendons and connective tissue parted under the claws on Hssim’s feet, claws enhanced by nanobot rewards from earlier supply crates. The limb sagged, no longer having the strength to hold up the oversized claw.

Dodging a bite from the tooth-filled mouth of the beast, Hssim ran past, the beast was now moving too slowly to catch Hssim as it dragged the damaged oversized claw behind it. To his front, the tripod alien had stopped, one of the beasts had gotten in close enough to latch onto it and the other beasts were swarming in to join the kill and share in the feast. Hssim leaped high, his powerful hind legs vaulting over the dying alien and the beasts that were starting to devour it. A few of the beasts made half-hearted bites or swipes of claws at Hssim, but they were more interested in the wounded prey in front of them.

Landing on the muddy ground just past the stream, Hssim saw his path was clear. The insect-like alien had abandoned the slower stone-covered one and had unfurled some wings to propel it toward the final hatch. Hssim poured on the speed, forcing every ounce of strength from his powerful limbs. The insect gained on his right, pulling almost even, and Hssim could see a long stinger, dripping with venom, protruding from its abdomen.

“Foolish bug, I am Ssath and the Ssath are supreme!” Hssim roared, lurching toward the right with claws and teeth ready to rend and tear. The claws on his right foot sheared off the stinger, and his left foot cracked through the insect’s thin carapace, tearing deep into the jelly-like tissue beneath. A sharp-edged wing swung around to slice Hssim’s side, but it was a minor nuisance, not a mortal wound. Hssim responded by biting into the thin neck of the alien, feeling the satisfying crunch of chitin breaking under his teeth, but the fluids of the creature were foul and unappetizing.

Wrenching to the side, Hssim tore the alien’s head from its body, the entire fight lasting only a few seconds. Resuming his course, Hssim saw the path was clear, the nearest competitor was the shouting rock-like alien who was too far back to be a threat. Hssim reached forth as the hatchway neared, his clawed hand slamming into the hatch control, securing the victory.

Congratulations! You have emerged victorious in the Battle Pits. As the victor, you will be richly rewarded. Your body will be rebuilt back on your homeworld and your faction will receive a significant number of influence points for your victory today.

Make your way through the victory plaza and enjoy the adulation of the citizens of the GCA. This event is much anticipated, so don’t be dismayed or disturbed by the large number and variety of live attendees, they are here to celebrate you, not harm you. At the far end of the victory plaza, you will find a building containing the means to bring you home. There is no rush to return, feel free to spend some time and enjoy a taste of the benefits that the average citizen of the GCA enjoys. One day, should you continue to prove worthy in the conflict, your people may be elevated to join us as equal citizens of our great organization, enjoying all the luxuries that citizenship confers.

Functional error, reward features a13888 of the victory plaza and automated cultural assimilators are offline.

It was strange, but not unexpected that there were errors in the GCA’s system, given what Hssim and Stephan had learned. The hatch in front of him began to crank open, revealing that it was connected to the lobby of a large structure. Furniture of various configurations, likely needed to support multiple body types for the various species that were under the GCA’s control, sat there unused and dust covered the polished stone floors. A small cleaning bot went through the motions, despite being damaged and unable to move. It could now only polish a small section of the floor that was within its limited reach. The bot’s ceaseless efforts had worn deep grooves into the stone floor before its simple cleaning tools had finally broken.

Follow the navigation instructions to make your way through the victory celebration. Be advised that sound levels out on the Path of the Victorious can become elevated to the point that hearing loss may occur in many species. Have no fear, your body has been greatly enhanced over the species standard for a Ssath, and despite the noise, no damage to your hearing organs will occur.

A small indicator in the corner of his vision showed Hssim where to go, but before he could proceed, he was forced to break his way outside of the building. The automated door systems had failed at some point long ago. Once outside, the sky was overcast, but the temperature was pleasantly warm on his scales after spending so long in the confining battle pits. Viewing stands of various shapes lined the roadway, and behind those, the large structures of a vast city were built as far as the eye could see.

Music, a triumphant march, played from the occasional speaker that remained operational, but the stands lining the street and the nearby shops were eerily silent and empty. It was a dead city, and other than the automated systems that remained functional, there was no movement. Instead of proudly marching down the road to the cheers of GCA citizens, Hssim walked alone under the overcast sky. The path eventually led Hssim to another hatchway in the side of a skyscraper, this one remained functional and opened at his approach. Inside was a sterile room with a single oversized war core in the center. A prompt appeared as soon as the hatch closed behind Hssim.

Step into the nearby war core. Once inside, your current form will be reprocessed and a new one created inside the core you once occupied on your homeworld. In addition to a windfall of influence points for your world, you will also receive the following upgrades to your physical form.

1. Intelligence enhancement: 22%.

2. Physical endurance and strength enhancement: 168%.

3. Cellular regeneration capacity: 200%.

4. Physical form longevity: 300%.

5. You will also retain any upgrades to your natural weapons and armor that were earned during your time in the battle pits.

6. You are now immune to most natural diseases and illnesses that might afflict your species. In addition, many substances normally toxic to a Ssath will no longer harm you.

Please enter the war core for transport to your homeworld.

For one final time, Hssim entered a war core, only experiencing a mild concern as the machine started to reprocess him. Despite the condition of the city outside, this chamber and the devices inside were in an acceptable state of repair. Pain began to build as the body he was currently occupying was destroyed. Hssim ignored the normally intriguing journey through space, his excitement only piqued when the Ssath homeworld came into view. All sight and feeling left him for a moment as his new body was created inside his war core. Feeling returned in a rush as light began to stream in as the war core opened. It had been several centuries since Hssim had first stepped into the cursed machine, and now he was finally able to exit for good.

“Honored warrior, you have returned to us! As soon as we received the news from the GCA that you were going to rejoin our people, the great leader sent me here to escort you to the senate to receive his personal congratulations. I am Dussian, your liaison to the great leader,” A Ssath dressed in an ornate garment shouted as Hssim struggled to his feet. It only took him a few moments to feel at home in his new body, and he reveled in the power that this form held. He had been rebuilt before, on Harmony Station, and for the battle pits, but this new form was so much more than those others had been. Hssim was now perfect.

“Yes, I have returned victorious, and I bring many influence points to share with the Ssath. Now, take me to the great leader. Ibixan and I have much to discuss,” Hssim ordered.

“I hear and comply, honored warrior, but I must inform you that the dishonorable Ibixan is no longer our great leader. He has been replaced by all-powerful Shadax,” the liaison advised.

“Get me to our new great leader, then,” Hssim ordered. A hovercar appeared a few moments later and whisked Hssim away to the senate building.

“The great leader is anxious to meet you, he has followed your numerous victories over the years and was saddened that you were taken from us after such a hard-fought victory over the Krixnas,” the liaison said. Hssim ignored the fool Dussian. The Ssath liaison was concentrating more on whoever was on the other end of the comm device shoved in his auditory canal, than on Hssim and the small group of soldiers that served as his escort.

“How goes our war efforts?” Hssim asked.

“All is proceeding as it should under the great leader’s guidance,” Dussian said. One of the soldiers handed Hssim a tablet with information on all the campaigns that had occurred since Hssim had been forced into the battle pits. Hssim seethed with rage, struggling to keep his normal demeanor as he reviewed all the waste and stupidity this new great leader had caused. This Shadax had burned through everything they had, and then failed! Some Ssath had tried to right things, but the fact that they had failed to depose Shadax proved to Hssim that they were not worthy of leading the empire either.

Hssim kept calm as they arrived at the senate. Scores of guards were present, further reinforcing Hssim’s low opinion of Shadax. A Ssath that feared his people was no true Ssath. Outside the car, several news reporters waited. Questions were hurled at Hssim as soon as he exited the vehicle, but Dussian finally showed that he was useful for something and shooed away the rather aggressive reporters with the help of some of the guards. Two reporters were allowed to accompany them as they entered the senate chambers, but they were ordered to hold their questions until after the great leader had met with Hssim.

“The victorious conqueror returns! Your people thank you for your efforts, your skills and abilities are an inspiration to our other cores. We were all worried that you had been lost forever. You will now join my war council and help lead your people to victory,” The great leader Shadax said as Hssim entered.

Walking from his podium, the leader of the Ssath strolled leisurely toward Hssim. A pair of large guards kept pace with the leader, claws hovering over their weapons as they scanned for possible threats. Hssim didn’t need his newfound intellectual prowess to realize that Shadax was a leader in trouble. Having fended off one coup, it was only a matter of time before others organized against him after the disaster that was the campaign for the human homeworld. Adding a victorious warrior like Hssim to his command staff would allay the fears of many in the senate, bolstering Shadax’s position.

“You honor me, great leader,” Hssim said, stifling his pride enough to complete a low bow before the incompetent fool.

“Rise, my champion, and take your place among our war leaders. I shall name you overall commander of our brave cores,” Shadax said, trying hard to win Hssim over to his side with bribery and flattery. It was a tactic that reeked of weakness and was not appropriate for a Ssath leader.

Shadax strode forward to place his hand atop Hssim’s head in a show of superiority, and out of the corner of his eye, Hssim could see Dussian waving the reporters forward to get a clear shot of the event. With a speed that no Ssath had ever before possessed, Hssim rose, his arms reaching out to swipe the heads from the two guards flanking Shadax. The great leader staggered back in fear, losing control over his bodily functions in a shameful display as his two most powerful personal guards toppled over dead.

“The Ssath are no longer led by your weakness, Shadax. The Ssath are now led by me,” Hssim said, his teeth tearing out the throat of Shadax before spitting the flesh of his former leader on the ground. Shadax gurgled once and collapsed to the floor. The remaining guards in the chamber hesitated, unsure what to do.

“It is a crime to waste flesh,” Dussian muttered. In his stunned state, the liaison recited one of the tenants of the Ssath faith.

“True, we should not waste good food, but the flesh of a coward and a fool should not be consumed in our senate chambers, it should be left to rot on the steps outside. You two guards, see that it happens,” Hssim said, pointing his bloody claws toward the two of the uncertain guards. The moment was tense, with dozens of the guards now inside the chamber, they could easily overpower Hssim, even with the enhancements the GCA had added to his new body.

“It shall be as you order, great leader,” a guard replied, dragging out the corpse of Shadax. Hssim walked to the proclamation podium that Shadax had ruled from.

“Are there any that challenge my rule? If so, let them come forward now and face me in combat. If not, I call for you, leaders of the senate, to swear your allegiance to me as the new great leader,” Shadax demanded.

“I vote we install Hssim as our great leader, let the vote be taken!” One of the senators shouted out, clacking his claws loudly on the pillar in front of him. The sound grew louder as more and more senators joined in until the sounds of claws on stone filled the entire chamber.

“It is unanimous, Great Leader Hssim, the Ssath people and your senate are ready to serve. What are your orders?” The first senator to accept Hssim said.

“Do we have any means of contacting the humans or the other species that infest the galaxy?” Hssim asked.

“Yes, great leader, now that you have brought us the spoils of your victory, we have the means to do whatever you like. Do you wish us to seek a way around our ban on attacking the humans?” The senator asked.

“No, I wish to see if they would like to join in our newest hunt. Speak to all the species out there. They can join us, or they can remain our prey. Our true enemy has revealed itself, and we shall welcome all that wish to join us in glorious battle. We seek the grandest prey to be found in the universe. The Ssath are going to war, and our prey shall be the GCA itself!” Hssim shouted.

Stunned at the pronouncement, the senate was silent. The senators looked upon the bloodied fangs and claws of their new leader. This was a true Ssath in their eyes, a leader who had defeated death itself and returned to carve the weakness from the Ssath race. Hssim would give the people hope just as he had already given them a victory when they needed it the most. This was a Ssath leader they could follow, despite his odd pronouncement. The chambers of the senate rang with the sound of claws on stone.