Rogue Ascension 39. Cross Country Road Trip

“Huh, I feel like I’ve gone full circle,” Joey said. “I started my new life in Multiverse Z on a raft in the middle of water, using the help of a kraken to take me where I need to go. Now I’m on a wooden platform on land, and my big crab semblance is taking us where we need to go.”

Joey was sitting with The Renegades on a platform Mollysea had made with logs and rope. There was a square cut at the front for ABC’s eyestalks. The hull crusher bruiser was gripping the platform with each pincer on an edge, stabilizing it as he continued his restless march north.

The Zambwi Land came to life with the rising solar moon. Golden light arced through the jungle treetops. The morning light shone over The Renegades while they traveled by road. Looking around, Joey could see everyone was rested and on the lookout.

Mollysea watched from the rear with Liam. Emelia sat to Joey’s right, and Nate sat to Joey’s left. The rogue looked forward up the road.

A beast encounter could happen at any moment, so they had to be alert. But Joey was also taking in the views. He was enjoying the journey a lot more, lately. He’d been feeling whimsical ever since last night.

Escaping a city filled with thousands of enemies hunting for him had been a major adrenaline rush. No lie, he still felt like a god among men after he rode away with his semblance last night and picked up his people. Joey wanted to savor these feelings and enjoy the here and now.

Joey sighed pleasantly.

“Alright, you keep making that sound,” Liam said. “And when I hear that sound, I’m thinking you’re in love. But you’re not in love. You’re still in your head and looping through last night, aren’t you?”

“Thousands of them, Liam,” Joey said. “All wishing to bring me down. And I’ve escaped from thousands of them.”

Mollysea let out a small snicker. Everyone other than Joey winced from feeling a bit of Mollysea’s negative charm. She had a lot of fun last night when Joey retold the story of his great escape. The unfortunate part had been the lack of awards.

He’d leveled up once from 51 to 52. His mind went up to 152,  his body went up to 143, and his spirit went up to 146. It seemed unfair for his growth to come out lacking while his efforts had been so great.

But that was the nature of being stronger. Most of his would-be hunters had been weaker. But their numbers had nearly made up for their weakness, putting the pressure on Joey to go all out on his escape. There was a brightside to it all, though.

Monstrous Momentum had gone from level 1 to level 6. Joey was sure that skill was the biggest reason why he escaped New Zam City last night. If they weren’t in a situation where they had to constantly move, Joey would dedicate time training it to his usual standard.

Other than that, he was getting closer to a special achievement. “I’m nine more away,” Joey said, grinning.

[#5 – Slay 100 steady adventurers above your level! 91/100!]

“Is that why we’re making a detour at the northern temples?” Nate asked. “Because I’m sure you can get those nine from the fifty thousand or so adventurers coming after us.”

“The actual range is anywhere from ten to twenty thousand adventurers,” Joey said.

“Really?” Emelia asked. “I thought there’ll be more.”

“Those numbers are skewed toward the ones who can afford the trip from their starting hubs to New Zam City,” Mollysea filled in. “And if the ferries are going to be filled with eager adventurers, the strongest will get on first.”

Joey picked up from there. “They’ll have time to make a couple of trips. But I don’t think they can transfer more than twenty thousand in twenty days. I’ve learned that from Finn.”

“How many great ones?” Liam asked.

“Six at the minimum. Twelve if we’re lucky,” Joey answered. “The adventurer pool for this beginner challenge is up to two hundred thousand. For every ten thousand steady ones, there’s one great adventurer. Chances are some of those great adventurers are already dead. Still, I’m hoping twelve to make it to the Zambwi Land. So far, other than me and Princess Maylolee, I’ve only heard of three others who’ve made themselves known.”

Everyone sat in silence as they thought over the numbers. Emelia seemed the quickest to crunch it down, but she kept her opinions and questions to herself. That left the men to react.

“The statistics for that are incredible to think about,” Nate admitted, turning to look at Joey as if he was some golden goose. “It’s really starting to hit me how rare you are.”

“And we’re the lucky ones who were found by him,” Liam said. “It could’ve been any of the other thousands of steady adventurers. But it was us.”

“Is there a certain design at work?” Emelia asked. “Fate? Premonition? Mystical workings of the divine?”

“I don’t know, Emelia. Do we really want to go in that direction?” Liam asked.

“It’s worth knowing.” Nate shrugged.

Joey swayed his head side to side. “I’m not sure. What do you think of fate, Mollysea?”

“It’s stupid and unreliable,” the battlemaid said. “It’s more likely we’re under the magic of a great rogue with a fortunate spirit. So all of us should be thankful that we’re of certain value to him.”

“Enough to earn us twenty silvers if we keep you free and alive,” Liam said.

“I’ll sacrifice everything. My body is yours.” Nate looked at Joey like a religious fanatic.

Joey played along. “My dear child, your sacrifice will be rewarded. The lavish gnomish stay awaits you.”

“Yes! Hallelujah!”

“Do you deal with war sirens who are as ridiculous as these boys?” Emelia asked Mollysea.

“Not often, unfortunately. We’re more like drones until we run into adventurers like them during our tours. Or if we have instructors who are as personable as me.” Mollysea grinned while Emelia tried to hide a shudder, the war sire continuing. “Then we start developing more personality from being around others with personalities. It’s how you know you’re not fully a war drone.”

Joey turned his ear toward that but didn’t say anything. Emelia took the hint that there was more. So, she asked, “What do you mean by war drone?”

“Denizens, beasts, monsters, we’re part of the realms we’re born from physically and magically,” Mollysea explained. “Denizens and beasts tend to be born naturally with the assistance of magic, especially beasts. Monsters are born from magic even if it seems natural. It is never natural.”

The rusty-skinned war siren leaned back and stretched her amazonian body. She was dressed in her usual jungle bikini outfit.

Despite the negative charm, it was easy to find Liam’s eyes feasting on all of Mollysea’s curves, athleticism, and attractions. Joey was sure Mollysea did this on purpose on most occasions. But she was a little unfocused right now, which was unusual for her while she talked.

“After the fall of the last war princess and the coalition, our fighting numbers went down drastically. In times like those, we’re able to make unnatural changes to our reproduction and growth through magic. Thus, war drones are born. They are still war sirens, but the speed of their birth and growth leads to a permanent debuff that strips them of identity. All they can do is follow orders and fight. And die. We’ve stopped that once War Princess Maylolee was officially crowned ten years ago.”

“Whoa,” Joey said. “War drones sound like dedicated NPCs. And she’s been in charge for a whole decade?”

“And she’s been a great one for four years,” Maylolee admitted. “Her system remained locked until the Tidal Moon Lord granted her his approval. From the age of seven to thirteen, she was the most vulnerable war princess we’ve ever had. We worked hard to shore up our weaknesses and protect her while she led us.”

“You crowned a seven year old girl to lead an entire empire? While she had no system for six years?” Nate asked. “I can’t imagine my own kid tying their shoes without messing it up at that age.”

“Having child kings and queens is not new. It’s been done throughout our own history back in our old universe,” Emelia pointed out. “Figureheads can exist for the morale of the people while others organize everything in the back.”

“It might’ve started that way,” Mollysea said. “But Princess Maylolee didn’t sit back and look pretty. She threw herself into the work. She was weak, small, and pathetic. But we noticed her work ethic on the administrative side. So we believed in her. And despite her age and her forceful moments, she would be heralded as one of the best war princesses ever. She kept us together while we were at our weakest.”

There was a long silence as everyone chewed on what Mollysea had explained. Joey looked up as jungle birds squawked and other animals made sounds within the green. A sudden rain cloud appeared and drizzled down, the water feeling cool on his face.

“It’s all an interesting design,” Joey said. “Like a complex MMORPG. Multiverse Z even has a way to regrow populations that suffered heavily from big events. It sucks that it is at the expense of the individuals.”

“What is it all for?” Emelia asked. “What’s the end goal of Multiverse Z?”

“Does there need to be an end goal?” Liam asked. “Maybe all that matters is just getting here and growing.”

“Part of it is for their entertainment, I suppose. The ones above,” Joey said. “Huh, for just that second, I can understand Domer’s motivation more. I mean, I’ve always understood, but I didn’t know if I’d ever give him an inch of sympathy.”

That placed everyone under a heavier mood. Even Mollysea seemed reflective of her existence. Joey could see how the older humans grappled with the tragic and magical nature of existence here. Joey let it weigh on him for a little while before finding a reason to smile.

“For me, the end goal is to reach the top and see what’s there,” Joey said. “But honestly, I’m more okay with the journey. I love getting myself some levels and seeing my stats rise. And the more awesome achievements and shiny loot, the merrier I’ll be. I guess I’m willing to work with Multiverse Z for its dark side. And for its light.” And to deliver my vengeance upon a devil or two.

Joey looked up as the rain clouds broke away and let through the solar moonlight. “I have an advantage few people have. So, I might as well enjoy it. And maybe help out here and there as I go my way around the multiverse.”

He fell back, laying next to Mollysea. He tapped her side with the side of his head. “Let’s make all the sacrifice and drones worth it, okay? And we can make that happen by tackling one problem at a time. And what’s the first problem?”

“Domer and his people are doing something at the northern temples,” Mollysea said, sounding like a war siren ready to fulfill her duty. “There will be conflict, no doubt. And for once, I will get to help. But I will only use magic in defense. This way, I can avoid the potential anger of the overseers since I’m most likely not supposed to be here. Meanwhile, The Renegades will investigate Domer’s operation and respond appropriately to what they find. It is a mission that must last no longer than a day.”

“Exactly,” Joey said. “In and out. From one objective to the next. Then eventually we’ll slay our dread whale and make war siren life happier than it’s been in centuries. Not just functional and nice.”

Mollysea smiled. “Thank you, Master Eclipse.”

All the others nodded at him.

Joey shrugged. He was a great adventurer. He figured it was his job to help regulate the mood and direct everyone.

If you can do it, princess, I’ll see if I can do it, too. Joey smiled. But damn, I have a long way to go to catch up to you. At least Joey was attempting the greatest moves he could think of, putting himself on the line.

With the mood stabilized, conversations mostly came from Liam and Nate saying dumb but funny stuff. The dumber, the better, especially when they could get Emelia scolding them in Spanish.

This led to Mollysea revealing the Spanish she knew, which was more fluent than what Joey knew. That raised another debate on why denizens knew English, Spanish, Chinese, and Creole, and why those four languages specifically. Mollysea was no help because she’d learned the languages as part of war siren training without questioning why.

Since there were no attacks, ABC kept trucking forward without rest. He’d regrown his armored shell, so he didn’t move as fast as before. But consistent movement was all that mattered. Semblances didn’t tire as easily compared to their former selves.

So ABC took The Renegades on a tour through the steamy, misty, and rain-filled jungles. Without facing any beast encounters, their journey transitioned into wide-open, tall, and grassy prairies. The road became less of a road and more of a rarely used path with muddy dips and bumps. The sky was more open. The air was drier. Bugs sang a chorus of chirps and squeaks from the grass as The Renegades passed through.

“Alright, time to change into a new suit.” Joey stripped down near his pack. All of their extra gear was tied down at the platform’s corners.

He pulled out the forest colored bodysuit and stuffed away the white one, pausing to let his battlemaid give him a piece of dried jerky and some water. Even now, she continued to act like a true battlemaid, which received a few jealous looks from Liam and Nate

Joey chuckled as he slipped into the new bodysuit with a fresh pair of boots. He secured the harnesses to his body with all his weapons present, making him feel ready for more action.

“What’s special about this one other than being all camo?” Liam pointed.

[War Prince Bodysuit – Hunter (Superior): This hunting version is enchanted to conceal your appearance, movement, and magic while in a wild environment with tall vegetation. It can resist lower quality attacks decently. It will clean and repair itself when given essence.]

“It’s literally all about the camo,” Joey said. “But magical.”

The rogue stood and looked around. He used all six senses to sweep for danger. It wasn’t easy. But then he noticed the grass rustling a hundred yards to his left that was not from the wind passing.

“I saw that, too,” Mollysea said. “Go hunt. I’ll protect everyone.”

“Can’t I do both?” Joey said, forming a dragon clone.

“We’re the kings of the wild, suckers!” The clone jumped off, ran through the tall grass, and blew shady fire on the prowling beast. The creature ran out in its fury and pain. It was not quick to die while in the higher levels.

But that was okay.

Joey reached out to his right and gripped two glyphlock pistols from another clone. He aimed while the bigger version of a frilly leaper ran up behind ABC.

Triggers pulled, both pistols fired true. The beast’s burning head blew open like a smashed cantaloupe. Burning chunks splattered ABC’s backside without being much of a bother.

[You’ve slain a Small Reptile Frilly Ambusher lvl 63! For slaying a beast over ten levels above you, bonus experience is awarded!]

Joey nodded in satisfaction. “Hm. Three second Shade Dragon Breath plus the clone was 80 EP. The double pistol clone was 60 EP. Using essence to prepare the pistols to fire costs 1 EP each. I should also keep my skills in mind. That leaves me with an expense of 170 EP for a kill that’s over ten levels, and in the level 60s. Not bad.”

Joey checked his essence points to see if the math adds up.

[Essence: 3358/4410 EP]

“Yup, that checks out,” Joey said in confirmation. The twenty percent reduction was accounted for while ABC was materialized. Joey was okay with this. The mobile convenience with ABC was worth the expense.

Nobody else had a semblance, yet. Mollysea as a denizen lacked the option for one. But she had her racial abilities as an equalizer. She was smiling at Joey right now for some reason.

“I love it when someone calculates the murder economics. It is a good sign of having an expert killer with you,” Mollysea said. The steady adventurers looked at the rogue and the war siren like they were hopeless crazies.

Hey, you’re murderous, too. Just because I’m good at it doesn’t mean you’re any less murderhobo than me.

Besides, they could all use more practice on murder economics. Joey sensed danger closing in from everywhere in the tall grass.

“Alright, enough lazing around steady humans. We have beasts incoming. Show yourselves worthy of the twenty silvers we will share by protecting Master Eclipse,” Mollysea ordered.

Mentioning the silver coins at stake turned the steady ones from seemingly thoughtful people to true murder drones, especially Nate. Joey laughed as attacking prairie beasts died. ABC kept moving forward without needing to stop or protect himself. It wouldn’t be long until Joey saw what Domer was up to at the northern temples and met him face to face.