Chapter 102 - Rapid Buildup

Notes : Chapter 108 has been written and added to the queue !

Welp. It turns out, ARC Raiders did NOT separate the matchmaking system for solo play and squad play. They have something that 'tags' you as PvP or PvE depending on if you shoot people. And since yesterday was a coop bloodbath, I got tagged as PvP all the way.

Which means that now I'm stuck in an infinite loop of being attacked by everybody. And literally the only way to get out of it is just to die over and over and over again until the game reduces your 'aggression score'. Because if you shoot back, even in self defense, the game doesn't give a shit and just shackles you to PvP only lobbies even harder.

Needless to say, it fucking sucks.

Chapter 102

Starborn Mountains, Mount Nebula

Crash Site

"You're really improving at an amazing pace." Said Kalia as they entered the main chamber again. "You already have a firm grasp of basic spellforms and how standard spell runes can affect them."

"I mean, I'm mostly cheating." Said the AI, and Kalia shook her head.

"No. I mean yes. But not fully. Remembering them helps, but you're also making very logical correlations. It may seem obvious to you, but you'd be amazed how long it takes most newbies to understand that focus and stabilization runes with a fire spellform can make a fireball."

Sapphiria nodded. It was obvious to her because she was approaching it like it was code. Which...it was, in its own way.

She was already building a full database of the 'language', so to speak, and laying the groundwork for a compiler.

"I guess I can understand that. So, what now?"

"Now?" The mage-magistrate smiled. "We take a break. Then we return to our other duties."

"A break? Here?"

"At least at first. Is Cia here?"

"Sure." Sapphiria gestured, and Cia's hologram appeared. This time however, there was a mess of pixels and it appeared from the feet to the head, like it was materializing.

She'd really kicked herself for forgetting the squishie-hologram interaction protocols the last time.

"Wow. That's a lot less abrupt. Hey Cia!"

"Hello, mage-magistrate Kalia Comnena." Answered the simulacrum, before giving her an elaborate, courtly bow. Sapphiria had to search a little bit, as she realized with a start that she'd barely heard anyone use her girlfriend's last name since she'd met her. It just didn't seem to come up in Astralis. Was that just because they didn't have need for family names due to the low number of people or was there a wider cultural element at play? "How may I assist you?"

The mage-magistrate snorted.

"I'm not a noble. Well, I am, but...You get what I mean."

"Yes, I do understand that your nation does not ascribe to this particular sociological and cultural construct, thus despite it being nominally part of your titles and status, you are unwilling to use it or define yourself by it."

Kalia stared at her for a few seconds, before looking at Sapphiria.

"See, her being a golem? That I believe." She coughed. "Anyway. Cia, you've been handling everything while Sapphi was away, right?"

"She was never technically away. But yes. I handle most day to day operations."

"And I'm sure, serve as any good aide does, as a limiter on their bosses' more stupid impulses?"

Sapphiria blinked. Wait, what?

"Yes."

"Good. Then I'm leaving this box of mana crystals here. I want you to make sure Sapphi doesn't do something stupid with them. No going beyond basic spellforms in my absence."

"Hey, wait a-"

Kalia was suddenly towering over the AI.

Which would have been intimidating if it wasn't so hot.

I want to bring her down to her knees, off her pedestal and make her beg...

The AI mentally shook herself. No! Bad. Not now. Later.

"No. I am your teacher in arcana. And I've been a student once. I'm not letting you blow yourself up on some foolish bout of experimentation. Got it?"

Sapphiria nodded.

"Good." Kalia stepped back. "So, now that the important stuff is handled, could you give me a full tour?"

"With pleasure. I can even update you on what we're working on. Follow me!"

*****

"I have to admit, this is...ominous." Said the mage-magistrate as they stood before the gaping maw of one of the main vehicle tunnels. You could have fit a damned assault shuttle through it. And those things were made to transport full sized mechs and battle tanks.

"Believe me, it's worse on my end. I live there."

"We could get you up to the surface."

Sapphiria smiled softly.

"I appreciate the thought, but my pod wouldn't fit through the tunnels. Someday, maybe."

"Mmmhhh. But yeah. I'd never been inside of a vestige before." She touched the wall, and withdrew her hand, shuddering. "It's so...smooth."

"My guess is they used lasers. And it's so smooth because this place wasn't finished. They dug the tunnels, smoothed them out..."

"And then died?"

Sapphiria shrugged.

"Probably." She hesitated. "I wanted to ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"Your runes...they're different from the ones the Bane use."

"Yeah, of course they-Oh. Right, you don't know anything about magic, except what I taught you. Our spells come from aberrations we observed."

"Right, I think Ramina told me about that. And I'm guessing they change from Convergence to Convergence?"

"Bingo."

"So do you just...remake your runes for the local areas? Weren't you an Imperial territory? Shouldn't you use their standard?"

"We were Imperial centuries ago. And you can translate runes from one language to another. As well as combine them. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"I'm not an archmage or a runewright. Also...the runic history lectures were very early in the morning, and I tended to stay up late."

Sapphiria stared at the squishie, and smiled. Some things never changed.

"...Of course. So you translated off of the Imperial runic?"

"Didn't really have much of a choice. It's not like we had access to Stoneblood or the other Convergences on Merian anymore. The 'Age of Silence' isn't because the Empire was very keen on talking to its wayward territories." She winced. "Though I suppose that was preferable to today."

"Yeah...So, do you...know the Bane runes? Because I found some."

"Let me guess. From their remains? I don't think the Hand incants."

"Yes."

"I've been taught the essentials, but that's pretty much it. I might have a book somewhere."

"We could go fetch it."

"Why, in a hurry to get me out of the way?" Kalia's eyes twinkled. "Or get me back to my bedroom?"

"Can't it be both?"

They exchanged smiles.

"Sure. It can be both."

*****

The Hand watched the outpost in horror, the coin immobile in their palm.

A second gun had been shipped there.

That much, was expected. The problem was twofold.

First, they'd installed the first one a few days before. True, they'd probably kept it back for a bit, testing and calibrating it. But this hinted to a production capacity...

They had to get some familiarity with the industry they were planning to bring back online. The Magistracy could make artillery that fast.

They just needed a complex the size of the entire rebel settlement.

Could there have been something like that, in the mines? There was really no other choice.

But then...where had it come from? There wasn't the infrastructure in the valley to build or sustain something like this.

The second part of the problem was that the gun was being assembled.

By golems. Just golems. Not a single person in sight. Not even the abomination.

Golems just didn't do that. Ever. They could execute pre-packaged instructions, but they couldn't be trusted to do something this complex without supervision. Even for the Magistracy's industry.

What the hell had they stumbled upon?

At least they had some better idea of what was going on thanks to the spotters. With the Nineteenth cowed for the moment, a few more soulless watching the other way was an affordable sacrifice.

They'd found the giant...machine thing doing trips back and forth between the town and that warehouse next to the mountain. They'd even spotted what probably was the mine entrance.

Which probably meant that the warehouse wasn't just for stockpiling minerals. Or had never been meant to stockpile them at all. It was for the finished products, heading out from the hidden industry, and then to wherever they were needed.

Sarcher's head snapped up as they heard the faint thunder of gunfire.

Well. Speak of the devil.

*****

Sapphiria disembarked from the cart, plasma gun in hand.

"Report." She said, as she directly downloaded reports from the turrets and bots. She knew the fight was over, but the report was taking for fucking ever to make its way through the relays.

She really needed to start laying cables. She had the manufacturing capacity to now, with the third smelter online.

TO-DO LIST UPDATED

"Ma'am!" The militiaman saluted. He looked shaken, but otherwise unharmed. "We were attacked by a pack of those shadow wolves monsters. We were able to eliminate them with minimal losses and damage."

"Define 'minimal'."

"Narlen's got a couple of scratches and one hell of a fright when one of those things managed to punch their arm through the slit and tried to swipe him. They also tore out the barrel of one of the turrets. Bit it and yanked it through the firing slit." He swallowed. "They were in some kind of frenzy. Like, a real frenzy. Trying to squeeze through the slits even as we fired on them."

Sapphiria exchanged a glance with Kalia, the mage-magistrate having disembarked at a more leisurely pace.

"Well. It looks like your guess was right." Offered her girlfriend, and Sapphiria nodded.

"Agreed." The relays allowing her to at least talk to the guns and bots on the surface were indeed driving the monsters nuts.

That had its advantages though. Better they rush the heavily armed bunker than lay in ambush to eat the next militia relief.

"You have done well." Said Kalia, laying a hand on the militiaman's shoulder. "Very well. This bunker is our lifeline, the only way we have of getting to Sapphiria and her home. You are a testament to Astralis and the Magistracy's fighting spirit."

Sapphiria saw the militiaman physically swell with pride. Not just him, but the others in earshot too. No doubt the mage-magistrate's words would have made it all around the outpost within the hour, and back to Astralis by sundown.

"Thank you ma'am!" Said the soldier, and Sapphiria checked her plasma gun.

"I'll do a sweep outside." She said. "Check the bunker's integrity." And present herself as a big target scanning on every damned wavelength before Kalia got anywhere near the doors.

"Stay safe." Said Kalia, and quickly kissed the AI.

"I will." Sapphiria smiled, and moved towards the door, noting how the militia looked even happier.

Right. They believed she was the mysterious high elder hermit who was liable to leave at any moment. Unless, of course, helping Astralis also meant helping her girlfriend.

It rankled a bit. She was a Federation AI, and a fleet admiral! Protecting humanity was her life's mission.

Also having people so interested in her relationships reminded her of some of the more annoying moments on Terra.

As a daughter of Arcadia, she was already a minor celebrity, but she was also one of the youngest fleet admirals to ever serve. Probably the youngest since the war with the Theocracy came to a close.

There was a reason she hadn't been too upset at being sent out into the borderworlds.

She exited the bunker, the doors swinging out, and she took a deep breath, before her helmet snapped into place around her head.

Alright, time for cleanup duty. Hopefully there'd be enough of the monsters left to grab some samples as well.

*****

Click click click click, reverse.

The fighting had been over very quickly. And it had been a lot of gunfire.

The rebels weren't just focusing on the outpost. They were reinforcing everywhere.

The Hand looked over their shoulder, at the wall, and the soulless toiling behind it.

The towers, under construction with the wall fully finished, would probably not be much use once they went up. Nor was there any points keeping soulless busy with assignments like you would living soldiers. But better to have them and not need them than the opposite.

The Nineteenth still showed no sign of having regained their nerve. They would, eventually. Probably start some probing attacks from the trenches once they were far enough to fear bombardment, to better gauge the power of the artillery they were facing. Maybe even test some countermeasures.

There was no better time for a little trip then.

Some proper, first hand reconnaissance of this rebel settlement was long overdue.

The Hand gazed at one of their bodyguards.

"I am heading out. Do the usual arrangements."

The bodyguard saluted, bony fist crashing against the antique bronze chestplate, before leaving at a trot for the Hand's tent.

The illusion the soulless would trigger would probably be superfluous. So would the extra artifacts they were fetching for the expedition. But you never knew.

The Hand was done assuming their enemies were anything less than supremely dangerous.

And it was high time they took a look at the tiger's mouth.