B3-07 - Catch and Release (Patreon)

Bell was happier than a pig in muck. He dug through a nearly whole corpse of one of the landsharks and with Hanna’s help, began separating the organs, bones and various bodily fluids. Hanna seemed competent, she had degrees in biology and chemistry; and was peppering Bell with questions as they dismantled the corpse.

Nan was among them, analyzing the ‘pureed’ flesh of the first batch of landsharks that had fallen into the pit. Veskari and Yosi were preparing for the crowds that would be buying items. The two hadn’t been far from each other’s side in the last few weeks. Ever since Yosi had officially returned to the multiverse, she and Vesakri had stayed with one another.

Maya wondered about that. In the RSH, Yosi was another refugee in that place, there were no ‘groups’ beside the Tarvana. Yet, now the small dinosaur woman was in the land of humans and living on what was basically a human space station. There were no others of Yosi’s species around and regardless of how much Yosi said she was a Sullivan, seeing a face similar to your own was always a welcomed sight.

Maya didn’t know that much about Yosi’s people. They were Class Two species, basically the System’s way of identifying a species that had been evolved by the influx of mana into a universe. Where those species had been considered smart in their old worlds, they had truly become intelligences after Integration. With levels, skills, and abilities, in all senses they were System Identified Lifeforms. But as with a lot of the weirdness of the System, additions were later added by other SIL; in the case of people like Yosi, since they weren’t fully sapient or sentient before Integration, they were deemed to be not equal to the ‘true’ intelligences that evolved upon worlds.

It was utter bullshit, Maya knew. There was no difference between Yosi and any of the other SIL Maya had encountered. Yet the System still labeled her as Class Two when they had first met. It wasn’t until Maya had ‘set her free’ that she was fully accepted as a System Identified Lifeform.

Now the woman had fully embraced her new [Merchant] abilities and being a part of House Sullivan, but Maya knew what it was like to be an outsider. Maya added finding her people to the list of things she needed to do. Twenty thousand standard years Yosi had been in the RSH deep freeze, that was nearly seventeen hundred years in normal time. Who knew what happened to the Nerigana Consortium in those times, but seeing as Yosi had been the first of her species to leave behind being Class Two, not much had changed for her people.

Maya shook her head and turned her focus toward Anisa Karam. Her Chosen Representative of the Defensive Settlement Beirut. The battle, form Maya’s perspective, had been over hours ago, but for Anisa and the defenders of Beirut it was in the clean up stages. The landsharks had been routed, the few hundred that had missed the doorway into the Cage, had been dealt with by the defenders. There were a thousand of the defenders and they easily destroyed the remaining landsharks. A few thousand of the creatures managed to escape, racing back to the sea.

Maya wondered about that. Where did the landsharks come from? What were they originally? How did their numbers increase so much? She knew that the Tier change of Earth meant a lot of mana was being shoved into the planet, but did that also mean it was creating whole new animals wholesale? Mana mutation was one thing, as that resulted from creatures that were originally inhabiting a planet being turned into something different by mana. There was also mana renders that had been opening to other Tier 2 worlds, allowing those creatures from those other planets to migrate into Earth.

Ten thousand landsharks was still a lot of sharks, especially in this world where everything was killing everything else as the entire ecological system was being reset by all the mutations. Maya added another anomaly to the things she would have to figure out. Perhaps the mana was pushing for faster growth, although only two weeks had passed since Integration, she didn’t feel that was enough time for the sharks to create whole new generations.

Maya sighed. She was restless. There were times when the different flows of time between Earth and the RSH was frustrating. She wanted to talk with Anisa, to hash out the things she needed, to see how she was doing, and learn more about the world since she had last seen her. Yet she sat within the Cage as time crawled by on Earth.

With hours to kill, Maya summoned a tablet and began trying to solve one of the mysteries that was plaguing her. Where the hell did all her experience points go from killing the landsharks?

***

Anisa Karam looked at the metallic wall and had to hide her smirk. On it was written in large sloppy letters “Maya’s Emporium” along with other handwritten signage declaring: AI friendly, All Species Welcomed, and No Necros; along with a sign declaring “Buy, Trade, & Sell”.

The three signs showed that much had happened since Anisa had last seen the young woman in the dark room. The moments of terrifying fighting, nearly being killed, and watching as the woman seemed to be burning away with some kind of internal fire.  She knew that Maya had survived the fight, after all she had gotten notifications that two other settlements had been created.

It had been barely a week since they had last met, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. Anisa looked down at her dirty hands, they were still covered in grime from the battle, the blood of the landsharks, the dirt from the battlefield, and the blood of regular people who had been wounded. Her hands were always dirty now, they were covered in blood, in the blood of the people she couldn’t save, of people who died for her, of all the monsters that she had slain in the never ending battle to defend Beirut.

“This is some joke?” Ilyas Ali, her defense advisor asked, gesturing toward the wall. The man was pole thin and wore the makeshift armor every defender did. It wasn’t much, but a small bit of metal could save one’s life when they went up against the mana mutations. He had been a former military officer, retired before Integration, but now the older man was a staunch defender of the city.

“English? American or British?” Nayla Khalil asked, she was the head of the small burgeoning economic center. There was a need for weapon makers, crafters, and even a small economy forming. Nayla had owned a small clothing store before Integration and she too wore the armor of a defender. Everyone who could fight, did so. That was the rule.

“It better not be American,” Ilyas said, frowning. “They’re everywhere. Did you see that group that we found? They were saying this was a game.”

Anisa didn’t say anything, instead she simply stared at the wall and the door prominently displayed in the center of it.

“We should at least wait,” Riwain Saad said. He was a former police officer and the head of the internal security of the settlement. “We don’t know what lays beyond that door.”

“Plus we reek of blood and sweat,” Kami Hassan added. The only medical doctor that they had rescued. She had been caring for patients as the monsters had shredded her hospital and killed the rest of the staff. Her wide eyes were terrifying to look at, they seemed to peer into another world. “There are injured I should be looking after. Not here.”

“There will be time,” Anisa said. “Time is… strange within this place.”

“Is it really an Emporium?” Maria Allah asked, she wasn’t dressed in the armor of a defender. Instead the white haired older woman was in a simple outfit and a hijab. She had been a minor government official and now she was Anisa’s assistant in all things relating to the survivors. “If it is, then there are so much things we need.”

“We have an abundance of credits, but we have been pooling it to save for the Level 3 upgrade,” Nayla replied.

“We go in,” Anisa said and stepped forward. There was a squawk of protest from the gathered people, but Anisa ignored them. She pulled open the door and entered.

“Hiya, Anisa!” A familiar voice cried. “Jesus, I thought y’all would spend all day dithering out there!”

***

“Weapons and armor?” Saria asked. “That’s it?”

“Well, got some potions, duracloth, and uh… ration bars,” Maya replied.

“We need weapons and armor,” Ilyas said.

“We also need everything else. Clothing, cleaning supplies, beds, sheets, blankets, and these ration bars are disgusting,” Nayla added. “This is not an emporium, you’re an arms dealer.”

Maya frowned. That was hitting a little too close to the truth, she realized.

“That’s enough,” Anisa said quietly. Maya was amazed at the reaction, everyone became silent as they waited for the woman to speak. “We are in need of what you have, Maya. We are in desperate need of it. We also require so much more.”

“I understand,” Maya said, stopping herself from making a flippant remark. “We have some items we purchased in Nigeria and in Peg’s asteroid. But we have always figured weapons and armor were what was needed more.”

“Americans, always thinking guns will solve everything,” Riwain said. “Keeping the peace here is difficult as it is, now that everyone can punch through a wall or leap ten meters into the air. If they survive, everyone will become a superpowered human and now you’re offering to sell unregulated weapons that can kill high leveled creatures?”

“They’re all low grade weapons,” Maya said. “I don’t think anyone’s broken through level twenty five to be considered mid-grade yet. They’re not all guns anyway; there is a lot of melee weapons in the bunch. Swords, axes, spears, things like that. It all depends on the Skills that people have developed. Y’all are using swords and the like, so you’ve probably gained some sword Skills.”

“You claim ownership of this settlement deed,” Kami said, “should you not be supplying us with the resources necessary to prosper?”

“Let’s stop that discussion there,” Saria said. “We’re not about to give up our sovereignty to some American arms dealer. This city is our city, not an extension of some business. Regardless of what the settlement deed says, its the people that matter, not some System paperwork.”

Maya sighed, a flashback of the discussion in Nigeria flooding back.

“I’ve looked over the resource requirements for the deed to reach level 3,” Maya said. “I can give you those resources and cover the credit cost, I will also give you more defense turrets. But that’s the most I can do. Everything costs credits and I need to produce more settlement deeds to help others.”

“There are-“ Saria began.

“That will be enough,” Anisa said. “We are thankful for what you can provide for us and the opportunity to allow people to buy what they can to defend and protect themselves.”

There was a murmured grumble from Riwain, but no one else spoke.

“The world is in dire straits and although you did not have to help us, you did. If those landsharks had made it to the walls, we would have all been slaughtered. As it was, you managed to defeat them handily and we are thankful for that.”

There was a half hearted ‘thank you’ from the gathered others.

“This emporium is open to anyone?” Nayla asked.

“Yeah, whoever wants to come in. If you have things to sell, see Yosi or Veskari.”

“The dinosaurs?” Ilyas asked. “Are they monsters?”

Maya sighed. “Yosi Sullivan is a part of my House. She has experience and abilities and levels higher than everyone here besides Anisa. She is not a monster, she is a living breathing SIL, just like you.”

There was another grumble.

“You have made many more friends,” Anisa said, her glance moving toward Tender who stood behind Maya. The rogue AI had been quiet since the meeting began, his looming presence didn’t go unnoticed by anyone.

“Yeah, it’s been a wild ride since we last met,” Maya said.

“We shall allow the people to enter,” Anisa said. “If they have credits, if they wish to visit, they can. How long will you be here, Maya?”

“I think we can spare a couple of days. Or a few hours local time.”

“You said you have a doctor, can I speak with them?” Kami asked.

“Of course, Nan’s always willing to help.”

“Did I see a Russian here?” Ilyas asked.

“Cosmonaut,” Maya clarified. “He’s from the International Space Station.”

Maya grinned at the shocked looks.

***

The others left and Anisa stayed behind. Her calm and composed demeanor changed as the door closed. She slumped in her chair and rubbed a dirty hand across her dirty face. She looked to have aged a dozen years in the last week.

“How are you doing?” Maya asked, summoning forth a bowl of chocolates.

“It is difficult,” Anisa said. “Even with all the levels I gained from the battle, it is not enough. There are too many dying everyday, of monsters, of hopelessness, of fear. I cannot save them all.”

“Save who you can,” Maya said.

Anisa sighed. “For you, how long has it been?”

“Three months,” Maya said. “There were a few weeks there where I had to stop time to do some things.”

“Stop time,” Anisa chuckled. “I wish I could do that. I could use a break.”

“Then take one,” Maya said.

“There is much to do.”

“I am the Mistress of Time,” Maya grinned. “I can literally control time within this Cage, whereever I like. I can speed up time in this room so that you can spend days in here and not one second will have passed outside.’

“You lie,” Anisa said.

“Nope. It’s been a crazy three months. I fought flying cities, I’ve traded with crazy cannibal people, and had a dragon hitch a ride on my Cage.”

Anisa laughed and sighed again.

Maya raised a bed form the floor and began creating a room for Anisa to occupy. Anisa stared in amazement.

“This whole Cage, it’s apart of me now. I can do a lot of things I couldn’t do when we last met.”

“I can see that,” Anisa stopped. “Is that a shower?”

“I win everyone over with the showers, plus I got some pretty awesome shampoo from Nigeria,” Maya said, escorting the woman to the room.

***

Anisa slept soundly in the room Maya created and Maya sat one a chair as she summoned a tablet. Anisa was exhausted, with a capital E. The woman had been fighting non stop since she had left the Cage all those days ago.

Maya wasn’t able to speed up time in one area as well as she could freeze it in others. She had taken a dozen of the surviving landsharks and placed them in a form of stasis, a small room where time did not flow. They were alive in that space, but for them it was an eye blink from when they were captured to when they would next awakened.

She needed to do something with them. They were dangerous mana mutations and the only recourse was death.  Maya sighed and looked at the image of the creatures, they were deadly and powerful looking, but they were also terrified.

She decided what to do, she opened another doorway, her Dimensional Threshold V worked in the multiverse at large also, not just in the RSH. Three door she could handle, but any more and there would be consequences. She didn’t know what those consequences were, but her System sense told her bad things would happen if she pushed her luck. She summoned the door, thinking of a random sunny beach on Earth.

The doorway opened and she pushed the landsharks out. She smiled for a second, allowing time to move for a few seconds. Enough for them to cross the threshold and enter a different place on Earth.

It was something she wanted to try also. The System sense she got was that it was a bad idea to let anything living through a doorway that they did not come from. As with Bell, she could not let him wander Beirut if he wanted to. The sense told her that was bad news. It also meant that she couldn’t make a doorway to the Astronauts homelands and drop them off.

The landsharks scurried through the door, seeing freedom. Then they all exploded into bloody chunks. Maya cried out in pain as a lance of fire flashed through her brain. She clenched her eyes shut and felt the Cage shudder and her control of it began to crumble.

The Cage was beginning to collapse. Maya could feel it, the strain that had been placed on it by allowing the landsharks to go free was disrupting the integrity of the bubble that the Cage existed within. Maya snapped her eyes open and summoned the control panel before her.

If the Cage collapsed, then everyone on it would be pulled back into the RSH, the Cage would return to being Tier 2 components and everything living within it would die.

Maya acted on instinct. She pushed herself into the Cage, using her will to force the Cage ad the bubble it existed with to hold steady. It wobbled, it tried to slip from her fingers, but she caught onto it.  She gripped it and began shoring it up. The bubble was ready to pop, ready to collapse everything back into non-existence, back into void space.

By will alone, she held it together. The terrifying thin veneer that held back the nothingness of void space flickered, ready to go out. But then it steadied, it held firm, and slowly it began to stabilize.

Maya breathed heavily, sweat drenching her and the ship suit she wore. She felt sick to her stomach and a massive headache was forming.

“What the hell?” she demanded.

“What’s going on?” Anisa asked. The woman looked completely different now. Had Maya awakened her with her struggle wit the Cage?

“What? Oh, just a little fuck up on my part,” Maya groaned.

“You’ve been sitting there stock still for the last few hours,” Anisa said. “I didn’t want to snap you out of it, since you seemed to be fighting against something. Truth be told, I was getting a little worried. You’re my only way out of this place.”

“Few hours?” Maya asked, she pulled up a clock and frowned. It had been nearly sixteen hours since she had created the small space of sped up time.

Maya sat up, grimacing at the soaked clothing she wore.

“I think I’m gonna need to use that shower too.”

AN/  I combined Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 together, so all chapters have been pushed back one number.  I think in the edit, most of what Chapter 1 is will be put at the end of book 2.  also, Ch 1 was just too short. i try to aim for at least 3k words per update.