Chapter 139: Networking (Patreon)

Sometimes Alex Nova missed sleeping, but on a comfortable night like this, he was perfectly content to enjoy the midnight ambience. The cool breeze flowed across the shallow sea of wheat, sending rippling waves across the surface. His windswept blonde hair followed suit. If he closed his eyes and used his imagination, the gentle rustling of the leaves and shoots almost sounded like the ocean caressing a beach. He grasped at the mental image of a pleasant vacation while he relaxed. The temperature tended to fluctuate between comfortable, if a little chilly, to freezing, this early in the year. Tonight was just right.

It was a nice time to be off shift. The Hatfields were making sure the wild Primal Golems on the edges of their territory didn’t keep growing into elites, so he was free to take a breather from the constant combat that had been thrust upon his remote community. It had taken a while for some of the neighbors to come around to the new reality, hiding out in their basements or bunkers by themselves, fearing the end of the world, but the siege event had brought all two dozen families together in order to survive. All the families that hadn’t made a run for it, anyway.

Alex sat at the edge of the main field, chewing on a stem, with his butt in the dirt, muddying his dusty jeans while he gazed across the property. It would have been a good crop, planted in the fall, if the apocalypse hadn’t come. The plants were still in the early stages of growth, but they were almost uniformly over a foot tall. He wondered what would come of them after mana changed the natural order. They had been completely neglected compared to the care his family would have shown if not for the constant stream of monster raids keeping them busy.

His was a huge family farm, as were most of the neighbors, though the majority of them focused on livestock, leaving his family’s wheat fields as an island between pastures. Some of the largest ranchers in the country were nearby, with herds upwards of twenty thousand heads of cattle. There were more than 5,000 cows per person in his settlement, but the system made the rules that said they counted, not him.

He sighed as he leaned back, interlocking his fingers behind his head, to stare up at the broad night sky. The stars were crystal clear, even compared to the pre-mana times. It wasn’t like there was any light pollution, other than an army of fireflies flitting through the air, but whatever the aliens did made it feel like he was looking at the Milky Way through a magnifying glass. He wondered what was actually out there.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the tornado siren’s wail crashed the calm night, completely overpowering the crickets and the rustling leaves. The piercing two-toned scream startled him right up to his feet, loud as it was to overpower wind and rain that weren’t currently present.

The last time they used the sirens had been the beginning of a desperate fight with a monstrous creature that killed a dozen men before it went down. He wasn’t likely to forget the first encounter with a Field Boss, especially not with the permanent reminder in the form of a title: Dauntless VIII. The whole settlement got it just a week after the siege event ended, meaning there had been other huge monsters out there even before theirs.

He grabbed his raggedy old baseball cap off the ground, slapping it against his thigh to get the dirt off, and sprinted toward the homestead, saving his abilities for the unknown emergency. As he ran up toward the barn, he prayed it wouldn’t be a repeat of that previous fight. Maybe just a horde of elites would be alright. Alex thought those were the secret to maintaining a spot on the leaderboards.

“Alex!” A shout from the loft of the barn snapped him back to attention.

“What is it, Ma?” He responded urgently. Glancing up to her and 15 of his siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews, who were helping keep watch from the top floor.

“We got a real fast mover coming in from the East! Shiny like a dang disco ball!” She yelled from her perch overlooking the flat plains that extended all the way to the horizon in every direction. “It’s goin’ right down the middle of the territory, already past the first three boundaries! The Johnsons barely moved before it got past ‘em and the Hatfields didn’t even notice it! You better get over there or you’ll miss it!”

Alex took action right away, the urgency made clear. Alex’s skin lit up as he empowered himself with three skills, all essence infusions that buffed him in various ways, the primary one, Reckless Haste, quadrupled his Agility and Acumen, putting his quickness up to levels that nothing had been able to match just yet. Dirt and pebbles hovered off the ground around his feet as his aura’s power grew immensely and he turned to go.

Seconds later, Alex was standing in the center of US-54, the main road that cut through their territory, yellow energy leaking from his skin, lighting up the night as it rose straight up like he was covered in liquid flames. He had barely settled his feet before he saw why the sirens had put them on high alert.

Something was skipping across the ground, sending solid streams of chrome in front that it used to sling itself forward. It was maintaining its momentum with each pull, giving it an extremely high rate of speed. On either side of the highway, it was leaving a wake dozens of feet wide in the windswept grasses where the toppled wooden electrical poles had been resting, neglected for months.

As soon as the UFO flung itself up into the air to cross into the inner sanctum of their territory, marked by a simple cattle gate that was uselessly propped up, across the road, the crack of the Grady family patriarch’s ability-enhanced rifle rang through the night. They didn’t do warning shots around there.

A rectangular sheet of shiny silver instantly formed on the flank of the approaching thing, catching the projectile like bullet-proof armor plating, and only partially slowing the main body as it flew forward. The only momentum lost was from a delay in launching another chrome thread to pull itself ahead, but it quickly adjusted, clearly intent on reaching its destination. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was on a mission to penetrate their settlement’s territory and Alex would be the last line of defense.

Alex activated two more essence infusions, launching debris into the air all around his body as the pavement cracked from the pressure of his aura, powering himself up as far as he could, changing the color of his energy flames from yellow to a fluctuating series of gold and red. He prepared to make his own body the final barrier. Flowfire would give him escalating true damage for each strike he landed and Power Begets Power boosted his Strength and Intelligence to ridiculous levels that combined with each other. His mana drain was at its maximum, so he was on a short timer, but he was fully empowered as he matched his target’s charge with his own leap up and forward, leaving deep divots in the road as he pushed off.

He left a streak of glowing energy behind as he shot through the air, one arm cocked back and the other held out in front as he prepared to punch the intruder with all his might.

Before he made it, he was blinded by a sudden bright light sheet that appeared directly in his path. He punched his clenched fist through, shattering the shield into tiny bits, only to find another directly behind it. His shoulder met the second like he was breaking a door down, his forehead slammed through a third with a vicious headbutt, but the fourth stopped him with a thud that left a human-sized dent in its center.

As he fell back toward the ground, he was able to see that six more plates of armor were ready to stop his progress if he had been able to continue. A rifle shot was intercepted by yet another of the bright walls spawning with the speed of light as he watched.

He twisted so that he would land on his feet, and jump back into the fight, but as soon as he hit the ground, a glowing cage landed around him, slamming into the ground with earth shattering force as if it had fallen from space. Alex tried breaking through the solid glowing bars, but without any leverage, even his enhancements weren’t enough to escape.

He gripped the bars, with his bare hands, ignoring the possibility that they would harm him, and roared as he tried to bend his way out of the makeshift cell. His family was counting on him, they all were. The bars didn’t budge as he ran out of breath and his infusions started flicking off, his mana completely spent already. He felt despair.

“You done, man?” A relaxed girl’s voice interrupted his final heaving efforts.

Another rifle shot snapped through the air and another plate of light appeared out of nowhere, blocking it. The girl that had effortlessly captured Alex shifted to his side, putting him in between herself and the Grady family’s water tower, where the shots kept coming from.

“He’s not gonna shoot you, is he?” She idly wondered, considering if her human shield would hold up.

“You’re a human? Who are you?” Alex asked, frustrated that he was defeated so easily despite being the strongest person within at least 750 miles in every direction, at least that anyone knew of. He belatedly inspected her.

[Human (Level 79)]

[Active Solidlight Aura Suppression]

She was eight levels higher than him, putting her near the top 10, but with his infusions he should have easily overpowered her like he did every invader he had met. At least she wasn’t a monster or an alien, though she was strange enough to seem alien to the good folks in his territory.

The girl had long white hair tied in a ponytail that caught the moonlight in a way that made it seem metallic. It was more or less the same color as her shields, bars, and grappling hooks, but without the glowing illumination. She didn’t look like she was from around there at all.

The glowing visor that covered her face vanished, and she revealed a friendly face. “I’m Platinum.” She held both hands up to her shoulders showing peace signs. “I come in peace!” She said in a dramatic voice, then chuckled at herself, not taking their defenses very seriously. She’d blown right past them all anyway.

She did get serious after a moment, looking at Alex in his light cage. “Is this Ghost Reef?” She wondered, looking hopeful enough that he felt bad for her.

“Ghost Reef?” He repeated. “From the event leaderboards?” Alex shook his head slowly, more confused than before. “Lady, this is Kansas. You know what a reef is, right?”

“Ah! Damnit!” Platinum yelled at the sky with clear aggravation, stomping her foot against the cracked pavement. “Thought this was Colorado already. You know how long this trip has been? I’m exhausted. Everything is bigger and there’s freakin’ nothing out here, it’s literally been a thousand miles before I found another human, and it’s a bunch of hicks with guns.” She pinched her nose. “How typical. An entire week with nothing but monsters! Freaking flyover country.” She ranted.

“Hey, now. At least we ain’t Oklahoma.” Alex interrupted her, feeling some pride in his home. What was left of it anyway.

“Hah!” She laughed and Alex smiled along with her, feeling better about his chances of living if she was happy. When she was done, she got serious again and moved closer to his cage. “So do you know where Ghost Reef is?” She switched back to her bizarre line of questioning.

“I imagine we’d know about it if it was anywhere ‘round here.” Alex stated confidently. “You could probably ask someone in General McCallister’s HQ, but that's still a ways to go.”

She made another face, scrunching up her nose. “Who is out here calling themselves a General? They actually important, or some pumped up chump?”

“He’s alright I guess, but he’s never been out here. He’s the first leader of the Pacific Republic and Governor of Silvervalley. Technically, they’ve included us as a fringe territory or somethin,’ they’re starting to send scouts to check up on us every once in a while, but they have like half a dozen other settlements closer to them. Then there’s the Cascadia Alliance they’re coordinating with, that’s another several. I reckon we’re not that important in the grand scheme.”

Platinum looked at him like she was mad at the news. “Pacific Republic, Cascadia Alliance.” She whispered under her breath like she was committing them to memory.

Then she spoke up again. “Silvervalley is near? No kidding?” He just nodded. “Man, Neon will be mad if I don’t stop by and give the ‘let’s get in touch' message. I’m supposed to make friends with all the Champions, but I just want to go back to my couch and there’s no way I’m going to a dozen different places.” Platinum visibly weighed her responsibilities with her desire to go home.

“Uh, we can be friends if you let me outta here.” Alex tried his luck. His may have been a tiny settlement in the heartland, but it counted for something.

“Oh, my bad, you’re a Champion?” She leaned closer as if there would be a nametag or something else to give his status away. He gulped and nodded, a bit nervous about revealing it to someone so strong. She waved and the cage disappeared like it never existed. “You guys attacked me first, so you know, bygones or whatever. No need for war and all that.” Platinum casually dismissed further conflict.

Alex sighed in relief, then looked at her like she was crazy. They might be hardy folk, but he wasn’t about to escalate a misunderstanding into war. The fact that she was so flippant about him made him suspicious of her backing. Alex waved his Ma to let her know it was alright, and they could call off the defense and the sirens finally stopped.

“That’s better.” She nodded before she offered her hand and cleared her throat. “Neon Park extends its greetings, we are factionless and hope that our settlements can coexist peacefully. We are grateful for the opportunity to make connections and if you need any help, please do not hesitate to ask.” She recited as he shook her hand.

“Oh.” Alex was surprised how her demeanor changed. “Uh, thanks, we’re good.” He hadn’t had any opportunities to brush up on formal etiquette. “Where’s Neon Park?” He asked, at least recognizing it from the leaderboards and even more happy to avoid escalating any conflicts with one of the top settlements on Earth.

Platinum smiled, abandoning the temporarily official aura. “New York City.”

Alex whistled. “No kidding? That’s damn far.”

“It’s farther now, the dang Mississippi is more of an inland sea, it’s so wide. Wasted a few dies trying to find a decent spot to cross. Please tell me Silvervalley is right around the corner.” She pleaded. “I’ve been dreading what the Rockies might have turned into.”

“Sorry.” He tried to soften the blow, knowing the Rockies would be a challenge. “You’re a little more than halfway, I guess.”

Platinum cursed in a way that would have had his family send him right to church.

Alex ignored it and tried relaying what the PR messengers had told them. “Silvervalley is supposed to be near the new coast, what would have been between Los Angeles and Las Vegas before, you know, the world changed.”

Platinum just nodded, having traveled across more of it than probably anyone else.

Alex continued relaying what information he had. “It seems some military folk maintained their structure and took to the task of coordinating and settling all the fighting in the start. The Pacific Republic has a whole chain of settlements going up New California from Silvervalley, along a bunch of National Forests, then Cascadia goes all the way up to Alaska.”

“Too far.” Platinum groaned.

He could only shrug. “Apparently, what used to be Arizona and New Mexico has a twin tribal settlement closer to here, on the way to the Grand Canyon, but they weren’t a part of that whole coalition ‘cause of pre-mana stuff, and there’s a few more settlements down along the Mexican coast that did join, but Silvervalley would be closer cause you’d have to go around anyways.”

“How much closer is that twin settlement?” She asked, trying to find a lifesaver to cling to.

“Maybe half again? You’d have to take a roundabout path, west and then south. I was told to absolutely not go near Texas under any circumstances, like not even go south from here cause we’re already too close.”

“Huh. Why not?” Platinum wondered.

“They just called it a fallen zone, guess the humans wiped themselves out and now the monsters have an enormous stronghold. Something like that. The rumors were that it extended all the way to the east, but no one has gone that far to check. Whole American South is potentially a fallen zone according to their reports.”

Platinum shook her head before stomping a foot against the pavement and sliding it against the gravel. “This sucks!” She declared after taking a moment to imagine her route. “Fallen zone? I have to at least take a look before I visit this General character.” Platinum shook her head. “Neon knew this would happen. This was his plan, to trick me into networking for him. That devious jerk. I shoulda traded tasks before leaving.”

Alex just had his palms up, hoping that he didn’t catch any of this Neon person’s heat. “If you want to rest, we’ve got room in the prepper shelters. We used most of our settlement funds to make them nice and shielded. We can swap stories before you go on your way.”

“I could use a break. You guys used up a bunch of my solidlights.” She agreed and he led her to the settlement proper, humble as it was.

“You think those Pacific whatevers will shoot at me too?” She asked as they walked, wondering how to approach Silvervalley.

“Maybe if you come in hot like that.” He admitted. “Apparently there was a whole bunch of fighting right up to the siege event, but the shared defense brought them together enough to start sending scouts to places like this.” She nodded along, memorizing as much as possible while grumbling about having to work so hard.

It wouldn’t take long before everyone else gathered to see what all the fuss was about. Word traveled fast around there. Alex was gonna have a real hard time explaining that their UFO was just a city girl, and that she had kicked his ass.