Traitor GIT: A LitRPG Adventure (Traclaon Armageddon Book 2), page 34
“How does that work?” Fiona shook her head.
“It’s a technique anyone can use if your skill level is high enough, or otherwise, you can use this…”
Augment Armor Shaping – Common.
Create a matter and electromagnetic tight Soul Armor container to transport material. This augment can create a storage size from 1 mL to 100 ml.
Requires – 15 Soul Armor
Soul Space – 1
Soul Space can be recovered by destroying the augment.
“They’re already widely available in Sol and are used to smuggle a variety of high-value objects.”
“Like anti-matter?”
Eric shook his head. “Not that I know of. The cages are excellent at transporting illegal augments, explosives drugs, poisons, data sticks, and basically any high value objects that need to evade security systems.”
“Not dead man switches.”
“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “Other humans might have thought about it. It’s not like it’s a revolutionary or transcendent idea. Everyone knows Soul Armor fails when you die and also how anti-matter work.”
“This is why you weren’t troubled about the lack of contact from Samesh.”
“I was worried,” Eric told her. “It was taking him too long to get in contact. But I wasn’t concerned about him being captured. I knew he had the anti-matter, as I wrote the operational procedures.”
“I didn’t…”
“No, you didn’t,” he agreed. “It’s only for when you need to physically and covertly pierce a location’s security.”
Mission Results
Time + 2 hours. Confirmed nuclear explosion at site.
Time + 8 hours. Confirmed complete destruction of the research base.
Time + 22 hours. Explosion confirmed to have been caused by 1.02 kilograms of anti-matter plus decompression of base and combustion of volatile chemical explosions aligned to storage estimate.
Time + 22 hours – operator declared dead.
”Voidest.” Fiona sighed heavily. Eric put an arm lightly around her to comfort her. “He was going to be a hero and fight against humanity’s enemies.”
“He was a friend. And a good man, with the wit to make anyone smile.”
“Yes.” Her voice was breaking. “I need to distract myself.”
“With what?” Eric asked gently.
“Cultivate,” she declared.
Eric sat next to her and launched into her own exercises. A short time later, he could feel Fiona sobbing, and he came briefly out of his focused to state to encompass her in a hug.
“He’s dead!”
“I know,” Eric told her.
“I’m going to make that seeker pay.”
“Yes, we are,” Eric told her grimly.
They lapsed into silence, and Eric watched the time.
“Fiona.”
Fiona was instantly alert. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she seemed to have come to some level of acceptance of what was happening. “News? Have we got something on the seeker?”
“No. That’s a matter of time. I have an errand I need to run.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s an ally. I was cultivating when I was Eric Peters.”
“And? You’re no longer Eric Peters.”
“I think this last entity that visits Sol is the best chance to recruit him.”
Fiona pouted. “I thought we were going to do that together.”
Eric considered offering her the chance to come, and then discarded the idea. Fiona would refuse anyway, and it was irresponsible. Correlating the Eric to Fiona combination to Sara and Max seemed impossible for sniffers, but risk was risk and they tried to limit that as much as possible. Individuals matching their description being together at the same time when yet another entity came through might let a future sniffer make the almost inconceivable leap of logic.
“Sorry, being the reborn comes first, and I have to be recognizably elsewhere.”
She waved him away. “I know.” Then she smiled. “Will you be home for dinner?”
“Nope. I need to get visibly drunk at the station. You know, look like a tourist.”
“Let me guess, Zhong is just going to happen to be there.”
“Umm.”
“You enjoy your boys’ night out.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Eric!”
“Okay, I might have mixed a bit of pleasure with business, but it’s just Lucas. Zhong’s too hot right now to get near me.”
“Since you’re not here, do you see any issues if I catch up with my mining friends?”
Eric thought about it. “I don’t see how it could trip us up, but after the entity.”
“I didn’t think so either, but I thought I would check in case you have an angle that I hadn’t thought of.”
“Should I ask you now?” Eric mimed a little shiver. “Who?”
“Let’s not tempt fate.”
He laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Eric hurried out and caught a jump ship to near Earth orbit. It was an unregulated casino and almost guaranteed a good time.
He checked a clock.
Twenty minutes.
He had to hurry.
Two minutes later, he opened the door and strolled into Jonathan’s private quarters.
Jonathan didn’t jump at his unexpected presence. Instead, he spun to face Eric, confusion written across his face, but his eyes were steely. “Can I help you?”
“I hope so,” Eric answered. “I was wondering if I can get…” Eric glanced at the wall, which suddenly displayed the time.
Jonathan’s eyes widened when he saw that Eric had control of his internal technology systems.
“Seventeen minutes and twenty seconds of your time,” Eric finished smoothly.
“You have me at a disadvantage. Do I know you?”
Although an unknown man had broken into his place, and then taken control of the technology systems.
Jonathan looked remarkably unconcerned.
Eric used Soul Scouting to confirm what he knew.
Soul Stage–Awakened
Soul Disciplines (17): Armor (17), Soul Jump (13), Defense (14), Blade (34), Cower (14), Projection (0)
Physical Might (2): Strength (2), Agility (2)
Sensory Capability (1):
Strongest Abilities: Trait: Soul Blade, Boon: None, Augmentation: None.
It was exactly how he expected, and even though Soul Scouting was only supposed to yield the name of the highest trait, he also got a sense of what that soul Blade trait actually did. It was a multiply-faceted trait that included flat bonuses, percentage increases and a little extra that Eric guessed would allow the soul Blade to rank up faster or something like that. The impressions were not clear. However, Eric didn’t have to guess. He ducked into Meditative Perfect Recall to extract precisely what traits the other man had.
Trait Enhanced Soul Blade – Tier 4.
Type: Partial Growth.
Flat bonus to soul Blade of +10 plus 50% of earned value. Also adds a qualitative benefit to Blade quality.
This was the one that Soul Scouting had shown, but Jonathan had a second trait.
Trait Inspired Cultivator – Tier 3
Cultivation Speed improved by 100%
Then he was back in the real world; even though it was a quick blink, it felt dangerous being distracted in this man’s presence. The augmentation, while minor, made the other person twice as fast as him, and on soul development, he was also a long way ahead.
Then there was the other reason. Eric swallowed hard when he remembered why Jonathan had made his list. It was the combat score that had put him over the top.
Calm eyes looked back at him.
“You know me, but you might not recognize me.”
“And why is that?”
“You think I’m dead.”
Confusion appeared in the man’s eyes. Eric didn’t get any closer. Jonathan had that lethal Blade trait and could almost certainly create a soul Blade that was two meters long if he exerted himself. At a level of thirty-four, it should not have had a qualitative improvement yet, so Eric theoretically would be able to block it as easily as anyone else, but he didn’t want to risk it. The other man was dangerous.
“I don’t know anyone who has died,” Jonathan answered back stiffly.
“I’m hurt.”
“You don’t look it.”
“I’m an excellent actor. It’s why no one has guessed I’m the reborn yet.”
Jonathan immediately looked with concern up at the walls. He was smart enough to know that even claiming frivolously to be the reborn was dangerous. Intelligent people even this early in humanity’s integration understood the dark undertone that went with the reborn legend. “I don’t know what sort of crazy you are, but you can’t be saying that.”
“Don’t worry, as far as the station is concerned, I’m sitting on the can ten doors down.”
“You’re crazy.”
“I was born Eric Peters but had to appear to have a tragic accident because I was worried my cover was blown.”
Jonathan startled, and Eric knew what he was thinking. The keyboard warrior had been almost oracle-like in his predictions on Alientac. Not perfect, of course, but more accurate than statistics should have suggested. “Now I know you’re lying.”
“Why?”
“Eric was a friend. I checked the police report. They recovered the body and the police sniffer confirmed he was dead.”
“Can we sit?” Eric asked.
The other man promptly sat down on the couch he had been on when Eric had entered and gestured to the one opposite him. A seat which, if Eric accepted, would leave him in touching distance.
With a small smile, Eric sat on the kitchen bench on the other side of the room.
“Curious.”
“I think I can beat you in a fight, but if you surprise me,” he shrugged, “you might kill me before I can react.”
“I don’t know.”
“No,” Eric said loudly, interrupting him. “No. I know about your Blade trait, and I know that with a flick of your mind, your soul Blade can cut that opposite couch in two.”
Jonathan shrugged. “Fair enough. If you can do that.” He nodded at the wall. “I’m sure you could have hacked the trainer center and got videos of me training with my soul Blade.”
A silence stretched between them.
Jonathan cracked first. “Mr. Reborn, I assume you came with a plan to prove your assertions.”
“Of course.”
“And the seventeen minutes you asked for is related to that proof.” Eric made the smallest of nods. “I’m guessing an entity is about to visit.”
Eric smiled at that guess. “That sort of deduction is why I want you on my team.”
“So what’s your play? If an entity comes precisely at 7:31 p.m. local time, then I agree you’re the reborn.”
“I think if that happens, there is no need for you to acknowledge anything. At that point, you’ll know I’m the reborn.”
“Can you stop saying that, please!”
“I’m pretty confident in my information security control.”
“Whatever. So, if the entity comes, then what?”
“I’m mobilizing geniuses to meet a threat in half a millennium’s time. I want you to be one of those geniuses. If you accept, I’ll help you get stronger beyond what you can otherwise, and in return, you agree not to spread my secret and to give me support if I request it.”
“Don’t you think it’s risky walking in here against a man who can gut you from two meters away.”
“No.”
Jonathan looked taken aback by that.
“Why?”
“Two reasons. I didn’t get a war boon.”
“You mean one of those gifts that makes a sun implode?”
“Correct. Which means I have to take risks.”
“And the second.”
Eric grinned. “Don’t overreact.”
Then Eric reached out with Soul Scouting and slapped the back of Jonathan’s head.
Jonathan exploded out of his chair, spinning around, and his soul Blade flashed into existence.
“That was me,” Eric called out calmly. “I have other tricks.”
“How did you do that?”
“It’s a powerful trait I have.”
“How hard can you hit with it?”
“That’s as heavy as it gets.”
Jonathan laughed at that. “That’s not very impressive.”
“It will get stronger. And that kinetic blow is the least of its abilities.”
“All very mysterious, but the proof is when the entity appears. And not–” Jonathan pointed at the screen. “–video proof because I can’t trust anything that displays in here.”
Eric shook his head. “If I was relying on electronic confirmation, I would obviously let you leave here and independently check, but there’s no need. This entity is more like Craauacklass than the Wanderer. You’ll feel it here when it enters.”
“Little fiery images.”
“Blue soothing light. The entity’s English name is Last Stand Sentinel.”
“That sounds ominous.”
Eric laughed. “Maybe you should listen for a bit.”
He then explained the key details before opening up his briefcase. He pulled out a metal contraption and pushed it over to him. The small wheels let it glide over the carpet. “You need to put this on both your hands.”
“I’m not doing that,” Jonathan said instantly.
“Just get it ready,” Eric suggested. “When you feel the entity’s presence, put them on.”
“How do I know you can’t mimic an entity?”
Eric rolled his eyes. “You don’t. At some point, you need to trust me. But if you want.” He checked the time. “For the next two minutes, you can ask questions.”
Jonathan studied him.
Eric expected an Alientac and was ready to duck into Meditative Perfect Recall to answer it perfectly.
“Are you a forced reborn or an opportunistic one?”
“Forced,” Eric said, his face going hard.
“What was it like?”
Eric laughed a hard, bitter laugh. “If you haven’t lived through it, you would never understand. Words can’t capture…” He paused. “Anything.”
“But a picture can.”
Eric tilted his head. “What?”
“Your face, your eyes.” There was a long silence as the other man studied him. “I don’t think you could have faked that.”
Eric looked at the clock. “Ten seconds, get ready.” He put the two gloves on his hand.
He watched the time, and then activated the device. With one hand, he focused on creating Soul Armor to protect it, and in the other, he just let the hydraulics drive the rods into his flesh to crack bones.
“Voidest,” he cursed involuntarily as the pain hit him.
Jonathan looked at him in stunned disbelief, and then blue light filled the room. Cool, not particularly bright, but everyone would notice it no matter where they were. Not invasive, just present, with intensity pushed upward to match the surroundings. If you were in the dark, hold the intensity would be low, but if you were in a sterile white lab, with bright fluorescent lights, the light would be almost blinding to ensure it was visible.
Jonathan saw that light and Eric was impressed by how quickly he shoved his hands forward to be encased by the gloves. That super high combat score reflected in the decisive action. He would be an amazing addition to the team.
I am the Last Stand Sentinel.
The words were pumped into the minds of everyone with a soul base.
I bear witness.
“To what?” was the question Eric asked the first time, but there was no answer. This entity was another one that visited new civilizations and no one truly understood what it meant. There were three boons and two curses the entity could impart.
Curse of the Bully – Last Stand Sentinel
A permanent reduction in Cower, the higher of 25 flat or 40% of your Cower skill.
Curse of the Despicable – Last Stand Sentinel
This curse lowers Soul Armor and Blade skills by 40%.
Both were hard to get, and humanity only knew about it from the church literature, or at least no humans had owned up to receiving it. For the curse to be assigned, you had to be using the skill when the entity appeared. Cower for the bully curse and Blade for the despicable curse against someone significantly weaker than yourself, and you needed to have a history of similar acts against five or more people with over a hundred cumulative occurrences.
It was hard to get but not impossible, and despite how few humans were actually awakened and that no one ever admitted Eric was sure there were tens, if not hundreds, of humans that got cursed. It was a case of sapient nature.
Like with the Wanderer, Eric felt the Last Stand Sentinel an entity of cold, resolute power take note of him and focus on his soul. Guidance shifted and the Last Stand Sentinel internally recoiled, and then seemed to bow to the boon.
Not for the first time. A chill went through Eric. What the voidest was Guidance?
With a flash, the Last Stand Sentinel was back in Eric’s soul, adjusting it.
Adding to it.
The blue light vanished and the machines on Eric’s hands, as they were programmed to do, fell off his hands. One hand was covered in blood and the other undamaged.
Jonathan had a stunned expression on his face and Eric knew that his recruitment had been successful. It may not have been formalized, but it would come.
Eric poked the bloody hand with a finger. There was no pain. There was no spurt of blood. It had been healed fully just like he had hoped.
With anticipation, he opened his status to see what boon he had been awarded.
CHAPTER 41
Eric immediately scanned down to his boon line.
Boons: Armor – Last Sentinel (II), Healing – Last Sentinel (III)
Hidden Boons: Temporal bubble (9), Meditative Perfect Recall, Guidance, Qipcon – Hidden Detail (I), Flaming Joy (6)
