Assault, page 26
Mana stones are highly concentrated sources of elemental mana essence and can only be found in one of two ways. First, by mining. Given that mana stone lodes are rare, companies who specialize in mana stone mining will usually purchase the rights from the founder at a high price and then sell the stones at a substantial markup.
The second method to find mana stones is by taking them from the carcasses of mana-infused beasts. Only non-humanoid species have ever been found to have mana stones (with the exception of the death affinity); it is unknown why.
The element of the mana stone coincides with either the environment or the creature. For example, water mana stones are generally found in lakes, oceans, or other bodies of water or from creatures who live in or near them.
Level (or equivalent):
Rare
Condition:
Excellent
Risk Assessment:
N/A
Value:
This earth-based mana stone is very large and has a moderate reserve of essence.
Essence count: 2357/5989.
[I really like the added [Inspect] feature. Should I absorb this you think?]
No, give it to Wallie! You’re so mean and selfish . . .
Ugh. Girls and cute things. I [Inventory] everything and head back to Mamma Wallie. No problems there so I dress her too. Another earth stone. I go to the nest and find three crushed brown eggs that look like stones, one non-crushed egg, and a bunch of other detritus. I send the egg shells to [Living Inventory] as most infused creatures will eat their eggs for the nutrients. I figure it might hold off Wallie some.
I [Inspect] the egg.
Name:
Earth Mana-Engorged and Mutated Cave Salamander Egg
Description:
Mana infused cave salamanders are sightless lizards that feed off the vegetation usually found in moist caves. This egg has been overwhelmed by the mana of the dungeon, which resulted in its engorgement and mutation. When hatched, it will eat dirt and stone.
With earth mana and the proper environment, this egg will hatch.
Countdown to fetus hatching: 00:00:12:18:04:44
Condition:
Good
Level (or equivalent):
0
Risk Assessment:
N/A
Value:
Unknown.
I place the mother’s earth stone next to the egg, picture one of the flat areas at the foot of one on my mountains, and I send the entire nest, including egg and stone there. That is the most I can do right now. I look around and don’t see anything in the area except animal excrement. I send that to [Living Inventory] away from the lizards and move forward.
I figure with the badger gone, I have a shot at finding something that tells me if it will be a worthwhile dungeon. Despite all that has happened, I haven’t actually been able to make a determination of that.
I swap out my now-ruined infiltrator set with the camo set and am stuck with lighting manually again. I move forward along a similar passageway as before and reach a platform where I can look down and see a larger room with multiple passageways. Oh, and also in here are a bunch of fucking huge bugs.
Chapter 53
[My helmet is sealed, right?]
Yes . . .
[Did the badger feed on these or did they serve it or what? I don’t get it.]
Do not attempt to apply normal ecological functions to dungeons. The mana density causes biological and behavioral changes . . .
Inside this massive cavern, I see a writhing mass of beetles. Thousands of them, maybe tens of thousands. Most are crawling all over each other on the ground floor far below me. Quite a few are jumping levels and going into the various pathways. The light of my globe doesn’t seem to bother them; it glints off of their glossy metallic brown, nearly gold shells.
I [Inspect] one as it flies by.
Name:
Mana-Engorged and Mutated Hollow Beetle
Description:
These beetles eat anything and everything, including each other. They are very difficult to kill without Magica that can pierce their shells. However, doing so will damage the key to their value and the only reason to risk starting a swarm attack. Their pincers can cut through almost any armor and sever limbs or disembowel just as easily. Their shell takes up 75% of their mass, hence the name “Hollow.”
Level (or equivalent):
5
Condition:
Hungry
Risk Assessment:
Moderate
Value:
Their shells are worth substantial amounts to crafters of all kinds because they can be used in many ways including for armor, weapons, inscribing and alchemical concoctions. These shells will be in high demand at nearly all times in any market.
[Hey, Jo? Does this make a good dungeon?]
You know, Vic, I think this makes it perfect for higher levels or experienced groups . . .
[I need to capture one as evidence.]
Try to just pull one though . . .
I take a piece of lizard meat and cut it small. Then drop it onto the edge of the platform with a thin but strong rope around it. The rope is part of the . . . diving kit. Ugh.
I back off and wait. It doesn’t take long for the smell of fresh meat to attract a pair of beetles. They each feel the bait is theirs and start fighting over it. They crash their heads together repeatedly, and their pincers skitter off each other’s shells, giving off sparks. Eventually, one of the beetles feels the food isn’t worth the fight and backs off.
The winner beetle squeaks a good talking-to aimed at its weaker counterpart and crows its victory. Having finished extolling its own virtues, it moves towards the meat, which strangely seems to be slowly moving away from it. I leap forward, and its meal evades it again. This repeats three more times until the beetle loses sight of its meal around a corner. It squeaks its displeasure and races around the corner, right into a waiting bar of white hot plasma.
***
It takes an hour to get back to the flyer; having to walk back and clear the debris is a pain in the ass. I’m recovering mentally and physically, so Jo is raising the flyer and getting us home.
[Claim it.]
Claimed . . .
Congratulations! Host has claimed an Earth Dungeon!
[That’s different. Nothing else I claim gets an alert.]
You did get an achievement, but it can wait. Maybe the creators thought this was important or something. Or the hive itself . . .
[Whatever, can you please set up a confidential and critical meeting with the Hunters Guild’s Ms. Boss Lady?]
Sent . . .
[Tell Mrs. Cannon to buy this land and ten kliks around it right now. Immediately, with no delays. This is her new top priority. I expect it to be done in fifteen minutes.]
Sent . . .
[Let Aria know I’m out and fine. Tell Gunny and Omamba I claimed a dungeon and am having Mrs. Cannon purchase the land immediately. Also apologize to Omamba for my giving direction to her staff but explain it is extremely time-sensitive.]
Sent . . .
[I’m heading to see if Wallie is okay and if my world is at risk from him and the egg.]
I validate the auto-set safety mag-restraints are good, lean my head back against the newly replaced seat, and close my eyes.
Chapter 54
My world is the same so far. Beautiful as ever. I picture Wallie and appear next to him. Looks like he lived through the transition—good to know. He’s still near the mountain where I sent him. The lizard appears to be sleeping in a bit of a hide he created from dirt and stone. What baffles me is that he is twice the size he was before and has much darker and shinier scales.
Well, he lived and doesn’t seem to be wrecking the place, so I place the badger’s mana stone next to him in his little hide and go up to check the egg. The mom’s mana stone has turned to dust, and the egg’s timer is down to just thirty minutes.
Is time for living creatures sped up here? This could be huge if it’s true for plants and herbs. I could have fields of them growing in just weeks instead of months and years. The value of something I thought invaluable could have just become priceless . . . er? What’s more priceless than priceless? Anyway, I need to test this out. I move the nest and egg to a position where Wallie Junior can get out and eat. Following that, I head out and open my eyes to the real world.
[Jo, time sped up for living things in there, I think. That’s huge!]
That is very impressive, Vic. Yes it could be quite impactful. Although I am not sure how it works from an affinity perspective . . .
[Doesn’t matter right now. Find out what limits beast tamers have for the number of bonds.]
Searching . . .
[Also price out alchemy herbs or herb seeds. The rarer the better. Make sure they can grow in grasslands, wetlands, freshwater lakes or seas, mountains, waterfalls, and rainforests.]
It might be better for you to send this request to Gunny for his procurement team . . .
[Fair point. Please send my request to him and mark it critical but not drop dead urgent. Send a note to Mr. Cannon and ask for him to search up a small alchemy lab or company to buy.]
Sent . . .
[Reach out to Mr. Whyatt and ask if we can acquire further and deeper knowledge crystals from him on botany, herbology, and animal husbandry.]
Sent . . .
[Progress on my actual water diving gear?]
It should arrive in two days . . .
[Order a replacement for my infiltrator set using my new measurements. It was too tight anyway. Put a rush on it.]
Confirmed . . .
[Where’s Aria?]
The range . . .
[Please let her know that I will be at home on the balcony if she wants to spend some time before I go to staff training.]
Sent . . .
[Anything else?]
Yes. You have a message from a Gretchen Steeltamer asking for a meeting . . .
[Arrange it immediately if you can. What else?]
Just to let you know, the judge’s daughter chose your pick for the school. You win . . .
[Ha!]
Don’t brag. Next, Shield says she has received the ledger from Mr. Whyatt and targets for you are being sent. I have their coordinates and the recommended order. She says to not take direct action on the individual purchasers at this time . . .
[Okay. Back on the hunt, then. Next?]
You have nothing yet from Mr. Cannon on the medical or farming companies. The storage companies will require your authorization . . .
[Look clean to you?]
It does . . .
[It’s authorized. Next?]
You still have to go through all the storage devices from the lab. By the way, you took eighteen platinum in varied coin from there . . .
[What are all these people doing carrying so much hard coin? Anyway, save that for later. Next?]
You have received a few responses already. Ms. Gretchen is available in two hours. The Hunters Guild leader requests a meeting after breakfast tomorrow . . .
[Agree to both.]
Sent . . .
[Last item before we get home?]
I have found a set of nano attack and defense protocols for leviathan-level access. Only Kraken-level controls would be superior. They require a restart for install . . .
[That’s great news! If they seem clean to you, pick them up. We’ll install them next time I level up. You didn’t have access to kraken-level?]
Confirmed and no . . .
I see the Whyatt hotel’s roof and head there.
***
Bathed and sitting on the balcony, I ask Jo for my alerts.
[Skip the battle log as usual. Just give me the highlights.]
Before that, Mrs. Cannon says you now own the land and apologizes for the delay. She states she filed the documentation immediately, but there was a delay in governmental processing . . .
[Thank you. Hopefully that won’t be a problem later. Alerts?]
Skill updated. Passive skill [Light Mana Manipulation] is now level 6 . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Absorptive Death Mana Manipulation] has leveled from 8 to 10 . . .
No further progress is available for [Absorptive Death Mana Manipulation] until an advanced version of this skill is activated. All mana used to advance nanomachines for skill [Absorptive Death Mana Manipulation] is now directed to overall nanomachine advancement . . .
[Mana Manipulation] has evolved . . .
New skill activated. Passive skill [Mana Merging] now available for use . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Mana Merging] has leveled from 0 to 3 . . .
I have to give you a quick warning here. According to the description, when actively merging two or more mana types, your mana consumption will increase dramatically . . .
[Good thing to be aware of. Go ahead.]
Achievement updated. Brave, Bold, and Boneheaded is now level 4 . . .
Achievement updated. Beast Basher is now level 4 . . .
New Achievement activated. For claiming a dungeon, the Achievement Dungeon Demand is now available. This Achievement grants you +5% to your attributes inside your dungeons. This increases by +5% for each dungeon claimed. Do you wish to show or hide your Achievement?
You have killed an Earth Mana-Engorged and Mutated Badger. You absorb 40,971.73 mana essence . . .
Congratulations! Host has stolen a skill from Earth Mana-Egorged and Mutated Badger . . .
New skill activated. Passive skill [Mana Forming (Earth)] now available for use . . .
You have killed a Mana-Engorged and Mutated Hollow Beetle. You absorb 214.01 mana essence . . .
[We actually stole a skill, nice! How is that different from Earth Mana Manipulation?]
Well done, Vic. All of those were great gains. Mana Forming (Earth) allows you to create constructs directly from the mana. It’s like that claw the badger created . . .
[The way it is labeled leads me to believe I can do it with all my elements.]
I concur with that postulation . . .
[Any idea how to use it?]
No. You have more alerts . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Skinning] has leveled from 3 to 5 . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Butchering] has leveled from 3 to 5 . . .
[Those aren’t immediately valuable, but upping skills is always good long-term.]
Agreed. You did get two more alerts from your fight from the badger. I strongly recommend you avoid repeating them though . . .
New Title activated. For returning to life after having reached 0 health, the Title Reaper’s Escapee is now available. This Title grants you +25% maximum health. Do you wish to show or hide your Title?
New Title activated. For returning to life after having reached 0 health without outside aid, the Title Reaper’s Bane is now available. This Title grants you +50% maximum health. Do you wish to show or hide your Title?
[While incredibly beneficial, let’s not die again. At least for today. And this validates our thoughts on the description of my regeneration ability.]
That’s it. You’re free to blow things up again . . .
[Well, you know I love to experiment. Add a new item to the mission log: Unlock Mana Forming for all my affinities.]
Added to log. Gretchen will be arriving in thirty minutes . . .
I decide to just rest until she arrives and, thus, take a half hour break from exploding things. Or dying.
Chapter 55
“Thank you for coming, Ms. Gretchen. I appreciate you taking your time to speak with me.”
The robust lady dwarf across from me smiles and nods, her thick black braid bouncing on her shoulder. Her voice is deep but sonorous; it seems to vibrate as she speaks. “Of course. My grand uncle says you need someone to help you.” It is interesting she doesn’t shorten her words the way most dwarves that I know do.
I nod back. “I do. I am looking for a head of security to join my team. This person needs to be completely independent and willing to hire, fire, and move individuals on her team as needed to protect my people and my assets. I cannot stress enough that the job of this person is to protect every employee no matter the species, clan, or sex. Every single property will be under her protection, and that means this person needs to hire people that have those same views. Does this make sense so far?”
She nods. “Aye. No funny business. Everybody is the same.”
I smile. “That is a great summary. You should know, this could theoretically mean you are required to choose your job and my property and people over someone else in the Steeltamer clan if they are doing something that would harm those you protect. Do you think you would be willing to take on that kind of conflict?”
She nods fiercely. “Mr. Vic, my hammer bashes any skull I swing it at.”
I chuckle. “You do understand the limitation of human law on bashing skulls, yes? We are in the human world, so some conventions apply. That being said, if my people or property are in danger, bash away.”
“Aye. I’ve lived in the human world for fifty-two years. I know when to raise my voice and my hammer.”
That might explain the long-form speaking. “Want the job?”
“Aye.”
[Send a note to Gunny and let him know.]
“Welcome to Victory Investments. Here is the agreement and your first three months’ pay.”
She reads and hands me back the pad.
“I recommend you spend a bit of time with Gunny. He is the head of operations and has been bumbling through security as best he can. You’ll learn what you need to and take over. Hire. Fire. Whatever. After that, I need you to give me a security assessment of each of my properties and land.
