Chapter 5 – A Day of Firsts
This time the transportation had no noticeable delay to it. Matt wasn’t sure if that was due to proximity or other mechanics, he wasn’t aware of, but he didn’t have to wait long either way. As the light faded, he got a good look at where they had been set down. His lenses didn’t need any time to adjust to the light and he was able to instantly view the terrain around him. Just as he began to scan over the area, two System messages popped up in his vision.
Welcome Initiate!
The planet before you holds many secrets to discover and even more challenges for you to overcome.
Welcome Matt, I hold high hopes for your future in the Higher Plane. ~ The Universal System
Ok, that’s kinda creepy. Matt thought as he read the second message. “Hey Toby, did you get a system message just now?” He asked, hoping that he wasn’t the only one.
“Yeah, just a welcome message that tells me to look at another window for specifics. Why?”
“Well, I got two messages and I’m not sure about the second one.” Matt said. He then told Tobias about the second message. Tobias was not sure the second message was a bad thing but agreed that it was more than a little ominous. Without any more to discuss, Matt returned to his original task of seeing where they had been placed.
They had landed atop a rocky spur in what appeared to be arid scrub planes and foothills. The area reminded him of some of the places in the Americann southwest, narrow canyons with stunted trees and bushes. He crouched as he panned across the landscape in front of him, knowing large movements were not the best decision in that moment. Reaching forward, he ran the action on the autocannon, chambering his first round in case of any pop-up enemies. After completing his first pass with his daylight cameras, he toggled thermal and repeated the sweep. The rocks were throwing up some mirage already but not enough to mess with the powerful cameras.
“I have nothing right now, Toby. Looks like we have time to decide on how to proceed.” Matt said.
“Well let’s check the waypoint Theil gave us to see what direction we need to move.” Tobias said, already adjusting his display to his liking.
“Right, before that, I need to make some introductions. Van, care to say hi?”
Tobias looked around and was about to ask who Matt was talking about when over the cockpit speakers came a voice. A voice that promised safety and brutality in the same deep rumble.
“Well met Tobias, I am Van or as the System had named me, Horizon’s Vanguard.” Rumbled Van, clearly delighting in the confused looks Tobias was shooting at the back of Matts head.
“Who the fuck is that!” shouted Tobias.
“That would be the construct core for my mech. I was allotted one core enhancement and chose the Awakened Core enhancement. It brought Van out of a sort of sleep mode. He was always there and aware but restrained until that enhancement was chosen.” Matt supplied. As he spoke, he mentally rifled through the menus in his display to toggle on the waypoint.
“Well Van, its uh, good to meet you.” Tobias floundered. Van was clearly entertained because the speakers transmitted his rumbling chuckle.
Matt finally managed to toggle on the waypoint nested in a compass along with his ammo counter, armor display and energy display. He noticed there was a discrepancy in his energy level, so he asked Van about it. “Hey Van, what’s up with our energy levels?”
Horizon’s Vanguard (Van)
Armor Points: 500/500
Energy Points: 500/500 (500/2500)
The core responded instantly. “This mech as you call it, has a reserve energy cell that can be filled to allow autonomous operation, it was standard on this design but not in use until I was awakened.”
“Wait, you mean I don’t have to be actively plugged in for you to move? So, Toby and I can get out and you would be able to move and fight on your own?”
“That is exactly the point. Its normally an advanced feature but because of your choices, you have access now. Very fortunate for you in our present situation. You will have to channel mana into it in order to fill it, but at max capacity it will grant me a significant amount of autonomous time.”
Matt had to agree. On Earth mechs suffered the same problem as all armored vehicles, they could be out maneuvered by infantry in close confines like jungle and cities. The modern doctrine still required a combined arms philosophy to be effective in most theaters of war. This would allow Matt and Van to work as suppressing and assaulting elements by themselves, assuming that the enemy could be suppressed in such a manner.
Matt would explore that detail more in the future, for now, he had a mission to attend to. The waypoint was pointing them to the south-east but gave no distance for how far away the city was. There was a gentle incline to his left that led to the top of the ridgeline, the perfect path to higher ground that would let him get a better view of the local terrain. He stood back up and moved up the slope, marveling at how smooth the movements of the mech were. There was almost no jarring, and he could feel feedback from the mech, almost as if he was the one walking on the rocky ground.
As they reached the peak, they saw a wide plateau stretching before them, canyons a couple hundred meters below on one side and flat dessert for a several kilometers on the other. Matt gave the area a quick once over with just his head poking above the lip of the canyon, looking for anything that might want to pick a fight. Not spotting anything, he turned back around but the rear facing camera still overlayed the view into his primary display.
The canyons were shallow ravines that spread out, sloping away from the plateau in a wide fan. Far in the distance the scrub and hill gave way to a forest, the far side of which could not be seen for their current vantage. The border of the forest had to be dozens of kilometers away from their current position but that shouldn’t be a problem for Van to cross quickly. From here Matt could also see movement among the rocks and brush, too far away to identify clearly through the growing mirage.
“Looks like we will be moving through some sort of creatures before we make the tree line. No idea what they are but I’m sure we will find out soon enough.” Matt plotted a route in his mind as he spoke, finding natural paths through the canyons that would allow for easy retreat if they became overwhelmed.
“Well, I guess you will get to test out your big stick sooner rather than later.” Tobias said. “Hey, Van. Can I channel mana into the battery or does Matt have to do that?”
“It can be filled from any source of mana, regardless of the type, it will be converted to E.P. automatically.” Van said projecting a chart on screen.
“Then I will work on topping you off while we move. Not like I’m doing anything else with it.” Tobias said as he pulled out his tablet. And Matt began moving back into the ravines.
Matt clicked his tongue as he laid eyes on the creatures they had stumbled on. After a couple hours navigating the canyons and ravines, moving in the general direction of the waypoint, they had come across… something. Matt had dismounted to stalk forward and peek around the edge of a boulder. His helmet relaying what he saw to Tobias and Van, so he wasn’t leaving them in the dark. He finally used identify on the creature sitting a couple hundred meters away.
Unknown. Level: Unknown
The creature looked like a mix between a Gila monster and a cow, large in the body with a reptilian head and skin. It had broad black and yellow stripes covering its pebbly skin, its long purple tongue slicked out as it sunned itself on a flat rock. Matt hadn’t seen I move much so he wasn’t sure how fast it was, but he wasn’t taking chances. He returned to the mech and climbed back in.
“Did the identify come across on the display?” he asked Tobias.
“Yeah, for all the good it did, but the thing looks damn ugly. Probably poisonous too judging by the color.” Toby said.
“Yup, not risking anything. I say we shoot first and ask questions later.” Matt said as he reconnected and stood up, having to adjust to the sudden perspective change.
Matt couched the butt of the autocannon under his arm and pressed forward. Creeping as slowly as he could to not give away his approach. His gunsight cleared the edge of boulder before the rest of his mech and he lined up the shot. He placed the reticle right where the neck met the shoulder, having to take a front-quartering shot. Bang-Thump. The first time Matt had actually fired the auto cannon and he was not disappointed. The shot crossed the distance so fast he didn’t hear a separate impact but he heard the small thump of the round detonating inside the beast. Head separated from shoulder and the whole thing slumped forward and fell off the rock, smacking wetly onto the ravine floor.
You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 12
Bonus Experience earned for killing an enemy above your effective level.
Class Pilot has reached level 1.
Stat points awarded.
Title Earned
First Steps: You have taken your first steps into the System, gaining experience for the first time. Continue to grow and prosper.
+ 10 to all stats
Skill Upgraded
Inspect (inferior) -> Inspect (Common)
You can now inspect unknown creatures and objects, gaining additional insights.
Matt was very happy with the results of that first engagement but before he could dive into his stats, he heard a rumbling from down the canyon. He edged further around the boulder and saw 4 more of the creatures trotting up to where the first had landed. They looked around for the source of the noise and what killed their companion while Matt used his new identify on each of them.
Venomous Rock Monitor Level 11
Venomous Rock Monitor Level 14
Venomous Rock Monitor Level 14
Venomous Rock Monitor Level 16
“Shit.” Matt said as he now shouldered the auto cannon. He took a firing stance and lined up the shot with the first of the lizards. Pulling the trigger, he felt the recoil as his sights moved slightly off his point of aim, but the first shot hit one of the level 14’s in shoulder joint, blowing a hole out the back side. He didn’t wait to see the effect as he moved to the next one, this time taking it in the head. The headshot bounced off, impacting the canyon wall above and behind the creature. It stumbled back as the level 11 and 16 rushed him.
With enemies coming in fast, Matt began to back pedal, using his rear camera overlay to avoid any tripping hazards. He switched to full auto and centered the reticle over the lead monster and held the trigger. Bang, Bang, Bang. Whiz, Thump, Thump. The first shot went wide, skipping off a rock near the creatures’ feet while shots two and three were much more effective. The Second and third shot impacted the neck and shoulder, both exploding and ripping the beast apart. Matt shifted to the level 11, delivering another three-round burst with all rounds hitting the target. Only two exploded with one of them passing through completely and hitting the one in the rear that was still dazed from its head getting hammered. this time, the round exploded on contact and dopped the last level 14.
Matt took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings, looking for any other creatures coming to check out the fighting.
“Well done, Matt.” said Van. “That was all of them from this group. I am pleased with your performance and the effect of the auto cannon.”
Matt had to agree, it went better than anything he did in the mech simulators back on earth. This felt much smoother, almost like he wasn’t fighting through a neural interface at all. “Thanks Van. I’m going to check my system messages.”
As the fight was underway, he felt the presence of system messages, but they didn’t automatically pop up to distract him. He opened the log to see what was waiting for him.
You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 14
You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 16
You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 11
You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 14
Experience earned for killing enemies above your effective level.
Class Pilot – Skirmisher is level 2.
Stat points awarded.
This was something to take in. The System didn’t award experience until a fight was completed, it was nice to not deal with a bunch of repeating messages but at the same time, he couldn’t count on any extra stats mid fight. He shared his findings with Tobias who didn’t seem surprised, saying that was what he expected based on games he had played. He did wonder if it applied to mixed enemies or only to cohesive groups like the Rock Monitors seemed to be. Matt didn’t know but had a feeling the answer was in one of the books Tobias had bought. He checked his ammo counter, seeing 41/50 rounds in his magazine. He decided to leave it be, not wanting to use mana to generate more at the moment.
Tobias suddenly spoke up. “Hey, on this little road trip, I think we should look for opportunities for me to get some experience in. If we can maybe prepare a position and lure something in to fight that would probably be a good way for me to level.” He reasoned. “Also, Matt, you should get some testing in with your rifle, we know the auto cannon works wonders but we should test your other weapons too.”
“Good call, let’s see what we stumble on as we go, it might be a good to try small and large enemies, maybe let Van go wild for a bit.”
“I would not go wild.” Van huffed.
Matt now found himself in the odd position of explaining human expressions and that not everything was meant in a literal way. He pushed forward, walking past the monitors and getting a good look as he closed in. The damage was gruesome, normally the 25mm would be used against buildings or vehicles, not flesh and bone. The reactive nature of the projectile made it look like something had burst out of the creatures, if that something happened to be on fire. He was also struck by how big the creatures really were. They must have stood at 3 meters at the shoulder and maybe 4 and a half long. They had wide, squat bodies and the legs ended in clawed hands. The mouths were filled with needle like teeth but worst of all was the sizzling sound coming from where their saliva leaked onto the ground.
Matt counted his lucky stars that they hadn’t gotten close enough to take a bit out of his mech. He has a suspicion that, with the feedback he was getting through the neural link, he would feel every hit his mech took. A feature he was not looking forward to testing. He had moved past the piled bodies and down the ravine, coming to another intersection when Tobias came up with a simply amazing idea.
“Hey Van, do you have a way for me to plug my tablet in so I can project sound from it onto the internal speakers?” Tobias asked in his most innocent voice.
“There is a bracket directly under the secondary display, if you place your tablet into it, it can project any manner of media.” The core responded with a tone more curious than anything.
Without further ado, Tobias placed his tablet in the holder. Within seconds music was playing, not just any music but the heavy tones of a famous German industrial rock band. Apparently books and schematics weren’t the only thing Tobias had downloaded. Matt stopped short of the intersection and checked his status before he went any further.
Seeing that Tobias had put some mana into the reserves, Matt thought he should contribute as well. He asked Tobias and Van how that worked and found out more than he had bargained for. It turns out that he would just have to focus on the reserve battery and will his mana into it. What Matt didn’t like is that he was essentially sitting on that battery, directly below his seat was the possibly volatile collection of condensed mana. He had nothing to worry about however as the mana didn’t react the same as the battery packs he was familiar with. There was nothing to leak or rupture, the energy being stored in a crystalline matrix that was completely inert.
“Van, I should probably know this, but you are referred to as a core. Do you have a physical housing? Like is there an actual core to this mech?”
“Yes, there is. Its directly behind you, in the column separating the two seats. Do you want to see it?” Van sounded proud of this for some reason.
Matt was instructed to lift a panel on the column and then slide the carriage up to expose the core. It looked like something out of the Steampunk 101 playbook, all brass and crystal. The core was 30 centimeters in length and 10 centimeters in diameter but instead of a tube, its sides were faceted with 10 sides. Each facet was separated by a brass divider that was styled to look like twisted rope. It honestly reminded Matt of a stylized lantern; a concept reinforced by the gem that sat within. The gem was a bright blue color, an elongated diamond each end tapering away from the center. The gem also had 10 facets on each of the tapers, matching the housing. It was a work of art, living art that pulsed with a heartbeat like sequence, a beat that matched Matts heartbeat exactly.
The implications of the core’s nature were beyond Matt at the moment. But he still expressed his awe to Van. “It’s glorious.” He said, feeling beautiful wasn’t the right word to describe it.
“Indeed, it is, truly fascinating.” Added Tobias.
Matt replaced the core and then began channeling mana into the battery, his meager reserves only adding a small amount the tank. Matt checked his stats, thinking he should have done this sooner after his level up.
Name: Matt Shultz Level: 2 (F)
Race: Human-Veiled
Health Points: 216/216
Stamina Points: 190/216
Mana Points: 237/237
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Strength: 13 (24)
Dexterity: 13 (24)
Endurance: 11 (22)
Constitution: 11 (22)
Perception: 11 (22)
Intelligence: 13 (24)
Wisdom: 9 (19)
Free Points: 10
Affinity: Plasma
Trait: Aura Dominance
Perk: Resource Generation
Titles: First Steps.
Skills: Common (Language), Identify (Common)
Some would say that when moving in unfamiliar territory you should never be distracted by unimportant things like rocking out to music, chatting with your best friend and a mech core while reading your stats. Bad things might happen to those not paying attention and the experience would be used a valuable teaching moment if you survived. That is why Matt vowed to never willingly admit this to anyone as he saw a flash of movement before he was rocked to the side, sympathetic pain flaring over the link.
