Misbegotten Memories

Chapter 289

He spent a large amount of the next two weeks in the dungeon.  With Conrad to watch his back, Hector didn’t hesitate to push himself.  The increased miasma levels let him recover energy faster than he had to spend it to tear apart monsters with cables of force.

Conrad remarked multiple times how different it was teaming up with the empowered Hector.  There was always light to see by, for one.  More importantly, though, Hector always knew where the monsters were due to his new insight granting him a sense for miasma.  They cut back and forth through the dungeon like a surgeon’s scalpel, removing monsters with targeted precision.

Each day brought with it a marked improvement in Hector’s aura, until by the end of those weeks he was only moderately sore.  He lingered longer on Union Central than he otherwise would have because tearing through the weaker monsters of the dungeon gave him a sense of accomplishment he couldn’t get sitting on the back of Fred and acting as a miasma converter.  He knew his contributions on Aes were far more important, but there was something viscerally satisfying about seeing monsters die to his cables before being shredded into cosmic energy.

And perhaps the fact that he hadn’t delved with Conrad in a while weighed into his decision.  Their relation didn’t feel like a friendship, but given both of them were passionate about the same cause and had similar mentalities, working together was easy.  Their only real limitation inside the dungeon was how much ammunition Conrad could carry with him.  Given Hector’s superhuman strength and willingness to serve as a pack mule, they weren’t really held back.

He only knew it was time to go because he received a message.

Reconquest Command is drafting a message recalling you to duty.  They identified a serious threat approaching Stronghold Epsilon and want Miracle Squad to be part of the response.

Hector had been in the middle of a quick meal before heading to the dungeon to meet up with Conrad for another run, but he dropped his silverware and went for the door.  “Can you shoot a message to Conrad for me?”

Done.  Esther is in her room at Tian Tower and Isabel is practicing with her spear in the basement.  You should collect them immediately.  This operation appears to be commencing in just three hours.

“Any word on what it is?”

Single massive monster.  Type unknown.

Hector sprinted through the street until he arrived at his building.  He shouted for Isabel to join him once he reached the basement.  The woman may have been gone from her sect for over a year by that point, but she had not lost the instant obedience drilled into her.  She was on the elevator so quickly Hector didn’t even need to hold the door.

“We still need to find Esther,” he said to Isabel as they rode up.  Though he knew exactly where she was and could get away with trespassing wherever he wanted, there wasn’t a good explanation for how he could pull off either of those things.

You don’t need to conceal my existence any longer.  I am known to all of the major powers already.  At some point soon I will go public.

“That is incredibly convenient.  Good luck with the reveal.”

Isabel squinted at Hector as if wondering if he’d lost his mind.  “Who are you talking to?”

“The System.”

Her brows shot up.  “So it is smart?  Everyone lied to me.”

“It’s a bit of a secret, though probably not for much longer.”

The door to Esther’s suite unlatched on approach and Isabel lunged forward to enter before him.  “I was right about the System, Esther!  It isn’t dumb!”

A startled squeak came in response.  “How did you get in here?”

“Hector talked to the System.”

He cleared his throat.  “Uh, is it safe to come into your suite?”

“Of course it is.  I have windows all over the place.  I don’t walk around naked.”

A step into the room revealed a comfortable space crammed full of furniture and collectible items.  Hector peeled his eyes away from the knickknacks.  “We’ve been recalled to Aes.  It’s an emergency, so no time to waste.”

Esther rushed into a second room and began to pack.  “How did you get into my place?  Don’t tell me you have a black market access pass.”

“Those only exist in movies, Esther.  The System can’t be hacked.”

“Then how are you in here?  Don’t tell me Matthias gave you management access.”

“You’re not going to believe this, but Isabel already told you the answer.  The System is self-aware and let me take liberties because we’re in a rush.”

She emerged with a bag over one shoulder, wearing an incredulous expression.  “I will get the truth out of you.”

“System?”

Esther flinched at something before her eyes.  “Oh no.  This is a nightmare.  You guys realize the System sees everything?  So bad.  Oh shit.  It has so much dirt on me.”

Unsure how to stop her panic attack, Hector just dragged Esther with them out the door.  They took a taxi to the staging grounds and found the place swarming with personnel.  Hector was waved past the guards so that they could approach a portal open to Aes.

Transit waved them forward impatiently.  “Jump to the front of the queue.  Your team is waiting for you already.”  There wasn’t time to ask any questions.  One moment they were being pressed forward and the next they were on Aes again.

Isabel looked around at the surroundings while they got out of the way of the line of troops entering behind them.  “Epsilon looks just like Gamma.”

“All the Strongholds have the same layout.”  Esther pointed at a section of the outer perimeter in the distance where the material had been patched.  “Though this is the only one that has been reoccupied after its wall fell.”

“Oh!  This is the place with the giant spider monster!”  Isabel appeared excited to have made the connection to stories told by the veteran soldiers.  Hector was saved from having to react to her inappropriate exuberance when he spotted Rover Fred waiting for them in the distance.  Ajax and Nestor were lounging on the ground beside him.  The only member of Miracle Squad missing was Restoration.

Their reunion involved a lot of excited greetings, some speculation about their upcoming mission, and a couple of jokes about Hector trying out dubious cultivation techniques every time he wanted a vacation.  He accepted the jests without complaint, not pointing out that it only happened twice – and had been the same technique both times.

A portable projector shot images onto the side of a bunker for the briefing, which was led by the colonel in charge of that base.  Things kicked off as soon as Transit’s portal closed.  The colonel’s voice was projected loud enough to be heard throughout the entire base as soldiers continued to pack the open area.  An overhead shot of the area revealed the relative location of the Stronghold and the approaching threat.

“Stronghold Epsilon sits on a direct path between one of the largest rifts on the planet and one of the largest human settlements.  We see a lot of action.  Usually we are able to rise to the occasion without outside assistance.  On one occasion, we were forced to evacuate.

“Today we’re faced with the approach of another top tier threat.  This time we have taken measures to ensure we won’t need to retreat.  Some of you have already noted that many of our reinforcements are unusual.  For everyone else, I’ll summarize.  An allied force has sent a thousand troops.  They are not Jinn or Arahant or Titan or Orisha or Xian.  Nor any variety of Alfar.  They are a new type of human known as Users, created by the System of Union Central to serve as warriors.

“These staunch allies already occupy Stronghold Alpha and Stronghold Theta for us.  We’ve kept their existence quiet at their request, but the secret could never last long.  With so many witnesses, it’s been decided to not impose any restrictions on sharing this information.  By the time any of you return to Union Central, the existence of the Users will be public knowledge.

“System Users, on behalf of all of us, I would like to welcome you to Stronghold Epsilon and thank you for your bravery and valor.  May we all celebrate our victory together tonight.  For now, I want to outline the threat and our response.”

An image appeared from the projector, showing a blocky obsidian contraption.  Hector squinted, trying to wrap his head around what he was being shown.  It looked like a military track vehicle.  Were the Jinn fielding tanks now?  Mumbled conversations sprang up throughout the crowd.

“This is a unique situation for us.  With the monsters, unique is always bad.  As you can see, the form taken is that of an armored tank vehicle.  We haven’t observed it in action yet, but the fact that it has a main gun suggests this monster can attack at range.

“The primary consideration with monsters is always size.  The more miasma, the more danger.  This one is eight hundred meters tall, five hundred meters wide, and one point two kilometers in length.  It is absolutely massive and spews dense miasmic exhaust.  We’re not exaggerating when we classify this as a top tier threat.

“Now let’s talk general strategy.  The terrain is flat and open, so we will be coming from the front and one side.  To avoid friendly fire, we will not surround the monster unless the situation becomes desperate.  Individual teams will be empowered with authority to act within the general parameters set forth in this meeting.  We don’t expect that any detailed plan will last first contact with an unprecedented enemy, so these are kept purposefully broad.

“The first general order is to not allow this thing to reach the Stronghold or pass us by.  That order supersedes all else.  Second, if it proves capable of being distracted, lure it in a southwest direction.  Third, minimize harm to allies to the extent that it is possible while following the first and second orders.

“Some things to keep in mind while following those three simple orders.  First, we are deploying several schism beams on this mission.  Second, while we could not get access to antimatter munitions, the Users are able to create bombs nearly as potent.  Third, we have the Miracle Squad here if critical resources need shielded from miasma on approach to the target.  You shouldn’t have any trouble finding them because they literally glow.  Just be aware that their miasma mitigation efforts may draw the monster’s attention.

“I’m not going to hold the start of this operation up any longer.  Everyone should have a general understanding of what is happening.  Key personnel have more detailed orders to follow.  Let’s get out there and kill this thing.”

There was no cheering.  Nor did the colonel seem to expect such a reaction.

Fred called the squad to order.  “Mount up, Hector.  The rest of you form a protective line.  We’re one of the groups with special orders.  A contingent of Users is riding with us.  We deliver them close if the monster ignores Hector’s magic trick.  If we draw its ire, though, we immediately switch to distraction duty.  Be ready for either.”