The Bloodforged Kin

Chapter 238 - 232: Safehold - Cryptid Challenge: Phase 2

The System announcement arrived while most of the residents of Safehold were fast asleep. There was no chance of sleeping through it - The System's cruelest torture was its ability to bring them to full wakefulness instantly, no matter how good their dreams were. Tess growled low in her throat upon coming awake. She'd been dreaming of her and Zavier, and it had been a very good dream indeed.

** System Announcement: The last of the Phase 1 bosses has been defeated! Congratulations, residents of Earth, for reaching this important milestone. However, not all of your species have advanced.

Time runs short.

In 12 hours the next phase of the Cryptid Challenge will begin. If every member of your species is level 10 by then, additional benefits and enhanced rewards will be granted. If even one remains below the threshold, the next phase will commence at the lowest level of rewards and the highest level of difficulty.

The choice is yours, but the reality remains unchanged: Evolve or be left behind.

The path to strength is paved with trials and adversity. You will rise or fall as a species. Make your choice.**

Tess finished dressing while rushing to the stage in the center of the cul-de-sac. She didn't really notice the cold anymore, but some instinctual part of her appreciated Madison's inventions keeping Safehold warm, no matter how brutal the cold beyond the walls was.

I'm going to have to give her a raise, she chuckled to herself at the thought.

"Who are you giving a raise to? And what is a raise?"

"Good morning, Fara."

"Good morning, Mother! Thank you for greeting me!"

Fara had shown less patience with being told to shut up so often, and Tess had decided to lean into being polite. Zavier had always joked about being nice to AI so that they'd kill him last, and Tess could see the wisdom of it now that she had a psychotic one living inside her head.

"I was thinking about Madison and how her inventions are keeping Safehold heated. A 'raise' is something from Before - people used to get paid money, and a raise was additional money given to them for a job well done."

"I know what money is, Mother," the AI said with a huff. "Perhaps I should get a raise for all the extra work I do making you better!"

"That's your job - you don't get a raise for that. But you think of something and I'll try and get it for you." Fara didn't respond, but Tess could feel her excitement and the familiar sensation of Fara going into super-processing mode when presented with a new type of challenge or an idea to explore. She put the girl out of her mind as she hopped onto the stage. The rest of the Vanguard was close behind her.

"Sure nice of The System to give us an early wakeup call." Ben was his typical surly self. Everyone ignored it with practiced experience. He'd be okay once he finished the mug of ever-present coffee in his hands.

"What do you all think?" Tess looked around at the bleary-eyed team. She had her ideas but wanted to get their opinions first.

As usual, Weeble was the first to speak up. "I think it's pretty obvious - The System is forcing us to grow. Well, actually, it's forcing us to force our fellow slackers to grow."

Madison was the last to the stage, her trek from the Bouchard Compound the furthest. "I agree with Weeble. It's clear that it's forcing our hands. I don't think anyone will misunderstand the stick behind the carrot."

"12 hours is not a long time to get everyone to level up though, especially since it seems like things have been pretty quiet." Luna had followed closely behind Madison. She'd been staying with the girl in the Compound and Tess was glad for it. Safehold was pretty well-defended and safe, but nowhere was safer than the Bouchard's right now.

"Yeah," Weeble said, "I don't think that's the message we're supposed to be taking from this. Something tells me that The System is telling us we need to take out the trash."

Tess frowned slightly at Luna's confused expression. She wasn't going to enjoy bursting the girl's innocent bubble. "Honey," she said softly, "The System doesn't expect us to help the people under level 10 advance."

"Then wha-" Luna's question cut off with a gasp of realization, her hands flying to her mouth. "No, it couldn't mean that!"

"I'm afraid so, honey. The System is telling humanity that it needs to push who it can past the last levels, and eliminate those who can't."

"It's going to be a bloodbath," Weeble said with uncharacteristic seriousness. "I'd bet my left nut that the ones who can't make it are going to be used as free experience for the ones that are close."

"People wouldn't do that! They wouldn't just kill their weaker people! A lot of them have to be kids!"

"You'd be surprised what people are willing to-" Weeble's response was cut off.

** Congratulations! All citizens of Earth are now level 10! Phase 2 rewards and difficulty have been adjusted accordingly.

The first phase of the Cryptid Challenge served its purpose: to temper your species. Most of you survived through cooperation - a vital strategy for continued success - while a select few carved their path through sheer power. Phase 1 built your armies and your strength. Phase 2 will test what you can create.

This phase introduces opportunities beyond combat. Those without martial inclinations must now find, craft, and innovate. Unique items, weapons, and tools must be forged using scattered components. These resources can be found in a variety of ways - some familiar, others new. Competition will be fierce. In densely populated areas, expect conflict over limited supplies. How you acquire what is needed is up to you.

Additional Rewards Unlocked:

New Trials: Individual and group challenges are now accessible, each offering rare skills, spells, abilities, and items.

Unique Opportunities for Growth: Each trial is a one-time attempt. Failure to complete the challenge carries consequences, the severity of each determined by the difficulty of the challenge.

Phase 2 will begin in 12 hours.

Adapt. Create. Survive.**

"Wow, that was even faster than I expected." Weeble said what was on everyone's mind. Shocked disbelief was on every expression.

'Are we really that bad?" Leon's voice was incredulous. "Did all of humanity - every race and country - really just eliminate all their weakest members? Within minutes?"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"I'm afraid so, buddy," Weeble replied. "We like to play all high-and-mighty, but when it comes down to it, half of us are willing to do whatever it takes to survive, and the other half is just waiting for any excuse to release the beast inside."

"We're animals," Leon said, voice hushed.

"That we are, my friend, that we are."

Tess shook the shock away. She wanted to say that she was surprised, but was she? The System had stripped away humanity's pretty veneers, and all that was left was on display. Not all of it was bad, but enough was to make what had just happened completely believable. She turned her thoughts to the practical matter at hand. "I guess that answers the question on whether or not we had anyone under level 10. So what do we do now?"

Madison was practically vibrating with excitement, hopping from one leg to the other. "Ooh! Ooh! This one is for me! So exciting! I have to prepare!" She spun to sprint off the stage, stopping at the steps as if remembering that she'd left the group behind her. "Oh hey, you know how the creatures weren't leaving any items? Well I think they're going to start now. We should get out there and kill as many creatures as we can. I'll clear a space for everything everyone brings back!" She was gone before anyone could respond.

Silent expressions watched her go. Leon cleared his throat. "Tess, I'd like to get the teams out beyond the walls in shifts. We dodged a bullet by having everyone over level 10, but some barely made it. I think we need to get them out there exploring, looking for items or killing as many monsters as they can. If this one goes another 30 days I want everyone at least level 15 before then - level 20 if possible."

"Good call," Tess nodded. "Take charge of that. I think we're going to be spending a lot of time outside the walls ourselves. That being said," she turned to look at the Vanguard, the group of visitors who had offered to join them for this exact reason.

"I know this is why you all came and I plan to make good on my word. That being said, we still need to pool as many resources as we can, and we all need to be searching for components - whatever those end up being."

"We were promised rewards." Nisha's voice was low and soft, but no one missed the weight behind it. They were all thinking the same thing.

"And you'll have them, I promise. We just have to find the balance between you taking the rewards and all of us completing this challenge. Remember your promise as well - you're here to help us reach the end of this. We can't do that if everyone hoards everything they find."

"And yet," Diya said, eyes glittering with the promise of powerful items.

Tess sighed. "And yet… I agree. Look, I'm not sure how we're going to do this exactly, so if anyone has a better idea, speak up. For this first week can we at least agree that we're all going to push as hard as we can to find items? Find everything we can and bring it all back here so Madison look it over. If she determines it's something that can be used to build these weapons or items, then we leave them with her until she has everything she needs. If what you find isn't part of an item, then first dibs goes to whoever found it."

"May I propose a little something more?"

Tess inclined her head for Weeble to continue.

"Anything we find in the trials is ours, since the risks of taking them on seem like they're the highest."

Tess mulled it over but shook her head. "I get what you're saying, but I don't want everyone ignoring the real hunt just to focus on the trials. They may end up being a distraction, and I have no doubt that plenty of people will find themselves without any completed builds at the end of this because they put all their effort into finding trials. The same rules apply with trial loot - if you find something, bring it to Madison and let her assess it. Something tells me there's going to be plenty to go around."

No one looked happy, but none objected. The last 30 days had built a sense of camaraderie and community with the visitors. None of them felt good about the idea of completely ignoring the neighborhood they had fought and bled for.

Weeble held up a finger. "While I don't think that's totally fair, since you have a lot of people here who can be out searching for items, I understand the need for it. It would undo a lot of what we've built so far if Safehold's Vanguard went full scavenger mode, acting only in our own self-interests." He cleared his throat dramatically. "So I swear to you, oh Scary Lady of the Night, that The Misfit Toys will bring all items we find back here - as long as you promise not to cheat us in the end." He swept a deep, theatrical bow that earned a few reluctant grins.

Tess appreciated his words. Weeble wasn't just making a point - he was reinforcing something crucial: This wasn't just about following rules, it was about protecting what they had built. His short speech was a much-needed reminder to anyone who had the urge strike out on their own, Safehold be damned.

For most of the Vanguard, his words were the only reminder they needed.

The group broke apart, excited conversations and planning carrying across the night. Tess found Luna and wrapped her in a hug.

"Hey Sweetie, I've missed you!"

Luna melted into the hug, squeezing her back with all the strength her skinny arms could muster. "I miss you too, mom!"

"I haven't said it much, but I want you to know how proud I am of you. With how busy everything has been I feel like we've been getting lost in the day-to-day survival. Is there anything you want to talk about?" She cast a knowing look towards the Bouchard compound.

Luna blushed red but buried her face in her mom's chest, not wanting to give up the hug quite yet. "No, mom, there's nothing to talk about there. It's going great! She's great, I'm great, we're great. Oh hey, what did you think of the Crimson Scythe?"

They hadn't had a chance to talk about that yet and Tess was glad she'd brought it up. She pushed the girl to arm's length and looked her up and down before staring into her eyes inquisitively, as if searching for a sign of the Scythe. "How does it feel? Is she in there now? Does she talk to you?"

Luna pulled back and laughed. "No, mom! She's not like Fara, she's just a suit I put on. The real Scythe is me from a different reality, but her Echo is just… hmmm, how to describe it? It's like an impression she left me to use. I had to get her permission, but once I have it her copy is saved in my well and I can put her on any time I want. Well, not any time - there's cooldowns and stuff, but when I do I have access to whatever powers she had when I got her. I can always go back and get a more advanced copy if I want."

"Wow, that is so much to unpack," Tess said with a laugh. "Okay, so I have a lot of questions. First, if you can get a stronger version, why not do that each time? Second, are there any other Lunas you can… put on? And third - that's YOU?"

Luna laughed. "You're sounding like dad now!" The two women shared a moment of pain before brushing it away. "So yeah, I could go get a stronger version, but that's risky. If she has died then I lose this one. I may refresh her with a newer version later if she becomes too weak, but she's super cool and strong right now."

"That she is, honey - seriously, super badass, as your dad would say. I just can't believe that's you!"

"It is! In that reality The System was super hard and killed most of humanity on day one. I was one of the few survivors and I had to get really, really strong to survive."

"You keep saying 'you' and not 'she.'"

"That's because she's not a 'she', she's me! They're all me! Just different versions of me."

"I still have to wrap my head around that. So are there others?"

"Yeah!" Luna started bouncing in place with excitement. "There's so many! And I can watch them all! Well, not all of them, since there are so many, but I watch a lot of them! I can't see super far - I can only see who they are now. I can choose to go deeper into one and get their whole history, but I can't do that very often. I have to be careful which ones I choose, since I can only do it after a certain number of levels. I can talk to as many as I want as often as I want, but I can only take a new one on once every five levels. So I have to be super careful which one I choose or I will waste a turn. I don't even bother talking to the ones that are pretty much like me right here," she tapped herself on the chest. "It takes a long time to find ones that are very different from me, but oh boy are they cool! There's a plant druid one, a gravity one, a bunch of different types of magic user ones - some of them are really strong!"

"I can't wait to meet them all!" Tess laughed, excited for her daughter. "And I can't wait to see The Scythe in action again!"

Luna's excitement dropped. "Well, about that - I kinda can only use her once per level. I can only choose one to use each level, and I can only use it once. I can stay in it as long as I want, but that gets dangerous since I start to think like them. I can really lose myself if I'm not careful."

"Huh," Tess said, not liking the thought of her being taken over by an alternate version. They may all be Luna to the girl, but Tess only wanted the Luna she had here. "I guess that makes sense, since they can be so powerful - The System does like its limits."

"Yeah," Luna sighed, "but I do think maybe I'll get to use more with more levels! It's hard to level up right now since I can only use it once per level, but I really do think it'll grow quick."

"I hope so, love, I really do. Either way, it's still really cool and I'm really excited for you."

"Thanks mom!" Luna wrapped her in another hug.

"Hey, have you seen your brother?"

Luna stepped back, growing serious. She just shook her head.