Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]
2.13 Beyond the Wilderness

Two more days pass, during which we thankfully encounter no monsters of a similar size, danger level, or most importantly of all, stench. We do encounter a few tribes of gorillas, a couple of prides of lions, and more appropriately for this part of the world, a herd of about twenty bison, all with levels ranging from twenty to twenty-five. Each encounter has given Chloe and me a few points of Experience, putting me stubbornly close to, but not quite at, the threshold for getting to level 25 myself.

I check my Status to confirm.

[Level: 24; Experience: 104,760; To Next: 240]

[Current Stats: [Health]: 2,001 / 2,142 ; [Ether]: 1,254 / 1,336]

[Current Stats: [Strength]: 25; [Speed]: 25; [Vitality]: 56; [Mind]: 74]

I’ve also been informed by Alexey and Lindsey that something is supposed to happen once we reach level 32. I’m not sure what, and they don’t seem to know for certain either. Only that the System has alerted them to something, and isn’t going to give them any more information on the matter.

I wrack my brain about the matter, seeing if I can knock loose an errant memory or two that might give me some indication about what’s supposed to happen at that point. I come up as empty-handed as I expected. So far, it seems that my memories show up with no definite rhyme or reason, nor any discernible pattern that I might try to exploit in order to summon them forth.

Frustration builds within me as I once again curse my inability to do more on this front. Still, it’s not all bad. A guardian angel, a beacon, a standard for the world— for all worlds— to rally around and unite behind for a final showdown against… whatever malevolence was behind the System. That was what Madison and Dr. Chotono had envisioned for the old me. And though her life is not mine, I still feel a compulsion to act in accordance with that dream.

It’s not an overriding one. I don’t feel as though my free will is being altered in any way. That was the principal reason why I’d been averse to choosing the [Divine Paladin] class back then. In that respect, I’m thankful that whatever force connects me to the Seraphina who was created back in that laboratory saw fit only to give me bits and pieces of her memory. I retain my own initiative, my own desires, and maintain the sanctity and agency of my own mind, if not my station in the outside world.

It’s… not so different from life before the System, in that regard. All my life, I’ve felt subservient, at the mercy of others. Adulthood, getting an education, a good job, financial security. All of that had been part of the plan to one day buy my autonomy from this world. Now the currency for freedom and autonomy is in levels, stats, gear, and Experience, but the goal is the same.

But that doesn’t mean my freedom has to come at the expense of others’ well being. There ought to be a better way. A way that enables us to work together, rather than tearing one another down to profit— to gain levels and loot— at each other’s expense. I can scarcely imagine how that should be brought about, but I know that the answer is one I need to discover if I am to stand against the System itself.

About noon— after two full days and some hours on the road— signs of civilization begin to sprout up along the western horizon. The thick forests which once and now again sprawled across the eastern half of the United States give way to grasslands and farms filled with newly grown wheat and corn. The air, previously filled with murderous intentions, returns to some semblance of peace, some vestiges of the old order that previously comprised the world. Small houses just outside the town have lights on inside powered by electricity, which bodes well for the overall stability of the city and its immediate surroundings.

And, as I had suspected, there’s another Tower that spans well over a thousand feet into the air, absolutely dominating the otherwise nonexistent skyline. Not a single other building taller than three or four hundred feet tall at the absolute most. Probably less than that, even.

This town, at least before the System came, was considerably smaller than our hometown, especially when all the suburbs and surrounding communities of the greater metro area were factored into the equation. By a factor of ten or so, if memory serves, though I don’t know the populations exactly then and I sure as hell don’t know after System chicanery comes into play.

Still, roads are functional, streetlights and stoplights are on and working, some people are up and walking on the sidewalks, while others drive the roads, mostly free of traffic. I doubt there’s all that much refined gasoline here either, and with levels and classes and stat points now available for the seizing, walking, biking, and other forms of manual transportation are far easier and not much slower.

Strange, that it took the arrival of the literal apocalypse before people would take actions to maybe start to mitigate the oncoming climate catastrophe. I decide to add ‘solving climate change’ to the ever-expanding list of things I should look into at some point when I have enough Skills, levels, and both Experience and experience to start building wider-scale Ethertech.

We’re stopped just outside of town by four people wearing… body armor? Like, regular, mundane body armor made of Kevlar and other synthetic fabrics. Maybe a bit of metal plating but… I flicker on my [Ethersight] as they come into range. Doubt they’re over level 15 based on the density of their [Ether] cores, and none of their gear is System-registered. No idea if they’ve got higher-level people patrolling the wilds, or if said individuals are simply too busy and can’t be assed to come out here and greet us.

In either case, I let Nicholas and Lindsey handle all the introductions, pleasantries, negotiations, and so forth. The former is our commander, on paper if not in deed, and the latter has the best set of social skills— though I don’t think she has a [Smooth Talker] capital-S Skill or whatever else it might be called. That is, with the possible exception of Alana. Don’t know Alana well enough to state conclusively who has the edge in that exchange, but given she didn’t volunteer, I’ll give the edge to Lindsey.

My ears are quite good— perception seems to increase slightly with [Vitality] or [Mind]. Not sure which, and I don’t have enough data to determine one way or another.

I can’t make out every word they’re saying, but they’re discussing our mission to patrol and survey our own city and the surrounding areas. Lindsey adds how we’ve decided to patrol deeper into the surrounding areas to see what we could find, and about the attacks from that Ooze as well as the Brachiosaurus days earlier.

In truth, none of us were sure if we’d stumble upon any of the nearby cities, or even where exactly they are with such limited map data available right now. It is worth seeing if we can make it down to the state capital. Should be about eighty miles south of here, or at least, it was before the System. Now, it could be two hundred or more. Probably quite a bit more.

“Alright, well, in any case, welcome to Ft. Still,” the leader of the welcoming party says, giving us an open armed gesture as he points us toward the city proper.

That’s… That’s not what this town used to be called. Strange that it’s changed so suddenly, and seemingly without anyone objecting. Even the sign leading into the city has been crossed out and replaced with the city’s new designation. I wonder why. Moreover, I wonder if there’ll be a push to change our hometown to some different name.

Maybe we’ll say goodbye to the old familiar names of New York City and Chicago, of Boston and Houston and Los Angeles, and now we’ll have, who knows? New Appleton, Windia, Boltophsberg, and World’s Largest Strip Mall, respectively. I chuckle out loud at that last one.

“What are you laughing about?” Chloe asks.

“Later,” I say. Even I know better not to joke about things like that in public. Seems like the sort of thing that could easily rustle jimmies and start a war. Or, at the very least, damage potential alliances right when the bastions of humanity need more than anything to start banding together to face problems both throughout the world, as well as beyond it.

Alexey and Nicholas head off to see if there are any current or former soldiers who they might be able to share intel with, while we make our way to the food court of what was and maybe still is one of the major state universities. Not one I ended up deciding to enroll at— I wanted to get the hell out of this hellhole of a state as soon as possible. A pretty big part of me still does, though I’m mostly resigned to the fact I’ll be in the area for the foreseeable future.

It’s… boisterous. Loud. Difficult to think clearly with all the noise, all the conversations going around on every side. So many people, mostly students, along with a few older people I assume are staff and faculty. We’re not the only ones armed and clad in System-registered technology, though the number of people who possess such implements is only a few percent. Plenty more have on mundane armor and carry firearms for protection, the System having turned any attempt at maintaining gun-free zones a complete farce.

As I watch a distinguished gentleman walk by, my mind starts racing through all the potential knowledge and information that people might have. Great goddesses above, I so want to sit down with the professors and have a really, really long conversation about glyphs and Ethertech and how to start developing the two together. Is that why we came here?

I get excited for a moment, thinking of the endless possibilities and opportunities, but my head drops as my analytical side takes over. I doubt there’s any professors here who can do more than Dr. Reynolds and I already have. I’m probably the closest thing to an expert for five hundred miles when it comes to Ethertech, which is saying basically nothing given how much I know I don’t know. Just for good measure, I flicker on my [Ethersight] to take stock of the people around me.

Disappointing, really. The highest level among them can’t be more than ten or so. Wait, no, that shouldn’t be seen as disappointing. My sense of reasonable levels is completely twisted. Most people aren’t delving into dungeons, abandoning school to study Ethertech, sneaking behind police barricades into Towers, braving danger to life and limb in the pursuit of more physical power. Most people don’t have a second life as a cyborg and probably also aren’t getting some ludicrous experience boost for every battle they engage in. Most people aren’t actively seeking out dangerous situations to be involved in.

We eat a meal of mediocre fast food. I say mediocre, but it’s still way tastier than MRE’s. Somehow, I have a feeling it might be healthier than they are too, in the most bizarre manner. Less certain about that one.

“You okay?” Chloe asks. “You’ve been awfully quiet all morning.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind. A lot of thinking about various things, how the world has changed, and what our role is in all of it.”

She slips her hand under the table and gives me a slightly greasy squeeze. “Just remember that you shouldn’t and don’t have to do it all yourself. We’ll all get through this together.”

“Together,” I start to say, before a siren blares and a woman rushes in screaming murder about some sort of monster attack.

I sigh as we move out, my half-eaten burger still on the table as I grab my weapons and other battle supplies. Of all the dastardly luck!