Chapter 192: A Vast Universe (1/2)

I spent the morning prepping with Torix for the interview. He and I brainstormed some common questions, and I practiced hiding my identity. He even cast a few wards over me, helping hide my identity further. With everything handled, we trecked off into the forest, taking the long way to the stadium.

As we walked, I turned towards Torix, ”I haven't seen Kessiah around lately. Has she been in Rivaria?”

Torix peered at his status as we walked across the rolling hills, ”I don't believe so. In fact, I found Kessiah in her room of all things. She studied out of a medical textbook I gave her, the same as the one I gave you.”

”No shit? Wow. How did that happen?”

”I racked my brain for some method of pushing her into pursuing healing magic, as we discussed before. If I told her anything, she'd likely work towards the opposite. Instead, I hammered in the importance of healing magic to Althea. After doing so, Althea chatted with Kessiah about how helpless our team was when medical emergencies arose. The rest, well, is history.”

I picked up the pace, jogging along. Torix kept up.

”After your warning about healing magic, I figured it wasn't going to happen for me. It doesn't mesh well with my current setup either. Good thing she's trying it out.”

”I'm rather rudimentary at healing as well. Nonetheless, a basic understanding can allow for first aid in dire situations. Besides, you need some method for healing your healer should they be harmed. Otherwise, they take on an undue risk when venturing out with their party members.”

We reached the top of a hill as I leaped into the air, pulling myself up with gravity. Torix floated along on mana cloud. With wind whistling in my ears, we landed onto the edge of the stadium. On one of the platforms for gialgathens, a film crew set up the lighting and cameras for the interview. A crowd of different people stood around the spot, making sure everything was ready for the shoot.

A dozen aliens congregated near the spot, waiting around for something. They were a different kind of bunch, many of them varying wildly from espens in shape and form. Before we approached, Torix leaned over towards me,

”There are likely other factions across the galaxy that have taken up an interest in you now that you've become relatively famous.”

”Why?”

Torix pointed at the crowd, ”You've displayed a wide variety of skills. They've no doubt taken an interest in your abilities and would like to use them for their own gain.”

”Doesn't everybody?”

”In their own way, I suppose. Keep in mind that you may use them as well, however. Creating a mutually beneficial relationship is essential over the long term.”

I rolled my shoulders, ”Alright. Any pro-tips on who those people are?”

Torix raised a hand, but before he could speak, one of the film crew spotted us. In a pressurized suit, a short and tubby enigmatta glanced at us with glowing eyes and a facemask. He pointed,

”It's about time you guys showed up. Come on up. Don't be shy,” His voice radiated from an intercom on his suit. He found us before we could come up with a game plan. Fuck. We walked up slowly, letting me analyze him,

Grotokia Lom(lvl 1,353 | Guild: None | Association: Galactic Filming Race: Enigmatta) - A member of the Galactic Filming corporation, Grotokia Lom is a pacifist by heart. He enjoys drinking beer with friends and spending time with family. Outside of his hobbies, he's built up a career as a hardball reporter with a knack for digging deeper than most.

That hardball approach has left him with many enemies throughout many worlds, however. His entertaining approach is a subject of controversy in certain cultures, though nothing he does is illegal. He poses no threat to your life, though your reputation is at risk.

I held back a grimace, pacing up to Grotokia and the crowd of strangers. Besides for the enigmatta, all the other races were foreign to me. At half my height, Grotokia walked up and grabbed my arm. He pointed towards the crowd,

”Your opponent isn't here yet. Her name is Chrona Carsiary. She's a diehard Emagrotha supporter and general. Can't quite accept that the war is over. She'll try to whip up a bunch of politics, so be ready for that.”

Still skeptical, I followed him, ”Uh, thanks.”

Grotokia put me in front of two aliens and turned to walk off, leaving me behind, ”Talk with some of the show's sponsors while we wait. They'd love to hear about you from the man himself.”

I narrowed my eyes at the guy, irked that he roped me into this. Beside me, a blue, glowing sphere of energy was arguing with something reminiscent of a pitbull fused with a crocodile. Torix placed a hand onto my shoulder,

”I'll be roaming nearby, perhaps speaking with a few of these individuals to develop a network of contacts. Do your best, and enjoy your first taste of the wider galaxy. You've earned it.”

The crocodile pit raised his voice, swinging his hands at the floating ball. I frowned, ”Uh, I'll do my best.”

Torix walked off as the argument increased in volume till I could hear it.

”Your kind needs no meat nor blood for sustenance. That doesn't make your race innately superior. To judge us on our biology is no different than speciesism. It is to condemn us for what we are instead of who we are.”

That impassioned speech came out of the mouth of the muscled, armor-plated ball of teeth. The creature spoke with a noble voice too, defying my expectations. The sphere of light responded in a soothing voice,

”Your species may find enlightenment by joining us. Our co-habitation programs enable a long term solution to your carnivorous habits. You choose to kill despite alternatives being present.”

With clawed hand, the beast raised a palm to the sphere, ”Your co-habitation is mind control, and the Kysars will have no part in it. We need no masters.” The beast turned to me,

”Ah, are you the warrior we've heard so much about? I didn't notice you. This golemite is pushing his religion onto me, and I let him drag me into an argument.”

The blue sphere of energy rotated in the air, its voice radiating into my mind, ”Take no heed in his words, Gray Giant. We were not arguing at all. I was merely informing him of the error in his ways. I am simply spreading the Final Light as well as I can so that all may see.”

The Kysar rolled his eyes, waving the sphere away with a clawed hand, ”He's insufferable, isn't he?”

I shrugged, ”I can't tell just yet. If he plans on shoving religion down my throat, then yeah, he'll be pretty damn annoying.”

The sphere bounced in the air, ”What! This is most undesirable. I meant no harm or ill will when informing either of you about the truth of the universe.”

The Kysar crossed his arms, ”Good intentions mean little. Actions are the meat and bones of life.”

I pointed at the reptile guy, ”I can agree with that.”

The Kysari reached out a hand, ”Then its good that we finally met. I'm BloodClaw Mor, an emissary for the Kysars. We're here to offer you a deal.”

The alien waited on me to grab his hand, so I reached out and clasped it. He gripped my hand like we were about to arm wrestle in the air. BloodClaw shook his arm and gave me a curt nod at the same time. I liked the guy already.

I wouldn't take chances though.

BloodClaw Mor(lvl 9,823 | Class: Breaker | Race: Kysar) - BloodClaw works with the Speakers of his planet to reach out for useful individuals. The Kysar lack an affinity for magic and mana in general, their reliance on physical combat overwhelming most opponents regardless.

Against many eldritch, some form of magic or augmented physical strikes are necessary, however. This makes the Kysars reliant on outside races for a variety of tasks, such as clearing certain kinds of dungeons. They often exchange their services for guarding and mercenary work as they make for brutally effective soldiers against most sentients, particularly in enclosed areas.

This has created an exciting specialization of the species. They're formidable in battle, so be wary of making this one your enemy. Your best course of action in combat is prolonging the exchange. Your regeneration will enhance your odds of winning with every passing second.

Abuse those strengths.

After reading up about BloodClaw, I turned towards the blue orb. A white aura emanated from the being, its body amorphous and composed of energy alone. Within it, tiny purple dots rotated along an axis at its center. Those specks sped up as its voice radiated into my head, reminding me of the gialgathens,

”This is an unwelcome turn of events. My first impression is surely off from what I intended, and therefore, excuse my previous transgressions. I am Animato, a member of the golemite. We are a collection of amorphous energy beings, and we spread the Final Light's message of truth.”

I pointed at him, ”How pushy are you?”

”Why, not pushy at all! My goal is to simply prevent the utter destruction and casting away into oblivion of all other species when the Final Light arrives. This virtuous aim guides me, and that is why I have come here today.”

I didn't really know what to say to the guy/girl/thing. Animato was outside of my realm of expertise to say the very least. The blue ball had me curious though.

”So you want me to convert or something along those lines, right?”

”I would hope to convince you of even more. This interview will give you a tremendous reach to this planet. You can save the souls of perhaps billions of sentients by doing only a few simple tasks.”

BloodClaw rolled his eyes, the horn crests over his eyes sheening on the midmorning light,

”Perhaps you can enlighten the Gray Giant to the simple tasks you want?”

”Of course, and thank you for offering a transition into my pitch. All you need to do Gray Giant is convert to the Final Light's way of thinking, brand a complex symbol into your forehead, never speak again, and allow co-habitation of a golemite being within you!”

BloodClaw nudged my elbow, ”See, a great deal isn't it?”

I raised a palm to Animato, ”How about no.”

”But sir, you-”

”I don't think I need to hear anything else. The offer was as tempting as chewing a steel cactus.”

”Perhaps a 'cactus' would be pleasant to chew in steel form?”

The kysar beside me laughed, his deep voice dishing out a guttural grunt,

”He's a lost cause. You and me though, we can make this worth our while.”

”I'm listening.”

”This is what we need from you. A cluster of rifts opened near one of my buddies cities. We aren't the best at clearing the eldritch coming out of it, so I was hoping we could contact you. We'll be giving about 500,000 credits per red dungeon core and twenty million for every blue core. You get to keep them of course.”

I shrugged, ”I've got more than enough money.”

BloodClaw waved his hands, ”I get, I get it. You're more about technology then? We have more gizmos and gadgets than most espens could dream up. You help us, we give you the schematics to make any gear you could want.”

”Ok, that I can get behind. Give me your contact info. I'll send you a message after the tournament.”

BloodClaw leaned back and opened his jaws. He reached into his throat, pulling out a capsule of some sort. Inside it, a series of dry paper cards shook in it. He popped open the cap and pulled out a business card, pointing it to me,

”You know where to find me then.”

I took the card despite it being pretty gross. I put it into my dimensional storage as the Kysar walked off. I turned to walk towards the film crew as Animato shot in front of me,

”But sir, doesn't the salvation of billions of souls sound like a fair deal to help us? Unless you lack morals complete-”

I raised my palm to the thing, ”No, I'm good on my own.”

The orb sighed, ”Then yet another opportunity is wasted. I must reflect on my way of communication. It's failed me almost without fail.”

”You're asking for too much for too little.”

”The soul's salvation is all I may offer.”

”Then you're offering jack shit.”

”I...I don't know what to say to that besides for impolite suggestions. Since my mind is reaching a blank in this scenario, I shall refrain from speaking any more.”

I gave him a thumbs up, ”Yeah, you do that. I have an interview to do.”

The orb shivered in the air, the blue color changing to a reddish hue. I walked past it, ignoring the thing's frustration. It lacked any personal awareness, and that killed off any relationship I wanted with him. Maybe other, er, golemites were different, but that guy just gave off the wrong impression.

As I walked forward, I ran into other aliens. This time, a discordant group of metal blocks spoke with a slender, feminine blob. They were just as odd as the last duo, so I tried stepping past them, but they wouldn't let me. The group of metal blocks condensed into a humanoid, blocky form. It grasped my shoulder with more force than necessary,

”Stop. You must stop your callous destruction of this planet.”

Its metallic voice rang in my ears as I leaned back from the golem, analyzing it.

Kregowa (lvl 13,000 | Class: Seeker | Race: Golemite) - A member of the golemites, this sentient collection of minerals works as a rare sub-class known as a Seeker. Though lacking the combat potential of a Fringe Walker or Breaker, the Seeker compensates with tremendous potential for exploration. It enables no resource lifestyle along with immortality and even allows for escapes and a relatively high-level cap for extra attribute points. This also comes with their signature wormhole abilities.

This wormhole specialization enables Seekers to travel between worlds with unmatched ease. This in conjunction with their resilience makes them natural explorers. Kregowa is a notable Seeker, having used his class to the absolute limits of its effectiveness. He's discovered thousands of worlds for the Golemites, allowing the atronach species to harvest minerals and natural clusters of mana along the way. As their species is a treasure hunting congregation, this grants him respect among his peers.

While not a direct threat, Kregowa will be very difficult to pin down and kill, even for you.

I shoved his hand off my shoulder,

”You're assuming a lot about me. Not exactly fair.”

The golemite took a step towards me, ”Mana creation overloaded. Stealing from Giess's natural reserves inevitable. I come to cease rapid corruption of natural resources.”