5 The Last City
"Guardian, are you alright? I've healed your injuries but my light is still suffocated from the dark here. Can you move."
I slumped on the ground feeling that I had exhausted most of my light energy using my super. But glancing at my HUD, there were no more enemies left alive.
"Looks like we succeeded clearing the hive nest." I exclaimed.
"Hmm yes guardian, my sensors show no more hive activity in the vicinity. Any idea what we will do now."
"Light up the compound, I am sure there must be some electronics still on the grid with latent power."
"Affirmative guardian, just give me a moment." ghost responded and flew away, tinkering with the electric panels.
As he did, I pulled out my system screen to read what the previous prompt was.
=======================
{Legendary Guardian System}
* Host has unlocked new mission.
+Golden Age Scavenger (1/15):
objectives: Clear Golden Age vault encounters in the Cosmodrome(1/15)
rewards: +Golden Age Schematics, ++Golden Age Blueprints, +Golden Age Access Key
remark: "The past haunts us guardian, make sure its put to rest."
=======================
Golden age schematics and blueprints... I did not know what they represented. But for the system to specifically highlight these rewards must mean they are somewhat important.
Regardless, for now I felt extremely satisfied with my powers. At first I wasn't sure if I would even be able to use shadowshot, but my previous performance and also left me in awe. The raw power of that shot had almost shaken the foundations of this vault. Though it still wouldn't be anything compared to a high warlock's nova bomb, it still packed quite a punch.
I had to realize that hunters weren't much for mass destruction, but mostly were trained to focus on one target. We took a lot of risks to eliminate one prime target and all our abilities would largely depend on that.
Nevertheless, it all worked out in the end. The hive swarm was dead, and I was very much alive.
Just as I returned to my senses and scrambled up from the ground, I heard another prompt.
==================
{Legendary Guardian System}
+Level up 1 ---> 2
+ Combat perks
++Subclass xp
==================
Seeing the notification pop up, I immediately pulled up my status window.
=============================
Name: Void Blade
Class: Hunter
Level: 2
Light Level: 5
Subclass: Nightstalker Lv. 2/10 *
Equipment: (LL refers to Light Level)
>Primary: Traveller's Chosen*(0/0) 5LL ] Armor: (Head) > Trashed Mask
>Secondary: None ] Armor:(Gauntlets) > Golden Age Grips (Common): 3 LL
> Heavy: None ] Armor:(Chest)> Golden Age Vest (Common): 4 LL
> Ghost Lv1 ] Armor:(Boots)>Scorched Hunter Strides 3LL
* = 4% boost in accuracy for headshots against fallen enemies
Combat Perks: (2 Unlocked)
~Spectral Shade: In combat, enemies have a higher probability of losing your presence if you break line of sight.
~Void Imbalance: Grenades are likely to explode immediately when shot with void weapons or void energy.
================================
I immediately read up on my perks, and honestly the addition wasn't too bad. If I could immediately explode grenades then they would practically become closer to mini rockets, exploding at any point I wanted.
But also, the perk never mentioned whose grenades, which meant that I could also target grenades other than my own, forcing them to explode earlier. Though it was probably not the intended outcome of the perk. I could say that if anyone was careless around me, it would be instant death by their own equipment.
Furthermore, a new subclass level...I could possibly choose a subclass skill to go but which one. After some speculation, I decided to go with shadestep. It would allow me to evade at very close ranges and probably come out unscathed...
Without this perk, I would likely not master this skill for years, but with it I would gain an upper hand that only dedicated hunters could match.
In reality, there were definitely other perks to choose from the subclass, but a thought struck me...If I actually learn those skills, will they still be available to learn as perks. It was a sly thought, because I could possibly finesse the system by learning it myself.
But it was still an unverified claim.
"For starters, I can probably train the double jump onto a triple. Once I manage to do that, I will see if I automatically unlock the perk."
(A/N: For all the people unfamiliar with perks/abilities of each class, don't worry I have added a screenshot in the paragraph comments showcasing abilities for the subclass and perks/miscellaneous perks. )
As I was brooding on my plans, the lights to the hall suddenly lit up as the breaker tripped.
"Looks like ghost was successful."
Slowly the whole compound was lit up and functioning, I could hear a few security panels going haywire, but they soon shut off.
Ghost flew back to me and then explained.
"Guardian, I've accessed the database for this vault. Turns out it's a storage facility from the golden age for materials. Better yet, we were right, I have found four ship hangars on standby beyond that hanger gate, but it appears to be hidden by a wall. My sensors are still picking up on engine presence inside, there must be some ships we can salvage."
"Hidden? There's no other mechanisms?" I questioned
"Likely not, the motors to trigger the mechanism have long since decayed. I think the hive presence here deteriorated the machinery. We've no choice but to rip through that wall."
Ghost directed me towards a lead panel that seemed slightly out of place. Normally there would be a switch or an access panel. But as he said, it was likely we had just blown that shit apart in the last battle.
I crept closer to the wall as my hand caressed its surface. A few tries later, I managed to feel a small dent behind the wall through my perception.
It was indeed a hidden mechanism, but the trigger was no longer present. The walls seemed to be made out of steel alloy, strong enough to last orbital strikes. There was no way I could punch through.
But just because it was resistant to blasts did not mean it was resistant to other forms of damage.
I looked around the hall seeing the walls eroded from hive nests. After all, if the hive can dig through them, their claws must have some special attribute.
"Ghost, search for a special hive compound on thralls we just killed. Most bodies have disintegrated but the ones that are left. Search for their claws, fangs anything with corrosive properties."
"Got it guardian" Ghost's light scanned the whole room, and within a minute I could see many hive fragment on the floor.
"I've marked them for you guardian."
I paced around the room, gathering all the shards I could. Hive were a strange species. They were built for combat and magic, but their bodies itself were highly compatible with many corrosive properties.
I had just about gathered thirty fragments of hive bone and fangs. Carrying them over to the wall, I began to try and crease the panels.
Sure enough, some fragments couldn't as much as leave a scar, but others could mark a distinct crease on the surface of the metal.
"Do you see this, these corrosive properties are what probably drain our health at rapid speed."
Ghost nodded and we tested all the fragments I could gather.
From the thirty I had found, about only 18 were corrosive. The others were internal bone fragments, not amounting to anything special.
The rest that were useful, I had already bundled up. The reasons were simple, if in their shard form they could cause such damage to panels, what if I could forge a blade with these materials. That would surely let me damage most alloys from the golden age, and also serve as an excellent melee weapon.
"Ghost, is there any possibility of crafting a knife from these fragments." I inquired.
"Hmm, Let me scan them." A few probing lasers and scans later, ghost shifted to its database form as its eyes connected to the old satellites for accessing information.
"Guardian, these fragments are made of a special mineral, corrosive and radio active in nature. Through some unique biological phenomenon, the hive can utilize this radioactive power at will. Call it magic if you will. We can fashion a blade, but it won't last long. It will be very fragile as this compound requires constant blood flow to remain intact for longer durations. Mostly like human teeth. It might be hard right now, but in a few days it will continue to deteriorate internally."
"Do you reckon we can craft something to get through the panel?"
"Hmm, it is likely, but we don't currently posses any crafting stations."
" You said this was a storage facility, at best we can salvage some of their old components and fashion it into a forge. The arc in the power supply can produce enough heat to melt through hive bone fragments for sure."
"That... is a brilliant idea guardian. I will get us access to the power grid, you should setup some material to fashion the blade.. Though it is a bit risky, I can always standby for revive. Now that the hive are cleared, my connection to the light is strong."
"That's the plan for now, alright meet back in a few minutes"
I waved him off and began scavenging the grounds.
Just my luck but as I did all I found was rubble and old wirings. But just as I had forgotten, I paced back to the dead robot. Sure enough as I pulled its body out to the open, most of its components were intact.
It had a polygonal body structure with a cuboid head. But the best thing was its durability. Thank god, golden age engineers had made this thing to last. I could feel the alloy used in manufacturing this was similar to the steel used in the walls.
I went ham on it and began disassembling all its components. What I was looking for was simple, some metal to mix in, and also a handle.
Thankfully, using its synaptic spine was good enough. It was a robust material built to last long wear and tear, evident from its pristine appearance despite being 100's of years old.
I unscrewed the spine or...well tried at least. In the end I was force to rip through the iron bolts mounting it to the body. Not too hard considering as a hunter I possessed incredible physical strength.
I now possessed a durable carbon fiber alloy stem, that I could ultimately fashion into a handle. As for the rest of the robot, that was probably going to be disassembled into a make shift hammer.
I ripped off its shoulder joint still attached to its arm.
"Good enough" I exclaimed
Examining its joint structure, it had used a round multi-directional joint in the shoulder, weighing around 10 kg of pure metal. The arm itself would serve as a hammer, all I needed was a bit of blunt force anyway.
Securing my two materials, I began to disassemble the rest of its electronics, mostly because the material used was copper or gold. Which were extremely ductile and malleable materials.
Me being strong as I was. I simply needed to cold forge a plate that I could pour my molten knife into.
A few whacks of the hammer were enough to get the gold alloy into a square shape. I hammered in some copper with the shoulder, and kept blasting it with force so it would flatten.
Eventually I got a pretty good solid plate.
"Guardian, I am done on my side" Ghost's voice resounded in the empty hall.
"Yeah I am done too."
I carried over the plate, the hammer and placed it on a makeshift rubble pile we had gathered.
"Now all you need to do is pull down this wire, and when you do it will act as a hose of pure arc. You will probably lose your hand, but I can regenerate that easily. Make sure to direct it properly to melt the materials."
"Don't worry I've got this."
I pulled down the black wire as instructed, and as I did I could feel the power directing through it. Pouring over my hive fragments and the cold steel, I placed them on a caved rock and ripped the wire. As I did , million of volts of electricity jolted through me.
As expected, I thought I would die a few times, but fortunately, ghost had been healing me simultaneously. Suffice to say, it was painful. I probably burned my nerve endings doing this as the jolt rushed into my body.
A pain I could not describe as my cells got electrocuted just to be rejuvenated and repeat the process.
The arc had managed to melt the materials just fine, then I placed a the gold and copper plate under it, making my best effort to laser through a mold. Thankfully the material was soft, and easy to work.
I was able to weld off a somewhat clean mould using the arc. Ghost had obviously been helping me by power cycling the arc as I shifted tasks.
Finally I placed the mould above the rocks, and poured over the materials while simultaneously providing enough arc to melt only hive fragments again. It was similar to a focused laser.
Soon enough the blade part was completely molten and the mould was starting to heat up, so I stopped. A few hours later the blade had cooled down on the rock, but a lot of impurities had mixed in.
I mean fair enough, the crude forging method had only worked because of certain special circumstances, be it the rocks having a higher melting point due to be being closer underground and not being as heat conductive, or the arc being strong enough to melt the metal. It was all a lucky play that had somehow worked out.
As I crept closer, a few notification popped up.
======================
+ Learned Crude Crafting 1/10
*Crafted: Crude Hive Fang
======================
I grabbed the blade, and then proceeded to jam it inside the carbon fiber stem. It wasn't exactly stable, but I could make it work.
Wrapping around some copper and gold wire around the handle multiple times allowed the blade to somewhat be tightened around the carbon fiber. For now at least it wouldn't fall out.
Naturally, I wasted no more time, and went to town on the hangar panels. A few hours of digging and the poison had corroded through the thick sheet of protective layer. I could see the electronic mechanism, and just poking the wire a few times to short circuit it was enough to trigger it again.
The hanger immediately sprung open, swinging out and above as it revealed the thing hidden inside.
"Guardian these are...arcadia class jumpships"
I could see about four of them, covered with a white cloth hidden inside the hanger.
"Try seeing if you can pilot any of those."
"Affirmative guardian." Ghost immediately sprang into action.
I guess he was more eager to go back to the tower than I had thought.
A few minutes later, I got the ok from ghost and now we could technically fly the ship out, despite it being old. Thought as I expected, the ship wouldn't survive planetary travel.... some things just never change.
"So... how do we take this out?"
"Don't worry guardian, most hangers have a low fly exit that we can probably use. I will trigger the doors from this side, and also I've connected you with the transmat system on board. You can now sit inside the ship."
"Alright then, let me know when we're ready."
I clicked the transmat on my grips and I was instantly seated inside the ship. I've got to admit, these ships looked much cooler in real life. The seat, the controls...they all seemed unreal. It was like actually piloting a spaceship...
A few minutes later, I heard a warning light and sure enough the hanger had a secret exit in one of the walls that opened up. Though I did hear it clear away some debris, when it did.
Ghost transmatted back into the ship and we were ready to go.
"Alright guardian, I've already set the coordinates, now you can relax. We'll reach the Last City in approximately two hours going from the orbital route."
I've nothing else to tell you, because I immediately fell asleep somewhere along the journey. One thing though, the gforces hitting me in the face as we climbed to orbit were practically insane. It was faster than an F1 car, or even a sonic jet.... and this was basic in the golden age.
It really had me excited for what technology I would discover.
Soon enough, my eyes glanced out the windshield and I spotted the traveler's silhouette hanging about the last city.
"We are home guardian, the last city on earth. Humanities last survivors hold up the walls, and we are here to protect them."
I could see the tower clearly. It was in pristine condition, not what I was used to since the red war had completely thrashed it.
I was mesmerized by the advanced city below me, but more than ever, I was excited to meet the other guardians... Surely the players were not here yet. But what of the vanguard.
As my ship slowly pulled into the central harbor. I transmatted out and landed in the hanger.
A blonde woman dressed in a black overalls and a red scarf walked over to me, holding a clipboard as she fussed around. I could see her hands were still drenched in mechanic grease.
"Hey you, guardian, what do you think you're doing pulling this scrap ship in the service lane. Can't you read the signs, parking's over there hotshot"
But of course, Amanda Holliday, the towers prime mechanic and lead consultant on machinery.
I stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say, but before I even stuttered another word, she retorted.
"Can't you hear me guardian, move the ship to zone A3, and park with the rest, this harbor is reserved for mainta-.... Wait a minute, no history of this ship ever landing. No radio frequency connection, no authorization code.... You...you're a new one aren't you. Freshly risen"
She immediately got to the crux of the matter, her eyes darting through the clipboard to see if she made a mistake
"Yeah, I am. Name's Void. Sorry for the mess, but it took me quite a while to get here." I apologized.
"No no that's alright...but to think we've finally got a new one. You need to visit the vanguard. They will be more than eager to hear your story. Matter of fact, your the only guardian who's new for months on end. Frankly they were kind of stressed. But since you're here, it can only be a good sign."
She smiled, as her worries faded slightly.
=========================
+New mission added:
*The Vanguard Awaits
=========================
----------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was slightly long though. Leave a comment if you did and don't forget to leave a review.
