The Systemic Lands

Chapter V – Day 170 – The Birth of the Ritualist

“Impressive work Chase,” Ken said.

“Thank you, Elected Representative Ken,” I replied. It wasn’t like I could do anything else. I was trapped under his thumb. For now.

“Call me Ken. We are good friends now.” He was looking at the flasks I had prepared with the crystal solution along with the write up I had done on their effects. “Twenty crystals per flask is quite high, for ten doses.”

“It is, but it is the optimal ratio I have found. Also, the raw powder is too difficult to handle. Better to bottle it up, or flask it up as it were.” Ken nodded at that.

“With the flask and flavoring, it is 205 points. Expensive.”

“Perhaps a return program for the flasks. Offer a discount if a flask is brought back in good condition. Also, color coding for the level of crystal.”

“Potions. We are going to call them potions.”

“Potions, really?” I asked. It seemed way too medieval for my taste.

“It is a gaming term. I have been asking around. Calling them potions will get more people to accept them. Call the period of weakness a cooldown. The high will be a buff. We will market it like that. Well, getting customers will be tricky. Champion Michael…” Ken trailed off.

“Well, as long as the flasks are closed, the liquid won’t evaporate. If you want more of a stockpile, then I will need more crystals.”

“Yes, of course. I will authorize more to be released. The blood, you keep asking for more and more?”

“Working on a more potent version. But I haven’t had any luck so far. The color of the powder is different. I tried the beer from the store as well, but it was like water. Same with fruit juice. Just need to do a lot more research.”

“Don’t worry, there are always more people. Good work. For now, we will build up a stockpile, and I will sell through a proxy. Too much risk otherwise. Louis.”

“Yes?” The man asked.

“Authorize another 60,000 point distribution. I want 50,000 of those points to be turned into potions. The rest can be payment. Chase here is doing a great job.”

“I will make it happen. You want me to go through that channel?” Louis asked.

“Yes. Will you need an assistant, or can you keep up with the demand?” Ken turned towards me.

“I will make it happen.” He frowned for a split second. I knew he wanted to know what I was doing. That was something I wasn’t about to give up. He would have to give a lot more crystals to put me on the back foot by not being able to complete his request.

“Excellent.”

When I went to the store, two guards escorted me along with a cart full of packs containing crystals. Waving me past the guards on duty. I noted one of the guards assigned by Louis paid them a bribe as well and we were waved on through. I wasn’t about to complain as I cashed in 30,000 points. I purchased 48 more stat points. I boosted up all my stats by a little bit but focused on Spirit and Regeneration.

Body-5; Mind-5; Spirit-20; Perception-5; Aura-5; Regeneration-70; Endurance-5; Absorption-5 for a total of 120 upgrades.

“All the teams should be coming back today or tomorrow,” one of the guards said.

“Hopefully soon, so they tip us,” another guard mentioned.

“Teams are coming back today?” I asked.

“Union teams, they are on a 20 day monster grind, then 5 days off. Just in time for the election. Then they head out again. Most show up today or tomorrow, depending on how far away they are from Purgatory.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” I said with a smile.

“No problem. Have a great day.”

“You, too.” The guard Ken assigned me escorted me away. We returned the research area in Purgatory, away from the plaza.

I needed more crystals. A lot more crystals. The returning teams would provide the perfect opportunity. I didn’t know the layout of the city very well, but I knew there were four gates. I could wait at a gate and ambush a team there and steal their crystals.

I was nervous, but this was my chance. I needed to get all the crystals I could in order to escape Ken and death.

I had permission to leave whenever I wanted to check on the test subjects. I had made it a point to check on them at all times. Jerry couldn’t be bothered to stay up after the first couple of days. After dinner, I left the building, but didn’t go to the test subjects. I waved at one of the guards who waved back, but no one stopped me. I traveled a bit away from the research buildings and entered an empty building. My heart was pounding.

I quickly got to work. The first monster was a Brown Scorpion. That would be the center of my combat force. Then six large wolves for flanking, three on each side. Once I had summoned my monsters. I quickly traveled to the edge of the city and began making my way around, following the wall. I paid close attention to my route, so I could trace my steps back.

I waited in a building next to the entrance. It got darker and darker. I could do this! My monsters would do the fighting for me. Just needed to wait and be patient.

Finally, a tired looking team came through the tunnel, pulling a cart loaded with packs. I had the scorpion rush at them. While the small wolves came at them from behind a moment later.

“What-!”

“Acid Shot!” My scorpion dodged to the side, causing the skill to only graze it. I could feel the pain, but it was muted.

“A monster here!”

“Ahhh!” One of the women screamed as a wolf slammed into her back, sending her sprawling on the ground. The entire area descended into chaos. I sent two wolves at the skill user, who was quickly overwhelmed.

Ack! I threw up my dinner as I sensed blood flowing through the various mouths. Innards, bone, and guts. It was horrible. I threw up again, but my stomach just dried heaved, since it was empty.

Soon, everyone was dead, and silence hung in the air. I exited the building, ignoring the grizzly scene. It would clean itself up in a little while. There was no need to look. I could already see it through the monsters’ senses, but I didn’t want to see it myself.

Four people killed. I had lost three wolves and the scorpion. But I had won. Surprise and my ambush tactic were quite effective. I began pulling the cart back through the city.

“What are you doing here?” A gaunt looking man stepped out of the shadows.

“Just passing on by.”

“Well, it looks like you have some crystals to spare.” I didn’t have time for this!

“Sure, I am always willing to help out a person.” I turned my back, while I sent my remaining three wolves at the man.

“Good, I could really use a meal. Ahhh-“ He let out a scream as I ripped him apart. The nausea wasn’t as bad this time. I reflected on what a waste of good blood it was as I made my way back to the research area.

Once I was near the research area. I began carrying the packs back to my room.

“Need help?” One of the guards asked.

“No, just transferring some supplies. Good exercise, I sit around too much.”

“I hear you. Well, it is late, if you need help just ask.”

“Thanks.” I unloaded the crystals into my room. I had done it. I couldn’t believe my insane plan had worked. I still needed to turn them in, but I could work something out easily enough. The guards were told to listen to me or at least not interfere, and Ken clearly showed his trust in me multiple occasions. It wouldn’t be hard to figure something out.

I forced myself to go to bed. No matter how much I wanted to count the crystals, sleep was more important.

The next day, I woke up right away and began counting. I had stolen 1,982 50-point crystals, and 7,675 5-point crystals. That was 137,475 points. I could double my stat upgrades to 240 points with this many points.

After this, I could lay low until the teams went out again and returned to the city. I could build up my supply of blood powder. I could also experiment more with my summoned monsters. I needed to increase my control. Once the fighting started, it was overwhelming to manage everything at the same time. I needed to practice more.

The monsters didn’t have any instincts, only what I told them to do. While the instructions were at the speed of thought, I needed to optimize control. Come up with a set of pre-defined tactics. I needed to get used to the grizzly and visceral nature of controlling monsters.

This place was a lawless hell hole, and I wasn’t about to let anyone take advantage of me. I was going to escape the drug lord Ken and not be killed by him.

Over the following couple of days, I made various trips to the store, cashing in crystals, one pack at a time, purchasing more and more stat points.

Bay Day 178, I had turned in all my ill-gotten gains and doubled all my stats.

Body-10; Mind-10; Spirit-20; Perception-10; Aura-10; Regeneration-140; Endurance-10; Absorption-10 for a total of 240 upgrades.

I left a couple of slimes in an empty building, practicing moving them about during the day. The brown slimes were quite good at clinging to surfaces and going unnoticed when still and placed up high. The ambush potential was quite good. I tested other combinations as well.

Having a blue slime on top of a wolf’s head, removed the worst part of a slime. Its low speed and massively increased the deadliness of a wolf. Still, nothing beat the level 2 scorpions for sheer durability and attack.

I reconstructed a striped meerkat. The controlling its teleportation ability was headache inducing. The sudden shift in perspective and nothing else could be observing the monster, not even another monster. This required more practice timing when I would have monsters blink or look away. Also, its attack and defense weren’t that good. It would only work as a surprise, not a very good one at that.

It was a good opening attack for distraction in my opinion. A striped meerkat could break a formation and cause people to panic much more than they should. Send in the wolves with slimes, and scorpions after that. At least two monsters per person to overwhelm any chance of defense.

I would keep blood powder and crystals on me as an emergency reserve. I was already putting together a pack with labeled containers and flasks filled with powder and crystals all from one type of monster for the various storage devices. All in preparation for when I would finally escape.

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