“That’s bullshit,” Atlanta said angrily. “How the hell do you have so many skills? And what are your levels? Mine are up there for the whole galaxy to see, but not yours?”
“Yes, that is odd,” Tyranis said. “This will not be shown to the other League members, but typically even the Hero has his screen shared for the Records.”
“Hey, I have no idea why it’s like that,” Asher admitted. He always assumed it was his Star/Hero System that blocked his status and System to people. Something Joony had said made him think there was something else going on. The screens dimmed and the purple orb turned black. It was floating above the ground a few feet, but slowly it dropped until it touched the floor. “Did we break it?”
“No, that is supposed to happen. We will repeat this step after each trial.”
“Dang,” Tiff said. “My husband so rich. Where you get all those Syscos?” Tiff asked.
“Got half for reaching level 30,” he admitted.
“30!” More than one person said aloud.
“Yeah, happened a few days ago,” Asher admitted. He knew all their stuff, it wouldn’t hurt for them to know something about him. “One of my Experience Methods got patched afterward, so I doubt I can repeat the feat.”
“This son of a bitch System gives this guy a diamond studded golden freakin spoon,” Atlanta cursed under her breath. Everyone heard her in the tight space.
“I said I was the strongest Earth System User,” he said to her with a wink. She gritted her teeth but kept quiet.
“Alright people,” Tyranis said. “With this done there is not much else we need to do. Do you all have any requests?”
“I’d like to see how the ship works,” Carl said from the side.
“I’d like to discuss common courtesy between other species. Also it would be great to understand more things about the other League members,” Asher admitted.
“I would like to visit a training area if you have one,” Abby piped in.
“I want to go shopping,” Tiff admitted. “You’re buying me something fancy,” Tiff told him.
“Anything for you,” he whispered.
“Ok then. Let’s start with the last one first. Kytor is our local Merchant for the trip, he should be back at the Mess Hall,” Tyranis said. Soon they were walking back the way they had come.
“Vincent, why didn’t you say you had the Strife System?” Asher asked, standing next to the military man.
“Umm because I don’t know what that means,” he admitted, like it was obvious.
“You don’t know Cloud Strife?” Keera asked on the other side.
“You’re a fan too?” Asher asked her. She smiled happily, she must have noticed his skills as well.
“How the hell can you just use limit breaks man? I mean Materia? I’d give up my System in a heartbeat for yours?” Asher said. Keera nodded.
“Asher, I really don’t know how to use anything but Limit Break,” he admitted.
“Well you probably just need some System Gear. You have plenty of Syscos. Let’s buy you some slotted gear, and then we can go train,” Asher said confidently.
“I can’t do that. I was given most of these to purchase space flight and other things for the American Government,” he admitted.
Asher looked around. “I don’t see anyone,” Asher said. “Do you Keera?”
She shook her head looking around. The 2 of them had gotten closer over the last few days, and Asher liked the small nerdy girl. “See what?” Vincent asked.
“I don’t see anyone from the government,” Asher admitted. “I mean there's you, but if we don’t tell, then who would? You have to know there will be no government to come collect when we are back anyway. Just spend the Syscos. We need every advantage we can get for the Trials,” Asher said. Keera nodded. Vincent began to sweat.
“Ah Kytor, perfect,” Tyranis said. “The Earthlings would like to go shopping.”
“Oh Goddess, is it really him?” Kytor asked. He was a much younger elf than Asher was used to. He looked and acted more like a teen, but he was probably a thousand years old. He had blonde hair of course, but his bubbly attitude and slightly deeper voice painted him as male. Kytor ran up to Ash. “I’ve always wanted to meet a Lawful Good in person. It is a true honor,” he said. His smile beamed.
“Uh thanks,” Asher said awkwardly, shaking his hand. “But it’s not that big of a deal,” he admitted.
“Oh it is,” Kytor said excitedly. “Maybe not for the older generation,” he admitted, nodding at Tyranis. “But younger elves like me go crazy for Initialization Trials. You already have fan clubs, and deals in your name pending signatures.”
“Deals? Like what?” Asher asked.
Tyranis answered. “Like putting your name and face on items.”
“Great,” Asher said as his heart sank.
Tyranis could read his expression better than Kytor could. “Do not worry. Your popularity will die down in a few years. Some new high level dungeon will open or a planet will face destruction. Champion popularity never lasts.” Tyranis said it like it was supposed to make him feel better. The fact that he could be running into people like Kytor told him he really needed to disguise his face with Body Control.
“So how can I help you?” Kytor asked. Excited as ever he hopped up and down in anticipation.
“You are their first stop at a Merchant. Since their planet was pre-Initialization they didn’t have access to everything,” Tyranis said. With that a new screen popped up.
| SYSTEM STORE |
| Food |
| Armor |
| Weapons |
| Accessories |
| Storage Items |
| Potions |
| Ingredients |
| Currency |
| Pets |
| Maps |
| Spells |
| Scrolls |
| Auction |
| Languages |
| Miscellaneous |
| Raw Materials |
| Buildings |
| Communication |
| Instruments |
| Vehicles |
There were quite a few more categories to choose from. He wanted to check out Raw Materials, but Vehicles were too tempting. The Vehicles tab had a much longer list than he anticipated. There were some bikes, cars, and personal planes, but what drew his eye was the Custom option at the very bottom. He began to sweat with excitement to see what would be revealed.
The first on his list was K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider. It only got better from there. There were Gundams, Serenity from Firefly, the XPG from Outlaw Star, the Rocinante from the Expanse. All ranged from 2,000 to 5,000 Syscos. When he got to the bottom of the list to the massive ship from Pandorum he noticed most of them had a note.
“They’re all just blueprints,” he said disappointed. A few moans of anguish were let out. Ash noticed Abby and Batman had dejected looks on their faces.
“Well of course. Many of these would be too big for the System to materialize. But most all you can commission to be made. Many customize them to better fit their needs,” Kytor informed them. “There are a million enchants you can add: more space, gravity, healing rooms. Not including if you want to add Artificial Intelligence or certain weapons.”
“If we bought these plans, who would we need to contact to have it built?” Vincent asked.
He probably has the Highwind, Asher thought, his eyes widening as he pictured the legendary airship.
“We can contact the Majoris Guild. They specialize in Ethership construction. You would need to provide a deposit though. At least half the cost of a custom ship. I would say 15,000 Syscos,” Kytor said as he thought.
That sobered them up a little. With the 5,000 Sysco cost of ship blueprints, he would need 20,000. If everyone from the Guild put their money together they would have a little over 10,000 Syscos. Asher and Tiff would really have to get to work to better their odds of buying a ship. Before he asked the most important question he had another thought.
“What about Portals?” Asher asked. “A friend of mine back on Earth is a Portalmancer. Is there a machine to do that?”
“There is,” Tyranis admitted. “A Portalmancer on a pre-Initialized planet is rare, but to make a Portal across galaxies would require someone very high level. However, that is the most common method to get from one place to another. Ships can take you most anywhere, but you can make agreements with other planets to allow Portal access. This would take your people years though.”
“Why is that?” Asher asked.
“Not only is your planet locked for travel for the next few years, but no one wants to go to a planet recently Initialized. It is always a very dark history for any planet. The war and strife that can follow an Initialization makes them too volatile to risk portals. Most portals are only opened after treaties, trading of goods, or when marriages are agreed upon. Ah for instance, our original reason for going away from our home world. Fetince Burill.”
An alien came down a hallway toward them. He was as tall as Asher, bleached white hair, and pink skin. His ears were slightly pointed. Asher used Identification on him.
Blood Elf
Level ???
“Tyranis,” Fetince said with a bow. “Can I ask who might be these new passengers?” He had a haughty attitude and wouldn’t look them in the eye. His eyes were only met Tyranis. The Blood Elf wore a long dark robe that made it look like he was floating toward them.
“Of course, this is the new Champion, and his party,” Tyranis said.
“Yes of course,” Fetince said, still not looking at them. “I remember hearing about more Champion Trials. I assume we are on our way to your planet again?”
“Yes, we should arrive within 12 more cycles,” Tyranis said. Fetince gave another nod and walked back the way he came.
Tyranis turned back to them with the Burill’s absence. “Fetince is the next in line for the Burill Guild. The Burill run a planet with a lot of resources. A planet we would like to strike a trade deal with.” Tyranis locked eyes with Asher. “He is the fiance of my daughter, Lyola.”
Asher’s eyes widened a little but then he forced himself back to calmness. Tiff and he grimaced as they side eyed one another. He had to know, Asher thought. He felt stupid taking that selfie after sleeping with Lyola and her guard. It had been plastered on the news after his accounts were hacked. Ash wasn’t able to watch TV before he left because of all the new reports on him. From his amateur porn video, to his sexcapades with an off-world babe.
Batman and Abby also gave him the side eye. George was a huge gossip, and Asher was positive he had told everyone in the guild of Asher’s deeds. Luckily no one knew the mysterious elf’s name or else all of them would be looking at him. He needed to change the subject quickly. Asher’s face became red as he turned back to Kytor.
“Kytor, maybe you can help me understand a little more about the System. In our guild there are Blacksmiths, Leatherworkers, Enchanters, and all types of different Production Systems. I assume that is the same on all planets?”
“Of course, there are also specializations the higher level you go, Weaponsmiths, Armor, Shipwrights, Portal Engineers; it all depends on how you level your System. The System will reward you based on those efforts with skills that better define what you need,” Kytor said.
“That brings me to my real question. I see this Raw Materials tab. Of this, what would be the most desirable and expensive item?” Asher asked.
“I wouldn’t buy any of this from Raw Materials,” Kytor admitted. “The System charges way more than you can get most of this at a physical shop in person.” Asher’s heart sank at the admission. “Most planets have sources for these items through treaties. There are different grades of course and they become more expensive and harder to work with the tougher the material. If you look down the list of the Raw Material it will go from least expensive to most. Iron, Steel, Stainless Steel, Black Steel. These will help those professions level up, and have a semi-fair price in the System. The much rarer and harder materials: Kalanite, Regilium, Mithril, Elatium, Fligenium; cost exponentially more than they would on a League planet.”
“You have to realize that there are thousands of planets that have been Initialized, and those thousands of planets have a dozen or more planets in their solar system ripe with resources. And don’t get me started on the elemental metals: Pyronite, Aqualitium, Frolium. Sometimes a planet will strike a vein of these and the price will plummet, other times they become rare, but they are still cheaper than the System could provide. The System Store is there for those in need. Look at Water and Food. 1 Sysco each. Why on our planet, you could survive on 1 Sysco for a month at least.”
“Really? So how do you purchase items on other planets?” Batman asked. Everyone was now interested in the explanation.
“Do you see the Currency option in your Shops?” Kytor asked. Asher did, he clicked it, and was met with an alphabetized list of what he guessed were currency options. “All of these are planets,” Kytor corrected. “Once your planet completes the Tutorial there will be System Sponsored Conferences. During those conferences the representatives will vote on everything from future challenges to the agreed upon currency of the planet. Once that currency has been decided, the System will assign a planetary currency to Sysco conversion based on how many Syscos people have. Then, on your planet they use that new Currency Standard to conduct their day to day. If you go down to Elantontrin, which is our planet, you will see the conversion there.” Asher did so, it took a while. They were alphabetical of course, but there were thousands of options. “This currency will fluctuate for the first few years, but by the time your borders open up it will pretty much stay the same.” Asher read 1 Sysco = 2,000 Elantontrin Standard.
“Then if I wanted to buy water on your planet, it would be…”
“1 Elantontrin Standard or ES for short,” Kytor admitted.
“Jeez. Yeah I guess that makes sense,” Asher admitted. He had been spending Syscos like crazy. “So I really shouldn’t be buying from merchants or my own System Store?” Asher asked.
“You can,” Kytor admitted. “Custom options are always a good idea to check out. Blueprints are easier through the System because they could take months to draw up. But on every planet there are always new children. And when they reach the System Age of 16, 24, 60, 80, or 100, depending on your race, they will awaken and the Production Systems will need to level up somehow. Oftentimes you can commission new pieces, and simply pay material cost since it might help them level up. Unless you’re stuck in a dungeon or in the middle of nowhere, it’s always better to forego the System Store. As you can see, I am a high level merchant, so of course people still need System Items, and I can provide people with a discount. There is always demand.”
“Ugh,” Tiff finally said. “Well you’re taking me shopping as soon as we land then.” Asher nodded.
“You mentioned our planet being locked out, what do you mean by that?” Asher’s dad asked.
“Of course your planet must be locked. The Systemic League is vast, and with good planets you will also have bad. Wars and skirmishes are always going on between planets for more resources. The System gives all newly Initialized planets a 5 year grace period before people can use their Ether Current.”
“What’s an Ether Current?” Carl asked.
“For that we will need Ental,” Tyranis said. The quiet elderly elf grumbled something under his breath but soon led them down a hallway. Kytor stayed behind, but the group followed, whispering to one another as they walked. They were soon in front of an overly large white door with the Roktai shield and arms sigil on it.
“Helion open,” Ental said. The door slid open to reveal what Asher assumed was the bridge. At the far end of the room there were 3 chairs. 2 on the side were occupied with elves. In front of them were many instruments, dials, and joysticks at their fingertips. On a screen straight ahead was the star filled blankness of space. Asher had a bout of vertigo at the sight. He had been ignoring the fact that they were hurtling through space at unknown speeds. With no movement on the ship he was able to convince himself that they were still on the ground.
Ental and Tyranis stopped at a white glowing disk on the floor at the center of the room. “Helion: current solar system view,” Ental said. A holographic 3-D view of the solar system appeared. The group gathered around it to watch. There was a large yellow sun at the center about the size of a baseball. Then each planet populated the view, small in comparison to the sun, but still noticeable. Asher counted to 3 until he saw Earth.
“Where are we right now?” Tiff asked.
“Helion: current location,” Ental ordered.
Another tiny light appeared, extremely close to the sun. Asher could slightly watch it move nearer. “We are there?” Abby couldn’t help but blurt out. “We are further than any human has gone before.”
“Psh you’re part Saiyin,” Asher whispered.
“You know what I mean,” she said. No anger in her, Asher watched all of them transfixed by the view. Asher looked back to the screen in front of the 2 quiet elves at the opposite end of the room. There were plenty of stars, but straight ahead there was one extra bright star. He guessed it was their sun.
“I assume your planet knows that all solar systems do not stay still, correct?” Ental explained. Asher wasn’t quite sure what he meant. “Helion: show solar system rotation, speed up time, and zoom out 10,000%.”
The holographic image zoomed out and slowly the solar system began rotating more quickly and moving upward toward the white disc on the ceiling of the room. “Your solar system, like all others, is always moving in a straight path at thousands of miles an hour. This path may seem odd, but there is a reason for it.” Ental explained ominously. It was weird for Asher to watch it happening. He thought he remembered a video online showing this once, but he felt like he was learning it for the first time. “Helion: show Ether Current Path.”
A bright white light raised from the base of the hologram. The clear white light moved up through the sun, and kept going. “All solar systems are connected by the Ether, and driven by it.” The sun and its planets kept rotating and following the main white path that was supposedly the Ether. “This Ether can be seen with the naked eye with training, but it connects all of us. Helion: zoom out to show the Systemic League planets and Ether routes.”
The screen shifted to show thousands of stars. Then those stars were connected with white paths of Ether in a spiderweb. The view was very humbling. They were all so small in the grand scheme of planets.
“These paths are what we use to travel where we do not have Portals. All are open, but you never want to just pop out in a solar system. Many League members monitor their routes and will attack those exiting without permission. There are a few planets that are quarantined by the League, but the only ones that are truly locked are ones locked by the System. These are newly Initialized planets. Helion, show restricted Ether routes only.”
Most all planets disappeared. What was left were 3 very small suns that were at opposite ends of the map. From the suns the Ether Routes branched off in long curves to go off to other solar systems that were now invisible. “The only people allowed to travel these routes are those quested to escort them, like us, and the people themselves.”
“How does the System guarantee no one else uses them?”
“The System is always watching. Though it wouldn’t act immediately. If someone were to exit the Ether anywhere from these lines they would be marked. It could take 100 years, but eventually the people that exited and their whole planet would be met with disaster,” Tyranis said. “There are horror stories at the beginning of the Systemic League. Back when space travel was still new, and people began traveling the Ether. Those that did not heed the System’s warning were left with a calamity. Dungeons littered their planet, too many for them to handle. Dungeon Breaks happened daily, and slowly their people were whittled down and became extinct. Since then the story has persisted, and no one risks it.”
The room was quiet. “You could travel to the planets without the Ether Routes though, right?” Asher’s mother asked.
“You could, but it would take months or years for a short distance that would take you a day in the Ether. Most people travel through the Ether. Ah, here we are,” Ental said, turning back to the view outside the ship. The sun was slowly becoming larger and larger, and was now beach ball sized on the screen as they hurtled toward it. Ental stepped away from the hologram and sat at the empty center chair. “Helion: Ether view.”
The screen blinked and now there was a white aura around the sun. “Cancel Majoris Drives,” Ental ordered. One of the other elves pushed buttons, but Asher didn’t feel anything. “Activate Ether Drive,” he ordered. Then Asher felt an actual burst of speed. The ship slowly turned away from the sun and went down, moving into the massive aura of the Ether.
Tyranis next to them spoke. “Helion: show path to Elantontrin.” The hologram focused on one solar system, then an Ether path interconnected to another 2 stars until it reached a 3rd. Then from that star the path broke off from the star until it reached a small planet. “That is where we will be going,” he announced. “It will take 10 Elantontrin day cycles to get through the Ether, then another 2 days of normal space travel to reach our planet. Until then I will make myself or someone else at your disposal.” Asher’s eyes were drawn to the screen in front of the crew. The white Ether flowed around them like water, and he could almost feel the increased speed in the ship.
They were soon ushered out of the bridge. The door shutting behind them Abby said, “I need a nap. That’s way too much shit to take in.” For once his mother didn’t raise a stink about cursing, she too was in a daze.
“That’s bullshit,” Atlanta said angrily. “How the hell do you have so many skills? And what are your levels? Mine are up there for the whole galaxy to see, but not yours?”
“Yes, that is odd,” Tyranis said. “This will not be shown to the other League members, but typically even the Hero has his screen shared for the Records.”
“Hey, I have no idea why it’s like that,” Asher admitted. He always assumed it was his Star/Hero System that blocked his status and System to people. Something Joony had said made him think there was something else going on. The screens dimmed and the purple orb turned black. It was floating above the ground a few feet, but slowly it dropped until it touched the floor. “Did we break it?”
“No, that is supposed to happen. We will repeat this step after each trial.”
“Dang,” Tiff said. “My husband so rich. Where you get all those Syscos?” Tiff asked.
“Got half for reaching level 30,” he admitted.
“30!” More than one person said aloud.
“Yeah, happened a few days ago,” Asher admitted. He knew all their stuff, it wouldn’t hurt for them to know something about him. “One of my Experience Methods got patched afterward, so I doubt I can repeat the feat.”
“This son of a bitch System gives this guy a diamond studded golden freakin spoon,” Atlanta cursed under her breath. Everyone heard her in the tight space.
“I said I was the strongest Earth System User,” he said to her with a wink. She gritted her teeth but kept quiet.
“Alright people,” Tyranis said. “With this done there is not much else we need to do. Do you all have any requests?”
“I’d like to see how the ship works,” Carl said from the side.
“I’d like to discuss common courtesy between other species. Also it would be great to understand more things about the other League members,” Asher admitted.
“I would like to visit a training area if you have one,” Abby piped in.
“I want to go shopping,” Tiff admitted. “You’re buying me something fancy,” Tiff told him.
“Anything for you,” he whispered.
“Ok then. Let’s start with the last one first. Kytor is our local Merchant for the trip, he should be back at the Mess Hall,” Tyranis said. Soon they were walking back the way they had come.
“Vincent, why didn’t you say you had the Strife System?” Asher asked, standing next to the military man.
“Umm because I don’t know what that means,” he admitted, like it was obvious.
“You don’t know Cloud Strife?” Keera asked on the other side.
“You’re a fan too?” Asher asked her. She smiled happily, she must have noticed his skills as well.
“How the hell can you just use limit breaks man? I mean Materia? I’d give up my System in a heartbeat for yours?” Asher said. Keera nodded.
“Asher, I really don’t know how to use anything but Limit Break,” he admitted.
“Well you probably just need some System Gear. You have plenty of Syscos. Let’s buy you some slotted gear, and then we can go train,” Asher said confidently.
“I can’t do that. I was given most of these to purchase space flight and other things for the American Government,” he admitted.
Asher looked around. “I don’t see anyone,” Asher said. “Do you Keera?”
She shook her head looking around. The 2 of them had gotten closer over the last few days, and Asher liked the small nerdy girl. “See what?” Vincent asked.
“I don’t see anyone from the government,” Asher admitted. “I mean there's you, but if we don’t tell, then who would? You have to know there will be no government to come collect when we are back anyway. Just spend the Syscos. We need every advantage we can get for the Trials,” Asher said. Keera nodded. Vincent began to sweat.
“Ah Kytor, perfect,” Tyranis said. “The Earthlings would like to go shopping.”
“Oh Goddess, is it really him?” Kytor asked. He was a much younger elf than Asher was used to. He looked and acted more like a teen, but he was probably a thousand years old. He had blonde hair of course, but his bubbly attitude and slightly deeper voice painted him as male. Kytor ran up to Ash. “I’ve always wanted to meet a Lawful Good in person. It is a true honor,” he said. His smile beamed.
“Uh thanks,” Asher said awkwardly, shaking his hand. “But it’s not that big of a deal,” he admitted.
“Oh it is,” Kytor said excitedly. “Maybe not for the older generation,” he admitted, nodding at Tyranis. “But younger elves like me go crazy for Initialization Trials. You already have fan clubs, and deals in your name pending signatures.”
“Deals? Like what?” Asher asked.
Tyranis answered. “Like putting your name and face on items.”
“Great,” Asher said as his heart sank.
Tyranis could read his expression better than Kytor could. “Do not worry. Your popularity will die down in a few years. Some new high level dungeon will open or a planet will face destruction. Champion popularity never lasts.” Tyranis said it like it was supposed to make him feel better. The fact that he could be running into people like Kytor told him he really needed to disguise his face with Body Control.
“So how can I help you?” Kytor asked. Excited as ever he hopped up and down in anticipation.
“You are their first stop at a Merchant. Since their planet was pre-Initialization they didn’t have access to everything,” Tyranis said. With that a new screen popped up.
| SYSTEM STORE |
| Food |
| Armor |
| Weapons |
| Accessories |
| Storage Items |
| Potions |
| Ingredients |
| Currency |
| Pets |
| Maps |
| Spells |
| Scrolls |
| Auction |
| Languages |
| Miscellaneous |
| Raw Materials |
| Buildings |
| Communication |
| Instruments |
| Vehicles |
There were quite a few more categories to choose from. He wanted to check out Raw Materials, but Vehicles were too tempting. The Vehicles tab had a much longer list than he anticipated. There were some bikes, cars, and personal planes, but what drew his eye was the Custom option at the very bottom. He began to sweat with excitement to see what would be revealed.
The first on his list was K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider. It only got better from there. There were Gundams, Serenity from Firefly, the XPG from Outlaw Star, the Rocinante from the Expanse. All ranged from 2,000 to 5,000 Syscos. When he got to the bottom of the list to the massive ship from Pandorum he noticed most of them had a note.
“They’re all just blueprints,” he said disappointed. A few moans of anguish were let out. Ash noticed Abby and Batman had dejected looks on their faces.
“Well of course. Many of these would be too big for the System to materialize. But most all you can commission to be made. Many customize them to better fit their needs,” Kytor informed them. “There are a million enchants you can add: more space, gravity, healing rooms. Not including if you want to add Artificial Intelligence or certain weapons.”
“If we bought these plans, who would we need to contact to have it built?” Vincent asked.
He probably has the Highwind, Asher thought, his eyes widening as he pictured the legendary airship.
“We can contact the Majoris Guild. They specialize in Ethership construction. You would need to provide a deposit though. At least half the cost of a custom ship. I would say 15,000 Syscos,” Kytor said as he thought.
That sobered them up a little. With the 5,000 Sysco cost of ship blueprints, he would need 20,000. If everyone from the Guild put their money together they would have a little over 10,000 Syscos. Asher and Tiff would really have to get to work to better their odds of buying a ship. Before he asked the most important question he had another thought.
“What about Portals?” Asher asked. “A friend of mine back on Earth is a Portalmancer. Is there a machine to do that?”
“There is,” Tyranis admitted. “A Portalmancer on a pre-Initialized planet is rare, but to make a Portal across galaxies would require someone very high level. However, that is the most common method to get from one place to another. Ships can take you most anywhere, but you can make agreements with other planets to allow Portal access. This would take your people years though.”
“Why is that?” Asher asked.
“Not only is your planet locked for travel for the next few years, but no one wants to go to a planet recently Initialized. It is always a very dark history for any planet. The war and strife that can follow an Initialization makes them too volatile to risk portals. Most portals are only opened after treaties, trading of goods, or when marriages are agreed upon. Ah for instance, our original reason for going away from our home world. Fetince Burill.”
An alien came down a hallway toward them. He was as tall as Asher, bleached white hair, and pink skin. His ears were slightly pointed. Asher used Identification on him.
Blood Elf
Level ???
“Tyranis,” Fetince said with a bow. “Can I ask who might be these new passengers?” He had a haughty attitude and wouldn’t look them in the eye. His eyes were only met Tyranis. The Blood Elf wore a long dark robe that made it look like he was floating toward them.
“Of course, this is the new Champion, and his party,” Tyranis said.
“Yes of course,” Fetince said, still not looking at them. “I remember hearing about more Champion Trials. I assume we are on our way to your planet again?”
“Yes, we should arrive within 12 more cycles,” Tyranis said. Fetince gave another nod and walked back the way he came.
Tyranis turned back to them with the Burill’s absence. “Fetince is the next in line for the Burill Guild. The Burill run a planet with a lot of resources. A planet we would like to strike a trade deal with.” Tyranis locked eyes with Asher. “He is the fiance of my daughter, Lyola.”
Asher’s eyes widened a little but then he forced himself back to calmness. Tiff and he grimaced as they side eyed one another. He had to know, Asher thought. He felt stupid taking that selfie after sleeping with Lyola and her guard. It had been plastered on the news after his accounts were hacked. Ash wasn’t able to watch TV before he left because of all the new reports on him. From his amateur porn video, to his sexcapades with an off-world babe.
Batman and Abby also gave him the side eye. George was a huge gossip, and Asher was positive he had told everyone in the guild of Asher’s deeds. Luckily no one knew the mysterious elf’s name or else all of them would be looking at him. He needed to change the subject quickly. Asher’s face became red as he turned back to Kytor.
“Kytor, maybe you can help me understand a little more about the System. In our guild there are Blacksmiths, Leatherworkers, Enchanters, and all types of different Production Systems. I assume that is the same on all planets?”
“Of course, there are also specializations the higher level you go, Weaponsmiths, Armor, Shipwrights, Portal Engineers; it all depends on how you level your System. The System will reward you based on those efforts with skills that better define what you need,” Kytor said.
“That brings me to my real question. I see this Raw Materials tab. Of this, what would be the most desirable and expensive item?” Asher asked.
“I wouldn’t buy any of this from Raw Materials,” Kytor admitted. “The System charges way more than you can get most of this at a physical shop in person.” Asher’s heart sank at the admission. “Most planets have sources for these items through treaties. There are different grades of course and they become more expensive and harder to work with the tougher the material. If you look down the list of the Raw Material it will go from least expensive to most. Iron, Steel, Stainless Steel, Black Steel. These will help those professions level up, and have a semi-fair price in the System. The much rarer and harder materials: Kalanite, Regilium, Mithril, Elatium, Fligenium; cost exponentially more than they would on a League planet.”
“You have to realize that there are thousands of planets that have been Initialized, and those thousands of planets have a dozen or more planets in their solar system ripe with resources. And don’t get me started on the elemental metals: Pyronite, Aqualitium, Frolium. Sometimes a planet will strike a vein of these and the price will plummet, other times they become rare, but they are still cheaper than the System could provide. The System Store is there for those in need. Look at Water and Food. 1 Sysco each. Why on our planet, you could survive on 1 Sysco for a month at least.”
“Really? So how do you purchase items on other planets?” Batman asked. Everyone was now interested in the explanation.
“Do you see the Currency option in your Shops?” Kytor asked. Asher did, he clicked it, and was met with an alphabetized list of what he guessed were currency options. “All of these are planets,” Kytor corrected. “Once your planet completes the Tutorial there will be System Sponsored Conferences. During those conferences the representatives will vote on everything from future challenges to the agreed upon currency of the planet. Once that currency has been decided, the System will assign a planetary currency to Sysco conversion based on how many Syscos people have. Then, on your planet they use that new Currency Standard to conduct their day to day. If you go down to Elantontrin, which is our planet, you will see the conversion there.” Asher did so, it took a while. They were alphabetical of course, but there were thousands of options. “This currency will fluctuate for the first few years, but by the time your borders open up it will pretty much stay the same.” Asher read 1 Sysco = 2,000 Elantontrin Standard.
“Then if I wanted to buy water on your planet, it would be…”
“1 Elantontrin Standard or ES for short,” Kytor admitted.
“Jeez. Yeah I guess that makes sense,” Asher admitted. He had been spending Syscos like crazy. “So I really shouldn’t be buying from merchants or my own System Store?” Asher asked.
“You can,” Kytor admitted. “Custom options are always a good idea to check out. Blueprints are easier through the System because they could take months to draw up. But on every planet there are always new children. And when they reach the System Age of 16, 24, 60, 80, or 100, depending on your race, they will awaken and the Production Systems will need to level up somehow. Oftentimes you can commission new pieces, and simply pay material cost since it might help them level up. Unless you’re stuck in a dungeon or in the middle of nowhere, it’s always better to forego the System Store. As you can see, I am a high level merchant, so of course people still need System Items, and I can provide people with a discount. There is always demand.”
“Ugh,” Tiff finally said. “Well you’re taking me shopping as soon as we land then.” Asher nodded.
“You mentioned our planet being locked out, what do you mean by that?” Asher’s dad asked.
“Of course your planet must be locked. The Systemic League is vast, and with good planets you will also have bad. Wars and skirmishes are always going on between planets for more resources. The System gives all newly Initialized planets a 5 year grace period before people can use their Ether Current.”
“What’s an Ether Current?” Carl asked.
“For that we will need Ental,” Tyranis said. The quiet elderly elf grumbled something under his breath but soon led them down a hallway. Kytor stayed behind, but the group followed, whispering to one another as they walked. They were soon in front of an overly large white door with the Roktai shield and arms sigil on it.
“Helion open,” Ental said. The door slid open to reveal what Asher assumed was the bridge. At the far end of the room there were 3 chairs. 2 on the side were occupied with elves. In front of them were many instruments, dials, and joysticks at their fingertips. On a screen straight ahead was the star filled blankness of space. Asher had a bout of vertigo at the sight. He had been ignoring the fact that they were hurtling through space at unknown speeds. With no movement on the ship he was able to convince himself that they were still on the ground.
Ental and Tyranis stopped at a white glowing disk on the floor at the center of the room. “Helion: current solar system view,” Ental said. A holographic 3-D view of the solar system appeared. The group gathered around it to watch. There was a large yellow sun at the center about the size of a baseball. Then each planet populated the view, small in comparison to the sun, but still noticeable. Asher counted to 3 until he saw Earth.
“Where are we right now?” Tiff asked.
“Helion: current location,” Ental ordered.
Another tiny light appeared, extremely close to the sun. Asher could slightly watch it move nearer. “We are there?” Abby couldn’t help but blurt out. “We are further than any human has gone before.”
“Psh you’re part Saiyin,” Asher whispered.
“You know what I mean,” she said. No anger in her, Asher watched all of them transfixed by the view. Asher looked back to the screen in front of the 2 quiet elves at the opposite end of the room. There were plenty of stars, but straight ahead there was one extra bright star. He guessed it was their sun.
“I assume your planet knows that all solar systems do not stay still, correct?” Ental explained. Asher wasn’t quite sure what he meant. “Helion: show solar system rotation, speed up time, and zoom out 10,000%.”
The holographic image zoomed out and slowly the solar system began rotating more quickly and moving upward toward the white disc on the ceiling of the room. “Your solar system, like all others, is always moving in a straight path at thousands of miles an hour. This path may seem odd, but there is a reason for it.” Ental explained ominously. It was weird for Asher to watch it happening. He thought he remembered a video online showing this once, but he felt like he was learning it for the first time. “Helion: show Ether Current Path.”
A bright white light raised from the base of the hologram. The clear white light moved up through the sun, and kept going. “All solar systems are connected by the Ether, and driven by it.” The sun and its planets kept rotating and following the main white path that was supposedly the Ether. “This Ether can be seen with the naked eye with training, but it connects all of us. Helion: zoom out to show the Systemic League planets and Ether routes.”
The screen shifted to show thousands of stars. Then those stars were connected with white paths of Ether in a spiderweb. The view was very humbling. They were all so small in the grand scheme of planets.
“These paths are what we use to travel where we do not have Portals. All are open, but you never want to just pop out in a solar system. Many League members monitor their routes and will attack those exiting without permission. There are a few planets that are quarantined by the League, but the only ones that are truly locked are ones locked by the System. These are newly Initialized planets. Helion, show restricted Ether routes only.”
Most all planets disappeared. What was left were 3 very small suns that were at opposite ends of the map. From the suns the Ether Routes branched off in long curves to go off to other solar systems that were now invisible. “The only people allowed to travel these routes are those quested to escort them, like us, and the people themselves.”
“How does the System guarantee no one else uses them?”
“The System is always watching. Though it wouldn’t act immediately. If someone were to exit the Ether anywhere from these lines they would be marked. It could take 100 years, but eventually the people that exited and their whole planet would be met with disaster,” Tyranis said. “There are horror stories at the beginning of the Systemic League. Back when space travel was still new, and people began traveling the Ether. Those that did not heed the System’s warning were left with a calamity. Dungeons littered their planet, too many for them to handle. Dungeon Breaks happened daily, and slowly their people were whittled down and became extinct. Since then the story has persisted, and no one risks it.”
The room was quiet. “You could travel to the planets without the Ether Routes though, right?” Asher’s mother asked.
“You could, but it would take months or years for a short distance that would take you a day in the Ether. Most people travel through the Ether. Ah, here we are,” Ental said, turning back to the view outside the ship. The sun was slowly becoming larger and larger, and was now beach ball sized on the screen as they hurtled toward it. Ental stepped away from the hologram and sat at the empty center chair. “Helion: Ether view.”
The screen blinked and now there was a white aura around the sun. “Cancel Majoris Drives,” Ental ordered. One of the other elves pushed buttons, but Asher didn’t feel anything. “Activate Ether Drive,” he ordered. Then Asher felt an actual burst of speed. The ship slowly turned away from the sun and went down, moving into the massive aura of the Ether.
Tyranis next to them spoke. “Helion: show path to Elantontrin.” The hologram focused on one solar system, then an Ether path interconnected to another 2 stars until it reached a 3rd. Then from that star the path broke off from the star until it reached a small planet. “That is where we will be going,” he announced. “It will take 10 Elantontrin day cycles to get through the Ether, then another 2 days of normal space travel to reach our planet. Until then I will make myself or someone else at your disposal.” Asher’s eyes were drawn to the screen in front of the crew. The white Ether flowed around them like water, and he could almost feel the increased speed in the ship.
They were soon ushered out of the bridge. The door shutting behind them Abby said, “I need a nap. That’s way too much shit to take in.” For once his mother didn’t raise a stink about cursing, she too was in a daze.
