36 Manifestation

I nodded my head, slow and somber before standing and walking out of the room. For some odd reason, listening to strange voices that only I could hear sounded like a bad idea. I walked up and out of my room before pacing back into the main one. I leaned against the table before saying,

"Yo Torix, I just heard a voice in my head. Figured you could help me figure out what the fuck it was."

Torix squinted his eyes, "A voice? You mean like Etorhma?"

"Naw, raspier and more like someone young than old, if that makes any sense. That was the vibe I got from it at least."

Torix cupped his chin, "Well then. There are many likely culprits to the voice's manifestation. Most likely, it is the embodiment of suppressed thoughts or feelings that you've been neglecting over the course of a long period of time. It could have something to do with your armor as well-"

"The voice said I should eat everyone around me. It also said it was the voice of my armor."

"Your armor is a part of you, so it is most likely what I first mentioned. You are suppressing yourself, and this is the aftermath of said suppression."

I sighed, "Thanks for all the help."

I turned to leave back into my room before Torix grabbed my arm and said, "Wait a moment before you leave. I just thought of a suggestion for spending your time."

"What?"

Torix released me, "You see, stress can cause oddness in thought and action. Learning to handle stress is essential for all facets of life. You would be helped tremendously by managing it. I'd suggest a hobby of some kind."

I crossed my arms, "A hobby? My hobby is fighting."

Torix shook his head, "You would likely benefit from something with a more artistic appeal. Say, a craft of some sort perhaps."

I nodded before walking back out of the room. Torix leaned back onto his blob of black mana. He said, "Perhaps doing so around people may help as well?"

I sighed before turning around. I leaned on the hallway's doorframe as I said, "Why are you so caring all of the sudden?"

"You are hearing voices, Daniel. Best we stamp this out sooner rather than later. Hiding in your room, alone and with plenty of time to think may not be the best way of handling the problem either."

I glanced up before shrugging, "Eh, yeah. You're probably right."

I walked back into the room before sitting at one of the benches. For a few minutes, I just sat there without knowing what to do. My gaze wandered around the room as I daydreamed for a while. I found myself staring at the runes around the room.

The sentences melded together, becoming a sort of symphony on the wall. The sound boomed in my ears as I gazed and listened to them. So much complexity was hidden within the words, like each letter was its own little world. It was like I was gazing at stars in space instead of marble engravings in a room.

Each ball of fire circled with planets around them as I glanced closer. These balls of light formed solar systems then constellations and galaxies. At the center of the room was a pristine galaxy with the stars laid out in great detail. I stood and walked towards the center of the room before reaching out a hand.

The galaxy enlarged, revealing a vibrant, green earth covered in life. Giants roamed the hills. Throngs of insects covered barren fields. Endless desserts stretched along even vaster wastelands. Kessiah's voice snapped me out of my trance,

"You feeling better then?"

I glanced around, finding myself leaning over the pool of mana at the center of the room. The ripples in it bending the light on Kessiah's smile.

"Uh, yeah. I'm feeling better about the whole thing with my friends. They were trying to use me anyway. Fuck them."

"If what Torix said is right, then you may be more bothered than you think. But yeah, your friends were leeches."

She wasn't wrong, but the words stung a little all the same. I turned my head towards her, "It hasn't affected me as much as I imagined it would. I shrugged it off pretty easily."

Kessiah leaned against the pool's outer rim with me, "Maybe how you've specced yourself is why. How's the build going anyway?"

"Build?"

"Yenno, your stats and stuff."

I tilted my head back at the realization, "Oh, yeah. Of course you meant that. My build's going good. I invested my level 100 perks into endurance and willpower. It paid off big time not long after."

"Really now? That's very unusual. I put them into the big three for warriors. Strength, constitution, and endurance. Worked for me."

"What did strength and constitution give you?"

"More of the same really. Stronger and tougher. How about willpower? I think I heard about it before, but it's been a long time since someone told me what it did."

"It's that rare?"

"Yeah. Combat oriented perks usually take precedent."

"Damn. Well willpower did more of the same and made my augmentation affinity better. It saved my ass versus Elijah."

"You mean Elijah Joan? You lived against him?"

"Well, yeah. The hardest part was resisting his voice."

Torix turned his head towards us, listening in. Kessiah moved her hand through the liquid mana, sending more ripples of light through the room. She said,

"That's good to know. Surprised you handled that at all. I expected you would snap under the pressure."

"Yeah, thanks for the support."

"Just being honest."

Torix turned his chair around and said, "Daniel, you said you resisted the voice of Elijah?"

"Er, yeah."

"Would you mind elaborating?"

"His voice had this weird tone to it, like I couldn't say no."

Torix stood, "Was that your first time resisting a voice like that?"

For some reason, I didn't feel like telling the truth. My gut was telling me that Torix was hiding something, but I continued, "Yeah. It was."

Torix's eyes narrowed, "I find that hard to believe."

I shrugged, "Eh, it was my first time hearing a weird voice like that. I think the leveling perk for perception hadn't given me enough perceiving power before the explosion of levels I gained from fighting Yawm's minions."

Torix's eyes loosened up, "Hmmm. That was a rather high number of levels to gain so suddenly."

"Yeah. This next raid should be even better for us."

"Indeed."

Torix sat back down in his mana blob of a chair before turning back around. He leaned onto the table, "Excuse my intrusion. Carry on."

I sighed internally, "Yeah, but Elijah looked tough as fuck. I can't even imagine what Yawm's like."

Kessiah pushed herself off the edge of the mana pool as she said, "You'll get a taste when we head out next time. I'm sure he's as terrifying as you think he is."

I turned back towards the center of the mana pool. I stared for a moment before saying, "These runes come together real well. It makes some far off galaxy."

Kessiah glanced at it with me, "The runes can form pictures if you can read them and focus hard enough. See that center point. That's where we're going."She turned to me, "You ready big man?"

"Hell no."

She giggled, "Come on. You already saw what Yawm can do."

"What can he do?"

"All kinds of things. His name gives away some of his powers, but the specifics aren't really documented well. He has a way of turning people over to his side over time."

"Yeah, like putting a squirming bug into them and have it move them like a puppet made of meat."

"Well, yeah. Some people have speculated that Yawm wasn't actually a normal sentient race, but a member of treants or something. They say he has a vendetta against all moving life. Other rumors say he's actually some kind of eldritch. No one knows."

"He was an avatar of Etorhma that went insane over time. He wants to mold the old ones, the eldritch, and people into one thing. I'm sure most of his powers come from his experiments with just that."

Kessiah raised an eyebrow, "Who told you that bit about being an avatar or whatever?"

"Etorhma."

"Maybe we can use that. You're an avatar now right? He would probably hunt you down too."

I shook my head, "Naw, you have to accomplish whatever task it is that he gives you first. Then he gives you some of his essence or some shit. I don't really know."

Kessiah raised herself up off the pool of mana, "Sounds like he'd be hunting you down even without Althea. Good thing we're here to keep you from flying off the rails."

I nodded, "Yeah. Thanks. It's nice having someone to talk to. Keeps me out of my head."

She slapped my back, "What are friends for anyway. Come on, you look like you need something to take yourmind off of everything."

She pulled me towards a back room before we walked into her room. Crazy thoughts flew through my mind before she pointed at a pile of crumpled black metal.

"That's the metal we peeled off you during the surgery. Your armor kept reforming on top of the shards, so we have plenty of it. Throwing it away seemed like a waste. Why not see if you can make something with it, or practice your rune stuff. You look pretty serene when you're staring at those symbols."

I nodded before leaning over and picking up a piece of warped, black metal, "Hmmm. Sounds fun. Funner than getting my ass whooped."

Kessiah rolled her eyes before walking out of the room, "Remember that's the highlight of my day."

"Trust me, I'll still be training. I just need something to keep my mind off things in between the fights. Something less...brutal I guess."

Kessiah waved her hand as she walked off, "Sounds like it would be good for you. Good luck."

I picked up the black metal, turning it in my hand. It shined more than I expected, like a polished magnet. It was strut when I tried bending it. If I placed a palm on a plate, I could bend it like it was still my armor, though just ever so slightly. Evolving my armor would no doubt enhance my control further. Who knew, maybe I'd be able to make all kinds of weapons over time.

With enough control, I could even bend different runic inscriptions into the armor. Then I could make explosive spears or dense clusters of sharpened shards that detonate when they impact on people. I'd brainstorm ideas when the opportunity presented itself.

Bending the armor was too difficult for a hobby though and a bit too monotonous as well. I picked up several good looking slabs of the armor before carrying them out of Kessiah's room. I placed them onto an empty spot on the workbenches Torix set up. Sitting down, I carved runes.

I figured making something out of the plates would be both useful and calming. I'd start with the most basic piece of armor you could make, a shield. I broke off bits of the shield by slamming my fist into the edges of the plate. Over time, this created a roughly triangular shape. Using my gauntleted hands, I scraped the edges of the shield, smoothing them out.

Skill unlocked! Craftsmanship(lvl 1) - You are the maker of what you imagine. +1% to ease of molding and precision when carving.

The skill made the process easier as I progressed. With Kessiah's help, I bent the middle portion of the plate inward. This created a nice concave to the shield. If I placed the back of my palm against the shield, the points of contact would meld together over a minute or two. The bonds held strong enough that I was satisfied with the result.

With the shaping of the shield handled, I decided on several sets of runes I'd use for the shield's enchantments. I started with the runes for safety, peace, and calm, engraving them into the upper right portion of the shield. Looking at them was like floating underwater with your eyes closed. You could just completely relax.

After I made those runes, I carved the runes for stability and balance into the upper left side of the shield. They came together into a perfect harmony, like listening to the sound of a beach's waves or heavy rain. These two different meanings opposed each other, making the shield dissonant and chaotic. The powers couldn't shine because they didn't connect correctly.

I'd fix that soon. At the bottom of the shield, I chiseled the runes for unity and love. Kinda cringey, I know, but it got the job done. With a heavy pressing of my hand, I sliced long rivets into the shield between each set of runes. I etched a few runes on these connections, ensuring they made the runes connect.

Skill unlocked! Enchanting(lvl 1) - You give life to what you envision. +1% effect of enchantments.

The skill unlocked as I completed the last rune. When I finally finished polishing the shield, I lifted it up and glanced at my handiwork. Rough, choppy, and jagged, the shield was definitely the work of an amateur. It was still my work though. It was odd. I'd spent so much time running around without owning a single thing. Making something on my own was satisfying, deeply so in fact.

Knowing I could make something like this put my mind at ease for some reason. Schema even recognized it,

Enchanted Plate of Eldritch Skin(lvl requirement 100) - This shield is a hastily made object with a few basic runes carved into it to enhance its protection. While not nearly as powerful as it could be, the material it's made of is excellent. Being hard as quartz but flexible as steel, the metal can sustain severe punishment before shattering.

Living Metal: Takes damage in place of the user if hit. The shield may not be repaired after taking damage, so use the health pool wisely. Total Health pool remaining: 1,000/1,000 with 90% effective damage resistance. Effective Health added for the Harbinger of Cataclysm: 300

Mark of Balance: Reduces force of impact on shield by 50%. Doesn't reduce damage, just the effect of force on the user. When the health of the shield reaches zero, this effect is omitted.

Hell yeah. It wasn't that great, but it was worth using. The whole process left me refreshed and ready for more. In all honesty, I didn't even know how long I'd been sitting there. It didn't really matter to me either. In my eyes, it was time well spent.

Still, the shield didn't give me much in the way of effective health. I stood up before walking over to Althea who was making these disgusting ass green sacks with her hands. Bleck. Anyways, I tossed the shieldat her,

"Think fast."

She turned and clamped her fingers onto the shield, an angry look in her eyes, "Why did you do that? I'm messing around with grenades."

I frowned, "Oh, ah, whoops. Sorry about that."

She sighed, glancing at the shield, "What's this?"

"A shield. It's barely any extra health for me, so I figured you might be able to use it."

I turned around and walked off before Althea said, "Uh...thanks."

I waved, "No problem. I might not have to face tank an explosion for you next time if you have that."

"Oh haha. Very funny."

I sat back down at the table before brainstorming for a few more minutes. Defensive gear wouldn't do much for me since the spare metal was weaker than the armor on me. Offensive gear opened up more opportunities. I walked back into Kessiah's room before grabbing a pile of the smaller bits of armor. Carrying a pile of it in my arms, I walked back into the main room and set them down on the table with all kinds of clanking.

I toyed with the different pieces of metal, connecting different runic inscriptions on different pieces. The unending tension of the last few weeks melted away like that. Focusing on creation instead of destruction helped me take my mind off all the stressful shit. It was a pleasant change.

Still, the time for destruction was coming close. After making sure I could think straight and fully function, I stood and said,

"I think I'm ready for heading out. I want to test some of the stuff I made anyway."

Torix turned, "Are you certain?"

"Yeah. I think so."

Torix sent a message using his interface with Schema. Kessiah burst into the room through the back. She grinned like a kid waiting for candy,

"Hell yeah. It's time to fight."

We all collected our equipment. Althea kept a bag of glowing, green grenades under her robe. She carried the shield I gave her on her left arm and her usual rifle composed her right arm. I carried a bag full of random trinkets I made. Kessiah walked out with an obelisk in her hand, guiding us out towards Springfield.

She skipped her steps, brimming with a bubbly excitement. When we reached outside, Kessiah turned to us, "You guys read for a little bit of blood?"

Althea nodded, "Yes. I want to see what I can do."

I shrugged, "I'll get the most kills regardless."

Althea turned, "Why?"

"Oppression. I can finally use it now."

She frowned, "I doubt you can outdo my range. I'm not as suited for single combat as you, but my skills give me very effective ways of killing."

I grinned, "So do mine."

Kessiah burst into a sprint in the middle of our banter. We burst into our own sprints to follow. Kessiah shouted over the wind in my ears,

"I'm going to keep pretty close to you two. It's up to the both of you to handle them on your own, that way you can develop your skills."

Althea and I nodded as she continued, "Make sure you don't overextend yourself, and maybe even try to work together. A sniper and a bruiser make for a mean combination."

We sprinted through the fields and forests on our way towards Springfield. The whole trip was drenched in the calm before a storm. A cold sweat formed over my forehead, my nerves making me all jittery. Even though my mind accepted all that I had seen when I first entered the quarantine zone, I was still anxious.

We reached the edges of the suburbs, where the steel legion's blockade lined the infected areas. More deformed bodies piled in the distance, holes from bullets littering their torsos and skulls. Since I finally had more time to look at it, new stuff popped out to me.

For starters, every five hundred feet or so was a generator. Two circular pieces of metal were connected with a blue core that shot out arcs of lightning at regular intervals. An antenna stuck out the top of these generators, generating a field that kept the bug petals inside the quarantine zone. There wasn't many petals coming in contact with the blockade though. It was like Yawm already knew the blockade was up. Instead of wasting the petals on the force field, he kept his contamination in the available zones, biding his time.

It seemed more calculated than insane. Besides for those generators though, there wasn't much in the way of a physical barricade. They relied much more on killing the creatures from a distance than locking them in. So far, it seemed pretty damn effective. With trucks driving down the road and unloading shipments of ammo, it seemed like the steel legion had revamped an old factory near the warehouse district for supplying the whole operation. Putting their headquarters there made a lot more sense now.

Those thoughts swam through my mind as we slowed down when we neared the blockade. As we walked up towards the edge of it, Kessiah just walked out in front of the whole thing, all casual and composed. She announced,

"Hello boys and girls. I hope you don't mind us walking into the quarantine zone. Otherwise, I'm going to have to force my way in. You don't want me to force my way in."

She giggled before continuing, "Though it does sound like a lot of fun."

The soldiers glanced at one another, confused as fuck. My blood ran cold at the way she said her words. I guess that was because I understood how much weight was behind them. She could kill them all. A loud speaker announced,

"Schema has told us to let anyone enter the zone. We will let you through. Good hunting."

She waved her hand, signalling Althea and I to follow. Kessiah and I stood in front of Althea, just in case someone got any ideas. We walked across the road before a girl guard walked out in front of us. She said,

"Hey." She pointed towards the bodies as she continued, "Aim for the cores, don't let them touch you, and try to stay moving. They can overwhelm you if you let them collect into a swarm."

Kessiah patted her shoulder, "Thanks honey. We'll keep it in mind."

"I know you probably don't need the tips, but I've seen quite a few people go in there and die already. I figured it might help."

Kessiah tapped where her nose would be if not for the helm, "You're cute."

We walked by before reaching the first line of houses. Fresh blood and bloody flesh were scattered everywhere, just like before. We kept close before I said,

"Can I use my augmentation?"

Kessiah shrugged, "Yeah, sure. Tons of people are fighting in the quarantine zone now. People from other planets will be coming to help with the quest as well. They'll have some insane energy signatures, so we won't stick out anymore."

I ramped up the energy into my runes, charging them with the orange energy and lightning. Strength flowed into my limbs before I clamped my fist, "Can I go out ahead?"

"Go for it big man. I'm sure it'll be fun."

"Alright. Stay at least 100 feet(30 meters) away from me. I'll be cutting on oppression too, if that's alright."

Althea snapped, "Stop talking and go fight."

I frowned as I sprinted forward. Once I reached about a block ahead of them, I ramped up oppression. The skill took a little bit before I got it working at full strength again. It was like the ability was rusty. It's potency hadn't waned any once I got it going though.

Surrounded by suburban houses, we paced deeper into the town while staying on guard. After a few miles, mushrooms and other fungi had taken root in the ground. Colored a sickly yellow, the fungus looked like collections of bodies that molded together and reformed into a plant. These plants grew larger and larger as we kept going deeper into the city, the black veins tracing their stems and stalks. Thanks to oppression, the plants wilted over the minute or two it took to pass by them.

It felt like we were carving out a slice of the growing ecosystem. More of the plants came together, their roots connecting. No longer did the plants look like piles of bodies. Instead, they grew up into trees without leaves, some with buds on them. Once we pierced deep enough, pods were found on these trees.

Inside them, things looked at us. Once I reached close enough that the pod was in the range of oppression, the pod's eyes looked at us. They swelled and pulsed from the inside before popping. A wet slush of material landed on the ground before a pair of eyes glanced upon us.

It was time for battle. It was time for war.