It seemed like Derrick was going to be heading up north to rescue some people. Everyone seemed to want him to. A short conversation with Third Striker had revealed that a Crusader was among those that needed rescue. That member of Third Striker's Order, had been sent there before it had been abandoned. His Injection going astray by a few kilometres. The half small System facility in Flint Creek didn't have the resources to re-body the Alien User, so it was awaiting safe transfer to West Hills.

The last few weeks had made it clear that travel in the age of the Scourges was not as simple as jumping in a car and driving where you needed to go. That would be a good way to commit suicide. No, any real movement of that many Users would need scouts to clear the path and discover threats. Not all roads were still traversable these days either. He remembered Mathew talking about how they had been ripped apart by both the Spore Tyrants and the Inoculation. They might need to rebuild the roads as they travelled, especially if the facility needed evacuation.

They had off-road vehicles, but using them to move thousands of people was not on the table.

As a general rule, Red Works had moved west while Breakneck had gone east. Both groups had a few people to the north of West Hills, but by their nature, Breakneck could get there first. Did they want to just fly through that countryside and bypass Scourges to reach their destination? Probably not, this mission should be the start of a push to clear the north of Scourge threats. At least the ones he could, he honestly had no idea how one fought the Inoculation.

He would see if they could work with Breakneck to send enough forces for that. He couldn't abandon all the territory he's cleared to the West. The second they pulled out, the Grey Legion and their ilk would slink back in.

There was a lot of area to cover and anything could be hiding out there. A fact that Derrick had used to his advantage when he'd been out raiding the countryside. Using stealthy strike teams to surprise and eliminate Scourges one by one with auril using Fighters backed up by overwhelming firepower.

While he couldn't teach the Red Law, he could supply Users with auril and train them to use pulses and basic stealth techniques. He had even managed to strip down his Regeneration into a basic healing skill that his most talented students could learn. It required their full attention to use, so it wasn't usable in a fight. It was basically healing meditation.

Apparently, that was quite an accomplishment. After examining it thoroughly, Scynil had been impressed with how it didn't have horrible side effects. It was common for primitive auril healing techniques to negatively affect the lifespan of those that used them.

He'd put a lot of work over the last week into creating basic auril abilities that almost anyone could learn. He liked to think of it as investing in humanity, by turning people into transhuman killers. It was sort of his job as a Trailblazer for the Role of Hunter.

Breakneck on the other hand, preferred a less subtle method of attack. Instead of scouting and surprise, they concentrated on speed and toughness. Their mobile forces were well equipped with System technology. Specifically, they had souped up bikes that could defy what humans knew of physics. Not only could they accelerate, brake and turn at incredible speeds, but they also allowed the charging riders to overlap their manna shields against incoming fire.

It was frankly a terrifyingly effective method of attack. Not unlike a combination of a cavalry charge and a phalanx, but with guns. Lots of guns. The only downside was how expensive it was. They spent all their points on vehicles and siviril, the source of manna.

You wouldn't think a group originally made up of bikers would be so good at adapting to alien technology and its tactical uses, but Breakneck had at least a few very talented people working for them. Honestly, he suspected Aarav had a hand in it. It was supposed to be his job to learn and advise people on how best to fight the Scourges. It felt a little too standard for Teslaforce work. Besides, it was one thing to use a Teslaforce weapon, but another entirely to ride around with a Teslaforce made vehicle between your legs.

Not that Derrick's Red Work lacked for bright minds. He had just stopped in at his underground headquarters to visit the brightest of them.

The Velorie, Deleterious.

The lab complex hidden next to a bound Spore Tyrant node had changed a fair bit. The entrance was no longer an elevator in the middle of an intersection. That entrance still existed, but now the main way in was in a huge building, a couple hundred feet from the original entrance. The new building, gleaming silver and white stuck out like a sore thumb in the still ruined and abandoned neighbourhood.

That would only last until the people sleeping below woke up though, then they would need to expand the city. Already, patches of high tech greenhouses were being built overtop of the worst damaged parts of the city. A handful of of those buildings were even owned by him, or Red Works anyway.

The large unmarked building he was now entering was officially his head lab and factory, the facility below not being public knowledge. Only five human Users worked here though. A secretary, slash, security guard, an engineer to run the factory and three actual medical researchers that he'd had woken from the vaults below the city.

These three scientists were little more than research assistants to Deleterious at the moment. He was hoping they would pick up useful skills and knowledge from Deleterious.

“So what have you got for me?” Derrick asked as he strode into the lab that the alien-hybrid called home. He noticed it had once again grown in size, now stretching at least a hundred feet across. Derrick supposed he needed the room, as far as he was aware, Deleterious never left the place. Ever. He slept in one tank and grew some of his own food in another. Both were right next to dozens of Scourge samples and experiments in tanks of their own.

If he had been entirely human, he would have been clearly insane. But he wasn't, so Derrick assumed the Velorie to be more focused than humans as a species. Not to mention a bit paranoid, one of the Velorie's terms of employment was that no other Velorie could learn that he was here. Though fear seemed to play less a part in his isolation than him just loving his work.

“Progress, failure and success,” Deleterious announced from his workbench. “What have you for me, oh glorious warrior scholar prince.”

“They haven't arrived yet, but some interesting stuff from a Grey Legion base. Some failed Agents and a small collection of samples they seem to have taken from other Scourges.”

“Excellent,” Deleterious said with a brief grin. “It is always interesting to know what The Competition finds interesting.”

The Competition was what the hybrid called the Scourges.

“So, Progress?” the owner of Red Works queried.

“Yes, on the upgraded version of Nomad armor, tentatively named the 'Harmony' armor. I've stumbled on a process that I believe will allow us to fix the lack of self repair. It is still very crude but I believe I can duplicate the Spore Tyrant and Grey Legion's own healing by endowing the armor with a sort of pseudo life and letting it feed on its wearer.”

“That sounds like a hard sell,” Derrick said after a second of silence. “Also perhaps not worth it just to improve its ability to repair itself. We can do that ourselves.”

“Properly executed, the host wouldn't even notice the minor vampirism,” Deleterious dismissed with a wave, before pausing mid action. “Unless they didn't have sufficient auril, in which case they would die horribly and slowly, eaten by their own clothes.”

That would make for an interesting warning label anyway, Derrick mused but didn't interrupt. He had a feeling there was more. There usually was with Deleterious.

“A refined version would also bequeath additional benefits. The Spore Tyrant based materials we use in their construction, could be altered to provide very efficient motor support for the cheap price of increased calorie requirements.”

“You're talking about wrapping people in a living exoskeleton,” Derrick said. “Wouldn't conventional technology be more efficient for that sort of thing? With manna you shouldn't have to worry about power generation.”

“The Harmony armor would, theoretically, be more efficient at the lower extreme low end of the power scale and as you well know, not every User can afford a manna core. Most Users have a manna gate and are dependent on being near a System Station or a User with a core.”

“Stealthier as well,” Derick mused. “Constantly drawing manna could give your location away, but internal auril is no easier to detect than any living body.”

“All still theoretical, I'm still working on creating cells in lab conditions. But yes, it is very promising.” The Hybrid said. “Sadly I've failed utterly to come up with a usable weapon system that uses the same technology. The weapons provided by the System are superior in every way. Poison is an unreliable weapon when used against even those Scourges that are biological, and there are more efficient ways to produce ammunition than growing your own.”

“I don't actually remember approving that project,” Derrick commented. “I would remember telling you about how stupid it sounded.”

Deleterious was too far inside his head to take the reprimand to heart.

“It was a logical offshoot of my research. Even in failure, I learned much. Like how... attached the adult human body is to their bones. They are a lot harder to remove and replace than they should be.”

“Is that why one of your assistants is in the healing tank?” Derrick asked gently but with an edge to his voice.

“Hmmm? No, no of course not.” The hybrid dismissed. “She has a minor Spore Tyrant infection, acquired when taking samples from my neighbour. She'll be fine. She is only technically and temporarily dead.”

“Fair enough,” Derrick said. “You mentioned a success?”

The hybrid paused in his work and slowly turned to face his employer. When their eyes met, a huge grin split his face. Literally, the hybrid's mouth stretched inhumanly wide when he couldn't hide his happiness.

“I have replicated the process the System uses to apply auril brands to new Hunters,” he said and ran his tongue over his intimidatingly sharp teeth.

Those users that became Hunters weren't given the Heartless trait, instead they received the Hunter's Brand, an obvious copy of his own Devil's Brand trait. As the Trailblazer of the Hunter Role, it seemed like the rewards for that Role would be copied from him. He was essentially the prototype for the Role. He had complex feelings about that, it annoyed him that his hard earned abilities would be copied and pasted onto to others, but at the same time it was good that Hunter's wouldn't be useless without Quantum Awareness. The only reason Mathew and Stacy had been able to fight beside him was because of the stealth boost from that trait.

“While somewhat expensive and weaker than even the Brand given to Hunters, I can effectively apply it to any User with auril, boosting their defence against physical and auril abilities. Better yet, the System recognizes it as a trait so...

A pause

“Users will be able to upgrade it at any System Stations.” Derick finished. “Is it an auril trait? Can we offer it through System Stations?”

The ability to buy a trait was a big deal, usually that had to be earned from titles and rewards for extremely dangerous missions. Auril traits were rare from what he knew and any trait could go a long way towards unlocking better Roles for Users.

“Indeed,” Deleterious confirmed, clearly pleased with both the fact that Derrick had guessed correctly and his questions. “Although it will cost aurilin, so you might need another Dungeon if you want them to really take off.”

“I'll look into it,” he answered without much enthusiasm. It was really up to Scynil, not him. He was not even close to qualified to bind a node. Not to mention it required a very rare set of circumstances. It would be nice though, his share of aurilin from the Dungeon could best be described as a slow trickle. Around one point of the rare resource a day. More than enough for him, but not enough to really affect the big picture. In total, that meant the output of the Dungeon could be used to create forty auril Users of his current level a year.

Which seemed like very little but the effect would be cumulative. Unless those Users died and had their corpses looted, the aurilin would just build up over time. In two years, eighty extra auril users. In ten years, four hundred.

Deleterious had turned back to his work while Derrick ran the numbers through his mind. The Velorie was in a good mood, this would be as good a time as any to bring up a somewhat delicate subject that he'd been curious about.

“So I recently met another Velorie,” Derrick said cautiously. The hybrid was a bit shifty about his and his species past.

“Oh?” Deleterious asked, apparently not much interested. “Things must be going well up above then. Unless they are some kind of Fighter?”

“No, she's a representative for your race. Every Enclave is supposed to have one to help integrate the Velorie.”

Deleterious nodded absentmindedly.

“She is... very attractive,” Derrick said.

“She's supposed to be.” Deleterious answered honestly. “The Velorie skewed our hybrid form for maximum sexual appeal. It was our top priority.”

Top priority? Derrick was enough of a realist that he knew looks were very important, yet the idea they were the most important character trait struck him as shallow. Why not something useful like perfect memory or focus?

“Ya, I thought either you or the System might have tinkered a bit... why did you do that?”

“Why not?” Deleterious answered with a question of his own. “Why would anyone want to be ugly?”

His answer was a little too simple. That and a hint of flashood to his smile made Derrick think he wasn’t being told the whole truth.

“Huh, what about your super strength?”

While not as strong as Derrick, Deleterious was clearly much stronger than a human his own size.

“That was unintentional, it seems to be a form of hybrid vigor,” the alien born scientist explained. “The interaction of human and velorie genetics producing efficient combinations, probably with helpful nudges from the System. Though it does suggest a certain innate compatibility.”

“Speaking of compatibility,” Derrick. “This specific Velorie seems very... friendly.”

Deleterious paused and turned to give Derrick a scrutinizing look, his eyes narrowed as he examined him.

“With you?” the alien hybrid asked, seemingly taken aback. “As in, she has expressed a clear desire to fuck?”

“Eerr, yes.” Derick answered, a little thrown off by the alien's language.

“Huh,” Deleterious said thoughtfully. “Congratulations I suppose.”

“So you think I should go for it?” Derrick asked. Shalka was very attractive and he found her confidence endearing. He'd been holding himself back due to the many unknowns, but if Deleterious gave the okay, what could a quick fling hurt?

“What? No, that is a terrible idea. Just awful on every level.” Deleterious interrupted. “I meant congratulations on being the most powerful male in the Enclave.”

...

...

That... Yes, he was that, wasn't he.

“It's blatant manipulation obviously. Based on your admirable qualities, she very well might be eyeing you as a prospective member of her harem. But lacking any competition or... handmaidens, I suppose you would call them, she will not be feeling much of a drive to procreate. Even the effect of human sexuality on her will be suppressed by her need to remain independent in an inhospitable environment. How large are her breasts?”

“On the small side,” Derrick offered delicately, unsure of the relevance of the question. “B cup probably.”

“Definitely not preparing to take a mate then,” the alien stated. “They would be slightly bigger.”

“Well thanks,” Derrick said. “This has been an enlightening conversation. I now know everything I needed to, more than I wanted even.”

It was true, the last thing he needed was to deal with something this complicated. The idea of being in a harem didn't appeal either. Looked like he'd be staying single for awhile.

“No thanks are necessary,” Deleterious said. “Try not to reveal your knowledge of velorie sexual behaviour, lest you raise questions about how you knew about it. Even a capti...vating girl... woman would find that odd. Yes, odd.”

As Deleterious was his employee, and a useful one, he was going to ignore yet another mental stumble. Whatever the secrets of the Velorie where, they could wait.

“Well, keep up the good work and make sure that assistant is back on her feet soon,” Derrick announced as he moved back towards the exit.

As fun as this talk had been, he was a busy man these days.

Case in point, he arrived upstairs to find the building had gained another secretary.

He must still have had sex on the mind a bit because he couldn't help but notice how Clara's many silver ring earrings, dark makeup and spiky hair offset her suit in an interesting way. Now that she wasn't at the City Centre, she was taking advantage of his company's non-existent dress code. Good for her. It shouldn't just be Fighters that went around looking like idiots.

The future belonged to the brave.

He gave his secretary a friendly nod as he walked into the buildings lobby.

“Things are coming together” She informed him. “Mathew will be in the city in approximately ten minutes. Blake got in touch with Breakneck, they’ve agreed to help and won’t be coming to West Hills, instead they will head up north right away. They want to meet you in a place called Stifford. ASAP.”

That was doable, he was almost ready to head out. Only one thing was holding him back. He wasn’t going to show up at a meeting with Breakneck riding in the back of a pickup truck. Even if that pickup truck carried some heavy firepower. Transportation was not his area of expertise though.

“Contact Teslaforce,” he told Clara reluctantly. “Let’s see what they’ve been up to.”