Chapter 21

After much deliberation Alex decided to choose the upgrade Enhanced Durability Tier I, Divided Mind Tier I, and Accelerated probability Tier I.

Enhanced Durability Tier I

This passive skill gives the user greater than human durability. Your body will now be much higher allowing you to take numerous internal or external blows without taking damage

User’s healing speed increases by 25%

Divided Mind Tier I

The user is able to focus to split his mind into pieces without sacrificing thinking power. This can be improved with practice. Beginners start with being able to split their mind into two pieces. Gives the user an increase of 2 points towards mental ability

Accelerated Probability

The user can sense all the variables of any given situation, predict the outcomes and what choices one could make to reach the conclusion they want. When utilizing this ability, they sense paths projected in front of them, illuminating possible courses of action, they can then foresee the best tactic, and accelerate themselves along that path.

Once Alex selected all of the upgrades, his body began shivering uncontrollably. His eyes rolled in the back of his head. His muscles began twitching uncontrollably. Then the worst of it hit him. His brain felt like it was on fire. Inside his mind, things were going crazy.

“Spartan, your mind is being connected. The hard-wiring of your mind is being… it’s being… it’s being upgraded”, said Alice.

“Ahhhhhh! Make it STOOOOOOPPPPPPPP!!”

Alex put his hands on his head trying to stop the pain but nothing was working. The pain was agonizing. He began pounding on the ground trying to make his mind focus on the pain he was causing to his hands instead of his head. Nothing was working to stop the pain. After a few more seconds, the pain went away just as suddenly as it came. Alex was sitting in a puddle of his own sweat.

What the hell was that? Was that the accelerated probability rearranging my brain to deal with all of the data it has to process?

Alex pulled up his status to see the changes.

Name: Spartan

Level: 19

Class: Nanotechnician

Physique: 10

Mental Ability: 12

Physical coordination: 10

Reaction Speed: 6

Speed: 10

AP: 0

Abilities

A.I. Companion Tier III

Ki Manipulation Tier II

Beast Taming Tier II

SP: 0

Skills

Nanite manipulation Tier IV

Enhanced Durability TIer I

Divided Mind Tier I

Adaptive Muscle Memory

Accelerated Probability Tier I

Alex whistled looking at his status page. Then he began trying to stand. His body was still heavily damaged but he was able to make it to his feet.

“Spartan with your new passive skill enhanced durability your body's recovery time has been reduced by 25% but it will still take another 13 hours. You really need to rest. You shouldn't push yourself so hard.”

“Alice, my mind is running extremely fast and I’m seeing all of these possibilities of what could happen next and the most dangerous issue is something coming here like a vampire, an orc, or a werewolf like the old hobgoblin cook said. This is one of the many, many things that I am clearly not in any shape to fight.”

“Your deduction is correct, Spartan. Do you wish to release the imprisoned females?”

“Yes, I almost forgot about them.”

As soon as Alex finished talking, his eyes locked onto the girls one by one then they moved to the chains that held them to the bed.

It’s like my mind is computing all of the possibilities of what could happen with the women including releasing the girls, killing them, and leaving them here.

Once the calculations stopped, Alex knew what to do. The highest probability of where the key to their shackles was located was on the dead mage. Alex searched through its cloak and found that it had a key around its belt. He also found a large bag of coins next to it. There were nearly 4,000 coins in the bag. Alex placed them in his inventory along with the monster’s staff. Alex took the key and unlocked the women. Each of them tried to cover themselves but he was in no mood for sex at this point. Alex only wanted to return home.

I know I look crazy right now with the burns to my face and torso as well as the rest of my injuries. I'm sure it is making it difficult for them to trust me but I have no time to figure out what is the best means of making them feel comfortable. We have to get out of here and back to the settlement now.

“If you want to stay alive come with me”, Alex yelled as he staggered towards the exit.

Alex never looked back but he knew they were following as he heard their footsteps. Alex walked outside the cave as quickly as he could manage given his injuries. Once he made it outside, Alex took a deep breath as he was finally out of the musky cavern. The crips clean air filled his lungs. After a brief rest and letting his eyes get accustomed to the light he began calculating his next move.

I have no knowledge of the creatures that hunted at night but the cave was not a place that I could manage to defend given the fact that these women were naked and probably not capable of fighting at this time. The best option is to move through the forest and signal the wolves for help.

Alex motioned for the girls to follow him and continued walking into the forest. He kept trying to sense his connection to the wolves as they moved but he couldn't manage to sense them.

I must not be within range yet. I’ll keep trying every few minutes. No, a better idea is to use my divided mind skill to search for the wolves and then the other part of my mind to work on keeping me and the girls safe.

As Alex activated his new skill something weird occurred. It was like his body split into two pieces but it was only in his mind. One part of me continued to try and message my wolves. The other kept working on navigating his way through the forest. Alex felt like there was danger all around him. As he got deeper into the forest and made his way closer to the waterfall, He started seeing more and more signs of monsters. One thing worried him in particular and that was spider webs. There were lots and lots of spider webs.

“Alice, are we moving in the right direction? I have never seen these before and this area does not look familiar to me.”

“Yes, Spartan. You are currently 1.75km from the waterfall and 4.5km away from your home.”

“Status update?”

Host Status Stable

3rd degree burns over 60 of the body 52% complete

4 puncture wounds cauterized by unknown source 47% complete

Muscle and connective tissue damage from excessive enhancement 27% complete

Compound Fracture of left forearm 100% complete

Current prognosis: full recovery

Nanite rejuvenation protocols remaining time: 9 hours 45 minutes

“Alice, what is my current fighting ability?”

“Your current fighting ability is 59% of your normal combat ability.”

“Well I guess that will have to do.”

Alex pulled out my nanite sword and a metal shield that I confiscated from the dead goblins.

“Can any of you fight?”

All of the women began shaking their heads.

Damn it! I had hoped at least one of them would be a fighter. Oh well, I guess I have to keep us alive.

Alex readied his sword and shield for whatever might be coming. As he moved through the forest the light started to dim.

The sun is going down and soon it will be too dark for the girls to see. I need to get them to the waterfall as quickly as possible.

Alex began jogging and the girls tried to keep up. He had to slow down for them to keep up. Then he heard something. Alex turned around to see what it was but nothing was there. Alex closed his eyes and had the other piece of my mind stop calling out to the wolves and begin sensing energy so he knew where whatever was hunting them was hiding. A moment later he could see all of the energy around him.

The girls have very little energy so they must be very weak. I need to keep scanning until I find whatever is out there.

Moments later Alex found them. There were four larger energy signatures moving around in a circle. His mind began doing the calculations on what to do next. After several seconds, he had a plan. Whatever was out there would attack him first and while he was distracted they would close in on the weaker members of his group. The divided mind split between focusing on the girls and killing the enemies that were lurking in the shadows.

The girls were crying and huddling close together as they followed Alex. He knew the monsters were lurking in the darkness just outside of where he could physically see them with his eyes. Alex didn’t want to use any of his other forms of vision as his energy sensing already showed where they were. Alex and the women continued walking and he waited on the attack to come. His body was edge and the fear of the attack began wearing on him.

No I shouldn’t be afraid. The longer they take to attack the more time I have to heal. I need to hope that they continue to hold off their attack.

A sense of relief washed over him and Alex began to calm down. A lot of the built up tension began to fade away. Each step seemed to fill him with a renewed vigor. Alex was still on guard but he was not tense or full of anxiety. Alex and the four women continued walking for another 30 minutes or so before the waterfall was in reach. As soon as they got to the edge of the forest the attack began. The girls screamed as they saw the enemies come into view. Alex quickly activated his hypercognition and the world slowed down to a crawl.

Alex sensed all of their movements and could pick the paths that each of my enemies was going to take. He pulled out swords from inventory one at a time and threw them. Each sword flew through the air with his increased strength and hit their targets one after another. They were just what he thought, spiders. These spiders were much larger than the normal ones Alex was used to. They were 1 meter tall and had gray bodies with purple hair growing from their legs and thorax. Their eyes were large and black showing that they could see everything in multiple directions at once. All of them didn’t die. Some were still alive but badly wounded.

Alex rushed towards the ones still alive and tried to finish the job. The spiders didn’t roll over and die easily. They hissed and tried to shoot their webbing at him. My accelerated probability showed Alex their attacks and movements allowing him time to defend and attack. The battle was difficult with his injuries reducing his reactions and speed.

If I was in my top condition these spiders would already be dead but in this condition they still have a fighting chance against me especially since the women won't be able to fight.

Alex continued fighting the spiders. He avoided the attacks and chopped them up piece by piece until they were dead. Once he finished them off the women ran up to Alex and hugged him. He didn't push them away event though they were causing him some discomfort

What the hell four beautiful naked women are hugging me! How can I resist this? I have to play this cool.

“Ladies, Ladies, Ladies, it’s ok. They are dead now. Just keep following me. I have a place for all of you to rest. There you will be safe, fed, and clothed.”

“Really…sniff… sniff … are you serious”, asked one of the ladies?

“Yes I am. Please come with me.”

Alex checked each the corpse and found 160 coins. He went back to the ladies and then led them across the waterfall.

At this point I should be safe. There is nothing in this area that can be a real threat to me.

Alex walked the women across the waterfall. Each of them stopped and rinsed themselves off. It was a sight to behold. Four of the most beautiful and shapely women, Alex had ever laid eyes on are sitting here naked under running water. he was struggling to keep his jaw closed. When the women finished their shower they shook themselves off and ran up behind me. He quickly turned around and began moving towards his home.

Alex led them through the woods on the final few kilometers of their trek. He could feel my injuries continuing to heal as they walked on. The ladies stayed behind as he walked a little faster. The group hopped over fallen limbs and around rocky paths toward his home. After a little over an hour of walking the group finally made it back to his home but what he saw was different than the home he had left behind.

There were numerous buildings none of which he recognized. As he walked closer Alex heard the sound of something moving fast. By the time he found where the sound was coming from his two wolves had tackled him to the ground and began licking my face.

“Spartan! You have returned!”, Accalia yelped loudly.

“Yes, I made it back. Sorry to have worried you. Please I’m still injured quite badly so you will have to be a little bit gentler. Besides, our newest members behind me were probably terrified to see you jump on me.”

“Apologies”, said Boris.

Alex got off the ground and dusted himself off. Then he turned around and looked at the women who were terrified.

Alex walked towards the women waving my hands, “Sorry ladies, these wolves are my friends they just missed me. They didn’t mean to scare you.”

They didn’t stop screaming.

“Boris, where is my home and where are Eve and Bella?”

“Since you have been gone a lot of things were changed. When we came here the human homes were being put together. The humans that came back with us went into homes all around this place. Your two females are in the home all the way back there. Follow me and I will lead you to it”, said Boris as he turned and walked towards the far end of the settlement.

Alex waved the naked girls to come with him as he followed Boris. Accalia followed behind as well. Alex walked through the streets looking at the old style colonial buildings. Each of them was a brick home like his had been before his group raided the goblin cave. Several of the buildings had signs written on them. In the center of the town were the alchemy shop, blacksmith shop, as well as the leatherworking and tailor shop. Each of these buildings had double doors in the front. The smithy already had thick black smoke rising from it. Alex continued walking behind the large grey wolf towards another row of houses. Once he finished walking through these houses Alex reached the end of the settlement and a brick house that doubled the size of all the rest.

“This is your home”, said Accalia.

“What!? Why is this place is way bigger than all of the others?”

“Spartan, it is probably because this is your settlement. You started this place and now all of these humans are safe because of you”, said Alice.

“Ladies, you can come inside and rest. My home is your home until we figure out something else.”

The women didn’t say anything. All they did was nod and continue to hold each other’s hands. Alex walked towards the doors and as he pushed them open. When the doors opened he saw a large double sided staircase that had a red carpet draped over each step. There was a large chandelier in the foyer as looked up in awe.

What is going here? I mean I don’t mind or anything. This place is amazing!

Alex continued to look around. The kitchen was huge. There was a double sink with a large stove and a large table the seats ten people. He continued to walk around. Spartan found a bathroom and a sitting room that was fully furnished with a large set of couches. Once he finished touring around the lower level Alex walked up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, he saw Eva and Bella. Eve was wearing a pair of black tights and a fitted black tank top. She was lying down on a large bed while Bella who was wearing a royal blue silk looking nightgown was talking to her from a plush looking chaise lounge.

“Spartan! You are back!”, screamed Eve as she jumped from the bed and hugged me.

“OOOOHHHHH!”, I said wincing in pain. “Yes, I’m back but can you let me go. I’m still injured from searching the cave.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you”, said Eve as she let me go. "Wait, I was actually able to physically hurt you. What the hell happened in that cave?"

"I promise I will tell you all of the details later."

Bella walked up and said, “So I guess we can thank you for the new buildings and the nicer house?”

“Yeah, I guess you can”, Alex replied. “Can either of you show me my room. I am tired and need to rest.”

“Yeah, I’ll show you but first who are they?”, said Bella as she pointed to the four naked women behind me.

“Well let’s see um…”, Alex said nervously as he scratched the back of his head. “I found them in the last chamber of the cave. They were chained to a large bed that I believe belonged to the leader of the colony. There I killed the goblin leader's father who was a mage in a fight to the death. That is where I got all of these injuries. These girls followed me back here and they’ve barely spoken a word since they have been with me.”

“So they must have been the leaders Ummm….. concubines? Damn that must have been horrible. Who knows what that monster did to them. Now I understand why they are mute. They must be in shock”, said Bella.

“There is a large tub in your bedroom let them bathe and stay in your room. Why don’t you use one of the other bedrooms and shower? Then we can deal with them in morning”, said Eve.

Bella waved at Alex to follow her down the hall to the end where there was a large set of double doors.

“I believe this is yours my liege”, said Bella as she bowed in a mocking manner.

“Really? Alright I’ll play along. Away you wench and bring me back a bottle of wine”, Alex said in a poor attempt at a funny British accent.

“Dream on asshole”, she said as she sauntered down the hallway.

Alex opened the door and there in the center of the room was the largest bed he had ever seen. It was big enough to fit at least 8 people. He walked in and looked around there was a door where there was a glass encased shower and a large whirlpool tub. The tub was big enough to fit 8 to 10 people.

“Ladies, you may rest here for the night. Don’t worry no harm will come to you here. If you need anything please knock on one of the bedrooms and one of us will help you.”

“Thank you”, one of the girls who had blonde hair and green eyes said.

“You are most welcome. See you in the morning”, Alex said and he left them and closed the doors.

Alex walked down the hallway to another bedroom. It was smaller than his but it was large enough for anyone to enjoy. The bed had four wooden posts with large white cotton sheets. He walked in and found two doors. Alex opened each of the doors. One was for a large closet and the other was for a bathroom with a simple shower. He quickly disrobed and hopped in the shower to clean his battered and bruised body. The water felt amazing even though it caused him some discomfort when the water rained down on the burns that covered a large part of his face and tors.

This body is amazing! Even though I nearly died several times it just keeps getting stronger and more resilient. I am glad it is like this but I really need to work on not getting injured so badly.

The water was hot and washed away the dirt, grime, and blood away and down the drain. Once Alex was clean he exited the shower into a room filled with steam.

I guess I was in that shower longer than I thought.

Alex stepped out of the shower and walked back into the dimly lit bedroom. I pulled back the covers on the bed and climbed in the bed. Sleep could not come fast enough for Alex as he closed his eyes. After a few moments in the failing light the lone candle in the room burned down and there was complete darkness in Alex's room. His consciousness began to fade and Alex fell fast asleep.