Random thoughts about the trials he will face in the future manifest in Phrixus’s mind in his state of meditation, he is not afraid but instead, he has the thrill of war. The mere thought of fighting just invigorates him, no matter the size of the adversities he will have to deal with...

“Wake up Phrixus, we are arriving.” Eve Grant interrupts his pondering.

“Where are we?” Phrixus asks.

“Warren Air Force Base, here you will receive your first briefing.”

The helicopter arrives and everybody leaves the vehicle. After some minutes Phrixus and Eve are met by high-ranking VOA officers.

“Colonel Ethan Carver, I have seen the after-action reports from Venezuela about you Phrixus, the outposts, Operation Shadowstep… impressive performance out there, your abilities will prove to be decisive in this conflict.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Not generous with words I can see,” the Colonel says. “Eve Grant will take you to the briefing session in twenty minutes. You will meet people with similar capabilities to yours, make sure to stay at the top of competence.” With that, he leaves them.

“So… how many superhumans are here, or more precisely, in the VOA?” Phrixus asks.

“800,000 Superhumans, 125,000 Homo Magnars, and we are still getting new recruits worldwide,” Eve says. “The Red Confederacy could have roughly an equal number, not to mention their aggressive methods to get new conscripts.”

“Persuasion is a rare virtue…”

***

34 minutes later…

“…you will arrive at Camp Morgan at 09:20 am, South Africa, there is activity of insurgent groups at the northern frontier supporting the Red Confederacy, you will have your orders at the camp, good luck soldiers. Dismissed.”

How I miss that damn pollaxe… Phrixus thinks.

***

Venezuela, Cabimas…

At Phrixus’s lair, 4 hours later…

“First day without Phrixus… no hammerin’, tinkering or messing around like every day, it is appallingly silent here, I only hope he returns very soon.” Valeria muses with a bit of sorrow.

“Knowing him he’d say, ‘I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me’ so I will believe him. Anyway, before he departed he gave me this letter, let’s see what it says.”

To Roberth and Valeria

Rest assured I will come out of this in one piece, I ask you to examine the rooms of the fort for any signs of tampering and check your e-mails weekly, I could send you any relevant or interesting information.

Last but not least… pick up the “Box of Horrors” in the workshop and get the contents, I left some trinkets for you as lucky charms.

But most importantly, keep Dixy and Laso well-fed.

Yours dearly,

Phrixus

There are crude drawings of a honey badger and a falafel in flames at the bottom of the letter.

***

“Yep, that’s the Alejandro I know,” Valeria says with a smile. “Never gets old, let’s check the workshop for the package.”

Roberth and Valeria go the room and begin to scrutinize it, there is the forge for general metalworking, using scrap metal of any source to make ornaments and manufacture all kinds of melee weapons such as swords, knives, axes and the like. A workbench to create all sorts of gizmos from mechanical devices to improvised explosives or to supplement other creations. A section of the room is dedicated to gunsmithing: everything to hand-load your ammunition, gun modification and maintenance turns out to be Phrixus’s favorite place.

At the center of the room there is a small box with a label on it.

“The Box of Horrors… what mysteries are hidden inside?” Roberth picks up the box and places it near a table.

“Just open it already,” says Valeria.

Without wasting time Roberth cuts the duct tape sealing the box, it reveals a few random mundane items, every piece has a small sticker with their names on it.

“His portable game console with his favorite game Polybius—I told him once that would fry his brain—and a bracer made of… snakeskin?” Valeria says, looking confused.

“Is this some kind of glove?” Roberth holds a bulky steel-plated leather gauntlet, the knuckles have the words “Front toward the enemy’s face” engraved on it. “And his infamous marked deck of cards…”

“Looks like that is all, but what’s it for?” says Valeria.

“He said to give us luck and possibly to remember him, and as we know the meteorite made him… eccentric, I even talked to him about that issue, he told me he was even aware of the alteration of his personality but he remains the same Alejandro we know, only with a dose of quirkiness.”

“I’d rather rely on skill than luck in my case, also…” Valeria stops talking when she notices the bottom of the box is a bit displaced, revealing there is an additional layer of cardboard acting as a cover to hide something more. Taking it away reveals a golden ring and a necklace, the ring is labeled for Valeria. It is exceptionally crafted and it is encrusted with five small gems, while the necklace for Roberth is a string with different colored metallic beads, which are copper, bronze, iron and such.

“Always a surprise with him…” Roberth says with a smile.

“Whatever Phrixus is thinking, I’m not trying to accept a marriage proposal, but this is a very nice ring.”

“So back to business, we have to check the armory, kitchen, and his room.” Roberth leads them first to the armory.

The room acts as storage for all kinds of armament, there is a very large quantity of weapons stocked, from knives and swords to pistols, assault rifles and explosives.

After checking the place Valeria voices her opinion. “I wanted to tell Phrixus he has a real problem with hoarding.”

“That’s the least of our concerns. He has also been playing Frankenstein with firearms; he disarms different guns and uses the assorted parts to create something new. And the worst part? Those things even work, I’m not a gun expert but out of the times he gave me some of those guns to try, they never blew up in my face or jammed even once,” Roberth says.

“To cut down the monotony as he says, now I don’t see his collection as something bad,” Valeria says.

“Yeah, the last stop, his room.”

They head to Phrixus’s bedroom, aside from the regular furniture and amenities, it has the distinctive decoration that separates it from the rest of the rooms: he has gathered a considerable amount of souvenirs and trophies from his adventures.

“I remember he said once… to remember the good and memorable fights and keep improving.” Valeria says.

“With all the stuff Phrixus has collected so far he should open a personal gallery.”

“Or a museum at this rate, he wouldn’t ever stop.”

“Looks like we’ve seen it all, then…” Roberth says.

“I wonder what he is up to right now…”