After the therapy session with Namatha the rest of the day went away in a blur and my night was spent intensly practicing or maybe even grinding away at my skills. This VR-Dreamscape truly has been a gift that even the old me would have appreciated. Being able to constantly work on self improvement without wasting any resources or time, is probably the most useful tool in my entire arsenal.

The next days pass into the same semi-concious routine as the days leading up to the mission to attack the ship, the therapy sessions are no longer daily and I don't have to struggle into near unconciousness with cloaking in the morning. But beyond that the flow is relatively similar, as I pass through a routine while waiting for the real mission of the crew. Being stuck on this ship is inconvenient as it limits my ability to complete the assignments given to me by the system. At the same time I consider it something akin being an egg in an incubator, When, I leave the ship and enter the world once again I will be far more than what I were when I entered the ship.

I alternate my nights between training in the privacy of my VR-Dreamscape and engaging with Mara in my normal dreamscape. The latter is vital to me as I need to at least keep an eye on her development, if I am not able to influence it at least. As frustrating as it is that I cannot fully dedicate all my nights to training, I at least get to practice my mundane lucid dreaming skill while in Mara's company. It might not be the world's most useful tool, but it is still another skill for me to master. Maybe a greater understanding of it will let me develop my VR-Dreamscape even more, or even allow me to invent new mystical techniques. These possibilities manage to reduce my frustration at least as the time would feel slightly wasted otherwise.

The lessons I were given changed in nature as the leadership of the crew had decided it would be more prudent for me to learn more about "technology". As such my new teacher had now become: Tlokbur and she somehow managed to make her sessions more frustrating to me. Than that upjumped Octopus could ever accomplish, at least that one was curteous and comprehensible to me. Tlokbur's lessons were chaos personified as she turned every simple explanation into a confused jumble of rants about "computers" "trolls"(which apparently are not a species after all) and similar unfamiliar topics.

If I had not supplemented her teachings with practice in my dreams, I doubt I would have grasped even the simplest of her lessons. It took me days to truly learn how to utilize a computer for an example, but I did learn how to at least navigate the confusing machine. Computers seemed initially superflous to me as the way they were explained to me, just seemed to be NVR's focused into concrete machines. Why would one need these if one has an NVR, was my first question to Tlokbur.

She explained that computers while nowhere near as popular as they had been back in the years before the NVR, they still held advantages that it simply did not have the capacity to. Firstly, using the NVR for more than using it's basic functions required training and aptitude for it. Secondly, computers are impersonal so they serve as more practical units for organizations, where the privacy of an NVR would be ineffective, especially if said organization had a fluctuating membership. Lastly, computers have more "processing power" available than the NVR, since it does so many different things at once apparently.

The second change to my routine was something I chose for myself, after my altered staff and new gloves were delivered to me. Until I could fight with magic like a dignified Warlock I would be confined to brutish physical combat, and my last few fights had shown that I would need to hone my skills in this area. A mere knife-fighter had been able to get the better of me, and when facing enemies too strong to be properly handeled by my neophyte spells I would have no other options. The hamsters piloting the golem had almost killed me and it had been luck combined with desparation that had kept me from entering oblivion.

Therefore, I approached Mary and asked her to help train me in fighting with my new weapon. She had readily agreed to help me, and the predatory smile she gave me left me with no illusions as to how the training would be. Somehow despite my savvyness I was still surprised by the brutal efficency that marked these training sessions. We sparred several times over the course of two hours each day, and each round of sparring was a lesson in pain. Her speed was astounding and it took me all my effort to just fend her off. I quickly learned that I could only parry her attacks and not block them, as each time I blocked her strikes she sent my staff flying out of my hands. This allowed me to test out my new "magnet gloves" at least as I had been instructed to connect them to my interface, so I could with just a thought and an outstretched hand activate them and recall my staff.

Unfortunately for me Mary often did not even give me the time to activate my gloves, as she would attack me and drive me back before I could even do that much. This forced me to focus on the brutish and uncouth art of unarmed brawling, I had only tried to use the wrestling of my people against her and that attempt taught me to never wrestle with Mary. Her lithe frame hid the truly massive strength that her body contained and the time I had tried to wrestle her it had truly come to bear.

Despite all of this Mary quickly revealed herself to be the most efficient teacher of them all. I am accustomed to learn from pain and the pain she administered was nostalgic if nothing else. The brutal hours spent training with her helped me grow, even if that growth had not yet manifested in my NVR statistics. If anything it gave me a whole selection of tricks and it helped drill in the experience of fighting hand to hand, it should have already been in me as I had been in such conflicts several times over the centuries. But it almost seems like body has had these lessons of combat partially purged from it, so while my technical skill remains the same my instincts for warfare have been muted. It is this unknowable quality that Mary has helped recultivating in me.

The only other thing of note from this period of travel, was that after a few days everyone on the ship seemed significantly more well rested and in better spirits. Far be it from me to care about the fickle and unknowable emotions of other people, but even in my distant state of mind I started to notice this development. The thing that made it notable was that it happened to every crew member and that it seemed to grow more apparent with each passing day. At one point during one of my sparring sessions with Mara she started to subtly whistle in between the blows that we exchanged.

I did not spend much time pondering this latest development, but it did gnaw in the back of my mind in the space between my otherwise relatively busy schedule. However, strange moods among my compatriots aside, the time until we were to reach our final destination rapidly approached. Ten days passed in what was akin to a blurr and before I could take it in over me, the crew were instructed to gather in the commonroom for the final briefing. As I walked from my room to the meeting I decided on a whim to look at my statistics one final time.

Name: Glyphnax Blightburn

Titles: Warlock,

Unofficial Crewmember,

Servant of M.A.R.A Societal Occupation: Warlock(Outlaw)/Uplift

Species: Hybrid(Hobgoblin/High Elf)

Finished Assignments: 0/2 Standing Level: 1

Physical Attributes Might: 3 Agility: 3 Endurance: 3

Physical Skills Running: 1 Climbing: 1 Wilderness Survival: 2 Swimming: 1 Acrobatics: 1 Digging: 2

Combat Skills: Melee Combat: 3 Unarmed Fighting: 2 Throwing: 2 Archery: 1 Cavalry Riding: 1 Small Unit Tactics: 2

Social Attributes

Charisma: 1

Manipulation: 3

Poise: 2

Social Skills: Persuasion: 2 Acting: 2 Social-Cues: 2 Flute-Playing: 2 Communication: 2 Academic-Discourse: 2

Intimidation: 3

Scoundrel Skills Deception: 3 Disguise: 1 Prestidigitation: 2 Lock Picking: 1

Mental Attributes

Perception: 3

Intellect: 4

Cunning:3

Mental Skills Magical-Lore: 5 Mathematics: 2 Eldritch-Lore: 5 Fey-Lore: 3 Infernal-Lore: 5 Academic Theory: 2 Philosophy: 3 Anatomy: 2 Siege-Tactics: 2

Computer-Use: 1

Technology: 1

Lucid-Dreaming: 2

Villain Skills Scheming: 3 Fortifications: 2 Torture: 2 Minion Management: 3 Death Device Construction: 2

Interface Attributes

Insight: 2

Control: 2

Instinct: 2

Interface Skills

Basic Use: 2

Analyze: 2

Cloaking: 3

Interface Defense: 3

VR-Projection: 1

Magical Skills

Spell-Craft: 5

Ritual Magic: 5

Ward-Craft: 3

Alchemy: 2

Energy Work: 4

VR-Dreamscape Manipulation: 2

Physical Health:100/100

Mental Health:70/100 Mana Reserves:93/100

Conditions:

Conditions: Depression

Conditions: Soul Burn, Anchored-Dreamborn

I note with approval that I have improved in several respects since I entered the ship, and since I could finally wield all of my magic properly. It would not be so easy for any opponent to best me in combat or in any other type of confrontation, I still balk at having a charisma of 1 as I personally think I am very well-spoken and socially adept. But maybe the system defines the term differently than I do. As I enter the commonroom it becomes obvious that this briefing will be even more tense than the last one.

Captain Torran Pierce stands before the couches which have now been moved into a row, rather than the circle they are usually placed in. He merely flicks his fingers whenever any of us enter the room to indicate that we are to take a seat. Namatha herself is also directed to take a seat with the rest of us rather than participating in the presentation. When we are all seated and awaiting the words of our Captain, then torran finally seems to drop his shoulders a bit as he folds his arms behind his back. "Well, this is the big one for all of us. This mission is the biggest one that we as a crew have ever undertaken and that is why we are all going to have to be perfect. We might spend a few days on this planet or several months, hell this might even take years if we are really unlucky. I have closely inspected the contract that the mercenaries signed onto originally, and it is to be honest an extremely vaguely termed and open ended assignment."

Torran walks back and forth across the room and we all follow his movements closely as he speaks. "The mercenaries are independent contractors, we are hired along with other groups to protect the investment of Shieldmaiden on Brynhildr 565. This assignment is to last for as long as the company deems it necessary to focus on the planet, and it says that one are to expect diverse threats to eliminate on behalf of the company. In other words they have worded themselves as loosely as possible to avoid legal responsibility." Torran's metallic arm quivers for just a second as he pauses to look over at us.

"That means we are going to have to be prepared to go much deeper undercover than we had intially expected. That means we have to be extra careful when it comes to ensuring we blend in. Tlokbur you will construct a completely new identity for yourself, myself and Namatha will change some of our cosmetics along with skulking our statistics, Morgera you will conceal yourself in your armor and pretend to be a robot, Mary time to pick another illusion for yourself and Glyphnax we will provide you with means to disguise yourself" Torran finally slows down the rapid ranting and takes a deep sigh.

"I know that the stress I am displaying here is not inspiring a lot of confidence, but I just have to be honest with you all. We have so many unknown factors going into this and we are going to be surrounded by enemies. That is why we have to be extra careful while we gather information, we might see horrific shit down there but we can only act when we are ready." Torran sighs and looks to the projector where a planet appears. The top of the planet is coated in the ice, but most of it seems to be covered in plants considering how much of it looks green. "This is the original image of the planet, it is mostly tropical as far as climate goes, but it has a dessert and it's north pole is coated in ice. The planet now based on the dossier has one large Shieldmaiden facility, there are cities and towns that the indigenous species inhabited but they seem to have been significantly reduced in population over time."

Torran waves and the image disappears from view before continuing to finalize his point. "Sadly, the planet and the system is off-limits to non shieldmaiden approved personell, so our informants have had very few avenues and opportunities to gather data on the current state of Brynhildr 565. When we enter the system we will transfer the ID-Code we stole from the mercenaries, they are likely to send in escort ships to bring us down to the planet. From there myself and or Namatha are likely to be called in for a briefing meeting, the rest of you either stay on the ship or carefully explore the area. Do not draw any undue attention to yourselves. Spend the next hours preparing for what is to come, Glyphie come with me." Is the rather abrupt final instruction that Torran delivers before waving for me to follow him.

He leads me into one of the side-rooms on the middle tier that i have never bothered to explore fully during my wanderings on the ship. It has several machines that my NVR described has "laundry machines" and "driers", but the last large machine is the one Torran stops before. He pulls out fourclothing items from it and takes a white long-nosed jester mask from it. "I thought it would be time for you to get something other than the standard jumpsuits, Mara helped fashion a more...mercenary looking outfit. The mask is Tlokbur's addition and a much needed one as it comes loaded with a program that helps disguise your interface from others."

He turns and hands me first a pair of boots, a pair of pants with a purple, grey, white and black stripe going down it, a shirt with two black stripes on each side of it, two grey stripes between those, two white after that and finally one green stripe in the middle. These clothes are followed up with a black cloak that looks almost identical to one of my old cloaks. "Mara made these for you, they are not only clothes but also contains light armor padding as well as interwoven energy shield plating. Please wear this when we are outside of the ship, or at least wear the mask so your identity is protected."

I accept the clothes wordlessly at this rather strange assortment, but it is a welcome change to the jumpsuits I have been wearing. I examine the mask closely but it just registers as a "mask" to my analyze skill, so whatever hidden functions this mask possesses it is beyond my insight. After this new outfit had been given to me I go to change into it, and when I exit the room I feel more like my old self. These clothes lack even a shread of mana at present, but that can be rectified later.

I am interested in watching the landing process so after we enter normal space, I move up to the cockpit to watch out through the windows from one of the available chairs. Torran is the one who is steering the ship and I see three smaller ships flying by our side. Brynhildr 565 can eventually be seen after a good ten minutes of flying, it becomes apparent that the planet must have gone under quite a few changes since the picture we have was taken. The planet is surrounded by several massive metallic structures that I am informed are space stations, the surface of the planet is still mostly green but several large brown areas can be seen on the planet. The icy-blue north pole seems significantly reduced and there are several tiny ships flying between the stations and the planet.

The ship flies down to the planet and we are directed towards a titantic building of metal, with what seems like something akin to a castle town surrounding it. Several tiny huts and smaller buildings surround the enormous building and beyond them again stands a tall wall of metal, on the ground several green shapes are wandering around. But I do not get a closer look at the inhabitants until we land, and that is when the second biggest shock since I have arrived here strikes me. The ship is approached by several tiny green humanoid-like creatures that wave several devices, behind them again armored soldiers and two unarmored humans approach the ship. But the creatures are the ones who are so striking to me, I could never have mistaken what they are.

The creatures stand at about half the height of a human, they have long noses and ears, beady black eyes and rather wicked looking teeth. Each of their movement shows that they have a rather hunched body language, yet they are extremely light on their feet. I have seen these creatures in every period of my life in countless roles: barbaric hordes, minions, slaves, bait, experimental subjects, and sacrifices to name a few. The creatures that seem to be the indigenous inhabitants of the planet are: Goblins.