Tinker was only too happy to help, after discussing the project he headed off immediately to work on it. that left Mark alone with Terra. He wasn’t mad at her exactly, she had deceived him on a few counts, but nothing she said couldn’t have been easily corroborated. He hadn’t done that though, he’d been a fish out of water since coming here, and Terra had felt like a well-timed life line.

She must have picked up on the fact Mark had been through something, because she didn’t interrupt or make jokes while he talked to Tinker. She just stood by, watching him with a contemplative look on her face.

“I need a shower.” He said to her at last. “I also want to check my quest results. Walk with me? In case I have any questions.” he asked as he turned and started the long walk to his inner-city apartment.

“Sure thing stud,” she said with an attempt at her normal banter. “Why don’t you shoot the results over to me, be easier for me to explain things to you that way.” she was likely just being nosy, and Mark contemplated telling her no. he didn’t though, just pulling up the results and sending them over.

Quest = Protect the inhabitants of Swamp rat valley

Quest difficulty level = hard Request additional information = Y/N?

That was what popped up when he pulled up the quest. this information had been available before he entered the quest zone, but had disappeared once he was inside. He didn’t bother requesting the additional info, he’d already finished the quest after all. instead, he scrolled down to his rewards.

Quest completion rewards

Successfully complete quest on first attempt. no prior knowledge of instance = 50 augmentation points No villager deaths after instance began = 50 augmentation points Treated all villagers with respect = 50 augmentation points Secret objectives completed = 250 augmentation points Discovered medicine woman Lilly’s connection to trog invaders Help medicine woman Lilly protect the last trog and eggs Defeat first born trog elite male in melee combat Bonus rewards Bronze token, Bernard = 100 augmentation points Protected his village, showed interest in his passion Silver token, trog matriarch = 250 augmentation points Didn’t kill her or her eggs Silver token, Lucy = 250 augmentation points Saved her life, listened to her stories, took her to the final battle, didn’t tease her about her boyish looks Gold token, medicine woman Lilly = 500 augmentation points, 2 trog eggs She might not have found love in you, but she found a kindred spirit Saved the last trog, willingly Enjoyed a mundane cup of tea Total rewards 1,500 augmentation points 2 trog eggs (redeemable at shop) Trog hide male elite, red (gifted from villagers) Trog hide female elite, yellow (gifted from villagers) Swamp rat bath robe (gifted from Lilly through Bernard) Swamp rat waterproof bag (gifted from Lucy)

Mark finished reading and closed his window, to find Terra staring at him with real surprise in her eyes at what she’d read. He could tell it was real because there was no accompanying smirk or wink.

“What?” Mark asked, not in the mood to deal with her antics. He’d been through hell during the last week, most of which could have been avoided. Some of that was his fault, the rest was hers. He did have to admit, she had been right about the rewards. Nearly dying was quite profitable.

She didn’t answer right away, only walked along beside him in silence for a time. Mark didn’t press for an answer, he had a lot on his mind. He’d been too passive to this point. He was already going over some of the shop upgrades he wanted to pick up. he almost laughed at the ‘him’ of a week ago, he’d been so distraught about spending those points wrong.

The quest had helped him realize something else too. If this was a tutorial, that meant it was quite literally a training course for what would happen when the ship landed. He didn’t like his odds of survival once the training wheels came off. there was still time, at least if time worked the same way in here as outside. he was going to use it to get himself ready, before he tried to find Molly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” The softly spoken question, reminded Mark he wasn’t alone. He looked at Terra then, taking her in. she was standing with her hand on Mark’s apartment door. he hadn’t even realized they’d reached it. her expression was serious and concerned.

“There isn’t much to talk about,” Mark said. “I completed the mission, and learned a few things. Now I need to sleep, buy a few things and learn a few more things.” He moved to enter his room but she put her hand on his arm.

“I’m sorry Mark.” She said, and looked like she meant it. “Is there anything I can do?” Mark didn’t know what she was seeing in his face, but she obviously didn’t like it. he was about to tell her to just leave him alone for a while, but refrained in the end.

“Yes actually, I have a question. and no bullshit please, I want to get some sleep.”

“Ok, Mark.” She said with a nod, “I can do that, what’s your question?” he must really look like hell, she never used his name anymore.

“I think I’m finally beginning to understand a few things. I’ve decided to step my game up a little. But…even though I managed to forget it for a while, I’m actually floating in a med tank right now. My brain is plugged into a simulation while a space ship AI treats my body like a lab rat.”

“I’m not hearing a question Mark,” Terra said, her customary smirk in place. looking more like a mask than a genuine expression.

“My question is; If I invest in a bunch of gear in here, my Broken blade, the project I asked Tinker to work on…these trog eggs. will I be able to bring them out of here with me or would I be better suited turning myself into an attack robot or a demon or something.”

“Ah,” she said. “To the best of my under…”

“I said no bullshit Terra, I’m tired.”

“Ahh, ok Mark. Yes, you will be able to take everything out with you that the ship’s AI deems you actually need to improve your combat effectiveness. In other words; your silly blade is fine, but if you tried to take out a case of top-grade whisky, you’re SOL.” He nodded, looking down in contemplation for a moment.

“How?” he asked simply. He didn’t think she was going to be so open in the morning, so he figured he’d best make the most of it while he could.

“That’s two questions Mark,” she said with a chuckle. Her normal demeanor was coming back. “But I’ll answer, just one more, because it relates to the first one… In simplest terms; the ship uses a combination of 3D printers, genetic manipulation, advanced AI and vat grown…clones for lack of a better term. To reproduce everything, you have acquired in here. The same way it is reconstructing your body, with mechanical parts, parasites, and enhanced musculature.”

Mark opened his mouth, ready to ask another question, but Terra moved in before he could. She’d stepped forward, putting her agility on full display and pressed her lips to his, effectively cutting him off. After a moment she stepped away again.

“Well old man,” she said with a smile. “You had your bed time story and your good night kiss. It’s time for you to be a good old geezer and go to bed.” She’d taken her hand off his arm, freeing the way to his door. “I’ve got a few errands to run, get some sleep and in the morning go spend some of those points. You can show me what you bought over lunch.” With those parting words she turned and walked away, swinging her hips for effect.

Mark, despite himself, watched her walk away. He knew what she was doing, distracting him with old man jokes and flirting. It didn’t work on him nearly as much now as it had at first. still, he was sure there wasn’t any malice in it. she just wasn’t ready to tell him about herself yet. He could live with that; besides, he really needed a shower and some sleep.

* * *

Mark slept a full twelve hours. Upon waking he immediately jumped back into the shower. He had taken one the night before, but after a week spent in a swamp, he still didn’t feel all the way clean. Mark soaked in the steaming water until his skin started to wrinkle before getting out and donning a fresh olive drab jumpsuit. He didn’t know where this one had come from, but assumed it was from Terra.

After a quick bite, he went over his to do list. He wanted to check the shop prices on a few things before seeing if Terra or Tinker could help him track down cheaper options out in the city. Tinker hadn’t gotten his drones from the shop after all, and maybe he wouldn’t need to waste augmentation points on readily available gear or clothing. Then, he planned to boost his survivability with body augmentations.

He'd come too far to risk having to start over now. From what the Pilot and Terra had both said, dying wouldn’t be the end of the world. Still, he didn’t want any setbacks. After that would be lunch with Terra. He didn’t know what she had going on so he didn’t plan past that point. Instead, he left his apartment and made right for the phone-booth like shop interface.

Mark hadn’t intended to waste any time in here, but this place had nearly anything one could dream of. he ended up wandering around for nearly forty minutes just taking it all in before finally getting down to business. Pulling up his list of gear, he started pulling it up in the shop.

“Energy based long range rifle, looks like anything in my price range is going to be a power cell sink… M79 grenade launcher, these were ancient even when I was born. Still, if its good enough for that time traveling robot from that old show, it wouldn’t hurt to price one out…parasite potions, this I’m getting right now. Attribute loss is a real bitch, probably grab two of them actually, now that I think about it.”

He talked to himself as he jotted down his wish list. He hadn’t spent any time at all in the city yet and didn’t have a clue what was available so he put down a little of everything. Before moving onto body augmentations.

There were so many listed that he didn’t know where to start at first. For a laugh, he priced out what it would take to turn himself into an attack robot or a demon. The options for each were so varied and nearly endless that he gave up. feeling lost, he closed his eyes and thought back over his time in the swamp.

“What was I lacking the most? What would have made the difference in a few of those fights… apart from an energy rifle, because that would have definitely made a difference…” As he relived each battle in his mind, a general picture of his short comings began to take shape. There were quite a few of them, sadly. “The question is then; do I try to spread out my efforts to even out what I’m lacking. Or double down on what I was able to do?”

He thought about how he couldn’t track the trogs through the swamp. How he wasn’t able to sneak up on them, even when he knew where they were. How, after shooting a few times he’d ended every battle just trading blows, hoping that they would go down before his body quit regenerating. He scrolled down the list, making notes. Before thinking back on his goals, and making his choices. Once he had selected his body augmentations and confirmed his choices, he waited for his body to reconfigure itself before heading for his lunch date with Terra.

She was waiting for him at a table in the inner-city park. Near a small pond filled with alien creatures that could be called koi fish, if one was being generous. She’d spread out a table cloth, and had a wicker basket, complete with sandwiches and a bottle of wine. It might of reminded Mark of home, if not for her strange battle robe and the crossbow and short sword she carried.

“Are we having a picnic?” he asked, walking up and taking a seat across from her. His appearance startled her and she looked him up and down, taking in the changes before speaking.

“I thought we’d have a nice lunch in the park and destress a little bit before talking business. To be honest though big boy, now that I see you. I’m gunna have to see what you did to yourself before I can focus on this lovely bottle of wine.”

Mark chuckled and sent his purchases over; he’d expected a reaction like this so he wasn’t really surprised. He just grabbed the bottle and poured for them both while she read down his augmentations.

Cardiovascular enhancement / organ replacement = Replaces the heart and lungs with larger bioengineered versions. Also improves the blood and blood vessels, promoting increased healing rate. This upgrade also increases endurance attribute by 4 points Cost = 800 augmentation points prerequisite = 10% body size enhancement. = increases the size of the body as a whole, by a set percentage. Also increases strength attribute by 1 point Cost = 200 augmentation points Prerequisite = regenerative parasite upgrade = parasite needs to be modified in order to be able to accurately regenerate new organs and upgraded blood and cells Cost = 200 augmentation points Hand replacement = swap out existing hand for one 10% larger. Original hand counts as a core cost Cost = 85 augmentation points, 50 augmentation points to repair damaged trade in Total cost = 135 augmentation points Parasite potion x2 = This vial contains a concentrated cocktail of the most beneficial enzymes to the regeneration parasite. Will keep parasite regenerating the body without attribute loss for a time. Cost = 100 augmentation points x2 (200 augmentation points total)

After she finished reading, terra lifted her wine and sniffed it, before taking a long sip. Still preoccupied with the page, she opened the basket and handed Mark a sandwich.

“Interesting choices,” she said at last. “Mind telling me why you picked these?” she asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

“Sure,” Mark said with a shrug. “it’s because I’m not very good at anything.” At her raised eyebrow he continued. “Back home, when I was in the service. There was always someone telling me where to go and what to do. I had a grasp on military structure and was a crack shot, but I wasn’t a scout nor was I involved with intelligence gathering.” He stopped to take a bite of his own sandwich, a grilled cheese. It was really good; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had cheese.

“I’m still not following,” Terra said, refilling their glasses. “What does that have to do with trying to turn yourself into a living tank?”

“In every battle I’ve been in, I either shot the enemy before they got close, or just stood there and traded blows with them until they died. I did it in the fucking fly swarm, when the frogs attacked the ridge I was hiding on, and every time I got into a fight with the trogs. I can’t track worth a damn; I’m not suited to stealth and I don’t know any martial arts or weapon styles. Except what I learned in basic, and that was so long ago I don’t remember any of it.”

“So, instead of learning how to do any of that, you decided to just soak up whatever the enemy throws at you while you kill them?” she asked with a look of consideration. “I guess that works.” She said, taking another sip of wine.

“I looked into what it would take for me to develop those skills, or buying augmentations to help offset my deficiencies. There was one that improved my sense of smell to make tracking easier, and another one that was like a feline reflex upgrade pack. They just didn’t seem like a good fit.” He said, shrugging again. he reached for the bottle, only to find it empty.

“No worries, old man.” Terra said pulling another bottle from her basket, “I brought more than one.” Handing it over she smiled. “So, what do you want to do now?” she asked, offering her own glass for him to top off. “Did you have anything in mind?”

“I wanted to talk to you about that actually. I’ve made a list of things I was hoping either you or Tinker could help me track down around town. I’m hoping I can pick up some gear without having to spend augmentation points on them…But also, I don’t know why I never thought of it, but what about you? you’ve been helping me from the start, you and Tinker, but don’t you need to go do quests or something?”

He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought about it before. actually he did, he’d been so caught up in his own problems that he hadn’t really thought about Terra. Looking at her, sitting in the garden-like park, sipping from a glass of wine. He started thinking about her, not just as someone to help him understand this place, but as someone who really was in the same boat as he was. She’d just been in it longer than he had.

“You don’t need to worry about me.” She said, giving him a warm smile. “You just focus on yourself for now. When the time comes that I need help, don’t worry, I will let you know. Now, give me your list. I will go over it with Tinker and we will see what we can see. You going to go complete another quest? try to bring back something worth trading this time, ok? We can find you the gear you want but it isn’t going to be free. So, animal hides, weapons, gems or precious metals. Stuff like that, bring it back with you and we’ll do what we can.” Finishing her last mouthful of wine, Terra got up and ruffled his hair affectionately as she left.

Mark watched her walk away, a little sad that the picnic had ended so abruptly. He had rather enjoyed the normalcy of it, and wished it could have continued. He watched the koi like fish swimming around the pond as he finished his own wine. It was just as well, soon enough he would be fighting again. no point letting himself relax too much.

His next course of action decided, he looked at his attributes,

Name = Mark Lee

Age = 96 years old

Attributes (human standard = 6)

Strength = 12 Endurance = 15 Agility = 10 Mind = 12 (+12 Control implant) = (24 available)

Not bad, considering where he’d started. He thought back to the first day in the tutorial. After the shuttle crash, he had been dead on his feet from only a short hike with a rifle and a backpack. He could likely sprint that same distance now in a number of minutes.

He still wished he’d been able to get some equipment this time, but if he was lucky, Terra would have something for him when he got back. With that in mind he pulled up the quest list and started to read through them. he still needed to do two easy and two medium difficulty quests before he could leave the tutorial and he didn’t see any point in putting them off. filtering out the medium and hard quests he focused on the easy ones.

“Clear a tin mine of ratfolk, clear local lake of frog kin, figure out why local sheep are dying…there isn’t much here other than killing a few creatures or solving a simple mystery. Oh, help fur trappers figure out why predators are coming down from the mountain, endangering local population. That’s the one.”

Terra had said he could trade animal hides for gear. He’d also learned from the people of swamp rat village how useful some animal parts could be. If he played his cards right, he might be able to kill a few birds with one quest.

He looked at the park table, still sporting the lunch spread. Mark didn’t know if he should leave it here or not, so munching on another grilled cheese he packed it all up and took it back to his room with him. Terra would grab it later he had no doubt. Besides he needed to swing back to his room anyway. he needed food and he wasn’t going into another quest without his mark III.

An hour later, he stood on the teleportation platform that would take him to the trapper’s town. checking over the information packet one more time, he concluded he had everything he should need. Reaching out his hand to touch the sphere he was enveloped in the blinding flash of light that would take him away to somewhere else.

* * *

The blinding flash of light faded away, leaving Mark in a deciduous forest. A biting wind slammed into him, letting him know that reading the information packet wasn’t guaranteed to tell him everything. seeing as how it had completely failed to mention that it was the middle of winter. Mark shivered a little, but his increased endurance helped reduce the cold’s effects. Still, he was going to need some warmer clothes.

Spinning around in place, Mark tried to decide what direction he should start in. A scream split the air, answering the question for him. Looking toward the sound, Mark constricted the lens in his left eye. his vision zoomed in on a trio of fur clad people surrounded by a pack of wolves. One of those people was already down, with wolves tearing into them. Mark returned his vision to normal, blinking and shaking his head. He had to remember to close his right eye next time he did that.

Pulling up the mark III rifle he sprinted forward towards the remaining pair of trapped people. one of them, an old man, was standing over the other person a young girl. He held a bow in both hands, using it as a staff to fend off the approaching wolves. Mark could see two dead wolves with arrows sticking out of their bodies, but the pack was too close now for the man to attempt another shot. The young girl saw him sprinting towards them and shouted out to him.

“What are you doing. Can’t you see the wolves, you need to run.” She tried waving him off, looking terrified but still concerned for his, a stranger’s, safety. The old man didn’t spare a glance for him as he continued to swing his bow turned staff at the lunging wolves. Mark didn’t bother responding, he just ran up close and started shooting.

Within a matter of seconds, five new corpses joined the two the old man had already made. The pair didn’t move for a beat, still either cowering or defending from a threat that was no longer there. Mark moved over to check the fallen body. It was another man, perhaps forty, and he was dead.

“Is my dad ok mister?” asked the girl, who tried to approach. Only to be stopped by a hand from the old man.

“Stay here Pen,” he said moving towards Mark. “Let me…you, you just watch for wolves, ok?” he patted her on the shoulder and moved over to Mark, where he crouched down to look at the middle-aged man’s body. “Oh, my boy. I’m so sorry.” Tears ran silently down his cheeks as he held the body. “Thank you for saving us, young man. But if it isn’t too much trouble… could I impose on you to help us lay my son to rest?”