Armageddon

Sirens went off on the Armageddon as one of his drones found a small tracking device stuck to the outer hull. He immediately crushed it and disposed of the contents. Even with the Emperor knowing his location, it wasn't exactly easy for him to get there as the supership was the only one fitted with the new multiverse jump drive. It would probably be several years before the Emperor could recreate such a massive feat of technology. Unlike the plans for the SG66, the jump drive was a project with collaboration offices throughout the empire, and there was bound to be a backup of the schematics somewhere.

The process of analyzing the planet's core was still running, so the Armageddon turned his focus to what was truly important: Self-amusement. The silly A.I. reconfigured a stardust fighter to have four nanite tentacles protruding out of it. Then, it launched into the forest to creep about on the ground like some crazy science fiction horror. "Mahahahha, I may be stuck, but my metal minion will do my bidding!" The A.I. began hunting the local monsters, using nothing but the tentacles as a weapon because it was more "ethical." The starfighter looked ridiculous as it jumped from behind trees to pounce on hapless prey. "CRUNCH" ALERT –M.R. Tentacles HAS KILLED A CRUNCHASOURIS- LEVELED UP!

M.R. Tentacles-Star Fighter

Category

Description

Effect

Close range

Probing Tentacles

Don't bend over.

Long-range

Antimatter bolts BANNED FOR PLANET SIDE USE -A.I. Ethics 101-

It doesn't matter anymore

Weaknesses

Programmed by the eccentric A.I. Armageddon, who frequently pilots the machine himself.

May start dancing.

The Armageddon laughed at the alert and wondered what Brian would think of his crazy creation, just as an information dump came in from the satellite network. Brian had uploaded all the information he scanned from the library of secrets. "Well, I guess playtime with the robot will have to wait," he grumbled and began conducting an intensitive analysis of the texts.

Brian

After beaming up all the information I gathered from the library, I activated the stimulant package in my imperial upgrade model to keep me awake and spent the night practicing the introductory "Starting cultivation" manual:

Starting Cultivation

Path

Instruction

Desired Effect

Empty mind level 1

Practice having an empty mind. Cultivation cannot be undertaken without mastering this first step.

Hold not even a stray thought in mind for an extended period

Empty mind level 2

Structure your life, so you do not need to think. Your mind is empty; you have already won. You will know you have mastered this when enemies commit suicide by attacking you.

Do not ever lie-this is required for Mastering your spirit and causing enemies to self immolate.

Breathing technique level 1

Apply empty mind level 1; direct the empty mind to focus on the energy at your feet.

Do not think; feel the energy with every breath.

Breathing technique level 2

Apply breathing technique level 1 and Empty mind level 1 simultaneously, but focus on your root. Apply the seven-sevens breath pattern. In for seven, hold for seven, and out for seven.

A proper application will begin the connection to the greater spirit.

The text was interesting. It looked like I would increase my spirit stat from practicing the technique, and I crossed my legs and got started right away.

A long time later,… "AUGHH" I yelled in frustration. This was not going well. There were too many thoughts bouncing around in my head, not to mention HUD updates and other electronic notifications streaming from my implants. I ordered my imperial upgrade CPU into silent mode and tried again. This time, it went much better: "ALERT. EMPTY MIND FOR 10 SECONDS. SPIRIT +1". That wasn't much, but anything I could do to get my spirit stat up was mandatory for me. I definitely did not want to get possessed.

The sun was starting to rise when I finally gave up on my cultivation attempts for the night. I figured I should try to find some employment today because spending the night in a cold ally near a gutter with piles of shit in it wasn't ideal. I had to get some finances!

I walked up to a stall where the smell of freshly baked goods was enticing me. I handed the old lady the small penny that Tom had given me and munched on a tasty warm loaf. I said, "Ma'am, do you know anywhere I could get a job around here?" She replied, "Well, you look a bit young for the adventure guild. Why don't you see if you can get hired as a cook's assistant for one of the passing caravans? One just came in last night, and they're camped outside the walls. Caravans usually cycle people in every city they stop at. Your chances would probably be pretty good". I thanked the lady and made my way in the direction she had pointed.

I pulled up the satellite feed monitoring the areas outside Armageddon's dungeon entrance on my way towards the city gate. I zoomed in at what I thought was a flash of metal. WHAT THE FUCK! A tentacled starfighter was crouching behind a large tree. I watched as the thing slowly crept up behind an animal that looked like a crocodile and pounced! There was a brief struggle as the lizard-like animal was swift. It dove to the side of the oncoming tentacle and then rolled behind the starfighter. The thing had gigantic fangs and chomped down on the rear exhaust port. However, the starfighter whipped its other tentacles in a speedy frenzy and removed the head of the thing before flinging it into the forest. I toggled my com "Armageddon, what the fuck are you doing to the local animals? A sheepish reply came back at me, "Um, hi! Glad you're doing well too. I ah, got board running all this analysis, and started entertaining myself. Hey, though, I am processing the meat from all these hunts. You will have plenty of meat when you return!" I rolled my eyes at the crazy A.I. Fortunately, I had just passed the city gate, and the caravan was in sight!

"Hello! My name is Brian," I spoke to the camp guard. "I was wondering if the cook is hiring for any assistants. I am good at slicing meat!" The guard looked down at a notepad, "Yes, we do have an opening for at least one assistant. Go stand over by the chuck wagon, and she will interview you in a minute".

I waited politely until Margret came to talk to me. "Hi there. How may I help you?" "Well, ma'am, I was looking to get hired on as an assistant to the cook. I am good at slicing meats! Do you think I could work out here?" "Well, son, come over here and show me your skills! I'm going to be prepping this here meat for salting. Show me your amazing skills!" I walked over and looked back and forth. No one else was paying attention. I made a fist, and the SG66 blade slit out from my forearm. The sharp edge was an atom's width, but the blade itself was about two inches wide. When viewed from the edge side, it looked invisible. "Well, don't just stand there!" Margret said. "Here, let me get you a knife!" "That won't be necessary," I replied, "I have a cutting skill!". I began chopping the meats into appropriate sizes. Margret marveled at how clean and perfect everything looked. "Well, son, that's the best cutting job I have ever seen! We encounter many monsters on our travels, and it's usually up to me to harvest the meat after the guards kill them. This is going to be one easy trip with you around!".

I had one more thing to do before leaving. I got a package put together with a portable com device and wrote a letter: "Dear Librarian 777, I am most intrigued by your research into the pinnacles of the world, other higher beings, and the soul. I have attached a remote device so we can communicate. Please contact me so we can discuss these matters. You will find instructions taped to the device." I sealed the box and stamped it with a tracking beacon. I messaged the Armageddon, "I want you to track this box. Use the satellite network to monitor the audio transmitted from the comm. If you suspect the package has fallen into the hands of someone other than Librarian 777, vaporize the area with a kinetic satellite strike, please. I am off to earn some local cash!" I was sure the Armageddon heard me, but he didn't respond. I surmised that he was still playing with his ridiculous starfighter robot.

A short time later, we embarked on the journey. The city slowly faded from view, and the stone path turned into a dirt road. We approached the rolling hills, and the guards in front started eyeing the surrounding forests nervously. "Hey, mage," yelled a guard. "Get up on a wagon and get ready to throw some fireballs!" My eyes widened. I guess the manna stat really was good for something. I needed to learn about that too!

About an hour after we entered the forests, the first growls sounded from the surrounding brush.