Ch10 City lord

By the time Ryan and Jessica reached Teleportation Bay Four, just under five minutes remained on their deployment timers.

The bay itself was enormous, a circular transit chamber built around dozens of formation platforms engraved directly into the alloy floor. Rings of blue-white Esoteric circuitry surrounded each platform, spreading outward in intricate geometric patterns before disappearing beneath the walls.

Ryan had expected to find another sea of recruits stretching beyond sight.

Instead, only a fraction of the station's intake had gathered here.

There were still thousands of cadets packed across the chamber, but after seeing the scale of the Awakening hall, the number almost felt small.

Almost.

"Different bays must be going to different worlds," Jessica said beside him.

Ryan nodded.

"Or different locations on the same world."

Neither possibility gave them much information.

Skynet still refused to reveal their destination.

[ DESTINATION DATA: RESTRICTED UNTIL TELEPORTATION ]

Ryan dismissed the notification.

"Really starting to hate that word."

"What word?"

"Restricted."

Jessica gave him a sideways look.

"Yesterday you said you hated Skynet."

"I can hate multiple things."

"Very mature."

Ryan opened his mouth to respond when Jessica suddenly stopped.

Her eyes widened.

"Wait."

She pushed onto her toes and looked over the crowd.

"Is that—"

Her face brightened.

"Raven!"

A girl several meters away turned sharply.

Ryan recognized her a moment later.

Raven.

They hadn't been particularly close back at Sector 4 Regional Academy, but they'd shared enough classes for Ryan to know her. She was tall for their age, with sharp features and short-cropped dark hair that made her easy to pick out even among thousands of identical Exclipse uniforms.

The instant Raven saw Jessica, relief transformed her face.

"Jess?"

Jessica crossed the distance quickly.

Raven barely had time to react before Jessica wrapped her in a hug.

"You made it."

Raven froze for half a second, then returned the embrace.

"Barely."

Jessica stepped back.

"I was looking for you yesterday."

"Good luck finding anybody in that nightmare."

Raven adjusted the strap crossing her shoulder.

"That Awakening nearly killed me. I swear my core felt like it was going to split open."

Ryan approached.

"Sounds about right."

Raven looked at him.

"Lowell."

"Good to see you too."

She smiled tiredly.

"You survived."

"Against everyone's expectations."

"Mostly your teachers'."

"Especially theirs."

Jessica rolled her eyes.

"Please don't start."

Ryan glanced around.

"You seen Jax?"

Raven's smile faded.

"No."

The answer hit harder than Ryan expected.

He had hoped someone else might have crossed paths with him after the Awakening.

Jessica looked through the crowd again.

"Maybe he's assigned to another bay."

"Probably," Ryan said.

He made himself believe it.

There were millions of recruits moving through the station. Dozens of teleportation bays. Countless deployment groups.

Not seeing Jax meant nothing.

At least, that was what Ryan told himself.

Raven glanced between them.

"You two know where we're going?"

"Nope," Ryan said.

"Skynet won't tell us."

Raven sighed.

"Same."

Jessica glanced at the countdown.

02:41

"Did either of you sleep?"

"No," Ryan and Raven answered simultaneously.

Jessica laughed.

"Good. At least we're all making responsible decisions."

Raven glanced at Ryan.

"What were you doing?"

"Testing my Talent."

"What'd you get?"

"Absolute Energy Barrier."

Raven stared at him.

"That sounds unfair."

"Everyone keeps saying that until I explain the limitations."

"What limitations?"

Ryan opened his mouth.

A deep tone reverberated throughout the teleportation bay.

Conversation died instantly.

The countdown changed.

00:10

Ryan looked down.

"Oh."

Jessica moved closer.

Raven turned toward the formation beneath their feet.

Around them, thousands of recruits became still.

00:07

The circuitry embedded in the floor brightened.

Ryan felt his core respond.

Not painfully.

More like recognition.

00:05

A vibration traveled through his boots.

Ryan's heart accelerated.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

He had spent his entire life on Earth.

Yesterday had been the first time he'd left the planet.

Now he was about to travel farther than he could comprehend without taking a single step.

00:03

Jessica reached out and grabbed his forearm.

Ryan looked at her.

She didn't seem to realize she'd done it.

He didn't mention it.

00:02

Raven muttered something Ryan couldn't hear.

00:01

The world turned white.

Ryan's vision disappeared.

There was no sensation of movement.

No acceleration.

No feeling of falling through space.

For one impossible instant, there was simply nothing except brilliant white light.

Then heat struck him.

Ryan inhaled sharply.

Dry, scorching air filled his lungs.

His boots touched something solid.

Sound rushed back next.

Voices.

Footsteps.

Mechanical engines.

Animalistic cries.

Languages Ryan had never heard.

Ryan blinked rapidly as the radiance faded.

The orbital station was gone.

For several seconds, his mind refused to process what had replaced it.

They stood in the center of a vast stone plaza beneath an open alien sky.

Beyond the plaza rose a city unlike anything Ryan had ever seen.

Towering structures of polished black stone and dark metallic alloys stretched hundreds of feet overhead, their architecture mixing enormous fortress-like foundations with narrow spires that curved toward the sky. Suspended bridges connected buildings at impossible heights, while floating platforms drifted silently between them.

Vehicles moved through the air without visible engines.

Holographic symbols in unfamiliar languages covered storefronts and tower walls.

Enormous statues of species Ryan didn't recognize stood at major intersections.

The entire city felt ancient and impossibly advanced at the same time.

Ryan slowly turned.

"Whoa."

Jessica was too stunned to tease him.

Raven simply stared.

But the buildings weren't what truly made the place feel alien.

The people did.

Hundreds of beings moved around the plaza.

Not humans.

Not Zorvaks.

Species Ryan had only ever seen in school databases and military broadcasts walked past them as casually as commuters on an Earth transit platform.

A massive quadrupedal creature covered in overlapping plates of natural metallic armor pushed through the crowd carrying cargo across its broad back. Nearby, a slender being with four arms argued with a merchant whose skin seemed almost transparent beneath the sunlight. Something barely waist-high scurried past Ryan on six narrow legs while manipulating a floating holographic display with two delicate hands.

Ryan couldn't decide where to look.

"Jess."

"I see it."

"Raven."

"I also have eyes, Ryan."

"This is incredible."

Jessica glanced at him.

"Of course that's your reaction."

Thousands of human teenagers had just materialized in the middle of the plaza.

Almost none of the locals cared.

A few looked toward them.

Most didn't.

They flowed around the recruits without slowing, as though enormous groups of confused humans appearing from nowhere were a routine inconvenience.

Then Ryan noticed the humans who had already been here.

His excitement dimmed.

Several stood near the outer edge of the plaza.

Older than the new recruits, though not by much.

Their Exclipse uniforms were recognizable beneath layers of dirt and damage. Armor plates were scratched or missing entirely. One boy had a crude bandage wrapped around his forearm. Another sat against a wall with his eyes closed, looking so exhausted that Ryan initially wondered if he was asleep.

A girl nearby counted several faintly glowing crystals in her palm before quickly hiding them when another human passed.

They didn't look like soldiers.

They looked worn down.

Hungry.

Ryan's eyes followed them.

"What happened to them?"

Jessica saw where he was looking.

Her expression tightened.

Raven was quieter.

"I think we're about to find out."

Heat pressed against Ryan's skin.

He looked upward.

Then stopped.

There were two suns.

One dominated the sky, a brilliant golden-white star blazing through the atmospheric haze.

The second was smaller and darker, burning crimson some distance away and tinting the horizon with faint shades of red.

Ryan stared.

"Two."

Jessica followed his gaze.

"That's..."

"Two suns."

"I can count."

"I know. I'm just saying it."

Ryan grinned despite himself.

"I'm standing on a planet with two suns."

Before Jessica could respond, movement high above the plaza caught his attention.

Something was descending from the sky.

At first Ryan assumed it was another vehicle.

Then he realized it was a person.

"Uh..."

Nearby conversations faded as more recruits noticed.

The figure descended without thrusters, wings, or any visible technology.

Ryan's Skynet interface flickered.

[ SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AVAILABLE ]

[ ELPIDA ]

Ryan had seen images before.

Seeing one in person was different.

The Elpida was humanoid through the torso, but that was where the resemblance became less comfortable. Pale scales covered his exposed skin, shimmering almost like pearl beneath the twin suns. Thick hornlike protrusions swept outward from either side of his smooth skull, and a long muscular tail extended behind him, moving through the air with slow, deliberate grace.

His eyes were gold.

Not amber like the Zorvaks.

Bright, metallic gold divided by narrow vertical pupils.

Ornate black-and-gray armor covered his torso and limbs, every plate engraved with unfamiliar markings.

Ryan felt his body tense instinctively when those eyes swept across the recruits.

Predator.

Some primitive part of his brain recognized that before the rational part could catch up.

The Elpida stopped roughly a hundred feet above the plaza.

No wings.

No propulsion.

He simply hovered.

Ryan stared.

How strong do you have to be to do that?

The alien spread his arms.

"Welcome!"

His voice rolled across the plaza without a microphone.

Thousands of recruits fell silent.

The Elpida smiled.

"Welcome, welcome, my lovely little conscripts."

Something about his cheerful tone immediately made Ryan suspicious.

"I am the City Lord of this territory. You may address me as..."

He paused theatrically.

"City Lord."

Silence.

The alien nodded.

"Simple. Friendly. Approachable. I find excessive titles create unnecessary distance between people."

His smile widened, revealing narrow pointed teeth.

"Also, most of you are too insignificant to use my actual name."

A few nervous laughs moved through the crowd.

The City Lord crossed his arms.

"Now, normally, I do not greet new arrivals. I don't give tours, I don't answer questions, and I certainly don't provide free advice."

His tail swayed lazily behind him.

"But cleaning thousands of human corpses from the territory during your first week would be tedious, and I dislike tedious work."

The remaining laughter disappeared.

"So."

He raised one clawed finger.

"Free advice."

Ryan focused.

"Form squads."

Murmuring began immediately.

"Four or five members," the City Lord continued. "No more unless you have a compelling reason."

He floated slowly above them as he spoke.

"Why four or five? Because generations of hunters considerably more experienced than you have already determined that it works. Larger groups create more noise, leave larger trails, consume more resources, and attract attention."

His smile sharpened.

"Smaller groups tend to become food."

The plaza went very still.

"Four or five gives you enough bodies to cover multiple roles without announcing your presence to everything with teeth within ten kilometers."

His eyes moved over the crowd.

"And before any aspiring heroes decide they don't need teammates, understand that the wilderness outside this city contains creatures capable of killing every person standing beside you before you finish drawing your weapon."

Ryan's hand drifted toward his sidearm.

The City Lord noticed the movement occurring throughout the crowd.

He seemed amused.

"Excellent. Fear. We are learning already."

Jessica leaned toward Ryan.

"I don't like him."

Ryan kept his eyes upward.

"I kind of do."

"Of course you do."

The City Lord turned in the air and gestured grandly toward the metropolis surrounding them.

"Now, observe."

His voice took on the exaggerated warmth of a salesman.

"Walls."

He pointed.

"Food."

Another gesture.

"Clean water. Medical care. Equipment. Beds. Climate-controlled housing. Markets. Entertainment, for those wealthy enough to waste resources on it."

He placed one hand over his chest.

"Everything necessary to transform this beautiful fortress from a collection of stone and metal into civilization."

His golden eyes narrowed.

"None of it is free."

Ryan's smile faded.

"The currency used throughout this territory is X Energy crystal."

Several holographic images appeared around the City Lord.

Ryan recognized them immediately.

Small crystalline objects, each glowing faintly from within.

He'd seen them countless times on streams.

Darkstar received them from sponsorships and Dungeon rewards.

Combat streamers traded them for equipment.

Awakened used them for cultivation.

On Earth, an ordinary person could live comfortably for months on the value of a handful.

The City Lord spread his hands.

"And currently..."

His grin returned.

"...you have none."

A ripple of unease moved through the recruits.

"You're broke."

He seemed delighted by the word.

"Spectacularly broke."

Ryan glanced at Jessica.

She wasn't smiling anymore.

"Fortunately, acquiring crystals is simple."

The City Lord raised one finger.

"Method one."

A holographic image of a monstrous animal appeared beside him.

"Kill."

Another image appeared showing a glowing crystal buried inside the creature's body.

"Many Esoteric beasts develop condensed energy structures within their bodies. Kill the creature, harvest the crystal, and congratulations—you have entered the economy."

He raised a second finger.

"Method two."

The image changed to a humanoid figure sitting in meditation.

"Produce them yourself."

Ryan's attention sharpened.

"You are Awakened. Your cores refine Esoteric Energy into X Energy. With proper technique, that energy can be compressed and crystallized outside your body."

A few recruits visibly relaxed.

The City Lord saw it.

"Oh, don't smile yet."

They stopped.

"At your current cultivation?"

His grin became almost sympathetic.

"Most of you will require approximately twelve hours of uninterrupted condensation to create one standard crystal."

Ryan's stomach sank.

Twelve hours.

"Your local solar cycle is conveniently close to twenty-four standard hours."

The City Lord tapped one claw against his chin.

"So, theoretically, you could create two crystals per day."

He brightened.

"Provided you don't sleep."

No one laughed.

"Or train."

His smile widened.

"Or perform missions."

The humor vanished from his eyes.

"Or do anything else with your life."

Ryan understood the trap immediately.

They could survive without fighting.

Technically.

But they'd spend nearly every waking hour creating enough currency to remain alive, leaving almost no time to become stronger.

"And you will need crystals," the City Lord continued, "because leaving this city is free."

He paused.

"Coming back is not."

Several recruits started speaking at once.

The City Lord's voice rose effortlessly over them.

"Every entry through the city gates requires payment."

Ryan stared.

That changed everything.

If they left without enough crystals to return—

They stayed outside.

"You will also purchase your own food. Your own lodging. Replacement equipment. Medical services beyond emergency stabilization. Ammunition. Repairs. Information."

He let each word settle.

"Nothing here belongs to you merely because you wear an Exclipse uniform."

Raven muttered beside Ryan.

"They dumped us here broke."

"Looks like it," Jessica whispered.

The City Lord wasn't finished.

"And then there is tax."

A collective groan moved through the crowd.

The alien laughed.

"Oh, I like this group."

He held up both hands.

"Ten standard X Energy crystals per candidate, per local month."

Ryan mentally calculated.

If producing one crystal required twelve hours at Rank Zero, ten crystals represented one hundred twenty hours of cultivation devoted entirely to currency production.

Before food.

Before lodging.

Before entry tolls.

Before anything else.

"Failure to pay results in loss of residency privileges until the debt is resolved."

The City Lord shrugged.

"You may remain outside the walls as long as you wish."

His teeth showed again.

"The wilderness is very accommodating."

Jessica looked at Ryan.

"We need to hunt."

"Yep."

There wasn't even a debate.

The City Lord drifted lower.

"Once you reach Rank One, crystal production becomes substantially easier. A competent Rank-One Awakened can usually produce enough to cover basic housing, food, taxes, and modest equipment expenses without devoting every waking hour to condensation."

He gestured toward the humans already living near the edge of the plaza.

Ryan looked at them again.

Some stared back.

There was something uncomfortable in their expressions.

Not pity.

Recognition.

They had once stood exactly where Ryan stood now.

"Until then," the City Lord continued, "cooperate."

His gaze swept across the recruits.

"If you're weak in direct combat, become useful another way. Medical support. Equipment maintenance. Scouting. Logistics. Cooking, if you're talented enough that others will pay to avoid poisoning themselves."

A few recruits laughed nervously.

"Make agreements. Trade services. Join stronger groups."

Then his attention shifted toward the more confident cadets.

"And those of you fortunate enough to possess combat Talents should not assume strength means doing everything alone."

His expression became more serious.

"Useful subordinates are worth more than disposable allies."

Ryan didn't particularly like the word subordinates.

Jessica apparently didn't either.

Her mouth tightened.

The City Lord continued.

"Your Skynet interface has access to local bounty boards, wilderness maps, basic species identification, city regulations, market prices, mission postings, and approved resource exchanges."

Ryan's interface chimed.

[ LOCAL NETWORK ACCESS ESTABLISHED ]

[ CITY SERVICES AVAILABLE ]

Dozens of new menu categories appeared at the edge of his vision.

Markets.

Housing.

Bounties.

Missions.

Maps.

Regulations.

Squad Management.

Crystal Exchange.

Ryan barely had time to read them.

"Use it," the City Lord said.

His theatrical amusement faded.

For the first time since he'd begun speaking, his face became completely serious.

"Now we come to the important part."

The plaza quieted.

"Inside these walls, you obey city law."

A new notification appeared.

[ LOCAL LEGAL CODE AVAILABLE ]

"Read it."

His golden eyes swept across them.

"Not later."

The playful warmth disappeared from his voice.

"Not after you break something."

His tail became completely still.

"Read it before you do anything stupid."

Ryan felt the atmosphere change.

"If you violate city law, punishment depends upon the offense. Theft, fraud, assault, property destruction, prohibited combat, interference with commerce—every crime carries an established consequence."

He smiled faintly.

"Some consequences are financial."

The smile disappeared.

"Others are not."

Nobody moved.

"Do not assume death is the worst punishment available."

Ryan felt a chill despite the heat.

The City Lord allowed the silence to linger.

Then his cheerful expression returned so quickly it was almost disturbing.

"Outside the walls, however..."

He spread his arms.

"...none of that applies."

Ryan frowned.

The City Lord's grin widened.

"No city protection."

"No patrol guarantees."

"No prohibition against violence."

"No legal protection for your possessions."

He tilted his head.

"If someone stronger decides they want what you have, your options are negotiation, escape, or proving they made a mistake."

His golden eyes narrowed.

"The wilderness does not care that you are fifteen."

That landed differently.

Ryan heard someone behind him inhale sharply.

"Do not provoke people you cannot afford to provoke. Do not display wealth you cannot defend. Do not assume another human is your ally merely because you share a species."

Ryan glanced toward the exhausted older recruits again.

A few had already turned away.

"Most importantly," the City Lord said, "do not mistake these walls for your home."

He slowly rose higher.

"This city is a marketplace surrounded by things that want to eat you."

His grin returned.

"I merely charge admission."

Ryan almost laughed.

Almost.

The City Lord clapped his hands together.

"Form your squads. Read the rules. Earn your first crystals."

He began drifting upward.

"And try not to die before paying your taxes."

A recruit somewhere in the crowd shouted.

"Wait! What planet are we on?"

The City Lord stopped.

For one moment, he seemed genuinely surprised.

Then he laughed.

"Oh."

He looked across the thousands of recruits.

"They didn't tell you?"

Ryan's stomach tightened.

The City Lord's smile became positively delighted.

"How wonderfully cruel."

Ryan immediately opened his mouth.

"Skynet, identify current—"

The City Lord vanished.

There was no flash.

No sound.

No visible acceleration.

One moment he hovered above them.

The next, the space was empty.

Ryan stopped speaking.

Thousands of recruits stared upward.

Raven broke the silence.

"What the hell?"

Ryan's eyes remained fixed on the empty sky.

"I didn't see him move."

"Neither did I," Jessica said.

That bothered Ryan more than the speech.

He lowered his gaze.

Chaos began spreading through the plaza almost immediately.

Recruits called for friends.

Groups formed.

Others opened Skynet menus and started shouting questions at their interfaces.

Some immediately headed toward the nearby markets.

A few simply stood frozen.

Ryan ignored all of it.

He activated Skynet.

"Identify current planet."

[ CURRENT LOCATION INFORMATION AVAILABLE. ]

A new display opened.

Ryan read the first line.

His expression slowly changed.

Jessica noticed.

"What?"

Ryan didn't answer.

"Ryan?"

He shared the display.

Jessica and Raven accepted.

A translucent planetary profile appeared before all three of them.

At the top was a rotating image of a world neither Ryan nor Jessica had ever seen.

Beneath it appeared a classification.

[ EXCLIPSE FRONTIER TERRITORY ]

Ryan stared at the word.

Frontier.

A second warning appeared.

[ REGIONAL THREAT CLASSIFICATION: CLASS THREE ]

Jessica went very still.

Raven looked between them.

"Is that bad?"

Ryan remembered school.

Class-One territories were considered suitable for newly Awakened personnel.

Class Two required trained squads.

Class Three—

Ryan swallowed.

"Yeah."

Jessica stared at the notification.

"How bad?"

Ryan looked beyond the plaza.

Past the enormous buildings.

Past the fortress walls surrounding the city.

In the distance, beyond the black stone battlements, unfamiliar mountains rose beneath two suns.

Something enormous moved between them.

Even from kilometers away, Ryan could see its silhouette.

His excitement hadn't disappeared.

But now fear stood beside it.

"They didn't send us to a training world."

Jessica looked at him.

Ryan's Skynet interface chimed again.

A new notification expanded across his vision.

This one was red.

[ EXCLIPSE CADET DIRECTIVE ]

[ FORM A SQUAD: 4–5 MEMBERS ]

[ ACQUIRE X ENERGY CRYSTALS ]

[ SURVIVE ]

Ryan stared at the final word.

Then he looked at Jessica.

At Raven.

Three people.

They needed at least one more.

And one name immediately came to mind.

"Before we do anything else," Ryan said, scanning the thousands of human faces around them, "we find Jax."