Ch13 Outer City

They didn't stop running until the city walls came back into view.

For nearly an hour, the squad pushed through the forest at a pace that left little room for conversation. Ryan kept his barrier floating behind them whenever the terrain allowed, constantly checking the gaps between the pale trees for any sign of whatever had been moving through the wilderness.

He never saw it.

That almost made it worse.

Every few minutes, a distant crack echoed through the forest.

A tree breaking.

A heavy impact.

Once, the ground trembled beneath their boots strongly enough that Jessica stumbled.

Whatever was following them—or simply moving in the same direction—was enormous.

Fortunately, it never caught up.

The deeper forest gradually thinned, giving way to the more heavily traveled perimeter surrounding the fortress. Old tracks crossed the dry earth. Signs of previous hunts appeared everywhere: dried blood, discarded pieces of hide, broken vegetation, and deep claw marks baked into the soil.

Then the walls rose above the trees.

Ben nearly cheered.

"I have never been happier to see an extortion racket."

Ryan slowed slightly.

"You know we're about to pay them."

"Don't ruin this for me."

Jessica looked back toward the forest.

Nothing moved between the trees.

Still, she didn't holster her sidearm.

"Let's get inside first."

Nobody disagreed.

They joined the returning traffic near the gate.

There weren't many fresh cadets among them.

Most of the people approaching the city looked older, stronger, and significantly more experienced. Humans walked alongside species Ryan didn't recognize. Several groups dragged pieces of enormous creatures behind them, while others carried packs overflowing with harvested materials.

One alien passed with the severed head of something larger than Ryan's entire body suspended from a hovering platform.

Ryan stared.

Ben followed his gaze.

"We hunted lizards."

"Everybody starts somewhere."

"That guy hunted a building."

The line moved quickly.

When their turn came, an armored gate attendant barely looked at them.

"Entry."

A payment interface appeared across Ryan's vision.

[ CITY REENTRY TOLL ]

[ 2 LOW-GRADE X ENERGY CRYSTALS ]

[ CONFIRM PAYMENT? ]

Ryan hesitated.

He'd started the return trip with six crystals.

Two just to walk through a gate.

He confirmed.

[ PAYMENT ACCEPTED ]

[ BALANCE: 4 LOW-GRADE X ENERGY CRYSTALS ]

A section of the translucent barrier covering the entrance shimmered.

Ryan stepped through.

Cooler air touched his face.

The difference was immediate.

The city wasn't cold by any reasonable definition, but after hours beneath two suns, the environmental dampening fields felt almost luxurious.

Ryan stopped just inside the wall and inhaled deeply.

Ben came through behind him.

"Oh, that's beautiful."

Raven wiped sweat from her forehead.

"We're calling this beautiful now?"

"I've lowered my standards."

Jessica stepped through next, followed by Dezzy.

All five were filthy.

Dust covered their boots and uniforms. Dried blood stained Ryan's gloves and the lower half of Dezzy's armor. Jessica's hair had begun escaping from beneath her blue headband, and Raven looked as though she wanted nothing more than to lie down on the street.

Ryan checked the local time.

More than half the solar cycle had passed.

Their first hunt was over.

They had survived.

And now that the adrenaline was fading, Ryan became acutely aware of something far more immediate.

His stomach hurt.

Ben placed a hand over his abdomen.

"Food."

Ryan laughed.

"I was literally thinking the same thing."

"No strategy meeting. No cultivation. No shopping. Food."

"Water first," Dezzy said.

"Food containing water."

"That's not how hydration works."

"I don't care."

Jessica smiled tiredly.

"Food first."

"Thank you."

Ryan opened Skynet.

"Outer district map."

A prompt appeared.

[ CITY MAP DATA: OUTER DISTRICT ]

[ PERMANENT LOCAL ACCESS ]

[ COST: 1 LOW-GRADE X ENERGY CRYSTAL ]

Ryan stared.

"Of course."

Raven glanced over.

"What?"

"The city map costs a crystal."

Ben groaned.

"Can we just wander until we smell something edible?"

Ryan considered it.

Then looked at the enormous city.

"No."

He confirmed the purchase.

[ PAYMENT ACCEPTED ]

[ BALANCE: 3 LOW-GRADE X ENERGY CRYSTALS ]

A detailed three-dimensional map unfolded across his vision.

For the first time since arriving, the city stopped looking like an incomprehensible maze.

District boundaries appeared.

Markets.

Gate routes.

Residential zones.

Medical facilities.

Public transportation points.

Equipment districts.

Ryan zoomed toward their location.

"Food market ten minutes south."

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Ben immediately started walking.

"Then why are we still standing here?"

The five followed the route through the outer district.

Compared with the central plaza where they'd arrived, this part of the city felt rougher.

Buildings were shorter.

Older.

Many had been repaired so many times that different materials patched their walls in mismatched layers. Shops opened directly onto the street, with weapons, food, beast parts, tools, and unfamiliar machinery displayed beneath flickering holographic signs.

Humans were more common here.

So were visibly poor members of other species.

Ryan noticed that immediately.

The central districts had been filled with polished armor and expensive equipment.

Here, people counted coins.

Or crystals.

Or whatever their species used.

Jessica glanced back toward the distant walls.

"We didn't see any other new squads returning."

Ryan had noticed that too.

"Some probably went through different gates."

"Maybe."

Raven adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

"Or they're still hunting."

Ben glanced at Jessica.

"We finished quickly because she doesn't miss."

Jessica rolled her eyes.

"I can miss."

"You shot fifteen moving alien animals fifteen times."

"Most weren't moving."

"Fine. You shot fifteen horrifying armored alien animals fifteen times."

Dezzy spoke without looking over.

"Deadshot significantly reduced our average engagement duration."

Ryan nodded.

"And our ammunition consumption."

Jessica looked at him.

"Are you all planning to spend the entire day complimenting me?"

Ryan grinned.

"Enjoy it while it lasts."

They continued walking.

After a moment, Ryan added, "Tomorrow I want to do more."

Raven looked over.

"More what?"

"Fighting."

"You did fight."

"I held a barrier."

"You stopped a charging beast with it."

"Exactly. Then you launched it into a tree and Dezzy stabbed it."

Dezzy glanced back.

"It was efficient."

"I'm not complaining."

Ryan rested a hand on his sidearm.

"But eventually I need a real weapon."

Jessica immediately understood where this was going.

"No."

Ryan looked at her.

"I haven't even said anything."

"You want a sword."

"Obviously."

Raven sighed.

"You have a gun."

"I like swords."

"Guns let you stand far away from the teeth."

"Swords don't cost five crystals every time I need ammunition."

That earned a pause.

Ben pointed at Ryan.

"He has a point."

"Thank you."

Jessica shook her head.

"Not tomorrow. We're still Rank Zero."

"Unranked."

"That sounds even worse when you're arguing for melee combat."

Ryan smiled.

"I'm just saying eventually."

"Eventually," Jessica agreed.

"Tomorrow?"

"No."

"That's eventually."

"No."

Ryan laughed.

Despite everything, walking through the city with them felt surprisingly normal.

Almost.

Then he remembered the thing breaking trees behind them.

His smile faded slightly.

They had gotten lucky today.

He knew that.

They'd stayed near the walls.

Hunted Rank-Zero creatures.

Used Jessica's Talent to exploit weak points.

And whatever had been moving through the forest had never reached them.

Tomorrow might not be as forgiving.

The smell reached them before the market did.

Smoke.

Spices.

Roasting meat.

Ryan's stomach tightened painfully.

They rounded a corner and entered a sprawling food district packed with stalls.

Dozens of species crowded between counters covered in things Ryan could only loosely identify as food.

Large cuts of meat rotated over blue flames.

Bowls of steaming broth released clouds of green vapor.

A vendor sold what looked like living worms coated in crystalline sugar.

Another displayed fruits that pulsed.

Ryan slowed.

"Absolutely not."

Ben looked at the worms.

"I'd try one."

"Of course you would."

Holographic menus floated above each stall, translated automatically through Skynet.

Prices varied dramatically.

The cheapest meals cost fractions of a low-grade crystal.

The expensive ones cost several whole crystals.

Ben stopped.

His expression changed.

"Oh."

Ryan looked at him.

"What?"

Ben tapped his waist.

"The corpse."

Everyone stared.

Ben smiled.

"We're idiots."

Jessica blinked.

"We carried an entire animal back."

"Exactly."

Dezzy nodded.

"Potential sale value."

Ben looked offended.

"I was thinking dinner."

Raven stared at him.

"You want to eat that thing?"

"We watched another one chew through a tree root."

"That isn't an answer."

"It's made of meat."

"So are you."

Ben paused.

"Fair."

Ryan looked around.

"Let's see if anyone buys them."

They approached a wide stall where a broad alien butcher stood behind a black stone counter.

Four thick arms worked independently as it carved apart some enormous creature.

Jessica stepped forward.

"Do you purchase Rank-Zero wilderness fauna?"

The butcher looked at her.

Then at the others.

"Species?"

Jessica glanced at Ryan.

Ryan shrugged.

"We don't know."

The butcher grunted.

"Show."

Ben approached.

"You're going to want some room."

The butcher gave him a bored look.

Ben placed his palm against the counter.

Space rippled.

The massive six-legged reptile materialized with a heavy thud.

Several nearby customers turned.

The butcher stopped cutting.

It leaned over the carcass.

One hand lifted the jaw.

Another inspected the scales.

A third pressed against the abdomen.

The fourth checked the wound beneath its throat.

"Clean kill."

Jessica smiled slightly.

"Thank you."

The butcher looked at her.

"You kill?"

"Yes."

Its attention lingered on her sidearm.

Then it returned to the carcass.

"Rank Zero. Common perimeter grazer. Meat edible. Hide poor. Glands usable."

Ryan leaned forward.

"How much?"

"Half crystal."

Ben's face fell.

"For the whole thing?"

"Half."

"That thing weighs more than I do."

The butcher stared.

Ben sighed.

"Half it is."

A transaction prompt appeared.

[ TRADE OFFER: 0.5 LOW-GRADE X ENERGY CRYSTAL ]

Ben accepted.

The carcass disappeared behind the butcher's counter as mechanical equipment began lifting it toward a processing station.

Ryan watched the credit enter Ben's account.

"So Skynet can hold fractions."

"Apparently."

Dezzy nodded toward a payment terminal.

"Crystals are being treated as standardized energy-denominated currency. Physical possession is unnecessary once registered to the interface."

Ryan looked at his wristband.

"So it's basically a bank account."

"With direct access to your nervous system."

Ryan paused.

"Less comforting when you say it like that."

They ordered the cheapest complete meal available.

Five bowls of pale gray paste.

Five servings of water.

The vendor indicated a glowing payment reader.

Jessica brought her wristband near it.

A soft tone sounded.

[ PAYMENT COMPLETE ]

Ryan followed.

His balance dropped again.

He looked at the bowl placed in front of him.

Gray.

Thick.

Slightly steaming.

He poked it with the spoon.

It didn't move much.

Ben sat across from him.

"Eat."

"You first."

"You ordered the same thing."

"Exactly."

Jessica took a bite.

Everyone watched her.

She chewed.

Swallowed.

Her face remained neutral.

Ryan leaned forward.

"Well?"

Jessica considered.

"It tastes..."

She paused.

"...nutritionally responsible."

Ben groaned.

"That bad?"

Ryan tried his.

The paste coated his tongue.

Bland.

Chalky.

Something vaguely herbal lingered beneath the flavor, like wet grass ground into oatmeal.

He swallowed with effort.

"This tastes like insulation."

Raven tried hers.

"How do you know what insulation tastes like?"

"I have imagination."

Dezzy continued eating without complaint.

"It contains adequate carbohydrates, moderate protein, electrolytes, and basic micronutrients."

Ben stared.

"Do you enjoy anything?"

"Yes."

"What?"

Dezzy took another bite.

"Useful information."

Ben looked at Ryan.

"She's definitely terrifying."

Dezzy ignored him.

Halfway through the meal, Ben suddenly stopped.

"We're idiots again."

Jessica lowered her spoon.

"What now?"

"We sold food."

Raven frowned.

Ben gestured wildly.

"The giant lizard. We could've butchered it ourselves. Tomorrow we bring cooking supplies, cut off whatever doesn't look poisonous, and stop paying for gray paste."

Ryan looked down at his bowl.

That was actually a very good idea.

"Skynet," he said. "Is the perimeter grazer we sold safe for human consumption?"

[ SPECIES IDENTIFICATION INFERRED FROM LOCAL TRADE DATA. ]

[ VELKAR GRAZER. ]

[ MUSCLE TISSUE: HUMAN-COMPATIBLE AFTER THERMAL PREPARATION. ]

Ben slowly spread his hands.

"See?"

Jessica laughed.

"First-day mistake."

"An expensive mistake."

"Half a crystal."

"Half a crystal buys multiple bowls of sadness."

Ryan smiled.

"Tomorrow we keep one."

Dezzy shook her head.

"Not the entire carcass. Ben's storage reserves X Energy based on stored mass."

"Then butcher it outside."

"Correct."

Ben pointed at her.

"Now we're thinking."

After eating, they headed toward the equipment market.

Ryan's newly purchased map made navigating dramatically easier.

The armories in the outer district were nothing like the polished stores near the arrival plaza.

Weapons hung from open racks.

Armor pieces were piled into bins.

Some blades were chipped.

Others showed obvious signs of repair.

A few still had dried stains Ryan chose not to examine closely.

Ryan loved it immediately.

"Oh, this is more like it."

Jessica watched him drift toward the nearest weapon rack.

"You look way too happy."

Ryan lifted a plain longsword.

The blade was simple steel—or at least something Skynet translated as its closest equivalent—with a worn grip and a small guard.

He tested the weight.

Not bad.

A price appeared.

[ 7 LOW-GRADE X ENERGY CRYSTALS ]

Ryan sighed.

"Seven."

Jessica smiled.

"Can't afford it."

"Yet."

Ben lifted a heavy axe from another rack.

"Nine."

Raven found a short spear.

"Five."

Ryan immediately looked over.

"Five?"

Raven held it out.

"Veteran told you spears were good for beginners."

"They are."

Ryan tested it.

Long reach.

Simple construction.

Far safer than a sword for keeping claws away.

But his eyes drifted back toward the longsword.

Jessica noticed.

"You're going to buy the sword eventually, aren't you?"

"Absolutely."

"I don't know why I asked."

Dezzy examined a rack of reinforced gauntlets.

"I require neither."

Ryan looked at her.

"Because Body Control?"

"My body is currently more reliable than cheap weaponry."

Ben nodded.

"That's an intimidating sentence."

They checked three different armories.

Prices remained roughly consistent.

Basic melee weapons ranged from five to ten low-grade crystals.

Refurbished ranged weapons began around twenty.

Rifles climbed rapidly from there.

Ammunition remained painfully expensive.

Five crystals for a standard refill.

Ryan looked at Jessica.

"Every time you fire tomorrow, I'm going to hear money."

"You said that yesterday."

"And it's becoming more true."

Jessica rested her hand protectively over her ammunition pouch.

"Then don't make me waste shots."

By the time they left the final shop, the twin suns had begun sinking.

Golden light mixed with crimson across the city, stretching long shadows between the buildings.

Ryan checked the time.

"We need rooms."

Ben groaned.

"More money."

"Welcome to civilization."

Ryan filtered his map.

Most lodging was immediately eliminated.

Too expensive.

Too far away.

Then he found something near the inner side of the outer wall.

[ KERATH BOARDING HOUSE ]

[ BASIC PRIVATE ROOM ]

[ 1 LOW-GRADE X ENERGY CRYSTAL / 7 LOCAL CYCLES ]

Ryan blinked.

"Found one."

Jessica looked over.

"How much?"

"One crystal for a week."

Ben immediately pointed down the street.

"Take me there."

The boarding house looked exactly as cheap as it was.

A narrow stone building stood wedged between a repair shop and what appeared to be an alien laundry service. The interior smelled faintly of disinfectant, old stone, and too many different species living in one place.

The attendant barely acknowledged them.

Payment.

Identity scan.

Room assignment.

Done.

Ryan confirmed the transaction.

His balance dropped again.

The number was getting uncomfortably small.

But he had food in his stomach.

Water.

A roof for seven days.

That mattered.

The five gathered near the stairwell.

Ben stretched until his back cracked.

"So. Tomorrow."

"Nine?" Jessica suggested.

Ben nodded.

"Nine."

Raven agreed.

Dezzy did too.

Ryan glanced between them.

"Nine at the entrance."

Jessica opened Skynet.

"We should probably figure out communication before we disappear into five different rooms."

"Skynet," Dezzy said. "Display local communication protocols."

Information appeared.

She read quickly.

"Direct messaging and voice communication are free within the city network."

Ben smiled.

"Finally."

"External communication beyond the city network requires energy expenditure based on distance and routing."

Ryan's expression changed.

"Beyond the city?"

Dezzy looked at him.

"Yes."

"Earth?"

She scrolled.

Then paused.

Ryan noticed.

"What?"

"Interstellar civilian communication is restricted through Exclipse military channels."

Ryan's excitement faded.

"Can we request access?"

"Apparently."

"Cost?"

Dezzy continued reading.

"Not listed."

Ryan thought of Sarah.

He had promised.

Whenever permitted.

Not tonight, apparently.

But there was a system.

That meant there was a way.

He filed it away.

"Later."

Jessica looked at him for a moment but didn't push.

They exchanged local identification tokens.

One by one, Skynet confirmed the connections.

[ CONTACT ADDED: JESSICA ASHMULL ]

[ CONTACT ADDED: RAVEN ]

[ CONTACT ADDED: DESIREE "DEZZY" ]

[ CONTACT ADDED: BEN BRIMHUG ]

Then another option appeared.

[ LINK EXISTING SQUAD NETWORK? ]

Ryan accepted.

A shared communication channel formed automatically.

Ben immediately sent a message.

BEN: test

Jessica replied.

JESSICA: Unfortunately, we can hear you.

Raven added:

RAVEN: Muting this immediately.

Ben looked offended.

"I hate all of you."

For once, even Dezzy smiled.

Ryan leaned against the stair railing.

"Nine tomorrow. Eat beforehand if you can. Fill your water. We hunt the same perimeter unless we find a reason not to."

Raven nodded.

"No experimenting deeper yet."

"Agreed."

Jessica looked at Ryan.

"And no sword."

Ryan sighed.

"I don't own one."

"Exactly."

"Yet."

She pointed at him.

"Good night, Ryan."

They separated.

Ryan's room was on the third floor.

He tapped his wristband against the door sensor.

The lock disengaged.

The room beyond was barely larger than the one he'd had on the orbital station.

A narrow stone chamber.

A raised sleeping slab.

Thin mattress.

Small storage recess.

No private bathroom.

No window.

Ryan stepped inside.

"Luxury."

The door closed behind him.

For the first time all day, he was alone.

Silence settled over the room.

Ryan sat on the bed.

His body immediately reminded him how exhausted he was.

His feet hurt.

His shoulders ached.

His throat still felt dry despite the water he'd drunk.

There was dried alien blood beneath one fingernail.

Ryan stared at it.

Fifteen creatures.

Yesterday, he had never killed anything outside a game.

Today, his squad had killed fifteen living things.

He had cut their bodies open.

Pulled energy nuclei from their organs.

Sold one for food.

And tomorrow, they were going to do it again.

Ryan wasn't sure how he felt about how quickly that had begun to seem normal.

He lay back.

The mattress was terrible.

He didn't care.

His eyes started closing.

Then Skynet flashed a reminder.

[ CULTIVATION PROGRESS ]

[ CURRENT RANK: UNRANKED ]

[ QI POINTS OPEN: 1 / 360 ]

[ RANK ONE PROGRESS: 1 / 40 ]

Ryan stared at it.

One.

Three hundred fifty-nine remained.

He groaned.

"I hate you."

[ NO QUERY DETECTED. ]

Ryan sat back up.

"Wasn't talking to you."

No response.

He crossed his legs.

Exhaustion tempted him to sleep.

But then he remembered the creature moving through the forest.

Trees breaking.

Ground trembling.

He remembered the veterans.

This isn't a beginner world.

He remembered the City Lord.

The wilderness does not care that you are fifteen.

Then he remembered the sword.

Seven crystals.

Rank One.

Forty Qi Points.

His Talent.

His father.

Sarah watching streams from Earth someday.

Ryan straightened.

Sleep could wait a little longer.

He closed his eyes.

Inhaled.

Slowly.

Deeply.

His awareness turned inward.

The sensation came easier now.

Esoteric Energy drifted through the room like an invisible current. Ryan drew it in with each measured breath, guiding it through his body toward the core beneath his sternum.

The core responded.

Raw Esoteric Energy entered.

X Energy emerged.

Warmth spread through his bloodstream.

Ryan visualized the pathway from the manual.

The first Qi Point was already open.

Now came the second.

He found it gradually.

A pressure.

A blockage.

Something that existed not as a physical knot but as resistance within the energy network running through his body.

Ryan gathered X Energy.

Directed it toward the point.

Pressed.

Pain answered.

His breathing faltered.

The energy scattered.

Ryan opened his eyes.

"Okay."

He exhaled.

"Again."

He closed them.

The city beyond his walls continued without him.

Merchants sold weapons.

Hunters returned through the gates.

Creatures prowled beneath the twin suns.

Somewhere on the orbital station, Captain Unkud monitored the recruits who had survived their first day.

And somewhere much farther away, Prince Vorash waited to see whether any of his new human conscripts would become worth remembering.

Ryan knew none of that.

All he knew was the pressure inside his body.

The second Qi Point.

The next step.

He gathered his X Energy again.

And pushed.