"You what?"
"I told you not to get mad!"
"There's a fucking difference between 'Hey, Adam! Don't get mad, but I broke your rare figurine when I was showing it off to a girl' mad and 'Hey, Adam! Don't get mad, but I slept with the girl you summoned from the grim darkness of the future' mad."
"For your information, I was the one who bought those miniatures you summoned."
"Gross, man! You're saying that you own people now?"
"No! Fuck! I didn't mean that! Wait, why am I even worried you'd get mad? Like… you don't own them either. What the fuck?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't you dare try to flip that on me. I am the one doing the gaslighting here."
"Okay! Why are you even mad?"
"Well… I mean, you and Elena are grown people and all, but… it feels like she took advantage of you."
"I wasn't forced into anything, plus, you know damn well how sexual Wartopia's lore can get."
Adam let out a long sigh, massaging his temples. While seeing his long-time friend exploited by Elena should rile him up, he knew he couldn't tell two grown people how to live their lives.
In this apocalyptic reality, this was likely the best form of therapy Kave would get to have, and seeing his attitude brighten was at least a positive sign. With their survival uncertain in this world, such a warm embrace, despite being unhinged, was surely welcome.
"You know what, I don't care. I wanted you to face your fears and thought she would encourage you… and… I guess she did." He said as he lay back on his chair.
"She did indeed." Kave said with a wide grin.
"Did… it feel real?" Adam hesitated, needing to make sure, "She wasn't like… plastic from the inside, right?"
"No, not at all! All alive and… nice." Kave replied.
"This goes in the notes." Adam pointed.
"Oh! Right away, sir," Kave immediately pulled out his notes on Adam's powers and started scribbling: "Unique Puppets are… smashable."
"Nice choice of words." Adam nodded, proud of his friend.
"Oh, by the way. While I was scavenging, I found that Barbie Doll toy at one house, in good condition, too. You don't mind if we work something out for you. too, bring the perfect woman to life with your skill, eh?" Kave suggested with a cheeky face, then, after Adam stared at him, he added, "For science."
"So your mood is good now after losing your damn virginity?"
"Hey! I lost it with Kristy!"
"The council never approved of Kristy as your mate. She was a normie, a muggle, and ignorant of even the existence of twenty-sided dice."
"Here we go again."
"Oh, you'll never hear the end of it, you slimy…"
As Adam and Kave were engaging in friendly banter, a voice called to them.
"Commander Clay!"
"She's here." Adam immediately poked Kave to look alive.
"Shit! How do I look?"
"Like a damn hobo. Just act natural."
Elena found the two sitting together at the campfire, discussing something about the notebook they were holding.
"Here you are, Commander… and Kavie." Elena said as she approached Kave and touched his cheek playfully.
"Kavie?" Adam looked at Kave, who was panicking from being teased in such a way, and then back to Elena. He then feigned ignorance as he awkwardly spoke to Elena: "You two seem more than just good friends already."
Kave wanted to say something, but Elena spoke up immediately.
"True. I have taken Citizen Kave as my Skinward." She said very openly and proudly, and even the others turned their heads to see what that was about.
As for Adam and Kave, their reactions were in stark contrast.
"Oh, God!"
Eyes wide, skin pale, and a stunned expression on his face, Kave realized the gravity of what had just happened between him and Elena.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
As for Adam, he was down on his knees, laughing his ass off, watching the look on Kave's face and savoring every bit of it.
Kave is now a Skinward, and what happened to him was something called the Rite of Binding, making Elena his Binder. It is a tradition among the Men-at-Arms of Venus where senior officers take juniors as mentees. The only difference here is that this relation can only be initiated from one side, cannot be rescinded, and is extremely intimate and sexual.
In a sense, it is marriage, but since it is a militant marriage, it is more like slavery.
So…
"Oh! God… I can't… HAHAHAHA!"
Adam was beside himself with laughter, tearing up, whereas Kave was shivering with fear in front of Elena.
Wartopia's lore was indeed very sexual; some books were even R-rated, and sold in special sections of hobby stores. Even the creation of Star Paladins was sexual in a way, as the most low-cost, hassle-free method to create people with high potential in their DNA was still the old-fashioned way… though the risk of death was ridiculously high for the receiving end.
As for the matter at hand, this relationship between Kave and Elena may seem weird, unhealthy between a total domme and a total sub, but who knows? It may be just the thing that brings two different worlds together.
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
Elena reported to Adam that she had extracted the terminal lodged in one of the shelter's walls, and it was now at his disposal on the new workbench.
Every Solarium building has its own terminal or set of terminals, which serve as management tools. These terminals vary in complexity, but each fulfills a specific purpose.
The Workbench's terminal would store many crafting recipes that would later help users craft various useful items for the Solarium. However, a terminal from this world needed to be refitted to work with Solarium Technology (SolTech), and that was where Adam came in.
All computers need six main components: a circuit board (motherboard), a processor unit (CPU), a power supply unit (PSU), memory (permanent or temporary), a tool to input data (like a keyboard), and a tool to output data (a screen).
The storm shelter had just that, but it lacked one thing: the power supply unit. In all SolTech machinery, a Power Cell like the ones used with Blazer guns was precisely what was needed, and so Adam borrowed one from Hammerhead and started wiring it to the terminals of the old power supply unit. And after some testing, the terminal proved operational.
However, there was the issue of getting it to recognize the crafting table, which required Elena to apply her mechanical expertise and wire all the workbench units to the data socket of the old shelter terminal.
However, when it was fired up, the boot-up system only displayed operational errors as it was connected to a system it wasn't familiar with, but then the situation was about to take a dramatic turn.
"If we put the Refinery Rig and the Workbench on the same network, the Sacred Code will do the rest on its own and recognize the Workbench for what it is." Elena said.
"That is what I never understood about the Sacred Code from the lore," Adam said while fiddling with the terminal's inner parts, "Does every Solarium building have a full version of the Sacred Code suited for all building types? Or is it a self-replicating code that can recognize any new building and fit itself to it?"
"I am not familiar with the mysteries of the Sacred Code to be able to answer that." Elena replied.
"Well, if it is the former, then it must be very complicated, extensive code, and if it is the latter… it is A.I.," Adam said.
"Then it is the former," Elena replied with full conviction. "People devote themselves to studying the Sacred Code all their lives to become Techno Monks."
"I don't doubt it is complicated, but… whatever," Adam tried not to create any discord between him and the summoned, so he dismissed the matter, "Alright, you can now establish the link between the Rig and the Workbench."
Giving her the green light, Elena started linking the two terminals right away through a long line that she made from Polyfiber. As a conductive material for both power and data, this mysterious material made from a heated mixture of mineral powder and biopaste was the key to creating something miraculous.
And as it was complete, the terminal over the Workbench started to act up a little before forcefully rebooting itself a couple of times and then booting up to a basic input/output system screen.
> REPORT — DOWNLOADING NEW DATA
> REPORT — ASSESSING STATUS
> REPORT — ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL
Just as miraculous as Adam's summoning of units from the Solarium, the code transferred itself from one machine to another and began recognizing its function, making it one of the most absurd things Adam had witnessed to date.
The Sacred Code was a matter of debate among the fanbase of Wartopia, most arriving at the theory that it was actually A.I., but with limited capabilities, preventing it from being creative, thus eliminating its ability to self-evolve, yet it followed a certain pattern that was hardwired in its code, allowing it to preserve all the knowledge of the Solarium and redevelop it should it ever be lost.
While a cool concept that was attributed with many things, like keeping the Solarium from collapsing despite being thinly stretched, it still needed Techno Monks to be maintained, polished, and upgraded with time. However, the problem is that the Techno Monasteries of the Cult of Sol are such a hardcore militant faction that operates on its own rules and is loyal only to Sol Imperius in a religious manner, rather than the Solarium's body of governance.
The problem wasn't whether Adam could find a miniature of Techno Monks; the problem was how to control their zealotry and autonomous acts.
In an apocalyptic situation, the last thing people need is a cult. Yes, it may sound good to maintain morale, but it can push people to do irrational things.
Adam wasn't sure what to do about it if he had to make a decision about it in the future.
As he was thinking, the terminal finally completed its final reboot and displayed the following:
> REPORT — WORKBENCH READ
> DIRECTIVE — USE THE REFERENCE RECIPES PROVIDED IN THE RECIPES LIST
> DIRECTIVE — ALL NEWLY ADDED RECIPES MUST BE RESEARCHED THROUGH A TERMINAL SHRINE OR A TECHNO MONASTERY
> PRAISED BE SOL IMPERIUS
> GLORY TO THE SOLARIUM
——————————
> STATUS — FUNCTIONAL
> POWER — ACTIVE
——————————
FUNCTIONS
— RECIPES LIST (15 Recipes Listed)
— BASIC TOOLSET (Active)
— HOLDERS (Active)
— SAWBLADE (Active)
——————————
With a wide grin, Adam couldn't help but let out a proud laugh as he saw everything work out that way.
"This seems like a big win for the Solarium, Sergeant Skarn, isn't that so?" Adam spoke.
"Yes, Commander. Congratulations on our first complete handmade building." Elena nodded with absolute faith in her own abilities before continuing, "Alas, we cannot rest yet. We need to allocate all our resources for the next building to be completed."
"Aye. The Solar Plant." Adam nodded, "We can't inconvenience Captain Creed more than this."
"Commander, while I start working on the frame, may I ask that you start crafting something?" She asked him sincerely.
"Me? Sure. I learned a few things along the way, but I'll try my best," Adam said.
"That's a relief to hear, sir." She said and made a serious face, "Commander, all Men-at-Arms personnel must always be able to use anything at their disposal to craft the most essential item for all Men-at-Arms. Since you are a civilian, you must have never done it before, but now you must. Do you know what I am speaking of, Commander?"
"You don't have to tell me, Sergeant," Adam said, and a wide grin spread across his face, "I am crafting my own Blazer Gun."
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
In the darkness beyond space and time, in a realm beyond human perception, there was nothing but a tree made of light.
The tree was large and gargantuan, almost reaching the sky, and every fiber of it was made of lines and nodes, and every node was part of something greater than itself, linking all beings together.
Words and whispers traveled up and down the tree, from its roots, where it dug through the land, and to its branches that touched the clouds. The whispers spoke of names, roles, classes, paths, skills, and powers. Each of them was a soul, and each was a program as well.
There was no light other than the tree, and in its heart, where six great beings hung upside down, each by three chains. They wore no faces or skins, but they gave life to that tree, and they were rather content with where they were… only for the moment.
But change happened; all six of them felt it, all six could tell what it was, and all chose not to react to it.
For the first time in over a millennium, there was light other than the tree, and in the far distance, that small, insignificant light split and became two. Amidst the two lights was a being that looked just like them, but much smaller and with no binds.
It meant something to them, but their minds refused to focus there still. These small lights were too insignificant to care for, and maybe it was best not to have any hope just yet.
A year later, they opened their eyes and there was a tree greater than anything, greater than their own tree even, and it meant something now.
Kave opened his eyes, drenched in sweat, shivering from what he saw. It wasn't the first time he had passed out that night, between Elena's mighty quad muscles.
But he didn't awaken alone that time; something else awakened within him, and words flashed before his eyes.
——————————
Name — Tanaka Kaito
Role — Survivor
Class — Warrior
——————————
Statistics (EXP: 5)
Might — 1 [+]
Trick — 2 [+]
Spirit — 1 [+]
——————————
Skills
— Artifice (III)
— Charisma (III)
— Toughness (II)
— Warfare (V)
— Senses (VIII)
——————————
Powers
— Fighting Spirit: (Class) Your spirit is unbreakable; you can always push yourself more, take more, and survive more.
——————————
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