Deserts, which are incredibly hot during the day, tend to be quite cold at night. An inexperienced traveler visiting one of these areas could be caught off guard by the sudden temperature change.
Therefore, groups of travelers needed to conserve heat effectively. It was not unusual to see tents surrounding a portable, heat-emitting machine.
This circular device was covered with red lines on its casing. When planted in the ground, it could be used not only to keep warm on cold desert nights but also for cooking.
It's a good alternative to campfires, which can be tricky to build in these areas. It also prevented dangerous creatures from being attracted to open flames, which increased safety.
The scene projected by a small, pink, rhombus-shaped crystal held by a delicate hand showed a group of four men gathered around the device, with one of them gently stirring the contents of a pot.
"So here are those thieving bastards," muttered the person who saw these images, narrowing their pink eyes.
After tapping the screen several times with a red-nailed finger, a map with a route drawn on it was displayed.
"First come, first served, right? I explored those ruins for a week! I haven't even showered! I smell awful," said the woman, sniffing her armpits and making a gagging gesture with a retching sound.
She was tall, approximately 1.80 meters. Her short purple hair was tousled and somewhat greasy due to her recent lack of care. She had a stocky physique, and the fact that she wore a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves that exposed her toned abdomen gave her an imposing image.
She completed the outfit with denim shorts, black tights, and military boots. She carried a somewhat worn, brown leather bag on her back that looked sturdy and bulging with its contents.
"Come on, Selene. It's not like you haven't ambushed others in your life. I'm the only one who steals; no one steals from me." The woman, who was always talking to herself, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a black piercing with a blue gem that sparkled in the dim starlight.
Selene looked up and gazed deeply at the moon, or at least what was left of it. It seemed to have been struck by something, leaving only half of the celestial body and large debris floating in space.
Much of the debris had been caught by the gravity of a planet called Cancri and formed a colorful ring that could be seen on nights like this.
Selene then began to stretch her body. She would soon have to make a great physical effort and didn't want to risk cramping up during combat.
After warming up for a few minutes, she took off her backpack, crouched down, set it on the ground, and opened it. First, she put the crystal she was using inside. Then, she took out a couple of heavy black objects, which she handled with great ease.
These were two gauntlets whose metal casing was painted black. The only traces of color were on the knuckles, the back of the hand, and the area just above the wrists. However, the dull tone of these areas indicated that the gauntlets were not in working order.
Though they appeared high-tech, they were quite bulky from the wrist to the elbow. The hand area was more streamlined but still maintained considerable volume.
Selene looked at the gauntlets with fascination, sparkling in her eyes. As a Noetarch dedicated to creating Glyphworks, she knew this pair was the best of her 20-year career.
"Three years of meticulous creation, complicated enchantment circuits, high-purity energy crystals, and military-grade alloy went into them. They cost me a fortune!" But now... It's time to test them," the purple-haired girl murmured before slipping her hands into the gauntlets. However, they remained inert, showing no signs of anything special.
Selene closed her eyes, took a breath, cleared her mind, and entered a meditative trance. A faint gray mist began to rise from her head and waft gently without any guidance.
Then, as if controlled by something, the mist divided into two halves and twisted into a bundle of barely visible threads. Selene smiled, and with a command from her mind, the threads began flowing down her arms at high speed toward her elbows.
The moment they touched the gauntlets, the darkened areas lit up quickly with a bluish glow, emitting a soft hum that indicated their activation. However, the gray threads did not stop. Instead, they spread throughout the internal structure of the devices under her meticulous control.
This caused the gauntlets to tremble briefly, fitting her limbs perfectly. Then, the threads of energy seemed dormant. They did not disappear but became more opaque.
She opened her eyes and released her breath. Although the process seemed long, in real time it had been very short. Selene still had a smile on her face, but her eyes were completely serious as she kept part of her concentration on the task she was performing.
"Activation, recognition, control." Done. I have to improve my use of Noeia. Making the threads is useful, but my lack of meditation slows down my energy use," the woman complained to herself. It was her way of remembering things better. Despite these self-critical words, she clenched her fists.
The ringing of the metal made her feel comfortable, and she was now fully prepared to carry out her revenge. Because she had previously used Noeia, her next use was much faster, but instead of externalizing it, she guided the energy inside her body.
Threads of Noeia infiltrated the muscles of her legs, causing them to vibrate and shake. Her stockings seemed tighter because her legs bulged slightly.
She bent her body and, with one leap, jumped over the dune where she had been hiding. As she landed, her footsteps were unusually light. Selene ran at a speed that a normal person could not achieve.
Although she could have used the silver motorcycle beside her that seemed to levitate a few centimeters above the sandy desert floor, she preferred to run toward her targets.
"Muscle activation: 10%," Selene muttered. She used her Noeia to control her body, thus circumventing the restriction the brain imposes on muscle fibers, exerting greater power than usual.
Her current physical condition, however, was perfectly capable of withstanding this effort. Her hunched body helped her avoid air resistance, and except for the subtle sound of trampled sand, nothing could be heard during her run.
This was what she was looking for: stealth. Although her flying motorcycle was fast, it was not as quiet as she would have liked. Her advantage at that moment was that she could ambush her unsuspecting enemies, who outnumbered her.
Thus, Selene cloaked herself in the night; she was like death: silent and unexpected. Now, she was about to take four people who had no idea that she was seeking revenge.
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"Was it really worth taking this useless box from that woman? It's locked, and it won't accept my Noeia!" one of the men complained around the heat emitter. He looked younger than the others, and his skin was pale.
Resting on his lap was a half-meter-long black telescopic baton, which he held steady with his left hand while constantly waving a silver object around with his right hand.
"Stop complaining. Anything in those old ruins must have some kind of value, even if it's just a useless box. If we don't find anything, we can give it to the city government because I'm not going to pay a commission to auction something off.
What if it's really valuable? Or is it just junk? I don't know. I don't want to risk losing a lot of money like that poor bastard, Ron," his companion replied mockingly. He had blond hair and unusually bright golden eyes. He was stirring the contents of the pot he had put on to cook, and even poured a little into his hand to taste it.
"Hehe, that guy found a metal disc. He thought it was junk, so he handed it over to the city government for 500 Argentum. At the government-organized auction, it turned out to be an old compilation of music from before the cataclysm.
The government's Glyphworkers had already backed up its contents, so it was being auctioned. You weren't living in our city at the time, but the news spread throughout all the districts.
Even those who couldn't afford it went to see the show! One million Argentum. They say that Ron shot himself in the mouth a few hours after the sale was finalized," said a third man who was quite muscular, dark-skinned, and bald. He was lying on a blanket, peacefully watching the shattered moon in the sky.
"That teaches us that you should never rush into things." That woman looked like she had been in those ruins for days. She even smelled strongly of sweat. There must be something valuable in that box," said the last man, adjusting his glasses and smiling lewdly.
"Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Could these be worth a million? That's $250,000 each!" the youngest of the group exclaimed, ignoring the subtle glances his companions exchanged.
But before any of them could act on their idea, something burst into their lives and nipped their collective enthusiasm in the bud. Selene's figure fell at great speed with one target in mind:
The man lying on the floor! In her mind, he was the easiest target, so her attack was ruthless. His vision blurred as her black fist came into view before he felt terrible pain and heard his ears ring.
His nose cracked loudly under the force of the blow. Blood splattered and fell onto her socks, staining them. Selene used her body as a mat to cushion her impact, hitting her enemy's chest with her knees and fracturing his bones.
His eyes widened in pain as he stared at the woman who had attacked him by surprise. She had a cold smile on her lips.
Without hesitation, she struck the enemy beneath her body in the throat with her left fist, and with that last crack, life escaped the man, the first to be killed that night.
"Damn it! I told you we should have killed that bitch!" the golden-eyed man growled, dropping the ladle in his hand. He brought his hands to his side, searching for the weapon he always kept close.
The pale young man threw down the metal box, stood up quickly, and fully unfolded the baton in his lap. He transmitted his Noeia to it, activating its special function.
Electric sparks began to fly from the tip of the object. Its user was nervous as he watched Selene stand up and ignore the blond man pointing a black crossbow at her. The arrow appeared to be stained with a dark liquid. Meanwhile, the man with glasses waved a dagger with red lines carved into the metal.
"You robbed me. Didn't you expect me to seek revenge? Damn bastards!" The girl shook off the grains of sand that had stuck to her body during her previous run and subsequent jump.
"You know how it is! Be thankful we didn't take drastic measures to exploit our advantage at that moment," the man with glasses replied, frowning. Selene clenched her fists in response.
"Are you saying that? Did something like that really cross your mind?" Selene asked, her pink eyes narrowed. An intense, murderous intent emanated from her body, bringing a bit of coldness to the area, which enjoyed warmth due to the heat emitter.
"You know, we're far from the city. We haven't seen any attractive women in a while. Anything could happen in the outside world after the cataclysm, right?" joked the blond man. He was confident that his weapon would give him the advantage in this confrontation. After all, the Noetarchs had to choose between using their Glyphworks and improving their bodies through Noeia.
How complicated and strange it was to do both things at the same time! He couldn't see the quality of the boots the woman in front of him wore, but they must be expensive to give her such jumping power. Along with the gauntlets she wore, they could surely fetch a good amount of Argentum if they sold them in certain specialty markets.
Forgetting the fear Selene had caused him by killing one of his companions and inspired by the greed increasingly evident in his golden eyes, he decided to regain the initiative. His Noeia fully activated the crossbow in his hand.
Red lines appeared on the weapon's casing. Before Selene's eyes, the entire object began to emit a special, colorful mist ranging from deep yellow to light orange. Seeing this, she felt deep disdain; even her expression showed disgust.
"And you use that piece of junk in your hand to threaten me?" Selene looked at her three enemies. They had overcome the initial shock from her ambush and were keeping their distance from her, surrounding her in an arc formation.
"It's enough. You no longer have the advantage. There are three of you Noetarchs against one woman, so why don't you just die?" The blond man aimed the crossbow at Selene's chest and fired, shooting the poisoned arrow it contained.
For anyone else, a shot from a crossbow at close range would be dangerous, especially an enchanted Glyphwork crossbow like this one, but Selene was not someone who could be hurt by something like that.
Especially since she had her own advantages, which weren't visible to others. The Noeia scattered throughout her body in the form of threads and activated. The superior control of a finely tuned mind manipulated her body, especially the muscles in her legs and her eyes.
Her pupils dilated, and everything seemed to slow down; the arrow traveled more slowly, and the men's faces distorted. However, her mind raced, assimilating everything in front of her.
The muscles in her legs activated again under the influence of the gray energy threads. With a stomp, her body became a blur and moved two meters to the left. The world returned to its normal pace. For those men, Selene's actions were cause for fear because an inevitable thought arose in their minds:
This woman was using her Noeia on two things at once! Among the Noetarchs, it was well-known that Noeia, the power they used, was mentally demanding. This meant that it could usually only be used one way.
This was true whether they were activating Glyphworks, which were enchanted objects that required a person's Noeia to activate and function properly. Without this energy supply, the objects would become inert. Even if they could function, their characteristics would be severely limited, which would defeat the purpose of using a Glyphwork.
Therefore, to fully utilize a special tool or weapon, one had to focus their attention on the task at hand, using all of their Noeia for its intended purpose; otherwise, energy would be wasted.
Another way to use Noeia was much more personal. It allowed a person to control and fine-tune their body as they pleased, as long as they were physically able to withstand it.
This is how Noetarchs performed superhuman acts! For example, they could control the limits that the brain imposes on the muscles and the amount of muscle mass. They could even access what is known as 'Hysterical force.'
This influence is profound, controlling things like bone growth, muscle development, sensory enhancement, and subtler things like hormone influence, blood flow, balance, and digestion.
Under Noeia, the body became a delicate machine that could be manipulated at will, achieving absolute mastery over everything this concept encompasses. It was the direct imposition of the mind's power over the body!
However, due to factors such as talent, knowledge, and time, a Noetarch must be aware of which aspects they will control and refine. This allows for many combinations to arise from a person's personal choices.
These types of things led to the creation of representative titles such as 'Tank,' 'Scout,' and 'Fighter.' It was a simpler way for people to categorize the many possible variations.
Noeia allows for temporary and permanent improvements. Because of this, when a Noetarch used this power to affect their body, it was usually not used simultaneously with Glyphworks due to the complexity and effort involved.
Thus, the group of men realized that Selene was more than just a woman with expensive equipment; she was someone capable of enhancing her body and using Glyphworks simultaneously.
The blond man no longer focused on the missed arrow but looked at the woman's feet. He noticed that her boots were not the cause of her jumping abilities; they came from her own power.
"You..." The palest of the trio was shaking constantly because he could sense it. Tonight could be the night he died; his grip on his weapon had even loosened considerably.
Selene didn't want to talk to them anymore. After noticing the state of her youngest enemy, she lunged toward him, fists raised. This time, the lines of muscle on her arms became more pronounced, as did her veins.
She punched him in the abdomen with her left fist, activating her weapon's special ability. At the moment of impact, a shockwave spread along with a sudden blue flash. Incidentally, the LED on the gauntlet dimmed.
Instead of flying away due to the power of the blow, the pale man's body remained still, firmly rooted to the ground. He didn't seem to be badly hurt, but the electric baton in his hand fell to the ground, and he was unusually still.
Selene struck the man's face hard with her right palm, covered by the gauntlet. He fell to the ground, blood and saliva flying along with several teeth. He did not react, simply lying there inert.
"Bitch! What did you do to James!?" the man in glasses asked, alarmed at his companion's state. Selene only gave him a mocking look and a smile that showed her white teeth like a predator's.
At that moment, she was like one of the monsters roaming the outside world. She saw the world as having an extra layer of complexity that others were unable to glimpse. She decided to use one of her Glyphworks to paralyze James.
A light red mist rose from the baton on the ground, which had returned to its original form after losing its user's supply of Noeia. Only Selene could notice this special detail, which represented the level of danger.
To her, the dark-skinned man and James were the most dangerous figures, each with a red mist emanating from their bodies. She did not know what had caused the warning sign in the first man, but it no longer mattered now that he was dead.
'With this baton on the ground, there are no more dangerous things for me, only orange and yellow colors,' Selene thought as she kicked the dangerous weapon away from the battlefield.
Then, she turned her attention to the last two enemies who could still act. She focused mainly on their weapons: the man with glasses had a dagger, and his mist was deep yellow; the blond man had a crossbow, which was now reloaded, and his mist remained orange.
"Sean, we have to do something," said the man with glasses. The blond man, Sean, pursed his lips in an angry grimace, even though his words were not so heated.
"John, I know that very well, but it looks like we're going to die here. Who would've thought we'd run into that kind of Noetarca?" replied the golden-eyed man with a hint of sadness.
Although he and John could discard their weapons to control their bodies and improve temporarily, the transition would not be quick. After all, the Noeia required a lot of attention.
It would only take a few seconds for Selene to incapacitate them. It was clear that she was not a reckless fighter who would rush at her enemies. Instead, she waited for them to show signs of weakness, such as James's trembling body.
"Wait, you want that box, right? We admit that we went too far by taking the fruits of your labor. You can just stop here, take the object, and leave us alone. We can even pay for our lives!" John explained as quickly as he could, as if he didn't want Selene to finish him off for not listening to him.
"We can even give you our Glyphworks! Just leave us alone!" Sean added, raising the stakes even higher. There was deep hatred and intent to kill in his eyes.
If he managed to get out of there, he would undoubtedly seek revenge against this woman, no matter what he had to do to achieve that goal. After all, no one likes being threatened with death, so it would be only fair for him to seek revenge.
However, to the duo's despair, Selene raised her index finger, waving it from side to side and clicking her tongue constantly in a clear gesture of denial.
"No, I can see the danger you pose to me. When you said those words, your colors changed from deep pink to yellow. Even you, the blonde one, have some orange spots." Selene's words were incomprehensible to the men at first, but they soon realized their meaning.
This woman had a noetic ability! Noeia could be achieved by anyone with the talent to manifest and control the energy arising from the mind. However, only a few people were born with abilities beyond the human norm.
They were the envy of any Noetarch. They represented an advantage that no one could take away from them. Even the most 'useless' talent was deeply envied by those who did not possess it because, if you were even slightly astute, you could manage to take advantage of it.
While they were processing this information, Selene attacked, heading straight for John. Her speed allowed her to reach him quickly, and her right fist evaded the man's hasty defense and struck his chest.
At the moment of impact, a blue-tinged shockwave pushed the sand from the ground. At that moment, Selene took the dagger in her left hand. She wasn't afraid of cutting herself because of the protection afforded by her gauntlet.
The blue light on Selene's gauntlet dimmed, but the light on her left hand flashed brightly again. As a result of the punch, John's body flew backward in a U shape through the air.
His back slammed hard against the door of the nearby parked vehicle, embedding itself in the dented metal. His glasses had fallen off his face, his mouth was covered in blood, and his eyes were unfocused.
Sean had fired his crossbow, but Selene deflected it with the dagger she had taken from her enemy's companion. She then assumed a throwing stance, concentrating all her strength in her left arm.
The veins in her arm stood out more, and it seemed to swell a little more, pulsing with power. Her eyes narrowed, and she threw the dagger at her enemy with a movement of her body.
"Muscle activation: 15%," Selene said as she watched the projectile hit Sean in the back as he turned to flee.
She looked around and saw that her four targets were incapacitated or dead. Selene took a deep breath, put her hands on her hips, and began to laugh loudly.
"HAHAHA! It feels damn good to get even! As good as putting on fresh panties after days without bathing~" said the woman, pleased with the result of her actions.
Yes, she had killed four people, but there were no laws outside the city. As one of the men said, anything could happen in these times. The dangers outside came not only from the fauna and flora after the cataclysm, but from humans as well.
"Now, let me try the broth that's been cooking. It smells pretty good. I'll finish them off later," Selene said, touching her toned abdomen and feeling it vibrate with hunger.
After sweet revenge came a good meal!