Now, whether the guy who got me sent here was good or bad. I didn't know. But what I did know was that I was caught up in something. And in all probability, I will be in a buttload of chaos sooner or later. So training was good. Not that I had anything else to do or anywhere to go. My family had no existence here. I did not have it here. How could they? Honestly, it served to occupy my time.
After a week, they switched my guard from Jett to someone else. Mostly because it was turning into a punishment for Sage rather than Jett. I did not get to talk with any of the 'Hotshots' as the average VAs called them. My newest watcher was our beloved Scottish Goth chic in pink Clove. Her interaction with me was nodding, which was way better than Jett's glaring. She came. Nodded to me. Opened her beach chair and started napping after throwing a decay orb at the CCTV camera.
I first trained in hand-to-hand only. To gain some meat on my bones. They said. Then, after the first week. They gave me an hour theory class about tactics and Radianite basics. And lastly. The weapons training. Most of my time was spent here.
Here I also learnt the True meaning of Radiance. A Radiant basically produced personalized energy called Radiance. Because it had similar properties. This was used to fuel our abilities.
One hundred Radiance could be turned into 1 shard and vice versa. The abilities had charges. I could slowly put the radiance into them to charge them over a few days. The 100 Radiance produced by my core was kind of its daily limit.
The ranks I was assuming used standard Valorant rules. Three stages for each rank.
Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Ascendant, Immortal, and Radiant.
I could upgrade Core or Shield with it. Core was basically radiance production and volume. Shield was an interesting thing. I finally knew the answer to Clove's question. Why do we have to pay for our own guns? Because each of those bullets was radianite-laced. And that didn't come cheap. In battle, the Radiants could produce a shield around themselves. It was the easiest thing to do, actually.
I made one on the 2nd day of the second week when I saw a punch coming. It drains 10 radiance to make and 1 radiance a second to maintain. They had shield generators, but they were too expensive to use on anyone but the best of Human Agents. And the things we collect in Valorant. They aren't dollars but shards. You need that many microshards to arm that many Odin bullets.
The shield was tough. Even at my Iron I rank, it could stop a knife or a bullet or two from a normal handgun.
But all of that wasn't important today.
It had been a month now. And it was time to choose my abilities and traits. The only free choice I'll ever get.
I chose Clove. Her trait was Immortal Body. This was for two reasons. One, I did not want to die so easily. There wasn't much benefit to staying young forever. But her Ultimate? Extra life? Yes please. I was a rookie on the battlefield. No other ultimate could work. That left me 9,500. 50,000 for the trait Undying and 10,000 for the ultimate.
I used 5000 to get Sage's Healing Orb. Thankfully, it was compatible with undying. I left 4500 in the bank. Where's the rest 500?
Because when I clicked confirm on these two, a phenomenon happened. I got lifted into the air. My head heated up, and then my body was disintegrated and recreated into a new, better form. It was like walking out of a warm sauna. I was still me. But I was fitter and more handsome looking. And on my Xenith was an ability.
It was fairly simple and easy all things considered. I just felt a bit too energetic is all.
STATUS
Code - Not Set
Name - Not Set
Core - Iron 1
Shield - Iron 1
Radiance - 100/100
Power - Mirror
Trait - Undying
Abilities
Crest - None
Quell - None
Echeleon - None
Xenith - Not Dead Yet (Charged)
Shards - 500/500
Shards - 9511
Book - Not Dead Yet (Clove)
Yeah, I'm assuming. Each Revival costs 500 shards. Which is why she had to kill someone else quickly after she revived.
So simply, I didn't have enough money to get my third ability.
And the switching costs were finally out.
Normal ability switch. 1000.
Ultimate Switch. 2500.
Trait add. 50,000.
Yeah. No way I was using any of those unless in dire circumstances. 2 lives for a switch? Are you kidding me?
That's when Clove broke into my room with a bang!
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"So.. You are saying that he can resurrect himself like you and is immortal?"
Brimstone questioned Clove while I debated what and how much I should tell about my abilities.
"We can't exactly risk a radiant on a hunch now, can we?"
"Oh, c'mon, big man. It'll probably all be fine!" Her accent was thick and playful.
Perhaps it was the fact that I knew I should survive in theory that gave me such detachment. But I wasn't too worried about the testing.
Sage stood in the corner preparing tea or coffee. "I guess we could try once my Resurrection is charged. But is a test really the wisest use for it?"
Brimstone closed the file he was reading onto the right pile and took out another one from the left pile on his desk.
"Sage is right. We can't waste a Resurrection on what you felt, Clove. How certain are you that he has the same ability anyway?"
"Oh, I'm pretty certain. Do you have a Radiant stone here?"
He paused, then gave an unsure reply. "Yes, but why?", carefully preparing for something.
That's when Clove drew out a Sheriff and shot me in the head.
Ouch.
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My soul floated a few feet off the ground as my body fell. Brimstone lost his shit as Sage tried to do damage control. She threw her orb at me, but it didn't change anything.
It was over before I could think, understand, or feel the pain. As I was busy examining my spectral hands. I noticed Clove was ignoring the raging Brimstone and the storm of armed military personnel storming into the office and looking right at me. When our eyes met, she smiled and waved. Then did a pulling motion with both hands.
I could feel my Radiance Draining. I checked to see a 1/s drain. So I could live 100s in this state, huh? I imitated her and immediately found myself in an inferno similar to the first time I gained undying.
My body rose up and reconstructed itself. But I still had a radiant glow. I could instinctively feel that I could use the shards to gain permanence. But I had a theory to test.
Seeing this, Brimstone halted and quickly dove behind a painting and hurriedly started opening the safe. Time to see if these Shards really were radianite.
He quickly tossed me a translucent white stone. As soon as I got it in my hand. I knew I could absorb it. So I did. First, my body materialized properly. But I did not stop. I kept going until the stone stopped glowing. It gave me about 1000 more. Totaling 5511 shards.
"See, it turned out just fine!"
"I just burned through our next month's budget! That's it! Clove! Brig Duty for a month!"
"What? Why? He's fine, isn't he?"
"2 months!"
"Alright! Fine! Chill, big man!"
"3 months. And get out of my sight before I make it 6!"
"Yes! Yes! Going aren't I"
The poor man slumped back into his chair as she fled out.
Seeing this scene, the agents relaxed. "Code Chaos?"
"Code Chaos." He answered back in a defeated voice with a sigh. Something like this was clearly normal here.
I decided then and there to give full disclosure about my abilities to Brimstone. Not my story, though. I didn't want to enter another Earth into the Equation when they were already fighting another. Besides, I would need time to get my story straight.
I was glad that I could resurrect. But I absolutely did not want to try that again. I opened my Status.
STATUS
Code - Not Set
Name - Not Set
Core - Iron 1
Shield - Iron 1
Radiance - 0/100
Power - Mirror
Trait - Undying
Abilities
Crest - None
Quell - None
Echeleon - None
Xenith - Not Dead Yet (0/10000)
Shards - 500/500
Shards - 5511
Book - Not Dead Yet (Clove)
I immediately liquified 100 shards. That's when I figured out another fun thing. I could only liquify 10 shards a day before my nose started bleeding. I put it all into charging the ultimate. I needed it charged ASAP in this crazy place.
Brimstone just sighed and took out a small glass and a bottle of whisky from the drawer.
"It seems you do have some internal damage, friend. I am sorry, but I used my Healing Orb Charge."
Well, since I am coming clean anyway.
'Don't worry. I got this." I used the Healing Orb. It took me a few seconds to figure it out. But I managed. A glowing green orb of light manifested in my hand. I willed it towards myself, and it spread a healing warmth over my whole body.
Sage stood frozen and stunned. While Brimstone just sighed exasperatedly and downed his glass in one go. He then switched it for a bigger one and began pouring again, all the while staring at me with an 'I am so done with all this bullshit' expression.