The Atlantian System: Creation

“How are you holding up, Koa?” Leta asked, leaning over to make sure that he was okay.

The only response she got from the Warrior was a mournful groan as the twitching spasms of his muscles slowly subsided.

The man had been pushed into the ring after Leta had accidentally electrocuted poor Afra during their match.

He had been incredibly helpful and initially treated the interaction as a training session, going through several types of weapons to see how her abilities did against them as well as gave her some advise on how to fight and defend from the weapons.

Daggers, spears and poleaxes, war hatchets, quarterstaff, bows and crossbows, even nunchucks. and pistols, he went through them all.

She could tell that he genuinely enjoyed educating her on the pros and cons of each weapon. He was a fair instructor and had the patience of a saint when going through proper techniques.

Surprisingly, Leta was picking up new skills left and right.

[The Host has learned the combat skill daggers.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill hand-and-half sword.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill greatsword.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill spear.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill poleaxe.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill naginaka.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill quarterstaff.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill long bow.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill nunchucks.]

[The Host has learned the combat skill firearms.]

She was nowhere near Koa’s level of mastery with anything, but she’d quickly become skilled enough not to kill herself with the weapons.

She truly enjoyed the lectures, but realized very quickly that she could cause some serious damage with her skills by accident.

Afra had come at her swinging which had startled Leta. She instinctively activated her electricity, which hit the Hearth Maiden like a brick wall, sending her flying into the wall.

She’d freaked out a bit thinking she’d accidentally killed the woman until Afra’s groaned and rolled onto her side.

Koa had been her next victim.

She’d given him several shocks during their sparring. Though she’d been very conscious of her power output, he was still stumbling back with twitching muscles whenever she touched him.

He always got to his feet, though shakily, but at this rate, everyone would end up in the infirmary.

[The Host has learned the skill Thunder Strike.]

Leta glanced at Atreus, “I don’t think we should keep doing this. I promise I’m pulling my punches, but the electricity is too dangerous to just play with.”

“I agree,” Dr. Kudela nodded from where she was sitting next to Afra, who was leaning against the wall with a dazed look, “I can see Oletta is making a conscious effort to hold back from doing serious harm, but she’s still hitting them with the electrical force of a defibrillator.”

Atreus sighed, his expression not exactly defeated but certainly disappointed as he ran a hand through his hair.

“What’s the verdict?” Allister asked as he helped Koa onto shaky feet.

“Her power is substantial, but she is untrained in our ways.” He crossed his arms and scowled at the floor, thinking. “She can trip up her attackers with a word or see in the dark, but she is so new to her powers that she hasn’t developed the muscle memory to use it.”

Leta winced.

He wasn’t wrong. When she wasn’t in the thick of it, she’d use her voice like when she had been caught in the car with Tariq. When the lights had gone out in the hospital, she’d completely forgotten to use her ability to see in the dark.

“As surprising and frightening as her power is, if she doesn’t know how to use it, she’s useless in a fight - a proverbial glass cannon that is just as likely to smite her enemy as a friend.”

“Ouch, jeez. Did I do anything right at all?”

Atreus snorted, but the hardness in his eyes seemed to have softened just a little. “Well, at least you’re not a complete asshole like most of the Crowns I’ve heard of.”

“And…?” Leta rolled her wrist for him to keep going.

“That’s all you’re getting. Take it and hold it close because you won’t get any more to cherish.” He declared with thin lips, his eyes calculating as he returned to business. “The facts have not changed. Without being trained, I cannot, in good faith, send you out on raids, and we are still without the personnel needed to be as effective as we previously were. You may have melted the entire Goblin population in Greece, but the Blessed will regroup, and by then, they will have the upper hand.”

All humor seemed to have fled the courtyard at his words as everyone reflected on the situation at hand.

The Blessed had taken a beating but so had the Chosen. If they stayed still to lick their wounds, the Blessed would soon have the numbers to push back.

“Our saving grace at this point is their interest in the dig site.” Atreus crossed his arms, his feet shoulder-width apart and looking like a real General as he addressed the group, “The Blessed are putting substantial resources and manpower to use in their skirmishes with the marine unit from Cyprus, so the number of Blessed slinking through the city is fairly low. While their main force is focused on fighting to control the site, their dens remain with little more than skeleton crews to staff them. This means we have a limited opportunity to remove some of the dens while their attention is elsewhere. We will be breaking the Sect up into three shifts.”

He turned to Allister, “Kaviah and Simon will be A shift during the day. Make sure that they are aware and to report to the war room tomorrow at seven sharp.”

“On it.” The giant nodded, pulling a phone out of his pocket and getting to work.

“Hayato, you will be with Allister, Bonnie, and myself, who will be covering the afternoon and towards the evening. Afra and Koa will swap with Hayato and join us for the third shift during the night. Allister and I’s classes naturally need little sleep, so we will take the longer shifts.”

Koa, Hayato, and Afra nodded in understanding, their faces grim.

“Eriene is on standby to treat injuries. Samuel, Yelana, and Huda will be on rotating shifts and assist in the war room. Leta will be observing you two.” He fixed her with a no-nonsense look, “Training is more than fists and steel. You want to bring down the Blessed? Good. Watch us and learn how we do it.”

Leta audibly gulped as she shook her head yes.

“Good. B shift, you have two hours before we brief in the war room-“

”Wait,” Leta interrupted, “What about by mom?”

Atreus frowned, “What about her?”

”She could be alive.”

”She could be dead. We protect living people, not cadavers.”

”You don’t know that.” Leta argued back, her hands balling into fists as her temper rose.

”No, I do not.” Atreus leveled her with a harsh glare as he seemed to bristle with push against his authority, “I do not know whether your mother lives or not. I do not deal in speculation, I deal in facts. And the facts are that the odds of your mother managing to survive a several hundred kilometer flight to the Gargoyle’s nest is minuscule. Add in the notion that she, a mundane, somehow managed to escape the clutches of a nest full of hungry Gargoyles and is by some miracle surviving in the wilds and avoiding being eaten alive has so many zeros in its negative percentage probability that I’ve lost count. So no, I will not be sending my Sect - which is already understaffed, mind you - to go on a meaningless hunt for a dead body.”

Leta swallowed back the sting of his words as she felt her cheeks flush with anger.

All was quiet for some time before Atreus took a deep breath before calmly saying, “I understand your need to verify your mother’s condition, but I cannot do it at the expense of my people. Not when I’ve already lost so many.”

He let the words sink in for a breath before looking around the courtyard, “Dismissed.”

With that, Atreus turned on his heels like a real general and strode back inside, leaving the rest of the Sect to go about their business, leaving Leta lost as she looked around for some indication of what came next.

Afra came to her side with a sympathetic expression creasing her brow. “You okay?”

”Yeah.” Leta took a deep breath, her eyes blinking rapidly as she worked to get her emotions under control. “I get it, but it’s still hurts.”

The Hearth Maiden patted her shoulder, “Let me know if you just need someone to vent to. I’m pretty good at that. I’ll probably give you a sarcastic answer, but I’ll listen.”

Leta chuckled, the humor enough to help her out of her dark mental state.

“Um, what am I supposed to do for two hours?”

“Now we eat.” Afra sighed as she pushed up from the wall, “It’s lunch, and I’m starving. After? Well, we’ll get a few minutes to ourselves, and then we’ll suit up. What you do in your time before is up to you. My sister, Huda, likes to pray before the rare times she’s been called to assist in a raid.”

Leta nearly cracked her neck as she spun around so fast. “Huda’s your sister?”

“Yeah, couldn’t you tell,” Afra responded, looking perplexed but amused.

She had only met the woman briefly last night, but now that Leta was thinking about it, she could see that the two shared similar features.

“Anyway,” Afra shrugged, “Perhaps you will want to rest or visit your Mundane friend in the scriptorium.”

“Oh, shit. Vigo.” Leta face palmed, “Yeah, I need to ensure he’s okay.”

“Trust me, he’s having the time of his laugh.” Afra cackled, “I stopped by earlier, and Huda said he was running around with the energy of a caffeinated toddler and was as happy as a seagull with a french fry.”

Leta snorted as she followed Afra into the main hall and to the central kitchen.

Lunch was a simple affair of slightly dry sandwiches and a selection of fruits on a table in a surprisingly modern kitchen.

Afra helped Leta figure out where everything was, like plates and silverware, explaining that everyone took turns making meals for the Sect, but it was everyone’s responsibility to wash their plates.

The dining area was large - too large for the number of Chosen that Leta had seen so far. Four chairs of different lengths stood parallel in the main dining area and were surrounded by mismatched chairs.

Koa, Hayato, Allister, and young Samuel were already seated at one table, silently consuming their meals with gusto.

The table lurched upward as they approached, and a mass of black fur stuck its head out from under the tablecloth.

“Oy! Boonie, ya daft beast,” Allister grunted as the massive wolf crawled out from under the table to stick its snout in Leta’s hip, its tail wagging.

“Holy…” Leta let out a sharp breath as she tried to calm her racing heart at the sudden appearance of such a large animal.

“Aye. Meet Bonnie Lass, my familiar, and let all-around pain in my arse.” Allister groaned in disgust but smirked as he ruffled the wolf’s ears like an overgrown puppy. “She’s just hoping you’ll accidentally drop something. Pay her no mind.”

Leta sat with the group and chowed down, smiling as she caught Samuel sneakingly giving the wolf some of his sandwiches under the table.

Seeing that lunch was a silent event, Leta didn’t bother making conversation.

She had something else to talk to.

‘Gada?’

[Good afternoon, Host.]

‘How are my nanite numbers doing after last night?’

[The Host is currently the vessel for 3,203,584 unassigned nanites.]

‘Damn, that’s a lot.’ Leta mentally confided in her sandwich. She hadn’t hit max capacity, but the potential of so many nanites was tempting.

She would have no trouble getting all the skills like Herald of the Storm but reminded herself that getting too many skills at once could have severe consequences for her health.

‘Let’s start small. Show me my base stats.’

[Height: 1.67 meters

Weight: 52 kilograms

Bone Density: +1.2

Power: 13

Speed: 12

Stamina: 12

Reflexes: 14

Constitution: 12

Mental Fortitude: 17]

‘Huh. I got taller again.’ Leta’s head tilted as she thought about that. ‘Weird. Okay, to recap, give me the skills that I currently have. Just the names and levels - I already know what they do.’

[Current Skill software installed:

Tongues Of The Many

Sacrificial Touch

Filter Feeder: Level One

Eyes Of The Night Hunter

Ears Of The Judge

Electrical Misconduct

Magician’s Hand

Storm Glass

Gremlin’s Trick

Command: Level One

Thunder Strike]

Leta frowned, ‘Wait a minute. I remember Gremlin’s Trick being an option last night, and then I got the skill after fixing the helicopter light on the roof. Why did I get the skill without paying for it?’

[The Host can acquire specific skills without downloading software by implementing and mastering that skill’s essential functions through their methods. For example, by utilizing both Electrical Misconduct and the Magician’s Hand, the Host could learn the skill of Storm Glass. It should be noted that the Host can only be self-taught skills if the prerequisite skills needed have already been learned.]

Leta nodded to herself. That at least felt easy to follow.

‘Got it. So, theoretically, I could download a combat skill for something like throwing daggers, then start practicing using telekinesis to throw them. Getting that right would allow me to throw sharp objects with my mind.’

[Theoretically, it is possible. Remember, downloaded skills provide the Host with fundamental understanding and application. It does not give muscle memory.]

‘Got it. Just cause I know how to use a crayon doesn’t make me the next Da Vinci. Okay, let’s start with that list of available skills I could pick from.’

Leta cringed as a cascade of options flooded her vision. A tidal wave of skill titles and descriptions filled her eyes as her body recoiled from the sudden onslaught.

Her reaction didn’t go unnoticed. Allister frowned at her pinched eyes and tight expression.

“You all right there?”

“Yeah,” Leta groaned in pain, “Something in my eyes.”

‘Jeez! Turn it off.’ She blinked as her vision cleared instantly. ‘What was all that?’

[Recently acquired skills have opened pathways to several new software options. If the Host is interested in a particular set of software, a filtered list can be provided.]

‘Holy crap, that was enough skills to fill up War and Peace!’ How would she narrow her options when there was a novel’s worth of information to sift through?

‘I think I’m going about this the wrong way. Let’s do the diagnostic first, and then we’ll see where we need to go from there.’

[Based on calculations, the Host received the most trauma during the last fight from piercing damage. To effectively mitigate this form of trauma, it is recommended that the Host increase constitution, convert skeletal structures of ribs and fists to Atlanite, and acquire the available skill, Gladiator’s Resistance.]

Leta paused in peeling her orange. Her hive mind suggesting skills for her was a new one. Maybe because she had so many options this time around?

‘What else?’

[The Host has survived seventy-two consecutive hours and is fully assimilated to the nanites. The Host can now create ports in certain parts of the body using Physical Characteristic Reconstruction and the skill Summon Nanite. These small ports would allow unassigned nanites to temporarily be assigned rolls outside the Host’s body, as long as they remain in contact with the Host.]

Leta nearly choked in shock, quickly taking a drink of her water as the table gave her confused looks.

“Maybe you should focus on eating.” Hayato said pointedly, “You seem to be very distracted.”

“I’m fine.” Her eyes watered as she coughed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. When she got her fit under control, she took a breath and asked calmly, “Is there any other bathroom other than that massive monstrosity with the showers?”

The group looked at each other in bewilderment before Koa replied slowly, “No, that’s the only bathroom.”

“Fabulous. Please excuse me.” Leta took her plate of food to the kitchen and followed the instructions Afra had given her earlier on where to dispose of things before gracefully walking out of the room as the eyes of the group trailed her footsteps.

A very quiet Samuel asked, “Is she okay?”

Just as the door shut behind her, she could hear Allister sigh, “Who knows?”

Leta picked up speed as she got out of earshot and was nearly sprinting through the complex. When she arrived at the large wooden door she’d been in previously, she knocked loudly before opening the door an inch. “Anyone in here?”

Not hearing a response, she rushed inside and quickly locked the door behind her.

“What the fuck do you mean the nanites can live outside my body?” She hissed once she was alone.

[Nanites exist as part of the Host- literally woven into the fabric of the Host’s DNA. This does not mean that nanites exist only within the Host - so long as the nanites are in full and direct contact with the Host, they can survive outside of the Host’s flesh.]

“If they’re outside my body, what good is that doing me? Don’t I need them to, like, breathe or something?”

[Unassigned nanites are not being utilized for a task. These nanites can be interpreted as free-floating material within the Host’s body with the potential to be given a function. Unassigned nanites can be given temporary tasks until a permanent command is given. For example, when the Host is injured, unassigned nanites may be given a temporary command to assist assigned nanites in the healing process to remove the Host from danger quickly. Once the task is completed, these nanites return to their free-floating existence, waiting for a task. The Host’s physical form currently does not allow nanites to function with temporary assignments outside the Host’s flesh. However, by creating small ports, unassigned nanites can temporarily be used outside the body. This was a common practice with Atlantians, who would manifest these unassigned nanites in various ways, from linking with supercomputers and commanding their space vessels to creating armor.]

Leta leaned against a wall and practically fell onto the stone bench as her knees weakened.

She sat speechless, elbows on her knees as she tried to process the image from her vision of the winged woman in white armor with alien runes.

“I mean, wow.” After a few minutes of stunned silence, she chuckled, “That’s crazy.”

[However, it should be noted that if the Host were to install the skill Summon Nanite and install two ports, the Host would not have sufficient unassigned nanites to generate anything substantial regarding armor or weaponry.]

Gada’s insights only slightly damped the wonder and awe from a moment ago. Of course, there was a little kid inside her who remembered Saturday morning cartoons and watching animated shows of superheroes in disguise magically transforming to save the day. Who wouldn’t think that was cool and be disappointed that that dream was just a hair’s width out of her reach?

On the other hand, she was once again astonished by the sophistication of the Atlan race and marveled at their mastery over their technology.

It was not the first time she wondered what they were like.

Their culture.

Their religious beliefs.

What sports were they interested in?

Did sports even exist in their society?

She felt that same curiosity as a child with her nose stuck in books about the Mesopotamian cultures, her imagination wandering down painted corridors and walking through fields that had never known the plow.

The human race’s ancestors were probably learning to stand upright when these creatures from a far-flung planet were mastering the stars, using nanites to take them past the farthest horizons.

Once more, she had a longing to learn more about them. A low ache in her stomach seemed to crave the search for answers just as much as the discovery.

“Just tell me what that cost would be.” She quietly asked, her soft voice barely an echo.

[The installation of a single port would require 2,001,982 unassigned nanites. The software Summon Nanites would require 340,321 unassigned nanites. This would leave the Host with 861,281 remaining unassigned nanites, which would be able to produce approximately 56 grams of usable external nanites. To visualize this, it would be enough to cover the back of one’s hand in external nanites one millimeter thick.]

“That isn’t anything if you’re trying to make yourself armor.” Leta pursed her lips as she pondered, visualizing a disk ten centimeters wide. In her mind, she crumpled it into a ball and reshaped it into various forms of that mass.

A tiny pyramid that might not kill something outright but could do some damage to a Goblin in a fight?

A itty-bitty dagger little more than a letter opener?

Maybe a choker around her neck that could prevent a Loupgarou from taking another bite?

Leta rubbed her neck at the memory of fangs sinking into her flesh.

Atreus’s words from earlier were a reminder that she wasn’t ready to take on those who had hurt her and her family.

If she wanted vengeance, she had to be alive for it.

She needed to be able to strike her enemy dead but also take the hits when they landed.

“What skills or stats do I need to fight and take a punch?” Leta’s lips tightened with her resolution to seek out Tariq and the ones who had hurt her family.

[An immediate recommendation to increase hand-to-hand combat would be to replace all skeletal structures in the wrists and hands with Atlanite. This would require 2,804,205 unassigned nanites and would need eight hours to complete. The remaining 399,379 unassigned nanites would reinforce muscles and tendons in the hands and forearms, increasing the Host’s power stat by three.]

“I forgot that changes like that could affect the stats.” Leta admonished herself, “It didn’t do anything when I modified my forearms. Let’s say speed. If I wanted to move so fast they couldn’t even hit me, what would be a good start?”

[Based on the number of currently unassigned nanites, the Host would be able to replace all skeletal structures below the ankles and reinforce some tendons. However, this option would, at best, be suited for movement over rough and uneven terrain and would not significantly increase overall speed. For that goal, the Host would need to replace all skeletal structures and substantially reinforce muscles and tendons below the hip, increasing endurance and reinforcing lung and heart functions.]

“Dang. Looks like speed is a massive investment.”

[It is recommended that the Host consider what sort of offense and defense best suits the Host’s methods and capabilities. Not every combatant is disciplined for melee, and not every hand-to-hand soldier is suitable for mastering long-range offensives such as archery or fire.]

Leta sighed, nodding. “Yeah, probably should have thought about this way before we reached this point. In my defense, though, I’ve either been trying to pretend everything is normal or being unconscious in various hospitals.”

[The Host has adjusted well into being the carrier of the monarch system. Statistically, the Host should be dead several times after multiple poor decisions. Given the opportunity to utilize their talents, the Host will undoubtedly master an offensive strategy that works best.]