"Alpha review stats." Braxton ordered.
Braxton Ace age fifteen. Level 2
Strength 6
Agility 5
Vitality 13
Constitution 10
Intelligence 6
Skills: Combat Camouflage (Mirage 20%), Knifehand thrust, Skullcrusher heel stomp, Shadowstep 10 feet, Burrow 5 feet, Antitoxin level 1, Scout Vision (Moonshine Halo 10%), Thick Skin level 1
Storage capacity 105
Braxton had been drinking blood everyday. Not all of them netted increases. He didn't know why some did and some didn't. All he could do for sure was keep drinking it.
In the village, he had spent some time wandering around without his suit on. Sleeping without it on allowed him to work on his acclamation to the environment even more. Having seen the damage sustained to other suits, he thought it may be a necessity that he be travel without it.
Initially, he wanted to check out his growth. He was happy with what he found. His muscles had developed at an alarming rate. It was like taking steroids without the negative side effects. He wasn't getting much strength increase yet. He had still increased that stat and his muscle mass by a good amount from where he started at. He had grown several inches too. His main growth was in endurance and his general health had vastly improved. He had also packed on several pounds.
His hair had regrown nicely too. It wasn't long and ratty like it was when he was homeless. He had also grown his first hints of a goatee and mustache. The helmet on his armor rubbed the sides of his chin and prevent the growth there.
The texture of his skin felt a little more rugged now. Braxton attributed that to the thick skin skill. He summoned his sword and ran it gently across his arm. The weapon didn't cause any damage. He continued testing until he wounded himself. It was a small injury nothing drastic but, he had to exert a decent amount of force to cause the cut. The nanites quickly repaired the damage and the skin sealed up again.
Braxton was happy with the results of the first test. He returned the sword and summoned his club. He hit himself several times. Hard, he knew his nanites could heal broken bones quickly. He needed to know the limits of the skill. There would come a time he knew, he would find himself in melee combat. That wasn't a good time to find out what you could take. This test left him unconvinced of his ability to take damage.
Braxton dressed and left the village. He resolved to find a sparing partner to train melee combat with in the next village. He set his travel goals at fifty miles a day. It was plenty and would allow him time to hunt along the way. It also wouldn't wear out his mount.
He was growing more confident in his scouting abilities too. He didn't use his Combat Camouflage ability constantly. He used his Scout Vision frequently. He stopped the mount to use it. He had tried it while moving but, it was very disorientating. He learned Icca had the Burrow ability too. Braxton caught him using it to eat during one of their stops. His head was two feet under the surface.
Braxton spent a few hours teaching it to go under on command each day. Icca's proficiency with the skill seem much better than his own. It made him curious if the mount could learn skills by ingesting meats and blood too. If he could cultivate skills for his companion it would be a great benefit. He decided to fed it flesh of creatures with natural armors. He was also looking for ones that could increase intelligence. It would be easier to teach the lizard what he wanted if it was smarter.
The lizard was limited on what it could collect on its own due to its size. It wasn't equipped to fight and shred large animals.
Braxton killed a few desert rats on the first day of traveling. They were a favorite food of the lizard but, they also were what he got the burrow skill from. He didn't share the rat's blood with Icca. He drained them and boiled the blood using the procedure for skill acquisition. He summoned the journal and followed it directions carefully. He repeated the steps each time to master the method. He ended up with three vials.
The new procedure had a forced cooldown step and he was able to consume them immediately after they cooled. His body quickly processed the blood. He had used plenty of this type of blood before. He absorbed them faster than they could finish cooling done. His Burrow ability went up two levels off he three vials.
"Alpha display Burrow skill details." Braxton ordered.
The UI screen filled up. Burrow lvl 3, depth 15ft minor movement available. Travel speed ten feet per hour.
"That could be useful. I can go under and move a hundred feet. It would take forever but in a pinch it better than nothing. I wonder if I can adjust easier with my ranged weapons." Braxton thought about the possibilities the upgrades could afford him for the next few hours.
The area he traveled through the next day was barren. There were next to no roots visible and he saw no game he could hunt at all. This was a bit of a letdown. But he didn't slow down and worry about it. He made a note in his mapping system that it was a desert area. He also noticed the clouds were thinner over this area and the moisture content was a lot less. His canteen didn't fill as fast in this region. It was effecting his mount more severely too. It had begun foaming at the mouth. Braxton rationed his water supply and shared it with the lizard. He couldn't afford to lose the creature in the middle of this desert.
Braxton decided to gamble a little bit. He knew there was a village another fifty miles away. He could see the clouds were thicker in the distance too. He dumped his remaining water into the lizards mouth at nightfall. He kept it moving through the evening hours at a slow and steady pace. The water seemed to help the reptile immensely. An hour later he was able to pick up his pace again. They cleared he desert expanse before daylight came again.
Braxton was parched but his canteen was filling quickly again. They would both survive. He considered himself very lucky. He wondered how many people had stumbled into that death trap. It could be a treasure trove of combat suits. Inside that desert was his first experience of seeing the sun since he arrived here. It was a harsh and unforgiving sun. The temps inside his suit had went over a hundred and the external temps were over 150 degrees. It was murderous.
The nighttime sky was breathtaking though. He saw three different moons or planets. It wasn't something he knew much about himself. The scientist would probably want to setup a camp on the edge of this desert. They could study the stars and try to decern where they were. Looking back at it from the safety of the moisturized air, was as close as he wanted to get again without spare water.
"Alpha scan for players and combat suits. Run scanner constantly." Braxton ordered. Then he asked "What is the effective range on that scan?"
"The current effective range for this scan is seven miles in all directions. It is effective to a depth of forty feet. The range increases with your levels." Alpha informed.
"Activate comlink voice input." Braxton issued the order. He knew Blaster had been searching areas for people and decided to see if his comlink could connect to his. It was a long shot. He was also dangerously close to the Tritops region as best he could tell.
"Testing 1, 2, 3. Testing, is anyone receiving this transmission?" Braxton called into his microphone.
"Specter? You sound different." The voice was feminine. A quick look at his text screen showed her name was Vixen.
"Sorry to be the barer of sad tidings. Specter got eaten by a snake. I'm Ace." Braxton said trying to be gentle with the news.
"Lost a good one there. What can I do for you?" Vixen responded calmly.
"I just crossed a desert and I'm a long way from the base camp. I was just searching for a Hazul settlement." Braxton stated plainly.
"That's easy. I'll send you coordinates for the three nearby. I'm in the northern most one myself." Vixen responded quickly.
"Thanks much. Can I ask what the effective range is on the comms?" Braxton inquired. He wanted to know how well it worked badly.
"That depends on the model. The early ones were weak and didn't function well in these environments. Those only reached twenty miles. Mine is good for one hundred on good days. It's been a long time since I've seen another human or heard our language. Think you can take me to the base camp with you? I tried to get in touch with Specter but, we had issues crossing the desert. He was going to meet with me about six months ago but missed our meeting time." Vixen informed him of her situation. Her voice was filled with hope.
"Let me check the data file Vixen. The crossing was rough on my mount. I would be happy to take you with me. I just need to make sure I can get to you." Braxton delayed a direct answer momentarily.
"Okay, I'll hold while you do your thing." Vixen responded.
Braxton opened the file. "Data downloading...Data integrated into storage. Map system updated." Alpha reported.
He scanned the map of the area. It looked like she must have grid walked the entire area. The map showed every peak and valley in the area. It even mapped the edge of the desert between the two cities. It only went ten miles into the desert. It looked like she walked into it looking for a narrow passage through it. He was still ten miles from the camp she was at.
"Vixen, I can be there later today. I need to get some rest. Me and my mount didn't get any sleep last night. We are really close. Just hang tight a little while longer." Braxton replied.
"Really? How close are you?" Vixen questioned eagerly.
"I'm ten miles away roughly. But we moved a hundred miles in one shot. I'm not going to be able to return the same way." Braxton returned to looking at his map update. He had only know of two towns. The second one he had heard about was only twenty five miles south of his current position. The third town was about seventy miles northeast. The map showed a narrow crossing of the desert space. It would take them closer to the Tritops region of control.
"Vixen, do you have map coordinates of the Dragon's mine area?" Braxton asked cautiously.
"I do. Why do you want that?" Vixen asked. Her tone was clearly guarded on this topic.
"The narrowest section of desert is there. Well at least that is in range and from what I can guess." Braxton gave what he thought was a logical answer.
"It is a trade path sure enough. The Tritops chased me into the desert there. I'm not eager to go back that way. I don't have any ammo other than a bow and arrows I crafted myself." Vixen stated meekly.
"Do you have a mount?" Braxton inquired.
"No, can't yours carry us both?" Vixen asked hesitantly.
"I'm afraid not. It will slow our travel down a lot. If it wasn't for the mount, I couldn't have crossed myself. Okay, let's shelve this discussion for now. I'm going to get some rest. I will see you in a few hours." Braxton said signing off.
"Don't forget about me please." Vixen begged.
"Don't worry. The way your voice sounds and with the handle Vixen. I have to see if what you look like." Braxton flirted.
"Dream about me sweetheart. If you get me back with my own kind I'll make those dreams look tame." Vixen promised.
"Good night." Braxton said with a happy sigh.
"Sweet dreams sugar, if it helps with the mental images I'm a double D." She ended with a kissing sound.
"Damn my sex life has certainly benefited from coming here. If I would've know it would make me a player, they could've skipped the rough handling in the beginning." Braxton thought as he closed his eyes.