Braxton opened up the Creeper's body. Inside he found a single red muscle looking strand that was cut in half by his sword earlier that day. It was in the center of the body and ran from one end to the other of the clamshells. The creature was mostly plant sinews controlled by the parasite muscle. By the time he got to the muscle the small amount of blood was unusable.
The Stone Ghost made up for the lack of blood on the first kill. This creature's blood was black. He managed to get twenty three vials after processing. Its armor plates were a black color too. It wasn't a terribly thick armor but Ickthous used it to make himself a suit. It was the best he had available.
Vixen arrived and dropped off the crossbow. Ickthous quickly studied it. Then he designed a crossbow for the quills. He used the sinew from the Creeper to power it. The draw force he put on the weapon was almost more than Braxton could get set. Ickthous had more leverage due to his longer arms.
As Ickthous worked on the armor and crossbow, Braxton returned to Earth for another try to catch his father. This time he got him over to the apartment complex and into his safe area. The two men returned to the safest place Braxton knew of, the hanger.
"Ok dad, we have entered the level called The Blast Furnace. The creatures on this level are much tougher to kill. I'm still learning about the place. I've got a small stronghold built there. Some are easier to kill and others are very tricky. I need better weapons for this level. What I have now a great grandpa's ancient weapons. They are getting the job done. I've used his old research on the armor and my Alpha unit to create a new armor type. Weapons development needs to be advanced to catch up. I'm ok for now but the next level will be even crazier I think." Braxton Jr stated his concerns.
"A lot of my researchers need blood. Do you have access to a good supply?" Braxton Sr inquired.
"I can get some. The second level stuff isn't suitable for weaker people. If I get them blood it'll cut into my profits. I want copies of their research and prototypes for field testing. I need to know how many researchers I'm suppling." Braxton replied cooly.
"I've got about twenty five that have health issues that require blood to cure them. About five doses each should do the trick. So one hundred and twenty five doses would be required. The research notes should be an issue. Prototypes will take a while to develop from scratch. Give me the specs on the gear you're using now. That way we have a bit of data to start developing from." Braxton Sr requested.
"Sure it's all ancient gear. I've got a worker crafting some stuff right now. One item is a crossbow, it will use the quills that penetrated Vixen's armor as ammo. I'm not sure how those will work yet. I might be able to get a couple more if I can find another of the creatures. They are dangerous creatures to hunt. I don't want to hunt them unless I need to. When we get back I'll give you a memory card with the spec's of my weapons. Is there anything else you need to let me know about while we have privacy?" Braxton Jr inquired.
"Just be careful. Those nanites that scan and pass data around, can steal data too. If you get get your Alpha system to detect them you can prevent that. It is a hard thing to stay ahead on. The government team isn't made up of human's. I'm not sure what they are or where they came from. There were at least six of them at one point in time." Braxton Sr informed his son.
"Lovely, what do you know about the gates? Where they already in place on the world before you linked into one?" Braxton Jr pressed.
"The plans for them with codes to link into one were in the safe deposit box of my father. We made a couple to send over. The government agents ordered a dozen of them and a base station. They changed their codes after the took receipt of them from us. I had a couple extras made back then. I have a few tricks up my sleeves too." Braxton Sr returned.
"We'll know you will need to upgrade the weapons and armor. People will need better gear for the next level. If you are ready for that then you can make more money. I'm stuck right now trying to get myself sorted to push deeper." Braxton Jr stated his current issue.
The two men had walked around while they had talked. Braxton Jr grabbed land mines and claymore mines to place outside his new base camp. He found a grenade launcher with a four round cylinder and an ammo can with ten rounds. He grabbed on .50 cal Ma Duce to add to the front of his entrance. Ickthous wouldn't be able to use the gate to leave. Braxton had to have one heavy weapon to try and buy him time to get away or fight off an attack on his camp.
The two finished their conversation then returned. Braxton Jr passed the specific data from his weapons. He added his design plans for the rocket pincushion warhead he wanted. To this he added his idea for a grenade that launched pins too.
Braxton said his farewells to his father and spent a couple days with Vixen. He updated the creature kill log on his computer in the office area. Vixen was keen to keep up with information. She wanted to be ready when she got back into the mix so she wouldn't be to far behind.
Braxton encouraged her to research weapons on the internet and to purchase new and heavier tools. A lot of them were impossible to purchase without a license. She was eligible to acquire one with her military training. She had to apply for it and complete a training program. It was a time consuming process but, she had plenty of time. Vixen worked on getting the license while she was sitting at home.
Braxton returned to the Blast Furnace. Ickthous had several pieces of his armor fashioned in the short amount of time. He still had a couple more days of food left to that wasn't an issue. The crossbow was finished.
"You about ready to go hunting?" Braxton questioned Ickthous.
"It'll be a few more days. I want to finish my armor. The food is very good here. I will need to be able to hunt for myself before it is safe for you to leave me here alone." Ickthous replied evenly.
"I know. These creatures are hard to kill too. I'm going to go hunt again tomorrow. I can try and use that crossbow. It's a little big for me." Braxton said as he was handling the weapon and trying to load it.
"I'll make you a smaller one after I finish my armor. Try to find me something with sword of spear like claws." Ickthous requested.
"I'll see what I can do." Braxton replied.
Braxton spent the rest of the day working on the defenses. He set all the charges and mines. He posted signs to label the minefields and made stone paths to guide travelers. He also carved out a gun port bunker for the Ma Duce. His building suit made the feat possible.
He rested that night then went out again the next day.