Spires

Now

The first thing that happened as soon as Cal was back to full consciousness was a chime in his ears. The spires’ notification was as surprising as always. What made it disconcerting this time was that he heard it clearly despite being still submerged in the magical, super science-y healing liquid.

The view through the face mask that fed him oxygen was cloudy. The yellow-colored liquid felt viscous and warm. He didn’t fail to notice the passing similarity to another warm, yellow liquid. He looked down at his nakedness and was suddenly worried.

He’d been under for a little over a week. There was no way he hadn’t pissed in the liquid. He could only hope that the healing chamber was equipped with the same cleaning functionality that his old prisoner sarcophagus had.

Cal tried to put it out of his mind. He focused on the spires’ message.

Congratulations!

You have completed a Quest!

Defeat the Kaiju.

You played the key role in killing the Kaiju.

Reward: 100000 Universal Points. Reputation Gain with Threnosh.

There was no measure of how much reputation he had gained. Typical of the spires. Always leaning into vagueness. The points were nice though. Really nice. He could do a lot with that. For himself and the team.

Cal tried to remember what had happened after he had detonated the explosives he’d planted inside the holes dug by the driller drones in the kaiju’s body.

After a few minutes he let out a sigh. He couldn’t pick anything out beyond a few hazy images. Of the kaiju slowly listing and sinking toward the ocean. Its dorsal surface on fire, trailing a thick cloud of black smoke that carried hints of an outdoor barbecue, except disgusting.

There was a picture of the interceptors accompanied by the sensation of being carried.

The pain from the damage done by the tentacle must’ve been really bad if he couldn’t even get anything clearer even with his telepathy. What did that mean? Maybe the trauma was so bad that his brain stopped processing memories? Maybe it was putting all its power into survival?

“Whatever,” Cal muttered into the face mask.

He’d spent enough time in the tank. It was time to get back to it.

Cal reached out with his telekinesis and began the extraction procedures. He had studied how the machine worked. A few swipes and presses on the console with his invisible hand and all he had to do was wait.

In the five minutes it took for the liquid to fully drain and the chamber to open the room had grown progressively more crowded.

The engineer was first. Without a proper medical role Threnosh in the facility Engineer Verdant Mechanica 3581 was deemed the next best contact by the Virtual Intelligence governing the system. It had pinged them a notification as soon as Cal had started the process.

“The V.I. was perplexed when extraction was commenced without a physical presence in the chamber to operate the console.”

Cal shrugged. “I can see why it’d be confusing, Mechanica.” He struggled to put on the skin-tight, yet super comfy one piece, all-purpose suit. The looks that the non-interrogator Threnosh were giving his junk was making him uncomfortable. The skin on the right side of his head and the right side of his upper body, including his entire right arm was still tender to the touch. He winced as he pulled the sleeve on.

“Will you resume your duties?” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 had come next, along with Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623.

“Explain. We are aware of your ability to manipulate objects with an unseen, unmeasurable force. However, the control console to your chamber was reconfigured to require physical contact.

“First of all, Tides, yeah I will.” Cal turned to the other interrogator. “Loaming, were you trying to catch me out?” He grinned. “Nice one! Keep it up! That sort of asymmetrical thinking is what this project is all about.”

“Honor, I have prepared my report on what transpired with the new special candidates during the time you were unavailable,” Caretaker said.

“Okay. Good job. We’ll go over it in… let’s say an hour. Have to check in with PC3 about some stuff first,” Cal said. “But I definitely can’t wait to see what you think of the new crew and how things are going so far.”

Kynnro stood next to Caretaker. The difference in height was striking, especially since Kynnro was out of their power armor. In their power armor Caretaker was actually a good six inches taller than Cal.

“Honor, I require answers?” Kynnro practically vibrated in place with anticipation.

“Uh… can this wait?”

“No it cannot for it has filled my thoughts for days.”

“Okay, sure, why not. What’s the question?”

“I am intrigued by your ice cream.” The words were drawn out. “Is it a naturally occurring substance or is it manufactured?”

Cal laughed. “It’s made. I’m pretty sure you guys don’t have it. Unless the Collective is keeping all the good secrets to themselves.”

It was interesting to note the Threnosh’s reactions to his word. The two interrogators brows creased ever so slightly in displeasure. The engineer’s face was blank, as if they had already fulfilled their duty and was just waiting to be allowed to get back to more important matters. Caretaker’s and Kynnro’s reactions were more open and interesting. They looked thoughtful, as if they were seriously considering the possibility.

Cal could’ve used his telepathy to take a quick peak into their thoughts for clarification, but he demurred. They were allies now. He wasn’t going to violate their privacy without a legitimately good reason.

“Never fear, Kynnro. I think I remember how to make it. We just need some salt, sugar, cream and flavoring. Maybe I can get Riverport to fabricate us the machine we need,” Cal laughed again. Kynnro’s innocent request opened his eyes to new possibilities. One he can’t believe he had overlooked.

He didn’t have to just eat the Threnosh’s nutrient liquid. He was free to make his own food. There was an entire world of new things to eat. He was going to be a true trailblazer. The first human to eat alien flora and fauna.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right. Could you repeat that last bit?”

Prime Custodian 3’s life-like holographic projection remained motionless and unblinking. As always Cal had the impression that they were buffering or something, except that wasn’t possible. The Threnosh version of wireless telecommunications was on several orders of magnitude better than the one back of Earth. Forget 5G, it was more like 5000G.

The Prime finally blinked. “Your medical scans indicated that there was no damage to your hearing.”

“Aside from getting my ear ripped off, sure,” Cal prodded at his tender lobe. “I must say the reconstruction is perfect. Looks just like my left one.”

“It was copied exactly.”

“And I’m not ungrateful, but…”

“To return to your query. Ultimate authority rests under the Collective’s aegis. As such Universal Points gained through the undertaking of a Task are received by the Collective. They are then distributed equally to all Threnosh. I receive my portion, which I then disperse to my subordinates. They disperse to their subordinates and so on.”

“So the interceptors, drone operators and the communicators? They only got a fraction of the gains from the kaiju?”

“You are factually correct.”

“They put a lot on the line to kill that kaiju. The interceptors lost over half their number. That doesn’t seem fair.” Cal realized he sounded a bit whiny, so he changed tack. When in doubt, keep asking questions. “Wait a minute. I thought your fighters, elites get points directly.”

“Correct. From kills or in the extremely rare case that the spires grants them a Task in a direct manner.”

“What happens to Kymah and the other two interceptors?”

“The interceptor-type trueskin is rare. At the current rate of emergence the projection indicates that it will take no less than five years to replenish the squadron to its full complement. The individual interceptors will be held in reserve until it becomes necessary to replenish any one of the other three squadrons under my jurisdiction.”

“Seems like a bad idea. Those three went up against a city-ending threat. Sure you stiffed them on the points, but you can’t beat the experience.” Cal scratched his chin. Then winced. He forgot that the skin was still tender. “I’ve got a better idea. Put them into the project. They’ll keep their skills sharp and earn points to upgrade their power armor. They’d be crucial the next time a giant flying monster shows up.”

“Agreed,” Prime Custodian 3 said quickly. “I concur with your assessment that this kaiju signals a new stage in the spires’ game. A level up, I believe you called it.

“Eh, close enough,” Cal said. “What’d the Collective say? Plans for future attacks of this nature? Cause I know we’ve got a deal, but even they have to realize that you can’t just rely on me to take out every giant monster. I mean, if two show up at the same time…” he shrugged.

“I believe that the Collective will come to this realization once enough data has been gathered and properly studied.”

“Fine, I’m not going to get into what I think of that,” Cal sighed. “So, speaking of deals… I believe you and I have some things to discuss.”

“Yes. What do you require?”

“Right, so I’m already getting the three interceptors. Can I get those drone operators and the communicator?”

“Yes.”

“That easy, huh? I also want fighters, soldiers. Mix of standard infantry and heavies. Oh and a couple of those Iron Man types… er… the ones that can fly and shoot repulsion beams. I beat two of them that time that I escaped from here—” Cal had a sudden thought. “If possible can I get those two?”

“I will provide one mixed squad. The latter two have critical roles that they cannot be taken from.”

“How big is a squad in your terms? Composition?”

“One sub-leader, eight baseline infantry, four heavy infantry.”

“Thirteen? Sure, why not. I figure Earth superstition doesn’t apply while I’m on this world,” Cal said. “Although, I was thinking more along the lines of fifty-ish soldiers.”

“This is all that I can allocate at this time.”

“Thanks. Moving on. I’d like an actual medical person to take care of the injury stuff.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, this is turning out easier than I thought,” Cal said. “Next up, I want to pull from a bigger pool of special candidates.”

“I cannot promise that, but I will revisit it with the Collective and my fellow primes.”

Cal frowned. It was a bit of reach. “Lastly, as far as personnel is concerned. I want a few more fabricators and engineers. As the project grows we’ll need more support staff. I’m picturing a dedicated engineer and fabricator for each team.”

“Yes.”

“Now on to the equipment,” Cal brought up the list on his PID. “I’ll send you the list since it’s kind of long. Basically, I need more supplies. Weapons, ammo and raw materials with which to make more weapons and ammo. That giant monster and your lack of artillery and missiles, you know, the big stuff, got me thinking. You’ve got tech that’s like 3d printing, except it might as well be magic. There’s no reason why you can’t just upsize what you already make.”

“I will review your list and provide what can be allocated. This upsizing you describe has possibility. In light of recent events I believe that it will become vital to the Threnosh.”

Cal nodded. “Right, just need to convince the Collective.”

“You are correct.”

“Hey, if one giant monster doesn’t do it, maybe the next two or three will,” Cal grinned. “Speaking of which… what happened to it. I didn’t see the end.”

“Your unorthodox tactics succeeded. Internal explosions did enough damage that it fell into the water. It provided no resistance as heavy lifters brought it to land. The following day I arrived and pierced its cranium with my beam cannon, as you call it, to make certain. It was then taken apart for further study. I will provide you with the data as I receive them. There is one thing of note that I was on hand to witness. It was unlike any other invasive organism. Inside was a relatively small crystalline organ that resembled an energy core. My initial scans indicated that it contained enough energy to provide power to a small-sized city for approximately ten years.”

Cal’s eyes shot open. “Something like that… what’d you do with it?”

“It belongs to the Collective. It will be studied further.”

Cal groaned. “I want it.”

“That is not within my jurisdiction.”

“Fine, but I get the next one,” Cal grumbled.

“I do not have the authority to bargain that,” Prime Custodian 3 said flatly.

“Oh,” Cal grinned. “I’m not bargaining. I’m stating that the next kaiju that I kill… I’m just going to take its core.”

“If you are able, then I will not oppose it.”

“Fair enough. One last question.” Cal’s tone grew serious as he stared into Prime Custodian 3’s unblinking eyes. “If you just beam cannoned a hole in the kaiju’s head, why didn’t you just do that to begin with. I wouldn’t have had my skin pulled from my body. Those interceptors would still be alive.”

The prime didn’t move for several long seconds. They didn’t even appear to breathe. “We all have Tasks to perform.”

With that their projection vanished abruptly.

“If only I knew what you were thinking,” Cal muttered.

His thoughts went to the small black disks implanted into the necks of the Threnosh he had fought to escape many months ago. The ones that gave him static whenever he tried to use his telepathy on them. It was strange that the two interrogators no longer had the disks. None of the special candidates had them, neither did the engineer and fabricator. A few very light touches had confirmed that the static wasn’t there to block him.

This was odd. Why remove them from the interrogators? What sort of game was the prime playing? Cal frowned. Telepathy was great, but overreliance was definitely a thing. He needed to learn how to read the prime the old-fashioned way, which he was finding difficult. It seemed that the prime had adjusted better to him than the interrogators. It was difficult to catch them in an unguarded moment, unlike with the latter two.

Prime Custodian 3 was different. A blank spot to his telepathy and his own observations. In their few face-to-face interactions the static was always there when Cal attempted to probe their mind. He found no sign of the black disk anywhere on the prime’s body. He was almost positive that the prime’s strange power armor was behind the mystery. It was entirely unlike any of the other power armors, even the unique ones owned by the team. The way it flowed over the prime’s body like liquid. The way it became a softball-sized globe attached to the Prime by a nearly invisible tether. The way it seemed more organic than machine.

It all reminded Cal of something he’d read in fictional works long ago. Yet, seeing as how a lot of fictional things were now reality suggested that what he was thinking of was certainly possible. He needed to see the other primes in action for a better understanding.

“Hello,” Cal said to the Threnosh standing on the other side of his desk.

They simply stared, unblinking, at him in return.

“The whole purpose of this one on one is to get to know each other a bit. I want to let you know what my goals are for this special project and I want to hear about your goals,” Cal said. “I know that Caretaker already mentioned some of this, but I want you to hear it directly from me.”

As the Threnosh remained unblinking Cal studied them a bit more closely. They had the irregular, patchwork gray-toned skin color that seemed to be predominant in the so-called defectives. They were of similar build to the standard Threnosh. Unlike the first five members of the team, whose sizes ranged from the significantly taller Caretaker, through the below standard in size Kynnro, to the tiniest of them all Primal.

The only thing besides the Threnosh’s skin that stood out was their right hand, whose fingers were fused together, resembling a claw. It must’ve been what relegated the Threnosh to defective status.

Cal felt a bit of anger boil up. The treatment of the defectives was just wrong. It was also stupid and arbitrary. Any sort of deviation from the prescribed standard was enough to be relegated. Things that were beneficial or positive, like Caretaker’s height or Shira having five fingers instead of four. Things that were minor, like Kynnro’s slightly smaller size and skin coloration were treated the same way as negative mutations.

Cal frowned. With all their technology there wasn’t a good reason for defectives to be even a thing. The Threnosh had everything they needed to aid and integrate them into their society.

The Threnosh blinked at Cal’s change of expression. They seemed to be curious more than anything else.

Cal cleared his throat. “I guess I’ll go first. It’s very simple. I want you to get stronger. Not only do I want you to improve your Trueskin, but I also want you to improve yourself. To that end we will train, kill monsters and get Universal Points. I’ll work closely with you and your team for the next three weeks. If you prove capable then you’ll have the freedom to pursue your own path. Namely, which Tasks you want to undertake for the rest of your people. Although the idea is to get the Tasks straight from the spires’ system. That way you get the points directly. Now, do you have any questions?”

“Your words confuse me.” The Threnosh’s voice was a rasp. “There are a lot of suppositions in your statement. I am here to comply under a command. Yet, your words do not enforce compliance?”

Cal nodded. “Yes. I’m not forcing you to join up. You only have to go through the next three weeks. After that you’re free to do what you want. Although, I’ll admit that there are limits to that freedom. Seeing as the Collective won’t just let you go anywhere else outside of this area.”

“Then I am still caged.”

“It’s a pretty big one,” Cal sighed. “Also, we’re working on expanding it even more. There are other worlds out there after all.”

“I do not intend to leave.”

“Good. Now for my question to you. Why have you refused to select a name?”

“It is unimportant.”

“I’m going to disagree with that. Just from a practical standpoint you need it when out in the field.”

“My creche designation will suffice.”

“There are a ton of reasons why that’s not going to happen.”

“I do not understand. How can your words have such mass?”

“Figure of speech,” Cal said. “You really don’t want to pick your own name out? It seemed like the others really valued the chance to do so.”

“It is of no concern to me.”

“Would it be alright if I picked one out for you?” Cal really didn’t want to do it. Getting them to define their own identity beyond being defective was one of the first steps into their eventual freedom from Threnosh society’s unfair strictures. It also happened that the spires seemed to reward that type of mindset.

“Yes.”

Cal pulled up the Threnosh’s dossier on his PID. Their power armor was a reddish, almost rusty color. The armor surface pattern resembled scales. The right hand resembled raptor talons, three fingers and one opposable digit. The helmet had a decidedly draconic look with a pair of swept back metal horns along with fins on both sides.

“Nah, that’s too obvious,” Cal mused. “So, your trueskin does fire?”

“Yes. It spits flame. There is enough fuel to do so three times a day. It regenerates it slowly through a process I do not understand enough to explain. However, the one called Caretaker has tasked the engineer and the fabricator with manufacturing a substance and system to supplement its fuel stores.”

“You can probably upgrade that in the spire too. I believe Caretaker has also briefly covered that with you guys, but I’ll go over it in the briefing later before we all head over.”

“It can also withstand the same flame. I do not know the limits.”

Cal nodded. “You’ll learn more in the spire.” He looked up from his PID. “Okay, I think I’ve got a good one, that isn’t too obvious. You’re name is Salamander after the mythological fire lizard. It’s also an amphibian, but we’re going with the cool mythological beast that lives in and controls fire to varying degrees depending on the myth.”

“Salamander,” the Threnosh tested it out. “Acceptable.”

“Great!” Cal smiled. “I’ll put it into the system.”

Salamander inclined their head ever so slightly. “This freedom you speak off. I wish to explore it.”

“And you shall,” Cal said. “Any other questions? Concerns?”

“No. I wish to return to my trueskin.”

“Sure, why don’t you get it ready. Once I’m done with the other three we’ll have that briefing and its straight to the spire for your first upgrade.”

The next Threnosh in Cal’s office had the same irregular patchwork pattern of grays to his skin. Nothing else about his physical features stood out, with one exception. Their lower left leg was a crude metal prosthetic.

Cal frowned. Why the hell was that not a high tech bionic limb? They had the technology for it.

He forced a smile. “Hello. I understand you’ve chosen the name Resplendent Zabriium. May I ask how you came to choose that?”

“It is the name of the clan of my origin.”

“Interesting name. Although for tactical purposes we’ll need to get you a nickname.”

“I do not understand the word.”

“On my world we sometimes give people shorter names as a sign of friendship and camaraderie. For you I’m thinking something like Zab or Zabri sounds good. It’s really more for during fights. The shorter name makes it easier to communicate orders and warnings in urgent situations.”

The Threnosh pondered that for a several unblinking seconds. “That is acceptable. I select Zabri for combat situations.”

“Great!” Cal noted the choice in his PID. It’d go out to the rest of the members of his growing project. “So, one of the reasons I asked to speak with you is to kind of go over the goals for this project. Both mine and yours.”

Cal went over the same general spiel that he did with all newly arrived special candidates. It was a little truncated since these Threnosh had already gone through a similar talk with Caretaker. Allowed he thought it was worth them hearing it directly from him a second time.

Resplendent Zabriium didn’t say a word while Cal talked. When he was finished they indicated that they didn’t have any specific questions or comments.

“Can I ask you how things are coming along with your trueskin? I have Caretaker’s reports, but I want your direct insight. I see that it has a rather unorthodox design.”

“Yes. I am having difficulty with precise maneuvering. Specifically, turning at high speeds. I was not allowed to don my trueskin at my previous location. Though now that I am able to use it regularly I believe that I will achieve satisfactory proficiency in order to be a valuable contributor to the project.”

“Well, I promise to work with you now that I’m available. I’ll do my best to help you do your best.”

The defects on the next Threnosh were immediately noticeable. They only had one eye and one ear. Right and left respectively. In place of the missing parts there was only smooth skin, which was an irregular patchwork of grays.

The Threnosh was taciturn to put it mildly. They replied in one word answers to Cal’s questions and blandly ignored all his attempts to draw them into a conversation. Even the subject of their power armor, in essence a very unique drone platform that Cal had been excited to learn more about directly from its user, was met with indifference.

Cal was tempted to use his telepathy to figure out what their deal was, but refrained. It’d be the easiest way, but he remembered the promise to himself.

In the end Cal didn’t gain much insight into the Threnosh’s personality other than their chosen name Volkharion being based on the city of their birthing creche, the Volkh Arcology.

Cal read through Volkharion’s dossier after the Threnosh left. Their reticence towards conversation meant that there was extra time before the last Threnosh was scheduled to arrive.

Like the majority of the defectives, Volkharion had been prevented from utilizing their power armor by the Threnosh that had commanded them.

Their power armor had a number of different drones that were housed in and on it. Some of the drones held the shape of animals. Though what was truly strange was that some of them had some kind of A.I. or V.I., Cal wasn’t sure what the difference was. Some of these drones were capable of independent action and thought. Volkharion was going to need to become an animal trainer and Cal had no idea what that entailed.

“Threnosh don’t keep pets and I have no idea how to train animals,” Cal said. “Man, I’m going to need to give them extra points to get their tutorials.”

The last Threnosh of the new arrivals called themselves Dralig. Their defect was an extra pair of arms, fingers, hands and all set on the front of their torso, a little below the chest, near the middle of their ribs.

Cal tried not to stare at them as they twitched and grasped as if on their own accord. He went through the spiel while steadfastly looking at Dralig in the eyes.

It was a relief when he finished and was able to look down at his PID as a pretext to move his eyes away from the extra appendages.

“So, any questions?”

“I have none, Designation: Honor. I am ready to undertake any and all Tasks that you set forth.”

“Good to hear,” Cal smiled. “So, why did you pick Dralig?”

“There is a small, natural organism found in the wilderness with four forelimbs. It was… fitting to my own physiology and my trueskin.”

“Interesting. I’ll have to look that one up,” Cal said. “I’ve got some ideas for what you can do with four arms. We should have fun testing them out.”

“I will comply,” Dralig said.

“Whoa!” Cal held up his hands. “I’m not looking to force compliance. You’ll have just as much control over this process as me.”

“Understood.”

As soon as Dralig left his office, Cal let out a long breath. It was going to take some time to get used to the way the Threnosh’s extra set of arms moved as if they had their own minds. He closed his eyes and held them shut. He had given them a bit of a strain by keeping them focused on the Threnosh’s eyes for much of the conversation.

“Set up a perimeter. Your team is on point. The newbies are support. Feel free to call for evac if you have to. Don’t worry about me. I might take a bit longer since I need to do some shopping after I transfer the points to all of you.”

“Scans do not detect any potential threats in the immediate area,” Caretaker said. “However, we will do as you command, Honor.”

“Don’t take any risks. Prioritize your own safety,” Cal said before he stepped into the spire.

Just as always there was no noticeable transition, even to Cal’s extra sensory abilities. One step and he went from a bright, sunny day into the hazy mist of the spire’s inner world.

“Welcome to the Multiversal Access Point.”

Cal ignored the disembodied voice. He went straight to the most important thing on his to do list. He went to check his messages. The hope swelled in him as he pictured opening his inbox. It died in his heart the moment he saw that there were no messages.

In truth he wasn’t expecting any. He was pretty sure his theory that one couldn’t send messages off a world that hadn’t yet passed its initial ten year tutorial phase was probably correct. Still, he couldn’t help deflating a little.

Cal sighed. Then he went to work.

The first thing he did was send out the messages that he had recorded over the past few days. To his family. To Nila. He had covered much of what had transpired since the last messages he had sent. Though he left out the more gruesome details. Namely the loss of and subsequent regrowing of around fifteen percent of his skin. He had also inquired on how they were doing, despite knowing that it’d likely be years before he’d have a chance at getting answers back.

The next thing Cal did was make his way to the marketplace. It was weird walking around in the spire’s space. There was no order or logic to the sense of time and direction. It felt like an hour, while also feeling like minutes had passed as he walked up a set of hazy, ethereal stairs and walked down a gentle, winding slope. Not even his telepathy could make sense of it. All he knew was that he focused his intent on going to the marketplace and that was were he ended up.

A kiosk terminal, which looked to be half-formed out of the hazy mist, appeared in front of Cal. The intangible touch screen displayed a large variety of categories, which when selected broke down into even more options. Everything that was available on the Threnosh world was available in the marketplace. The only exceptions were the specific items tied to the power armors. These seemed to be available strictly to the power armors’ users. From what the Threnosh described they were available through their equivalent of the personal account page that Cal had.

Cal made a cursory search through weapons, armor and other gear. Nothing called out to him. The Threnosh made equipment was good enough for him and he got those for free.

It took him awhile to find the two things he was really after. One was something called a Class 4 Power Generator, which was necessary for the main prize. A combat simulation program, hardware and software, that utilized hard light holograms to create training scenarios that mimicked the danger of real fights, while keeping it relatively safe. Even better it could be combined with the Threnosh’s drone technology. The only drawback was that it took a lot more power than the base had, hence the need for a dedicated power source.

The items would appear near him when Cal left the spire. They were surprisingly small. Enough that it wouldn’t be a problem bringing them back to base.

The purchases and sending his messages had eaten into most of the 100000 points he had earned from killing the kaiju. Fortunately, he didn’t need to dip into his personal account to give the newbies their starter points. There was still a good amount left in the project fund and as a surprise bonus he saw that Prime Custodian 3 had added a few thousand. Perhaps it was part of the dispersal from the Collective.

Cal couldn’t help but grumble at that. Instead of buying a power generator he might’ve been able to use the kaiju’s core instead.

“Kill-stealing bastards.”

“Please rephrase your query.”

“Not talking to you, weird spire voice.”

With that Cal stepped out into the real world. He immediately looked around for his prized purchases. He found a pair of fridge-sized metal cases nearby.

“Alright, your turn,” Cal gestured at the Threnosh. “For the newbies. I know we just went over this at the briefing, but it’s very important so I’ll say it again. I’ve started you out with Universal Points. It’ll be just enough for an upgrade and possibly a basic tutorial. Focus on your trueskin’s strengths. That’s what you want to improve. Think of your role and how you fit on your team.” He focused on Salamander, Resplendent Zabriium, Volkharion and Dralig in turn. “That said, don’t feel too much pressure to get this right. You’ll have plenty of chances to earn more points and get more upgrades.” He smiled and shooed both of his teams into the spire.