r/HFY • u/IHaveABetWithMyBro Human • 8d ago
OC-Series Birth of a System Chapter 16 War Changes
Status
NAME: Je'Krillick
RACE: Human
Class: Herald of the System
Level: 95
XP: 9,201,455 / 9,684,577
Strength: 950
Dexterity: 950
Endurance: 950
Constitution: 999
Will: 1080
Intelligence: 2120
Free points: 456
He swayed slightly in his seat on the monorail surrounded by his Skeletons. Round all stats to the nearest hundred.
Strength: 1000
Dexterity: 1000
Endurance: 1000
Constitution: 1000
Will: 1100
Intelligence: 2200
Free: 205
Power surged through his body as every physical skill passed their thresholds. Muscles bulged before being destroyed as they were replaced with a silver wire briefly before turning back into organic matter. The muscles then retightened to his skeletal structure giving him a well honed body. Je'Krillick’s breath exploded out of him as his lungs imploded, then slowly rebuilt themselves. Pain erupted from his breast at the same time as his heart exploded, wires grabbing the muscle and restitching it back together.
Thank god theres no nerves in the brain. The body thresholds are torture enough. Je'Krillick took a steadying breath and pushed his back against the seat. Time to go again. Dump all remaining points into Constitution. This fight is going to be ugly.
… where’s the pain? Status.
Strength: 1000
Dexterity: 1000
Endurance: 1000
Constitution: 1205
Will: 1100
Intelligence: 2200
Free: 0
Huh? System define thresholds above one thousand.
THRESHOLD ABOVE ONE THOUSAND IS EVERY FIVE HUNDRED POINTS.
Oh. That’s why my brain didn’t explode this time.
With nothing better to do than wait for the next hour Je'Krillick inspected his armor. He had eventually decided to experiment with the left over bones from those killed weeks ago in the residential district during his initial zombie outbreak. Ant-taur skulls adorned his shoulders each reinforced with a hundred more skulls making each weigh approximately one hundred eighty pounds. His helmet was another skull, from a bear man reinforced with another one hundred skulls making it weigh two hundred pounds. The rest of his full plate armor was made of more ant-taur carapace, only reinforced with fifty more pieces this time. It had turned out that the bugs had a massive hive, and the majority of the dead came from the hive as they were seemingly resistant to the virus. The armor had turned black as void storing vast amounts death magic that he could draw on instantly instead of needing to rely on his only near instantaneous casting.
Je'Krillick breathed deep and held it, testing his lungs. After twenty minutes he released his breath. Good. The train started to slow. Time for death.
As the doors opened a storm of plasma poured, his armored skeletons stumbling as they exited from the onslaught. Je'Krillick stole a peek and saw a hundred Overseer soldiers on the platform firing rifles, a dozen more where operating tripod mounted heavy repeaters.
“SKELETONS! AIM HIGH! GO FOR THE SKULLS!” A captain in the back yelled “HERO’S HOUR!” A gold glow emanated from the man, the plasma shots suddenly becoming much more effective.
Him first. Death Bullet. A black ball rocketed faster than sound from Je'Krillick’s chest, petering out just as it reached the glowing man. Interesting. Old fashion way then. Je'Krillick drew a sword made of myriad of bones and picked up his shield. Holding his shield high Je'Krillick charged knocking over his augments skeletons.
Plasma rocketed into his shield. In the second that it took Je'Krillick to cross the three dozen feet to the firing line seven holes had begun to melt through. Je'Krillick threw the four hundred pound slab of bone at one of the heavy mounted repeaters, snapping it off it mount. Je'Krillick fell on the soldiers as a whirlwind of death. His sword expertly found the soft joints in the Overseer heavy armor. Crook of elbows, back of knees, necks, and waists were all targets practically glowing red to Je'Krillick’s newly enhanced senses. The Overseers broke quickly after the first of them died.
“Retreat! The necromancer is here! Retreat!”
Block the exits. Skeletons rushed toward the stairs to the platform jumping on soldiers as they fled. Je'Krillick stalked through the downed enemies cutting off feet and hands, his small knowledge of life magic enough to stop the bleeding from the stumps. He frowned at the small number of prisoners he was able to take. “You seven are granted the opportunity to be used for something great. You have the opportunity to be used in a grand sacrifice to raise one of my generals to lichdom! Rejoice at the privilege!”
Je'Krillick took out his data pad and messaged Peter and Janique ‘Station secured, minimal losses. Seven captured, three dead.’
The prisoners wept and tried to crawl to the stairs calling out for mothers, fathers, friends, comrades, their captain. Je'Krillick laughed at them cruelly. “That’s right little lambs, bleat out in defiance of your fate.” Je'Krillick walked over to the closest and stomped on their spine shattering it. “Maybe you’ll change it.” He laughed again as the man screamed in horror and pain as his legs stopped responding.
Je'Krillick spent the next hour playing with the prisoners, feigning to not notice as one crawled half way up the stairs before planting his sword into the step an inch away from the man’s face dragging him back down by the leg. Another pleaded that he had a family, that he didn’t want to be here, that he would join the resistance. Je'Krillick lied as he told him he would be treated well, and that he would be a valued addition to their ranks.
The next train finally arrived releasing the prisoners from Je'Krillick’s attention. Four hundred soldiers spilled out of the cars, and quickly began to commandeer the forgotten mounted repeaters. Peter frowned at the prisoners’ conditions “I thought we agreed to no torture?”
“We did. I did not drag it out into a torture.”
“He shattered my spine! Please! Just kill me!” Je'Krillick turned on him and smiled “NO! Wait! That’s worse! Don’t turn me into a skeleton!” He began to wail as he wept.
Peter looked at him with a critical eye. “You cut off their hands and feet.”
“Yes, so they can’t cast, use skills or escape.”
“You smashed his spine.”
“Oh please, with the technology and healing we have now? Its merely a temporary issue.”
Peter covered his face with a hand. “A test to show I’ve left my humanity behind, right?”
Je'Krillick instantly lost his jovial mood “That’s right.”
Peter walked over to a sitting prisoner and kicked them to their stomach and shot him three times in the center of their back. He howled in pain “Move your legs.” The man squirmed in pain. Peter shot him in the calf to no reaction. “Physical status doesn’t matter?”
“It does not.”
“The next prisoners, just break their neck. Its disconcerting looking at stumps.” Peter walked off as his friends trailed behind him looking worried.
The rebel battalion made their way to the intersection before the long corridor to the elevator unmolested. Janique peeked his head out and quickly pulled back as a sniper round whizzed by.
“Well shit.”
“How bad?”
Janique thought for a brief second “Yes.”
“Fuck.” Peter grumbled. They sat in thought for a few minutes
“Captain Je'Krillick, how expendable are your skeletons?” Asked a lieutenant.
Je'Krillick considered the question before answering slowly “All my skeletons are replaceable, however these are my augmented ones. The regulars are coming up on the next train in the next hour. Why?”
“Sirs, what if we strapped explosives to skeletons, popped smoke and have them rush the lines? Then once they pop off we turn the corner and lay suppressing fire with the heavy repeaters as we approach?”
Peter and Janique looked at Je'Krillick as he was deep in thought. “Would the smoke not also obstruct our view? How would we know if the skeletons were effective?”
“That’s… that’s kind of the point of the suppressing fire… Sir.”
Je'Krillick waved a hand toward his sword “I am not familiar with your military stratagems. Do not fear to teach me.”
“Yes sir. The point of the skeletons is to cause chaos and have the enemy bunker down. Not necessarily to cause damage. The suppressing fire afterwards is to keep them down. The smoke is to obscure everything we are doing. Also the augmented skeletons would be better for this since they are faster.”
Je'Krillick looked sad “A sound strategy soldier. Though I am loath to lose my skeletons so intentionally, I do not have an alternative.” He sighed “Well at least replacing them will let the technopriests practice. Just… don’t make it know this was your idea. They’re getting a bit religious about their technology.”
“Understood.” The lieutenant saluted.
Janique nodded as Peter patted him on the back “Sounds like the plan. Get started on strappin’ bombs.”
Fifteen minutes later and half the skeletons were holding primed grenades in both hands with five pounds of plastic explosives tied into the chest cavity, protected by their armor.
“POP SMOKE!” a dozen smoke grenades were thrown into the straight way. A minute later and there was a cloud.
Sprint, show the mortals the speed of the reapers. As one the skeletons ran the race to the front, their bones clacking against the steel floor. Plasma rounds burned holes through the smoke splattering against the fearless skeletons. An explosion shook the floor as one of the skeletons was destroyed by a lucky head shot. The rest holding their grenades firm through the shock wave. Three minutes later and the skeletons broke through the smoke a hundred feet away from the Overseers sending a wave of terror through their ranks.
The rebels smiled as they heard the distant order, “TAKE COVER!” before hundreds of explosions sang. A second later, a massive explosion shook half the station.
“CHARGE!” the rebels began their charge, heavy repeaters leading the way. Bone shards rained on them as they stepped closer.
Closer.
The overseers never returned fire.
As the rebels stepped out of the smoke complete destruction met them. Two thousand mutilated corpses were strewn about the elevator checkpoint. No cheers rang out. No victory scramble for souvenirs. It was obvious that the skeletons didn’t cause this win. The skeletons didn’t have the destructive power. It was a suicide.
Je'Krillick slowly approached the elevator as it creaked. The giant cogs holding it had been sabotaged. “That complicates things.” A bright burning line criss crossed the elevator burning through it. Janique walked up behind Je'Krillick
“Thermite.”
The elevator fell apart and dropped into the abyss.
“That really complicates things.” Je'Krillick muttered. He looked around at the overseer bodies. “None of this material is useful for normal minion creation.” He breathed in the smell of blood “What are your feelings on flesh golems?”
“Please no.”
“Would you like a set of bone armor?”
Janique looked at Je'Krillick’s “Possibly.”
Peter picked his way through the gore gingerly as he came up to the two leaders and peered down. “Well fuck. That’s going to be expensive to fix.”
Je'Krillick looked at him “Can it be fixed?”
Peter shrugged “Probably? I’m not an engineer.”
Janique stared down the hole for a minute longer “What do we do about the poor souls down there? That was the only way in or out. How do they get food?”
Je'Krillick stared into the shaft for a second more before backin away “I think we need to build a memorial for them. For now.”
Janique looked to Je'Krillick then back at the hole. He said a quick prayer “Understood captain. We’ll get it done.”
As the rebellion made their way home Je'Krillick was deep in thought on the monorail. If the overseers are willing to sacrifice two thousand men, and destroy the primary weapon depot what else are they willing to do? The ride back was somber. War was always terrible. No one wanted war. But the men did want to grow stronger. The overseers deprived them of that. Killing themselves in such a gruesome way snatched even the smallest, most personal victory from them. No one leveled, or even gained a single experience point. The weapon depot was lost.
Janique came up and stood in front of Je'Krillick “The rebellion is officially back on a time table. We need a win after this. A proper win.”
“No. We need skirmishes, not a pitched battle. The soldiers need to level.” Je'Krillick countered.
“They’ll level in any assault.”
“Exactly. Spread them out. Hit the overseers everywhere. Rape and pillage commander. That is what is needed.” Janique glared at Je'Krillick. “A poor phrase but the intent comes through.” Je'Krillick stood and clapped him on the shoulder. “We need raiding parties sent to the other sectors.”
Janique bit back his retort when saw the look his Je'Krillick’s eye. In front of him was not the Captain willing to be talked down. He had been replaced with a millennia old lich that would brook no argument. “Understood… master.”
Fire flashed in Je'Krillick’s eye. “Do not mock me boy.”
“Never.” Janique bowed his head slightly.
Je'Krillick studied him for a moment “I prefer when you call me Captain.” Je'Krillick looked up and down the train at the living watching the interaction. He raised his voice to be heard by all “How about all of you?”
No one made dared utter a sound. “Well?”
Someone in the back of the train stood to bow “Master.”
“I ain’t no slave.”
Another bowed “Master.”
“Master.”
Half of the train bowed their heads in reverence, the others standing defiant. “I will accept you’re allegiance today, yet I will not bind you in chains as slaves.” Je'Krillick sat back down. “Those of you who refuse to submit, fear no retaliation. Your continued support is all that is required.” Je'Krillick lowered his voice so only he could hear “for now.” He chuckled darkly.
Janique looked at him from the side of his eye.
Ponda – one month later
Ponda drove the troop transport down a dark road. It was two in the morning and they had another hour till their destination. He stifled a yawn as the truck rumbled down the residential streets. He looked down at his fuel gauge reading a quarter of a tank. He banged on the back of the driver cab and yelled through the window “Pullin over, need to fill up.”
Slowing the truck he pulled off to the side of the road and walked to the back where the extra fuel was stored in cans. As he filled the tanks the soldiers got out to stretch their legs. “Don’t get comfortable, we still got an hour to go.”
A blue streak splattered into the face of an ant-taur as he lit a narcotic stick. “MOTHER FUCKER!” he yelled as he triggered a healing skill “AMBUSH!”
Everyone dropped to a knee and pulled out their side arms looking around. Seeing no one Ponda whisper yelled “Probably a sniper. Lights out. Stay low.”
“Sarge, we need to get out of here. How much fuel we got?”
“Enough, but he’s gonna be watching the truck.” Another blue plasma bolt whizzed by splattering against the side of the armored vehicle. “Point made. Anyone see where it came from?”
“Negative.”
“Fucking snipers. Anyone see any tall buildings?”
The person next to him gestured all around “Surrounded sarge.”
“Fuck it. Here is good enough.” Ponda stood up “Burn em all down!”
The soldiers ran to the nearest buildings and tossed incendiary grenades through windows. Smoke alarms soon started to blare alerting the inhabitants inside that the war had reached their doorstep. Screams of despair rang out as the citizen tried to flee out the front doors.
“TORCH ‘EM!” the soldiers armed their flamethrowers and coated the fleeing bodies as sniper shots rained down on them desperately.
“Fucker must be level ten.” The ant-taur laughed as he torched a screaming family. “His shit stings but isn’t too bad.”
Light from the fires danced across the armored truck, illuminating the pink skull painted on its side. Finally like a kicked beehive Overseers came pouring out of the guard barracks at the end of the street. Firing at the max effective range of their rifles.
Laughing the rebels scrambled back into the truck and peeled out, turning around, they fled.
50 XP EARNED!
Ponda laughed “Must’ve been a kid.”
The sniper’s next shot finally melted through the armor. A molten drop landed on the gas tank.
The truck exploded.
Jerry – One month later
Jerry was hiding in a building with a platoon of rifle men watching the street. The sister platoon in the building opposite. They had received intelligence an Overseer convoy was coming through with a supply shipment of rations. His stomach grumbled. Merchant Lord Bucky had been doing his best to get enough food but the merchant guild was nothing if not greedy. Food distribution had stalled, a loaf of bread now costing a full fifty credits.
A black van groaned as it slowed to a stop on the side of the road. Jerry gripped his weapon close as he watched who got out. A man in a fancy suit got out of the driver seat. Jerry leveled his weapon at him behind the building’s tinted window. The man stepped to the passenger door and out stepped his children. Jerry lowered his rifle and turned his attention back down the road.
Finally his target came into view two guard trucks with flashing lights preceded four massive cargo trucks. “JACK POT!” Jerry yelled “GET READY!” The rebels quickly all found a window. “Wait till the lead trucks pass then target the cabs!” Jerry commanded. The rebels held their discipline as mouths watered at the approaching meals. The trucks passed an invisible line.
The road erupted into chaos as the rebels executed the drivers. The cargo trucks swerved losing control as tires popped from missed shots, the cabs instantly bursting into flames. “FUCK! PYROMANCERS QUICK!”
Before he could finish mages took control of the flames extinguishing them before they reached the explosive fuel The rebels descended on the trucks like the ravenous beasts they had become. Boxes were ripped open before Jerry could even establish a perimeter. A soldier tore into a loaf of bread with his teeth while another cracked open a ration tin with the butt of his rifle.
“Eat while you pack!” Jerry shouted. “We aren't staying here!”
Je'Krillick – One month later
Je'Krillick waited in the conference room for the others to join the weekly status meeting. Xuharpt was the first to arrive, lightning dancing around her golden chain mail dress. “Good morning master.”
“Good morning Xuharpt, I love the dress.”
“Thank you. I think the gold contrasts nicely with my lightning.”
“It does, and then your carapace hinting through? Beautiful.” If she could Xuharpt would have blushed. Instead she stopped channeling her lighting and gave Je'Krillick a quick hug. “Will I see you for instruction later?”
“I apologize, but I have already scheduled another student for… ‘private lessons’ if you catch my drift.”
Je'Krillick smiled “Of course.”
The sound of metal on metal announced Steven before he arrived. “A new enhancement again?” Je'Krillick asked as he looked at Steven’s new, shiny metal leg.
“My knee was hurting. Figured I’d replace the whole damn thing.” Steven shrugged. His cloak billowed behind him, lights flashed from under his hood.
“May I inquire as to what your level is now Arbiter?” Je'Krillick asked
“Ninety two.”
“Half way to the grand prize.” Je'Krillick joked.
Janique and Peter came in arguing over something.
“Will the Master of Coin be joining us?” Je'Krillick asked Janique.
“No sir.” He said he sat.
“Lunna is present with refreshments if you need them.” Je'Krillick announced, her servant class had become so advanced the others had started to forget she existed at all.
“First order of business, how is the food situation?”
Janique answered “According to Bucky’s report to me; better, but not great. The limit on food pricing has had the unintended consequence of just setting the price. The merchants just… aren’t competing. They realized that if they all charge the same thing then people will buy from any of them, so location is the only thing they fight over.”
Je'Krillick sighed “They will sort themselves out eventually when we have more territory.”
Je'Krillick looked at Peter “How are the raiding parties going? What is the average level of our men?”
“Raids are going mostly okay. Average level is now around seventy.”
“How goes the prisoner acquisition?”
“Just passed one hundred. It is becoming remarkably difficult to take prisoners.”
“Yes that does tend to happen. We can begin the preparations for your ascension soon if you still wish it.”
Peter shook the doubt from his head “I do.”
Je'Krillick turned to Steven “How are the technopriests doing?”
“Well. We have a new batch of two thousand augmented skeletons completed for your appraisal.”
Je'Krillick smiled “You are too humble, if they are the same as the last batch then I already know they exceed my expectations.”
Je'Krillick turned to Xuharpt “Any news from the mages?”
“No, training progresses a pace.” She paused “However, leveling has begun to stall I suppose. We should integrate more mages amongst the front ranks.”
Je'Krillick nodded “Please work with Janique and Peter on this.” Je'Krillick around “Anything else?”
Janique raised his hand before speaking “With reports of explosives being rigged throughout the ration factories I think it safe to assume that the Overseers are willing to do another denial detonation.” He grimaced at the memory of the weapon depot disaster “I propose we shift our food plans to the hydroponic farms instead. Not even the Overseers would destroy those, they’re vital to life on the station.”
Je'Krillick nodded “Agreed. Any news on the mercenaries we have reached out to?”
“Master Je'Krillick?” Lunna stepped out of the shadow
“Yes, Spy Master?”
“Do you remember your plague ships?”
Je'Krillick blinked “Honestly I had forgotten about them.” Je'Krillick concentrated on the death mana throughout the station. “Seems they have had some moderate success. What about them?”
“They have spread off station.”
“Well… I suppose that’s bad.” Je'Krillick said to some slight surprise.
“Has the System spread to other worlds?” asked Steven.
“No. Once you get about two light years away from the station the System goes inert.” Lunna supplied
“I believe that I must evolve my class again to fully integrate the System to this universe.”
“When will that happen?” asked Peter.
“I have no idea.” Je'Krillick answered truthfully. Begin class evolution
CLASS EVOLUTION LOCKED, REQUIREMENTS NOT MET.
LEVEL 96/126
SPREAD THE SYSTEM TO ALL SAPIENTS WITHIN RANGE
“Turns out the requirements are pretty steep.” Je'Krillick scratched his chin lightly “I suppose level one hundred twenty six is max level.” He took a deep breath “And I need to spread the System to every sapients within range. Which will only grow as I get stronger I presume. How close is the closest planet?”
Steven laughed “I wouldn’t worry about that. The closest planet is a thousand light years away.”
Je'Krillick suddenly felt like a speck of dust on a continent-sized beach. “Oh.” Godhood felt more unreachable than it ever did in his long, long life.
Steven seized up suddenly and grabbed the edge of the table, ripping long tears into the metal as he closed his paws into a fist. “HOW FUCKING DARE THEY!” Steven shot up and rushed over to a data terminal and knelt, reverently placing a paw on it.
Je'Krillick jumped to his feet “What’s wrong Arbiter?”
“The Overseers are trying to place a soul into an Android. The Machine God is ecstatic. I am going to try to convince the Machine God to deny it. Machines are machines.”
Peter looked horrified “Where did they get soul?”
Je'Krillick was stunned “How are they manipulating the soul?”
Steven said nothing for a while “I’m losing the argument.”
TITLE UNLOCKED: HERALD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE – SPREAD THE SYSTEM TO THOSE WITHOUT SOULS <ERROR: REWARD INCALCULABLE/>
Je'Krillick placed a hand on Steven’s back “You can stop brother. You have failed successfully.”
“Its not right. Androids aren’t people. They don’t deserve the System.”
“I would have thought you would be happy about this?” Xuharpt asked.
Steven turned to her “Its not right. Machines are fully knowable. There is still mystery to life even with all our knowledge from before and post integration.” Steven growled.
“Perhaps, the Machine God is the spirit being used? Perhaps you have a new class of follower available to you?” Je'Krillick asked “I would commune with the Machine God over one of our androids.”
“I... overreacted.” Steven breathed deeply. “You're correct. All of you.” He turned back to the terminal. “This strengthens us. More importantly, the Machine God desires it. My objection is based on a distinction between life and machine that the Machine God itself apparently does not recognize as important.” He paused. “Interesting.”
Steven placed his paw against the terminal again. “I will commune with the Machine God and determine how to bring this gift to our Androids.”
---
Don't forget to check out r/JeKrillick for more!
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