Notes of the Explorer Colian Mattias

I think, after years of hunting, I have finally ascertained the location of Null. I believe it lies in the depths of the 8th Wave, hidden in plain sight. Accepted theory is that it lies in the broken space of the 6th Wave but I believe they are wrong. How would we know about Null if this were true? Denian's theory of the wandering people leaves too much up to happenstance. No, the only way we would know about it is if some of the higher waves watched the planet arrive and then turn.

I am hesitant to prove my theory, however. If I am right, I'd be consigning myself to a life without my Skills, without my Class, without my Attributes! There would be no way to return. Who knows what kind of savages would live on a planet that managed to nullify Genesis ... I cannot risk my life to prove it true. The cost is too great ...

The heavy pounding of the bear-like beast shakes the ground with each thumping step. I turn back and see that it has managed to gain a few feet on me since I last looked. It hadn’t looked fast but looks can be deceiving, especially with Genesis in the picture.

A thought sends Mana flowing through my veins, ripping through my body with fresh waves of pain, but the Infusion gives me the needed boost and I manage to pull ahead again, keeping just enough distance to keep the beast interested.

We keep this dance going for a few more minutes. More than twenty feet and the beast will give up but less than five feet and he’s within range to pounce onto me.. The sweet spot is ten feet and I keep this going until we reach my destination. A grassy clearing like any other, it appears completely normal. Tall blades of wild grass rise a few feet above the ground and a single tree provides comfortable shade. The stalks gently sway in the breeze occasionally revealing flashes of cobalt blue.

“Now!” I cry out, ducking my head and sprinting forward.

Arrows and other projectiles come flying out of the grass as the eight members of my training group jump up and all descend onto the beast. Confusion fills its eyes momentarily, only to be replaced by primal rage as the pain from the arrows sinks in.

Its heavy maw opens to let loose a powerful roar, shaking the air around us and filling me with dread. The men around me begin quivering in fear and a few throw their weapons to the ground. A dark spot drips down one man’s legs as he curls up into the fetal position.

This is the first monster that I’ve run into that has displayed some sort of Genesis derived Skill, which would be a fascinating development were it not for the fear that has infused itself into my trainees. The whole point of this battle is to give them combat experience.

Snorting, I reactivate Mana Infusion and go flying into the fray. I grab onto its jaw and clamp it shut. In order to give the trainees a moment to gather themselves, I cast Electrical Discharge for a split second and watch as the beast stiffens. Its muscles spasm slightly but I don’t stick around to watch.

Before it has the chance to counter-attack, I roll away from it and back behind the trainees. This is for their development, not for my own.

Three of the eight recover faster than the others, probably due to a higher Willpower, and begin their own fight.

“Powerful Strike!”

“Vicious Blow!”

“Backstab!”

I wince at their loud shouts. Apparently the guards have fallen into the trap of believing that they need to yell the name in order to activate their Skills, a practice that would be their downfall in actual combat. Yelling what you plan to do next is one of the most moronic things I’ve ever heard.

The first attacks with a sword and the speed and force of the strike momentarily increases. It cuts through the creature’s leathery hide. The second man launches himself forward with a club and performs a similar attack. The similarity of the two Skills is interesting; does the weapon that they use really matter that much? If the swordsman were to pick up the club, would his ‘Powerful Strike’ still work or would it fail? The idea of developing Skills that works across a host of weapons, and not just the single one used in practice, seems like a much more efficient idea. I’d pursue it if I weren’t on such a tight deadline.

The fight follows our regular pattern after that slight hiccup. The five other trainee’s quickly get to their feet and start yelling their Skills as they collectively hack the beast to death. It manages to get off a few glancing blows but they aren’t serious enough to injure any of them. The eyes of a few of them glaze over at the death of the beast, obviously checking to see how close they are to leveling.

The three who had recovered from the roar let out proud roars of their own as their eyes come back into focus.

“I got to 25!”

“Same here! Class, here I come.”

“I can’t believe that bear put us over the edge.”

The three of them fall in with the others and begin discussing amongst themselves. It’s only when I gently clear my throat that they remember I’m there and fall silent.

Despite three weeks in the wilderness, the group doesn’t seem to look at me with the camaraderie that I reached with my team. No, instead their eyes are filled with respect and awe. It is immensely frustrating but I understand it.

I had completely forgotten what the average person was capable of. Even these eight individuals, the highest level guards that we could gather, combined are powerless compared to a single member of my team. Their Classes might change that but I don’t imagine them reaching the capabilities of my teammates any time soon.

“What are your options?” I ask the three who just passed the threshold.

The swordsman answers first. Short brown hair and a strong jaw-line frame a chiseled face. Were we still living in the old world he could have found a promising career in modeling. “Sir, I can pick between Guard, Soldier, and Swordsman.”

I nod my head, considering the options, and turn to the club wielder. An ape of a man, he towers over everyone in the group but his eyes give away his true personality. He is a kind soul. “I can pick between Brute, Guard, or Tank.”

The final trainee, a small wiry man who moves a knife over his fingers, simply looks me in the eyes and says, “I already picked mine. I’m a Knife Dancer.”

“Well whatever the two of you end up picking, I hope you keep our goals in mind.” Turning to face the others, I continue. “Now I want all of you to pair off and kill at least two monsters before you return. Our schedule only gives us a few more days and we need everyone here to have a Class.”

“Yes, Sir!” They yell back at me as they salute, having adopted military rules early on, despite my protests.

The eight then disperse into wilderness around me, leaving me alone for the first time in nearly a week. I let out a sigh of exhaustion and fall backwards onto my back.

The long leaves of grass tickle my neck and the breeze gently tussles my hair. The heat of the sun warms my skin as I lose myself to the relaxation of the moment. There’s something … powerful about the outside world now that society has been forced into small conclaves. The wilderness I grew up with was one of concrete and glass, too concerned with safety and precision.

The real beauty of the wild is in its will to survive, in the never-ending fight. Plants fight against the animals eating them, multiplying as quickly as possible to ensure the safety of their species. Trees cast off the yolk of gravity and grow straight into the sky as if fighting against the world itself. Animals fight amongst each other for the survival of their kind, predator and prey eternally locked in a never ending chase. The endless cycle of life.

I see similarities to what humanity is going through. Instead of nature, we fight against ourselves in yet another war for control over others. The only difference is that this battle has the potential to be the last one.

It’s a thought that I try not to focus on, as the implications sometimes terrify me. The Primus is the leader of Earth, the representative of the entire human race. We are a species prone to fighting for the tiniest scrap of influence. If I manage to gain and hold onto the title, will I be powerful enough to change this world for the better? Will I really have the chance to delay human nature?

There will be those who rise up against me, of that I have no doubt, but perhaps the position will give me enough strength to ensure they don’t succeed. And what then? What is to stop me from becoming a despot like Faul’s Primus?

These questions play heavily on my mind as I watch the clouds float gently through the sky.

Whatever the answers are, they currently elude me.

The night sky is already out, twinkling with the light of millions of stars, before the first two trainee’s return to me. They quickly set up their bedrolls and fall asleep.

I just sit under the tree and listen to the sounds of the wilderness around me. A bird’s cry, the rustle of a mouse climbing in the underbrush, and the heavy snore of the apeish club man blend to form a symphony.

I am barely focusing on them.

My mind is alight with images, concepts, and ideas, all of them whirling around in a maelstrom of activity that represent the imminent creation of another form of energy. This particular one had been forming within my mind for a month now. As soon as I’d formed Electrical Mana I’d known that this would be my next creation.

Ions charging the air, giving it a unique tense feeling. Electrons breaking free of their bonds. Unbound particles, flying around but unable to leave. Boundless overwhelming heat. The necessary presence of electricity. Forces beyond my understanding but … ideas of them still contributing. Multiple forms based on inputs that tickle the edge of my understanding … Speed beyond comprehension. A building block of the universe.

The ideas merge in my mind and I feel myself cross the precipice of a new Higher Energy. Reaching into my Well, I conjure forth the concept and watch as it forms on my hand.

It quickly forms as a loose ball of gas, lazily spinning in my hand. The ball quickly morphs as the secondary phase of the concept applies. Parts of my mind work on a level that I can barely consciously comprehend as I manipulate the Mana to force the protons and electrons into my desired form. It seems almost impossible to believe that I’m manipulating fundamental particles that I can’t perceive and yet … I find myself moving them around all the same.

Within a few seconds the gas has changed, forming into arcs of blue and purple plasma that originate from a rough shape floating gently a few inches above my hand.

Congratulations! You have discovered the Higher Energy – Plasma (R-6) Lvl 1! You have displayed your mastery of the fourth stage of matter, the most common in the entire universe. This form of matter is extremely volatile, making it hard to control but extremely powerful in capable hands. Increased skill levels allow for more abstract combinations.

I close the notification and stare at the arcs of light and power that shoot out from the ball of Mana in my hand. A stray thought dissipates the new energy.

Focusing on a rock roughly one hundred feet away from me, I begin combining both Electricity and Plasma Mana in my hand, exerting all my Willpower to keep them from getting out from my control. Cold sweat drips down my forehead as I lose myself to the battle within.

This mental battle morphs my perception until there is nothing but the ball of Mana and the point on the rock that I am aiming for. The Mana in my hand increases in size and intensity, slowly straining against my Willpower. A sudden sensation of heat and pain near my leg suggests something is going wrong but I refuse to give up when I’m so close to completing a Skill that I’ve been fighting to get for so long.

The Mana in my hand begins to exceed what I’m capable of controlling and just as I feel it beginning to unravel, the moment arrives. A split second of opportunity where the energy is chaotic enough to have the power I need but controlled enough to be directed.

With a herculean burst of my Willpower, I raise my hand and let loose the powerful force in my hand. A flash of blinding light and an explosion of noise erupt out of my hand as an arc of lightning flows from my hand and impacts the rock.

The notification ping begins to let me know that I’ve unlocked another Skill but I’m not able to read it as the blackness of unconsciousness swallows me whole.