Chapter 379

  Fingers form Fists

  I am holding up my hand, ready to save Terra-Ulacrum as I feel I finally have a good enough grasp of what is needed to reach the void realm. To reach her, that I am about ready to cast my spell.

  A spell that I absolutely need to cast, knowing that it will be the last step I need to achieve my Demi-God potential.

  Shiver.

  This is a monumental moment, and one that I can’t quite help but think it is all happening too quickly. With this spell, I will shed off the final layer of fragile humanity and apparently become something more. Again, my mind is laced with thoughts of conspiracies, but they aren’t really conspiracies if they are true, are they?

  Then with thought I hold out my hand and am about to cast the spell, when more system chicanery comes in, stopping me.

  Seeing the message, I bright glowing yellow marker appears to glow off in the distance. Mentally I am about to risk it, thinking that I still have time. That If I am quick enough, I can cast my spell going through the vastness of space and land with precision accuracy on the Void realm. At which point I will get out, rescue Terra-Ulacrum and then traverse back, before the competition starts.

  These are my thoughts and I am about to cast my spell anyways, when the system seeming to read my mind continues with notifications.

  With those four additional messages, I knew that there was no escaping. Fortunately, all five beacons all ultimately led to the same staging area.

  “What, you are leaving?” Penelope asked, her voice confused as she called out from down and below. I’m so high up in Raygunnr’s cockpit that I apparently fell into the same situation that all tall people do. That of not being able to see the tiny people below. Still, I felt bad for not even acknowledging her before we started to move.

  “Yes, we are being summoned to our staging area for the Mechanoid portions,” I state and then point off into the distance where the yellow beacons are telling me to go.

  “Oh, well in that case, let me pack up and I’ll go with you,” Penelope states as she picks up her collapsing lawn chair, her attachable umbrella, and other odd and end items she had made by hand just for this event. It seemed that she was prepared.

  “You sure?” I ask, not really wanting to impose on her, especially as she looked really comfortable.

  “Of course, I have to see my g—great friend compete,” Penelope seemed to stutter on what word to use. Raygunnr never missing a moment to not be funny chose that moment to chime in.

  “Weeee’rrrreeeee Grrreeaaaatttt!” Raygunnr calls out, making sure to give longer bursts than normal with his Mana Language to stress the near copyright violation.

  Sigh.

  I face palm at that comment. A comment that clearly caused poor Penelope to blush from having her stutter called out like that. At that comment Penelope pauses mid packing and just looks up at us, well to me in the cockpit and brushing a lock of hair behind her ear replies.

  “Well, yes, you two are great,” a pause, “friends.”

  I couldn’t quite tell, but it seemed that Penelope had a hard time getting that last part out. Almost as if she didn’t want to call us friends, but I couldn’t tell what we would be if not friends.

  Still, I decided not to push it, and instead just went with it. In no time at all, Penelope had not only packed up all her stuff in her dimensional storage devices, but was easily walking next to use. While she had to take two or three strides to keep up with the gigantic gait of Raygunnr, she did so seemingly effortlessly, even without using Qi.

  Pausing for a moment, I looked and saw that she was wearing boots that all but seemed to glow with magical energy.

  “Are those running boots?” I ask, mildly impressed by her ingenuity and ease with which she showed off her products and abilities.

  “Swift striding boots, if I wanted to run, I’d have to change the angle and degree of movement that the ankles allow.” Penelope explains. Leave it to a tailor to explain why her boots need to allow for ease of walking. While she is right, if she were to actually try to run, then she would have to have more range of movement with her feet.

  Seeing that, I nod.

  “Impressive,” I state and mean it.

  Blush.

  With that, I see a faint smile and blush appear on Penelope’s face. Seeing her face like that, I wonder if I have been too harsh as a teacher. Have I given them Stockholm syndrome where even the smallest amount of praise causes them to seem ecstatic? If that is the case, then I might need to change my approach. I am proud of all my student’s successes, in particular what Penelope has been able to accomplish. Her insight into tailoring and enchanting threads is something that I never fully understood until I got to see her work directly. This is why, I want to make sure she knows that I do appreciate her and all she does.

  Just as I am about to try to give her more words of encouragement, or to ask if I am truly that strict as a teacher, Penelope hits me with a bombshell. One that I am not quite ready for.

  “Are you sure Raygunnr is sealed and ready for Space? I know that is one of the major concerns. Particularly with so many competitions happening before the actual Space combat scenarios. The idea of dying from hypoxia is just…” Penelope trails off, but she visibly shudders at the idea.

  Seeing her volatile reaction, I too get a slight chill. I think I am fine, but quickly look around the cockpit, duplicating Air Cleansing, Air Retaining, and Air Purifying runes all around the cockpit. Then I go and make sure to create vacuum seals around the areas where Raygunnr’s cockpit forms.

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  Once I am done, I still question myself so I call in the expert.

  Poof.

  Rune-Ulacrum appears next to me, the two of us in the now cramped cockpit. It’s a tight fit, but not entirely unmanageable, particularly as the two of us barely take up one and a quarter the size of a tall humanoid creature.

  I look at her, then point to the runes. In that one gesture thousands of thoughts and ideas are shared without having to utter one word. Then without hesitation she nods in understanding and begins going about checking my work.

  Half of me expects her to do nothing, which is why I feel a jolt of tension as she moves quickly and adds a deeper accent line at the top of one set of runes.

  For a moment, I wonder why. The runes were perfect. Only after seeing that the line just further linked the series of runes together in a tighter segment chain did I realize the brilliance of her action.

  That was not the only time she acted, as she continued to make subtle corrections to my work. Each stroke she made a knife wound to my ego. Still, I couldn’t deny that the design was better once she was done. The work was more structurally sound, and overall the efficiency and linking was on another level.

  To put it in layman’s terms, I had been doing piecemeal work. Each piece individually making Raygunnr better overall, while Rune-Ulacrum’s changes made it so all of the individual components merged together in a synergizing manner.

  “Ohh, that is so cute, you both have your tongues out,” Penelope cooed excitedly.

  At that I paused and turned to face Rune, a completely useless gesture as we both had Angel’s Sight activated. Still, in that moment we saw exactly what Penelope was talking about. Rune was making me look stupid by having her tongue out, while I just exacerbated the problem with my own tongue dangling.

  With that, Rune and I both dropped our tongues and began going around the cockpit faster and with more intensity.

  “HAHAHA! That Tickles! Whoa there, clam down,” Raygunnr begins, his gait hitching as he visibly cringes and quivers at our constant efforts to work on our form and linking the Runes together.

  In a way, I should be grateful as Rune did something I knew existed, but didn’t even think about doing at that moment. I knew linking of runes was important, but the way she did so, so effortlessly was an art. It was at that moment that I once again found myself being truly jealous of my Simulacrums, as it was clear that they were all better than me. Well better at one thing, but still that is a huge blow to the ego.

  That said, it would be stupid not to rely upon her or the others when I need their help. Even if my ego will take a hit.

  “Oh, I made you this,” Penelope states, holding up what looks to be a fully functioning space suit. “It’s not quite done yet, as I had been hoping to make a few last-minute modifications to it, but I can give it to you now if its needed?”

  With that Rune and I just looked at each other, then back to Penelope.

  “What, is something the matter?” Penelope asks.

  “They probably just realized that they sealed themselves in,” Raygunnr adds mockingly.

  At his words, we just shake our heads.

  Poof.

  Not even having to coordinate, Rune Teleported out of the cockpit and began hovering right next to Penelope. For her part Penelope looked at first confused, then seemed to nod and understand.

  “Okay, well in that case, I’ll just give the suit to Rune when I am done, and she can get it to you?” Penelope noted.

  At that Rune just nodded for the both of us.

  Chime.

  At that moment, we get a notification that we are in the correct staging area. While it is a giant zone, it is clear that the more optimal spot would be a bit further in, as such Raygunnr and I continue moving despite our confirmation for being in the right spot.

  Of course, what would one warning be, without also informing us that we were in the correct spot for the other competitions as well.

  Finally we get to a zone where it blatantly warns us not to go ahead any further. At which point we abruptly stop.

  “Are we there?” Penelope asks.

  “Yes,” Raygunnr and I call out in unison. Him using his Mana Language, and me using real words.

  “Okay, I’ll finish this up and hand it to Rune?” Penelope asks, holding up the apparently uncomplete space suit.

  “Sure,” I respond, while Rune emphatically nods. Then realizing how dismissive my answer might have sounded I respond, “I mean, thank you.”

  Hearing my change in tone, Penelope pauses and gives a light smile as she responds, “of course, anything for you.”

  And with those words I feel sense of warmth fill me.

  “Ahh, she’s so sweet to us, well to you, and by extension me,” Raygunnr cuts in, adding even more awkward tension to this moment.

  I am about to comment, but that is when we get our first announcement.

  And like that, it began.

  Raygunnr and I began making our way to the indicated area. To my surprise and subsequent fear, I saw them. First there were other Teleiotís that began to appear, their much more natural gait and movement easy to identify and distinguish from the bulkier unawakened Legrand war machines.

  But just seeing those Legrand war machines a shiver ran down my spine as I realized they were the same ones that broke my fist earlier. Granted I have hollow bones, and that I was stupid for using a fleshy body to try to punch an enhanced mechanical exoskeleton, but still the wound still causes a phantom pain to tingle in my hand. A pain that even now I need to shake out.

  “You okay?” Raygunnr asks.

  “Yeah,” I reply in as confident of a tone as I can. This is not a lie, as my body is okay, my mind is okay, but my confidence is a little low at the moment.

  “You sure, because you don’t seem confident,” Raygunnr replies.

  “How do I normally look when I am confident?” I press, trying to see what I am missing. I know my Acting skills are top notch, so this is him seeing through me is rather unnerving. At least it is until I realize that we are truly attuned at this moment, meaning he can no doubt feel my deeper thoughts, ones that even now speak to a concern of not being good enough.

  “Look, if it comes down to it, just imagine them in their underpants,” Raygunnr notes.

  BLEH!

  I am about to puke from that comment, but he continues. “Oh wait, you can already do that with your special saucy sight, can’t you?”

  With that, I just shake my head. “That is—no,” I finally manage. Thankfully my merit Angel’s Sight does not work that way.

  “Oh come on, you know it wouldn’t be that bad of a thing. Particularly with Penelope right next to us,” Raygunnr replies almost giving a creepy wink-wink nudge-nudge impression.

  “You know I can hear you two, right?” Penelope who was busily sewing on her sprawled out lawn chair calls out from over a hundred feet away.

  “Oh, right,” a suddenly embarrassed Raygunnr cries out and waves at Penelope.

  Chuckle.

  Seeing him clearly embarrassed from Penelope who looked like she wasn’t paying the slightest of attention at the two of us just made me laugh. At that moment I realized why I liked Penelope so much, she was always watching and learning. Such a great student, and seeing her sew the uniform, I realized then and there that she was an even better person. Here she was taking her free time to help make me a suit so that I could survive in outer space, truly an amazing person.

  With that moment over, Raygunnr made a comment that I never thought he would respond with. “All right I'll stop giving questionable suggestions.”

  Hearing his words, I just shook my head. I could tell that he was now nervous as he felt he might have gone too far. Again, our personal connection clearly coming through and all but telling me that I might need to do something to help calm him down. That’s when I did what I do best. I told the truth.

  “Those are words you will never hear me say,” I begin, then thinking of all the times I had a laugh at my kids’ expense I completed. “Especially not with my kids.”

  There was a pause, as I could feel tension growing for one moment. Then the next, Raygunnr began laughing boisterously.

  “Ah-HHAHAHAAAHA!” Raygunnr nearly cackled in Mana language.

  He even managed a slight squeaking sound as steam energy was pulled in through his pipes, only to be sealed off by the various air filters and air seals that Rune and I had put into place. Well, I put them there, and Rune just made sure they were more optimal, while they were there. Still, the squeaking sound was so abrupt that Raygunnr jumped up and grabbed his chest as if wondering if a mouse had gotten into his chest. Seeing the clear look of panic on his face, I began laughing.

  Chuckle.

  “Oh man, you should see your face,” I reply.

  Raygunnr stiffens and is about to comment, but then sees me laughing, and loses all composure. With that, we soon found ourselves purposefully moved by the world to our first combat zone.

  Poof.

  In next to no time, we were surrounded by glowing purple lights that Teleported us hundreds of miles away. The whole movement was so quick that I didn’t even use a Cosmic Anchor, and just found myself looking over at my first opponent. A Legrand officer in what had to be a Tier IV or higher grade combat suit.

  Seeing the suit, I realized that time to relax and socialize was over. As it was now go time.

  With that, Raygunnr and I both stopped laughing simultaneously as the importance of this moment hit us at the same time.

  The mechanical system messages appeared before my eyes and began billowing out loudly over the sky. Then it began a quick and unavoidable countdown.

  Clenching my fist, I realized it was go time.