3
Wednesday 23rd November 2010
My sleep is troubled.
I had some disturbing dreams about how the situation with Skidmark could have gone. Interrupted by another of those strange forge dreams.
The globe returns, and another small island is no longer blacked out.
I finally rouse myself from sleep at 5am. 5am on Wednesday. I went to bed on Monday, Monday afternoon!
That fight and the organ healing really took it out of me. What the hell did he inject me with? Must have been an insane concoction if it can knock me on my ass this badly.
I need to make damn sure I have things in place to clear out chemical attacks. I'll probably need to lean into Fallout 4 chems. Well either that or load up on medi-gel.
As I finally drag myself out of bed and head to the entrance hall, I notice that there is a new door and a corridor off the entrance hall.
Now I'm pretty sure this wasn't here when I went to bed, but honestly I'm sensing a pattern to the weird planet based rolls that happen when I sleep sometimes.
I open the door to a bland white corridor with a single door on the right. Looking through this door reveals a massive warehouse.
I have to stop myself from rubbing my hands together and cackling like a mad scientist.
This is exactly what I needed.
My Blacksmith Workshop has also moved, the door to the workshop now lies on the right-hand wall of the warehouse as I enter. I have to physically drag myself out of the room, because before work, breakfast. Magical cooking pot enhanced breakfast. No buffs this time just good hearty food for reinforcing my health. Followed by an extremely light workout.
I'm going to skip the daily bloodletting and stimpak recovery today. I'm not tempting fate today with everything I have to achieve.
After finishing my albeit lightened routine it's time to put some real work in.
First job, grab my omni tool from its new pedestal in the warehouse near the door. As I go to pick it up I notice my matter manipulator has also been moved here. I grab it as well and equip the gauntlet to the opposite arm. I have a project in mind for these later.
For the next twenty minutes I mind-numbingly feed assorted scrap materials to my omni tool. I want to fabricate some medi-gel, which while not quite as quick at wound nor bone regeneration as the stimpak, its lack of side effects, and all-encompassing healing of most infections leaves it vastly superior. Plus, it manages to somehow be even cheaper. Especially when I leverage Resource Management. Plus any spare materials I can use to fabricate omni-gel, which will be very useful for projecting the omni-blades amongst other useful features of the tools micro-fabricator.
My first ampoule of medi-gel is immediately injected via my omni tool. The migraine I've had since I woke up in the hospital starts to abate slightly.
I throw on my basic under costume, grab the old tesla gauntlet and mask and decide to take a casual trip out to the dock warehousing and waterfront. I'm not looking for anything special today, a few more abandoned vehicles, some trash, of which I can now make even more use of with the omni tool, and whatever has been abandoned on the waterfront. Today I plan to make some real steps forward into making myself at least a local level threat.
I don't know what steroids the Brockton Bay shards take, but the concentration of B tier heroes in the area is legitimately insane.
On my way out I order EFA to migrate her primary device from the old and now irrelevant phone I will be using for my PRT phone and integrate her systems with the omni tool. This thing will never be leaving my side and having some AI control will be hugely beneficial, especially in helping to program blueprints to the device.
As I walk around town, I actually manage to grab a good chunk of resources in the three hours I am out. Nothing particularly special or exotic but some decent basic metals to alloy at least. The streets are relatively empty, I see a few early workers heading to work but I manage to avoid the majority. I move quickly, and never far away from a door for a quick exit.
It's not paranoia if a druggie stuck a needle in your neck two days ago.
I need some good quality plastics, and titanium for my next project. I also want to source some graphene for some backup circuits, but I remember even though it's 2011 here it's not "my" 2011. A quick internet search confirms my worry. The material has not been discovered here yet.
I might be able to fabricate it with the omni, the resource requirement shouldn't be complicated, and my materials science should allow me to work out the mesh. The fab can make plastics, ceramic and light metals or alloys but has a limited internal storage restricting the size of what I make, but if I mesh things together, I might have a way to make small quantities of some of the more complicated things I need.
A quick browse of my materials knowledge tells me I can make the aramid fiber I need too.
But I'm not going to find anything else I need hawking the city for scrap.
Time to make a call. I find and utilise a nearby convenient door.
I step out to the opposite side of the city from the docks on the boardwalk close to the downtown coast area. I do need to make a bigger foray into the inland areas in the downtown and downtown coast areas to increase my deployment range. But that is a job for another day.
I came to the downtown coast as it has some secluded parks, and I want to make a phone call in relative privacy. Skidmark's comments about my idiocy are still right at the surface and have made me even more paranoid than I was previously. There is also a bank in the area I can use to cash my check and the shopping area isn't too far away.
The Forge grabs my attention as the galaxy opens up around me again.
Rolling 300CP.
Knowledge Intelligence, Failed
Knowledge Future Tech, Failed
Magical Large Scale, Failed.
The forge is truly building a large charge now…
Time to move on.
I pull out my now PRT exclusive phone and put in a call to Assault. He doesn't take long to answer.
"Hey Archon! Using the PRT number I see!"
"Yes, thought you would appreciate me using it to keep contact official."
"It's all good to us, we provide it as a way to keep patrol contact as needed but using at as an official point of contact certainly isn't prohibited, how are you feeling after Sunday's problems?"
"Much better with a lot of sleep and healing, Panacea is a godsend."
"That she is, I hope you thanked her?" he teases.
"I did!"
He laughs at my indignation.
"So, what were you calling for Archon, not to bask in my incredible personality?"
"I was hoping you could maybe point me in the direction of places I can legally buy more advanced mundane materials for tinkering. I need some Titanium, and ideally a good quantity of aramid fiber."
"Ooh interesting project on the go?" he sounds intrigued.
"Yes, I'm looking to make an upgraded set of armour, with full coverage."
"Interesting! Unfortunately, I can't help you, Armsmaster likely could point you to some of his civvy suppliers for his personal projects, but he is out on patrol, and unfortunately you can't access our supply chains easily as an Indy, there are hoops to jump through and as I'm sure you are aware from your paperwork, using Protectorate resources means using Protectorate oversight in the given project. But they are much cheaper!"
"I assumed as much, but I had to ask. If it isn't too much trouble, could you ask Armsmaster if he could maybe text me any suppliers on the civilian side he doesn't mind me knowing about? I'd like to keep my projects personal for now."
"I'll let him know, no harm in asking."
"Thanks Assault."
Don't be a stranger Archon."
"Likewise, see you around."
I hang up.
It was much as expected but I was mostly looking for a positive contact with Armsmaster, outside of the PRT building. He may be a rule obsessed and career driven man, but his dedication to tinkering is unquestionable.
Plus, if I can get reasonably tight with him, then it opens a path to Dragon, who represents interesting future possibilities.
Manipulative? Yes, but the stakes are high enough that I won't let that bog me down.
I go to the nearby bank in the western coast area, it's just on the border of the commercial district, and I can kill two birds with one stone.
I open up a cape account with them, no ID required just a mask, a registration ID, and a cape name, and I am given a card and warned not to lose it. Without biometric data to secure the account, anyone with the card and pin can withdraw. The warnings about heavy watchdog monitoring of cape exclusive accounts are expected.
Can't keep the government from their cut.
Heading on foot into the Commercial district is an experience. I am pointed out by a few people, and even catch a few mentions of my name. Even in different gear, my general theme is apparently recognisable, which I suppose is a good thing!
Finding opportunities to use my key are fewer, but I manage to grab a few doors dotted around for easy access back to the bank and the multitude of shops and other sellers.
I manage to hit up what feels like every hobby shop, electronics store and hardware store in the area. It costs me a hefty four grand of my armscash, but on top of some useful raw resources, I manage to pick up some tools I will need, A soldering set, a secondhand welding setup, and various components I will need to rig up a precise loom and a cnc machine, along with some cutters.
I also manage to find some ultra heavy-duty gloves, which I will use to make an enclosed fume hood, in a shop selling random scientific equipment along with beakers and other miscellaneous scientific glassware that I may need in the future.
I also pick up a good bit of food and bottled drink.
I finish up my trip with a pawn shop visit, my scanner allowing me to pick up some major deals on noble metals that the shop has undervalued. They can't separate them like I can! All's fair.
I utilise the shuttle service to make my way to the northern commercial district as I intend to tag some doors here.
Now I just need to get coverage at the Market, close to the Boat Graveyard, up by Winslow, and find a good door deep into downtown coast and I'll have major coverage of most areas in Brockton Bay. I will need to find a good tactic to pick up useful doors in the more regularly populated areas of downtown, especially the hospitals for if I fail to intercept Bakuda. But that is future Archon's problem.
For now, I have a more pressing problem.
I don't have power.
I haven't yet been lucky enough to roll a source of power into the workshop. I have basic emergency lighting, but the workshop can only pull power from our dimension if I own a place for it to pull power from. That I have to pay for.
I wrack my mind for power sources I can build, but while my engineering knowledge allows me to theorise lots of generator designs, and I can fabricate small amounts of fuel with the omni-tool, I was always told it was a horrifically bad idea to use a generator indoors.
I will need to defer the next major upgrade until I have a safe and reliable source of power for the workshop. Well unless there's a much lower proscription on uranium or plutonium in this iteration of Earth. But I somehow doubt it.
I try to leverage Dollmaker, Backyard Architect and Cybernetics in concert to try to arrive at some sort of fusion design, but the knowledge is firmly locked behind much higher levels of tech.
Well, no problem, looks like I need to do the old tinker standby.
I need to build a base on this side. Somewhere to project force from that is eventually know about.
That the longer-term plan along with making money. However, while I can't make large-scale power sources for powering a production centre, I have plenty of man portable power sources to use on very low-end power armour from Cybernetics.
I return to the workshop, plans in hand.
And the forge churns.
400CP available, Making attempt…
Quality Safety – Success!
'Warhammer 40k – Squats' - Black Boxing!
200cp remain, Making attempt…
Failed! x3
An extremely useful perk, it allows me to make very minor tweaks to anything I build to make it unduplicable. With a few more tweaks I can even make it so that anyone attempting to reverse engineer my tech gets a serious case of death via explosion…
This will be beyond useful for my personal gear. And when I start to sell more enhanced gear will allow me to guarantee to be the only supplier.
It takes away a lot of my worries in allowing my "proper" tech to get out into the world if I don't want it duplicated.
But enough of the perk analysis. Time to do some building.
Firstly, I am going to leverage materials science to make a theoretical metamaterial using plates fabricated by the omni-tool.
With EFAs help I can program the tool with relative ease, and the material, a plate-lattice cellular hybrid material combining the strength of extremely high-grade steel reinforced with a Ceramic coating weighing as much as industrial grade plastic will give me incredible protection against standard weaponry. There is no caliber of man portable firearm that will penetrate this material as long as the lattice is arranged properly. Well as long as they aren't packing a 50cal but combined with trajectory if I am hit with a 50cal I have bigger problems.
This level of armour will also allow me to ignore melee weaponry and engagement almost entirely, some brutes notwithstanding.
I'm calling it NeoPlasteel, NPSteel for short. It isn't my invention, but some synergy in the material science knowledge combined between my perks allows me to theorise it up relatively simply.
The hardest part to create will be the helmet, it's a little bigger than my fabricator can currently make until I gain the tech to make some upgrades. So, I decide to stop trying to go for the open mouth look and make a full-face and head helmet made up of 3 individual parts. It allows me to deploy the Helmet in an exposed face mode with an under-mask for civilian encounters.
Can you say, "Best of both worlds"? I can.
I set EFA and the omni-tool Fabricator to synthesising the plates to my drafted design using a large chunk of my materials.
Power supply time.
The catalytic converters gave me access to a decent chunk of palladium, so I am going for a rechargeable power cell system this time. I will use a few small and distributed cells rather than one large cell, as it will allow me to create spares and portal them in and out if I don't have access to recharging. While I am working, I also throw together a power interface for charging outside.
They aren't amazing tech, barely above commercial hydrogen cells in our world, but they give a decent chunk of power output, and more importantly, they fail safely. The Cybernetic perk pays for itself here, having a multitude of relatively inexpensive ways to power cybernetics.
They are also near 100% recyclable using a combination of the matter manipulator and the omni-tool.
Now for the exoskeleton.
I would ideally make this also out of NPSteel as well, but I cannot make it without the fabricator with the equipment I have and fabricating some of the bigger parts in multiple stages will weaken them to some shearing forces I don't want to be weak against.
Instead, I decide to make the exoskeleton out of an extremely high-quality forged steel which I coat with the reinforced weave I made for my old plate armour. The exoskeleton is extremely slimline, I'm about 6'2 without the armour, and will be about 6'5 with the exoskeleton equipped. The plates will of course add a little bulk, but not too much.
I want lithe and fast rather than bulky and strong.
I decide to mount the power cells two at my hips, and two at my outer thigh. Those areas will be extra plated.
"Sir, Plate fabrication is programmed and live, Resources are set out for fabrication, and we have enough to complete. Do you want me to proceed?"
"Go ahead EFA, I've finished the chest and spine plates for the exoskeleton, and the cell housing for the four cells."
"Ok sir, you feel tired, please feel free to get some sleep and I will monitor the intake and fabrication phases of the omni-tool overnight while you sleep.
I check the clock. When did it turn 1am?
Time really does fly when you are having fun.
"OK, thanks EFA, please wake me at 7am."
"Affirmative sir."
I lie down and fall asleep to the soft hum of a fabricating omni tool.
Thursday 24th November 2010
I wake up to EFA projecting a loud buzz into my ear, I jump awake and acknowledge the alarm.
"Good morning, sir! All production is complete and ready to specification, ready to start on a new day."
"Thanks, EFA, please proceed to phase 2, I need NPSteel actuators and motors fabricating to this size spec, and bolts, screws and connectors in this spec."
I mentally project the specs I am looking for to her.
"Feel free to break down the old armour and gear to fund this, there should be enough if you use the whole set plus the last of the ceramic tiles from the manipulator."
"Noted sir, proceeding with fabrication."
I move to the entrance hall which I am still using as my kitchen and cook up a meal with the magic cooking pot. After my usual morning workout routine, I finally feel safe enough to use a stimpak again. I quickly perform my bloodletting, followed by stimpak production and usage.
Hey, just because I can make medi-gel doesn't mean I'm not going to take advantage of the utterly overpowered muscular regeneration from the stimpaks. It would be silly not to.
After the standard routine, I quickly pop out of the forge near a downtown coffee shop. I feel like I'm going to need this for today's work.
Back in the forge, work begins in earnest.
Today's primary job is to finish the limbs and safeties. I want to get this finished by afternoon, which will require some heavy lifting from Backyard Handywork and Cybernetics. Once the limbs and safeties are in place, I can set up the exoskeleton and power systems.
First however, is power cell completion. The power cells are quite simple to fill, it requires some omni tool help, but its ability to manipulate small quantities of materials combined with Resource Management allows me to fill the housing without spillage.
Catalysing the cells with the hydrogen and palladium goes as expected, and they are about 60% powered when first created through the reaction so I don't need to do an initial charge to use them.
They are rechargeable for a good while. Four of them fully charged will give me about eight hours of usage at medium load and I will be making them relatively easy to eject and replace in use.
I create twelve for the standard armour reload, and another eight smaller ones that I have other plans for.
Free water for the forge is something it will regret giving me.
I spend the next few hours creating the limbs and neck part of the exoskeleton. This is one of the most critical parts to get right. Nobody likes inverted limbs and a broken neck. The work is slow but steady, and somehow soothing. Works progresses as planned, minor burns aside, and I have almost all the parts ready to assemble.
Now I need to create the helmet. I don't have any way to currently make the holographic projectors to make a proper HUD, so I go with status lights strategically placed around the inner plate for power alerts and weaponry.
This suit won't be flight capable so a detailed HUD isn't absolutely required anyway, I have no perk that gives me the aeronautical knowledge for the flight nor a perk that lets me make small enough thrusters.
Flight will have to wait.
I do have some other mobility ideas, however. I'll implement those with weaponry at the end of the armour build.
I look over the components of my armour.
It's ready.
I lock the exoskeleton together using the fasteners I had EFA make, the exo peels open from the rear to allow me to step into it, so I need to make sure every plate is placed pin perfect.
Once the exo is in place, I carefully place the wiring harness, followed by the motors and actuators that will run the powered element of the suit. I integrate the power cell housing in the thighs and hips, and then the secondary fasteners go in.
Next the neck plate and joint covers go in, the armour isn't fully fitted in the standard joint areas, so I use my special fiber weave from the plate armour suit to give coverage to those areas. It's all held firm to my body shape by a delicate frame of steel so it can be opened and closed via motor.
Finally, the plates that EFA has painstakingly fabricated are installed and layered to the armour. This is finished off with a tight aramid wrap which makes the suited areas look like a single piece instead of plates. The only segmented parts still visible are in the rear where I step in.
8 solid hours of work later, interrupted only by a meal, and the suit is ready.
I install the 4 power cells and have EFA connect to a rudimentary control system I rigged up. An overcomplicated garage door opener. There is no software control for this armour yet. It's almost entirely mechanical barring some clever hardware hacks to enable me to track various statuses.
I step in, and EFA closes the suit around me.
It fits like a glove. I have to force myself to exit it, as now I need to implement my new weaponry.
"EFA, please fabricate NPSteel components a1 through a4 with the final set of solid metal and ceramic resources we have fitting for this project."
"Acknowledged sir."
So here goes for my weaponry.
The first thing I do is reequip my matter manipulator and my Omni-tool both onto my left arm. I left gaps in and around the exoskeleton to allow for this and my work is vindicated when they fit like a glove. This is my standard left arm loadout, Matter manipulation and absorption, along with the omni-fabricator allowing me to create various objects from those materials. It's a perfect piece of synergy that makes me feel a little like a Fortnite builder. Slower, but more encompassing.
This is my battlefield control allowing me to always push my advantage in close combat.
My right arm is for the next two pieces of gear I create.
The first is ostensibly a tesla baton. But the similarities end there. The baton is made from segmented strips of NPSteel with a thick conductive aramid core. The baton can be extended and retracted like a baton or pushed further into an electric whip. The whip integrates with a power cell housing in my right forearm for power which can be reloaded. The whip can be used as a grapple in addition, not a huge range but good battlefield mobility in a city.
The second item I create is also telescopable into a whip form. And also uses the glorious power of electricity. But the similarities end there. It's a sword, and a damn high quality one. I have later plans for upgrades to this blade for now, but for now the sword is extremely high voltage and there's no safe mode on this blade intentionally.
If I draw this sword, I've already committed to the death of the target. I need to constantly remind myself of that. There is a second compartment in my right forearm specifically to reload power cells for this blade. The blade while not monomolecular, not with these tools, is insanely sharp. With enough leverage I could likely do some damage to my own armour with this. It will carve a standard human like butter. I managed to slice straight through tool steel with it without the armour assisting.
Both weapons are enchanted with weapon absorption.
They both telescope and sheathe, the baton at my hip as my primary non-lethal weapon, and the sword at my lower back as a final resort.
Finally, the matter manipulator is used to paint the armour cobalt blue silver and white. Along with all accessories including the weapons.
As if to reward me, the forge hits me twice in quick succession.
Forge expansion deferred due to heavy crafting engagement.
400CP available, Making attempt…
Knowledge Future Tech – Success!
'Warhammer 40k – Adeptus Mechanicus' – Magos Designation: Engineering – Chosen Speciality: Genetic Engineering. 100CP
300CP Remain, Making attempt…
Facilities Magical – Success!
'Overlord the Series' – Alchemist Laboratory.
200CP Remain, Making attempt…
Time- Success!
'Ace Combat' – Don't Need a Team.
100cp Remain, Making Attempt…
Failed x3!
I – What in the world… This is.. Impossible
I honestly don't even know where to start.
I just gained 3 incredible perks form the forge.
Magos Designation: Engineering lets me pick from Imperium of Man engineering specialities from W40K. That's two specialities from one universe in one day. The speciality I pick makes me a "noted master" of the speciality withing the Imperium of Man.
I decided to go for Genetic Engineering. I don't have any real biotinker perks and this one can help me with more than self enhancement. There are implications on food, enhancement and synergy with other perks in the forge here. The imperium used this speciality to create the base template for space marines.
I know how to clone people now.
This pales in comparison to the next perk, however.
Don't Need a Team will be an incredible boon.
It allows me to perform the work of a team.
On my own.
It gives me the ability to perform the full maintenance routine of a complicated aircraft on my own, without mistakes. And makes me fast enough to do so in reasonable time without a crew.
It works best on aircraft but expands to any building and maintenance work I do as long as it's on a vehicle or movement enhancer or even just vaguely mechanical. Power armour counts is the important thing.
Why didn't I get this perk 48 hours ago?
Because the forge is a troll.
However, the next perk is where things get… weird.
For a start, I can finally use my earlier gained Elder Scrolls online alchemy perk.
This perk gives me a new facility in the forge. An alchemy lab. A fully fitted alchemy lab that grows in complexity as my skill in alchemy grows. Due to me getting the CP costing version it also comes with a fiat backed supply of alchemy ingredients, equipment and reagents for any form of alchemy I know. This includes the inbuilt TESO alchemy I know, and if I ever learn magic, alchemic potions to emulate spells. It also allows me to learn and use Overlord: The Series alchemy. The resources aren't "infinite" but it's irrelevant as they refill over time.
This isn't all it does, however. And the next part. Is. Unusual.
Apparently inside my alchemy lab right now is a door. That door leads to a store. And that store leads to somewhere in the out in Brockton Bay.
I have had an Alchemist and a Sales Clerk Assigned to me by the forge. They aren't combatants, unless the forge itself is attacked.
The Alchemist will create potions I know along with some she knows. She will provide me with a set of potions for free regularly and the rest will be sold.
The sales clerk will sell them in the storefront. I will keep a cut of the profits too.
And nobody in the city will think this is weird. Or irregular.
Luckily, the door to the forge is impenetrable, it's specifically fiat backed so only me or these two can use it.
Did the forge just master the entire fucking world into thinking there was always this strange cape in Brockton who sells potions out of a little shop.
I need to go and introduce myself and give them instructions.
I return to the Entrance Hall, and there's a new door off to the left of the corridor, opposite my warehouse door.
I enter and am in what looks like a quaint medieval alchemy laboratory, alchemy equipment is randomly dotted around this wooden room along with bushels and backets of ingredients. Hell, I even recognise Purple Mountain flowers! And hey is that Nirnroot?
In front of me is a silver-haired woman, probably about 28/29 years old working around a cauldron. She turns to look at me, makes eye contact. Her eyes are a startling green colour. She is quite beautiful.
And sniffs at me and returns to work.
"Names Hypatia. I don't work for you. I work for the forge to keep you alive in the form of alchemy and financial assistance. I'm not your babysitter nor your damn maid. I make potions for you. Smythe sells them. That's the end of our relationship."
She doesn't even pause for breath. Just plows on with her speech.
"We might end up friends one day. But it is not guaranteed. Don't try to give me orders. And don't interfere with my alchemy and we will get on just fine. This lab is yours, but I share it. The apartment above the lab is mine. You don't enter it if you don't want a 'permanent impotence potion' to somehow fall into your magical cooking pot. The apartment above the shop is Smythe's. He's very private. He sells the potions and other alchemy specials during the day. The rest of the time he stays in his apartment and likes it that way. You might meet one day but that's on his terms. Not yours."
I nod and agree.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm glad you aren't any of the above. I don't know if you know anything about me, but I don't abide mastery, nor slavery."
She looks at me in disbelief.
"You have a second consciousness bound to your soul." She says flatly.
This doesn't even phase me.
"The second EFA tells me she wants to leave, I will drop everything I am doing regardless of what it is, and work to create her a body so she can be her own existence. I care about what makes her happy. And that's it."
She gives me a thin smile.
"Actions speak louder than words 'Archon'" She snorts "Prove yourself with action. Not pretty speeches."
"Hypatia, you gave your speech, here's mine. I care about three things. One. Saving this world. Two. Uplifting it and the people I care about. And three. Never giving up my morals to do either of the above two. I don't need to prove myself to you. Because I don't care if you like me or dislike me. My actions will speak for me as I develop, not on some arbitrary timescale you decide on."
She drops her haughty expression and smiles. If barely.
"Good. You aren't some idiot who will fall to a weak challenge. The points stand, but I'll give you a chance."
She looks around and gestures.
"If you have any requests, let me know in advance. You'll get a few potions a week of various types. I know any alchemy you know and others I can't give you access to until you learn them yourself. Your capacity for ingredients and reagents grows as your alchemy ability does."
She gives me a final hard look into my eyes.
"Smythe will put your cut of the money in your strongbox every week and I will put your weekly potions in there too." She points to a metal chest by the shop door "The shop itself is a newly opened 'cape' business -" she wraps her tongue around 'cape,' as if it's an unfamiliar term. "-from a new cape called 'Hypatia.'" she points at herself.
"It's my 'cape' name and my real name, and Smythe shares the cape name as the public face of it. We sell weak to moderate enhancement potions, no healing, to people of your alignment only. We only sell to capes and our shop is only visible to capes. We are registered with the PRT. Myself as a 'Potions Tinker' and Smythe as a 'Stranger' I think you call it who can obscure locations to people and classes of people at whim."
She looks around again.
"We are protected from outside interference here, but we don't leave. Ever. Not to fight, not even to save your life. The shop itself is protected and impenetrable, but if someone who isn't allowed enters from the forge side, we will help deal with them."
I acknowledge her statement and turn to leave.
"Thanks, Hypatia, I hope you have a nice stay here and I won't bother you too much. It was nice to meet you. I think."
She finally laughs
"You too Archon. I'll be keeping an eye on your exploits."
I leave back to the forge.
So that just happened.
What the hell.
It's been an awfully long day. I've been awake since 7am and it's approaching 3am the next day. I've gained some crazy perks. Some crazier forge companions and built the next phase of my armour, my public face.
Tomorrow I start to patrol.
But now?
Now I sleep.
Notes:
Perks gained this Chapter
Black Boxing – 'Warhammer 40k – Squats' – 200CP - Quality Safety
While certain red-robed rats of Mars always trying to get their grubby mechadendrites on your stuff is annoying, messing with them is endlessly entertaining. You can easily tweak your work to be nearly impossible for others to duplicate. If you're feeling particularly spiteful, you can build in some cross-connections so anyone trying will blow themselves up.
Magos Designation: Engineering – 'Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus' – 100CP - Knowledge Future Tech (Chosen Speciality: Genetic Engineering
You have attained and been recognized for your comprehension of some of the Machine God's mysteries. Choose a field of Imperial technology such as genetic manipulation, voidship construction, cybernetics or plasma technology. You are among the noted masters of your purview, and can easily create the most common templates of your field. With time, effort and discretion you could even modify and improve upon your specialty as needed. Those few things beyond your full understanding can still be built and maintained by carefully following STC blueprints.
Alchemist's Laboratory – 'Overlord - The Series' – 100CP - Facilities Magical
A fully fitted and supplied alchemist's laboratory ready for your use. It comes with the highest quality supplies and equipment required to make magical potions, allowing you to make potions to emulate the effect of any spell you know that could be reasonably made into a potion via alchemy(assuming you know alchemy, at least) . The equipment will automatically upgrade itself relative to your own personal skill level, so the more skilled you are the better it will be to reflect that. Reagents for common potions restock themselves automatically on a regular basis.
The100 CP version includes the reagents for rare and much higher quality potions that will restock themselves, and additionally a store-front will be added to the front of your laboratory, allowing you to profit from your efforts. It also comes with a sales clerk and an alchemist of exceptional talent if still within reasonable limits (read: not Realm of Heroes or Level One Hundred) whom will produce and sell potions for you. You get potions for free, and get a cut of all profits the store makes. The laboratory, sales clerk, and alchemist will follow you jump to jump, although the clerk and alchemist aren't the same people jump-to-jump (unless you purchase the Guild Base option, in which case they can be if they are part of the Guild Base). No one will question the presence of this store or the potions it makes, even in places or worlds where it would be highly irregular. You get to choose where the laboratory is located in this and future jumps.
Don't Need A Team – Ace Combat – 100CP – Time
Fighter planes are pretty complicated machines, and more often than not you need a whole crew to maintain them so that they don't break down in the middle of a fight and doom the pilot. You know your plane well enough to circumvent this issue. You've got just the right idea on what needs tuning up and what needs fixing, along with having the speed to be able to fix a plane up by yourself without the need for a crew in a fraction of the time. Performance issues are a thing of the past for you.
+50 PR CP gained. 200 PR CP available.
Rolling…
Success!
Gained "Temporal Controls" – 200 PR CP
Temporal Controls (200) This Personal Reality Option gives you control over how fast time flows in your Personal Reality while you're not there. The default is 1:1, but with this you can dial it anywhere from 1:10 to 10:1. Remember, this doesn't work when you're in the warehouse. It also doesn't affect any attached rooms with people inside them. Although it will prevent them entering time flow changed rooms.
0 PR CP remains.