Unity by Carl Stubblefield (epub read online books TXT) 📕

together. The more there were, the better their processing power. They ran through scenarios, attempting to find the optimal plan to achieve their programmed goal. That goal was to destroy those who had gained the master’s attention.

Unable to tap into local area networks, they became severely limited in this remote location, away from the typical transmitters that allowed them to piggyback off their signals. Their targets turned out to be supers, who had managed to destroy a majority of their number as they defended themselves after the drones attacked. Unfortunately, this variable had not been presented and resulted in more losses than expected.

Among these supers, a statistically improbable number could fly and thus avoided death, despite the loss of their ship. The trajectories of the survivors were calculated and options evaluated. Due to the limited number of drones, remaining tactics and options were evaluated and the drones sped away in different directions as they reached a consensus.

Gus felt a surge of hope when the message surged onto his display.

Skill gained: Ether Crafting (Level 1)

Ether Crafting: You now have the ability to shape ether into various vessels to contain energy. This ability unlocks the ability to learn elemental forces, but you have not currently gained control of any of these affinities, merely the opportunity to learn of them. Experiment with constructs to discover insights.

Affinities learned: 0/12

Affinities mastered: 0/12

1000 XP awarded.

4,160 XP to level 21.

“Check this out!” BoJack said with delight, sliding a message over to Gus’ display.

Skill gained: Didact (Level 1)

Didact: You have unlocked the mentorship skill tree. As a result, you gain a percentage of XP based on how effectively you train your protege. Current: (Tier I) of XP increases to skills related to your training.

Note: This applies for one month after you have completed your final training session or when protege stops gaining XP advancement in skills, whichever comes first. Continue to cultivate their growth to maintain Didact bonuses.

Current skills training: Ether Crafting

1000 XP awarded.

26,895 XP to level 62.

“That’s pretty sweet,” Gus congratulated BoJack.

BoJack tapped his temple with a finger. “At higher levels you have to work smarter, as well as working harder. Training positions are coveted in the Academy for this reason.” His face sobered, excitement stilling as he turned to look Gus in the eye. “Thank you for trusting me. I’ll do my best to train you well. It’s rare for the skill to unlock in general, so now that it has, you’ve opened a new path of progression for me.”

“No problem,” Gus shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of the chance for him to learn; he was probably getting more out of the deal than BoJack ever would. Finally, he could start progressing again. He had been training but felt like he had hit a plateau, and the XP gain was much less than he had become accustomed to when allocated based on contribution when fighting in a group.

While it was good to learn that type of teamwork, it slowed down any kind of progression. At last, he had a bit more control over his own growth, with new avenues to explore. This could be his very own personalized academy crash course. As he distractedly thought of the possibilities, he could see that BoJack was looking at him expectantly. Did he say something and I missed it? Gus tried to diffuse the intensity of the moment, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“Dang, XP requirements really go up as you level. 62, huh? How is your Nth interface after the sixth change—” Stop babbling!

Gus snapped his mouth shut, realizing he may have committed a series of faux pas asking about strengths or levels.

Seeing his distress, BoJack’s face softened again. “Relax, I was going to explain some of the unsaid stigmas we supers have. Why don’t you keep working on your ether constructs? Don’t try filling them yet, but focus on making as many as you can. Without infusion they will dissipate, but don’t worry about that. Finish one and start working on another. Unfortunately, this is mainly a trial and error process that takes a lot of practice before you will get ideas on how to optimize the constructs. I’ll explain while we work. You have caught on much more quickly than I expected. That gives us time to discuss some other things that you need to know.”

BoJack extended two cables in front of him which merged and formed a blade similar to a bulldozer. He trudged forward and cleared a swath of the forest floor. Gus turned his attention back to forming constructs as BoJack began.

“I suppose the best way to start explaining is to see if you know anything of the Rockland conflict?”

“Doesn’t sound familiar,” Gus replied, shaking his head.

“I’m not surprised. A lot of effort was put into erasing that bit of our history. I get a feeling you know what an Nth is?”

“Yes, I call mine Nick.”

“You’re referring to the interface. But I guess that’s what I mean as well. They’re what allow us to access our abilities. From what I know of you, Gus, you’re new to powers and Nth assistance, correct?”

Gus began stretching the ether again, fighting against his reflex to manipulate with anything but the faintest of MP assistance as possible. “Yeah, but I thought that was kind of not common knowledge, Nth and all.”

“I could tell you had an idea about Nth. You responded with recognition when it was mentioned, instead of the blank looks that us veterans usually see.

“I’m afraid that’s all tied together. There’s been a shift in how supers are trained now. In short, the Rockland conflict was a failed coup of a coalition of younger supers, augments, and hybrids. To prevent further uprisings, the system for training supers was modified in an attempt to control and manage the strength new supers could reach.

“At its core, it was to maintain the power base of the old guard—I personally think it will come back to haunt us as we