Chapter 126
Alexander pulled up the System interface and messaged the rest of his team to meet at the Beastworld gateway. The responses came quickly. Annie asked how the assault went, her message filled with exclamation points. Talia inquired about the mission status. Augustus sent a quick confirmation and welcome back.
He chose not to answer yet. It would be easier to explain in person once everyone had gathered.
Felix’s healing continued, warmth spreading through Alexander’s shoulder as flesh knitted together beneath the cat’s paws. The tissue would be fragile for a while, sensitive to touch, but it would hold. More importantly, he’d live and not have to worry about infection setting in.
He’d recommended the healing ability carefully from among those they’d encountered. Felix’s copied powers seemed to carry over full functionality even if they operated at reduced strength compared to the originals.
The healer Talia had taken Felix to could restore blood and other necessary fluids along with tissue repair, which made the power significantly more valuable than alternatives that only addressed wounds. The downside was the inability to regenerate bone, as Felix had mentioned.
Alexander wondered what techniques Felix might develop as he grew more comfortable with the System and his range of powers. Just another question to add to the growing list of things he needed to discuss with their newest member.
Felix had thrown himself into helping Grimnir with remarkable dedication. The shapeshifter asked for little, contributed constantly, and seemed genuinely invested in their success. It was easy to forget he’d only been with them for a short time.
“It’s done,” Felix said, pulling his paws back.
Alexander flexed his shoulder carefully. The movement felt strange without the weight of his arm to balance it, but the wound itself was stable. Sealed.
“Thank you,” he said.
Felix shifted from cat to golden retriever, the transformation flowing seamlessly. His tail wagged once before settling.
Alexander caught the curiosity on Maximilian and Hjordis’s faces, but they respected Felix’s secrecy. “I need to head to the Beastworld gateway. Meeting the rest of my team there.”
Maximilian turned to Hjordis. “We should check on Guang. With Augustus and Annie pulled away, the wizard gateway needs reinforcing, even if they have finally reached an agreement.”
Hjordis was already moving toward one of the portals Augustus maintained, connecting the gateways. “Agreed.”
Maximilian glanced at Julia. The question was implicit.
“I’m staying with Alexander,” she said.
He accepted it with a nod, then followed Hjordis.
Julia stood and offered Alexander her hand. He took it with his remaining hand, letting her help pull him to his feet. Felix trotted alongside them as they approached the second portal.
They stepped through together.
The Beastworld gateway’s defensive perimeter spread out before them. Supply crates stacked near barriers. Automated turrets tracking in slow arcs. Station defenders at their posts, watching the large gateway that dominated the space.
Through its opening, the orangutan still sat on the hill. Still patiently watching.
Annie, Talia, and Augustus turned as Alexander emerged from the portal. Their attention locked on him immediately.
The moment stretched.
Annie gasped. She stepped forward, mouth opening. “Alex—what—”
The words died. Her eyes stayed fixed on where his left arm should have been.
Alexander moved to a supply crate and sat. Even with his blood restored and the lightheadedness gone, the exhaustion was catching up with him now that the adrenaline had fully faded.
Julia settled beside him, her hand resting against his back. The touch was natural, comfortable in a way that reminded him of their history together.
Augustus crossed the distance in long strides. His hand came down on Alexander’s shoulder and squeezed. Their eyes met.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. Felix healed what he could.”
Augustus’s gaze dropped to the ruined duster. The leather was torn in places, with the left sleeve severed along with the arm. A beat of silence passed before he spoke again.
“You’ve ruined a perfectly good jacket. Do you know how long it took to get it custom-made and delivered?”
The corner of Alexander’s mouth twitched despite everything.
Annie moved then, rushing over and giving him a hug. The angle was awkward with Julia sitting there and his missing arm, but Annie made it work anyway. She squeezed hard enough that Alexander felt it in his ribs.
She pulled back and took him in, worry written on her face.
“Holy crap, dude. You scared the shit out of me when you came through the portal.” She looked up at him, and something between relief and humor crossed her face. “You just had to go and copy me, huh? Losing an arm was my thing first!”
Then her gaze flicked between him and Julia a few times, before raising an eyebrow and giving him an exaggerated waggle.
Talia stepped closer. Concern showed clearly in her eyes, open in a way she rarely allowed. But she held his gaze for just a moment, reading his discomfort with all the attention.
“What happened?”
The question gave him an out. A shift from emotion to facts, from worry to analysis. Alexander shot her a look of gratitude.
Felix settled on his haunches nearby, watching quietly.
Alexander took a breath and started explaining.
That the cultivator had been stronger than any of them had really expected, the fight pushing all four of them beyond their limits. Maximilian’s partial draconic transformation. Julia’s ice body taking a sword through the chest. Hjordis’s concentrated flame strike which had finally broken through the cultivator’s qi reinforcement.
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Annie’s breath caught when he described the water qi technique that had severed his arm. The way it had formed a noose around his limb and constricted in an instant, carving through leather and flesh and bone before he’d even registered what was happening.
But he kept the explanation simple. Matter-of-fact. Presented it as a series of events that had occurred without dwelling on how close he’d come to bleeding out.
Then he shifted to what he’d learned.
Will-infusion was the first revelation. The technique Hjordis had demonstrated, pressing her power into her blade until it became an extension of herself. Alexander had understood it in combat, when he’d channeled Electrokinesis through his gauntlet and felt his Will flow with it.
Talia leaned forward, her analytical mind already working through the implications. “You can apply this to your drones.”
“And the turrets I borrowed from the station,” Alexander confirmed. “I managed five objects simultaneously before the strain became too much. The Cultivator’s Core helps tremendously with the power cycling, but there are still limits.”
Augustus’s expression had shifted to something calculating. “That changes our tactical options considerably. We’ll need to figure out how to use our own powers in the same way.”
“There’s more,” Alexander said.
He shared what Julia had told him about Tier 3. The half-step that came when all attributes reached the threshold. The domains that separated true Tier 3 threats from those still climbing.
Silence settled over the group for a moment.
“We think the cultivator was the strongest of the three gate owners,” Julia added. “Definitely stronger than anything the rest of us faced in our invasion defenses. Though the wizards were the quickest to gather their forces at the gateway.”
Nearby, Cash leaned against one of the barriers. He’d slipped closer during the conversation, listening in.
“Max messaged me the rundown, but it sounds like the four of you messed him up in the end.” Cash trailed off for a moment, clearly trying to find the right words. “I’m glad you took him down. We lost a lot of good people to these gates.”
Alexander met his gaze. “We got permission for the Beastworld gateway too.”
Cash nodded, answering the unspoken question. “I’m in. Just let me know when. In the meantime, I’d better get back to my post before the boss gets mad.”
He took a few steps back, then glanced at Julia sitting next to Alexander with her hand still resting on his back. Cash gave her a subtle thumbs up and a wink, hidden from most of the others.
Julia’s face colored slightly, but she didn’t move.
Alexander was amused by the similarities between Cash and Annie, but said nothing. Instead, he looked at his team, each of them still processing everything he’d shared. And likely how close he’d come to dying, though he knew they were each capable of handling it.
They were supervillains. It wasn’t the first time any of them had willingly faced death, and it wouldn’t be the last.
“I need to build a replacement arm,” Alexander said. “After that, we need to plan the assault on the Beastworld gateway. I think we’ll be going in with everyone this time.”
“How long?” Augustus asked.
Alexander considered the question. He didn’t have the advanced machinery needed on Sleipnir, but The Nexus would have everything necessary to manufacture a cybernetic replacement. Already his mind raced with the possibilities.
He wanted the arm to have the full functionality of the lost gauntlet, of course. And to incorporate some of Augustus’s runes and Talia’s enchantments, likely inside the armored casing. He’d have to check with them both, find out if the curvature of the design would pose a challenge.
His thoughts turned to the emitters casting the large shield dome around them. Surely the Galactic Council would be generous enough to give him the designs after they helped defend the station. If not, a little borrowing went a long way.
But first he’d start with something basic using the advanced cybernetics R&D taken from Santiago Systems. Enough to be functional. He could worry about perfecting the design once he’d claimed the gateway. Maybe even after they’d returned home.
“A day or two should be enough.”
“We can assist with security here until then,” Talia said. “I’ll organize a proper rotation schedule with the superheroes. Felix, you can find out what happened with Maya while we wait for Alex.”
“Thank you,” the golden retriever said. “I will try to be quick so I can help with the rotation.”
Augustus shook his head. “We can handle it. Take your time.”
Felix gave them a look of gratitude.
Annie finally spoke up again, some of her usual energy returning. “So we’re really all going through one of those things to fight another murder monster?”
“Yes,” Alexander said. “And we’ll be claiming the gate for ourselves.”
She grinned despite everything. “Cool.”
***
Alexander lay on his bed in his quarters aboard Sleipnir. Getting back to the ship had required explanations he hadn’t wanted to give. Carmen’s concern when she saw the missing arm. The crew’s carefully controlled reactions. Julia’s quiet insistence that she was coming with him, brooking no argument. The introductions that had required.
The way she’d been watching him ever since, with an intensity in her eyes he couldn’t quite read.
Julia sat in the chair near his desk, still watching him.
He turned his head to meet her gaze. “Should we talk about it?”
“No,” she said quietly. “Not now.”
His eyes began to close. Sleep pulled at him with insistent weight, promising the rest his body desperately needed.
“Are you going to stay?”
“I’ll be here when you wake.”
Alexander pulled up his System interface with the last of his energy. The familiar display materialized in his vision, showing what he’d gained from the fight that nearly took his life.
—
[STATUS]
Alexander Rooke
| Alias: Machine God
| Organization: Grimnir (Leader)
| Alliances: The Royals
| Designation: Supervillain
| Bounty: 1,115,000 → 1,280,000 credits
| Evaluation: Tier 2 (2% → 12%) — Class A
ASCENSION POTENTIAL INDEX (API)
Physical Attributes
| Strength — 75% → 76%
| Endurance — 94% → 100%
| Constitution — 86% → 100%
| Dexterity — 90% → 91%
| Agility — 80% → 81%
Cognitive Attributes
| Intelligence ? 131 → 137
| Processing Speed ? 121 → 128
| Perception ? 121 → 129
| Focus ? 106 → 118
| Willpower (Ambition) ? 138 → 161 (+5)
Power Manifestation
Machine God (Technopathy) | Class S, Tier 1
| Efficiency — 100%
| Control — 100%
| Output — 67% → 71%
| Adaptation — 91% → 94%
Electrokinesis | Class C → B, Tier 1
| Efficiency — 66% → 78%
| Control — 67% → 74%
| Output — 68% → 77%
| Adaptation — 46% → 72%
Metallokinesis | Class B, Tier 1
| Efficiency — 65% → 70%
| Control — 52% → 61%
| Output — 43% → 48%
| Adaptation — 37% → 49%
Animachina | Class S, Tier 2
| Mastery ? 54% → 75%
Cultivator’s Core | Class B, Tier 1
| Refinement ? 36% → 52%
Techniques
| Blackout
| Ensoulment
| Soul Circuit
Skills
| Hyperawareness
Achievements
| Origin 0 Soul
| Continue the Dream II
—
Alexander was too tired to be shocked by the growth. He’d known that overall it would be greater than any of his other fights, but some increases defied his own assumptions while others he felt were not enough.
It was something to consider later, when he had his full faculties.
He let out a slow breath and allowed his thoughts to drift.
Just before sleep took him, he felt the bed shift as Julia joined him, the warmth of her presence settling in next to him.
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Continue the Dream.
